Pretty cool to hear your take on that scale! It does have a slightly creepy vibe, but also a bit of childlike whimsy with that music box. Kind of like it could be a song for a game like Fran Bow which toes the line between that "Literary Nonsense" kind of fantasy and horror. Nice job and thanks for taking on the challenge

Pretty cool to hear your take on that scale! It does have a slightly creepy vibe, but also a bit of childlike whimsy with that music box. Kind of like it could be a song for a game like Fran Bow which toes the line between that "Literary Nonsense" kind of fantasy and horror. Nice job and thanks for taking on the challenge ;)

Oh Fran Bow is a good call out... I had something "The Room" rattling around, like while solving a puzzle with time pressure.  But yeah, I totally see the "dark whimsy" angle.

Now to lob the challenge back at you, I'm curious to hear what your take on the Royal Road progression would be. 

[quote=ViridianLoom]Pretty cool to hear your take on that scale! It does have a slightly creepy vibe, but also a bit of childlike whimsy with that music box. Kind of like it could be a song for a game like Fran Bow which toes the line between that "Literary Nonsense" kind of fantasy and horror. Nice job and thanks for taking on the challenge ;)[/quote] Oh Fran Bow is a good call out... I had something "The Room" rattling around, like while solving a puzzle with time pressure. But yeah, I totally see the "dark whimsy" angle. Now to lob the challenge back at you, I'm curious to hear what your take on the [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_road_progression]Royal Road[/url] progression would be.

Sort of a magical feeling to this scale, especially when played with a Rhodes that has a bit of a glockenspiel/music box glimmer. Well composed!

Sort of a magical feeling to this scale, especially when played with a Rhodes that has a bit of a glockenspiel/music box glimmer. Well composed!

had to put on the headphones for this. what a mood!
was thinking Lynch would enjoy this, and it made me think of one of my favorite videos on this cursed world wide web:
Angelo Badalamenti explaining how he wrote Laura Palmer's theme.

had to put on the headphones for this. what a mood! was thinking Lynch would enjoy this, and it made me think of one of my favorite videos on this cursed world wide web: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-eqgr_gn4k/]Angelo Badalamenti explaining how he wrote Laura Palmer's theme.[/url] <3

great vibe! (get it? cause it sounds like a vibraphone? no?)

def getting haunted house vibes.

would be interesting to find if a mode will always lead to a particular sound, or it's usable in different ways. like could you make this mode sound happy instead of haunted house-y?

oh god that video
I realize it's been a subconscious inspiration for me for a long time. glad I stumbled on it again, thanks!

great vibe! (get it? cause it sounds like a vibraphone? no?) def getting haunted house vibes. would be interesting to find if a mode will always lead to a particular sound, or it's usable in different ways. like could you make this mode sound happy instead of haunted house-y? [quote=jwh]had to put on the headphones for this. what a mood! was thinking Lynch would enjoy this, and it made me think of one of my favorite videos on this cursed world wide web: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-eqgr_gn4k/]Angelo Badalamenti explaining how he wrote Laura Palmer's theme.[/url] <3[/quote] oh god that video <3 I realize it's been a subconscious inspiration for me for a long time. glad I stumbled on it again, thanks!

Oh yeah, The Room would totally fit with that vibe too. That franchise leans into cosmic horror as you get towards the final puzzles. Pretty good franchise, I need to finish it (I think I took a break during the third and never returned).

I shall keep the Royal Road progression in mind and see what I can do. I'll be sure to notify you whenever I write a song that uses it

[quote=Napear] Oh Fran Bow is a good call out... I had something "The Room" rattling around, like while solving a puzzle with time pressure. But yeah, I totally see the "dark whimsy" angle. Now to lob the challenge back at you, I'm curious to hear what your take on the [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_road_progression]Royal Road[/url] progression would be. [/quote] Oh yeah, The Room would totally fit with that vibe too. That franchise leans into cosmic horror as you get towards the final puzzles. Pretty good franchise, I need to finish it (I think I took a break during the third and never returned). I shall keep the Royal Road progression in mind and see what I can do. I'll be sure to notify you whenever I write a song that uses it :P

Oh man, thanks for sharing that. It's super interesting to hear how that theme was composed. Man, I love all the Twin Peaks talk across WB this year, haha.

[quote=jwh]had to put on the headphones for this. what a mood! was thinking Lynch would enjoy this, and it made me think of one of my favorite videos on this cursed world wide web: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-eqgr_gn4k/]Angelo Badalamenti explaining how he wrote Laura Palmer's theme.[/url] <3[/quote] Oh man, thanks for sharing that. It's super interesting to hear how that theme was composed. Man, I love all the Twin Peaks talk across WB this year, haha.

hell yeah 

[quote=ViridianLoom][quote=jwh]had to put on the headphones for this. what a mood! was thinking Lynch would enjoy this, and it made me think of one of my favorite videos on this cursed world wide web: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-eqgr_gn4k/]Angelo Badalamenti explaining how he wrote Laura Palmer's theme.[/url] <3[/quote] Oh man, thanks for sharing that. It's super interesting to hear how that theme was composed. Man, I love all the Twin Peaks talk across WB this year, haha.[/quote] hell yeah :)

Thanks for this, I tend to stick to the easy modes but this is such a cool feeling/sound. I like how the main progression manages to feel grounded despite being Lydian. I think the the left hand having an established pattern and rhythm was a great choice that helps achieve this, and gives the melody plenty of space to ring out and be spooky.

Thanks for this, I tend to stick to the easy modes :lol: but this is such a cool feeling/sound. I like how the main progression manages to feel grounded despite being Lydian. I think the the left hand having an established pattern and rhythm was a great choice that helps achieve this, and gives the melody plenty of space to ring out and be spooky.

Thanks, and yeah, that's that augmented 4th... Lydian is my go to for "magical" sounds... in this case it's creepy because of the diminished third, and has an unsettling mildly exotic sound because of the increased distance between the 3rd and 4th scale degrees.  I also stole a trick from Dany Elfman and John Williams, in playing the left and right hand parts farther apart, the extra distance between the higher melody line and the lower rhythm and bass adds a magical quality... not sure why though... but it's on display all through The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Harry Potter scores.

Oh man it DOES have very Twin Peaks energy doesn't it!!! Lydian diminished is kinda like a Lynchian mullet creepy up front magical in the back. 

That's a really good question, I mean it's really just a mode of the Harmonic Minor scale, so functionally anything you can do with that, you can do with this.  As an example here harmonically I vamped between the i - II and i - vii... but if one kept to i - II, and melodically stayed mostly on the upper end of the scale, it would mostly feel Lydian, which would be very magical and bright, then hitting that diminished third every now and again would create a "something is wrong" unsettled vibe... but it might not always read as creepy.  Conversely, if you kept to the lower part of the scale it would have a very middle eastern flavor to it, so if one where to play more uptempo and staccato, with complex rhythms it would have a Khaliji "hijazz" feel probably; or slower and more legato would be like an Aladdin "Cave of Wonders" thing I suspect.

I look forward to it d(>_･ )

Well really you should thank ViridianLoom because I for sure would not have tried to do anything with it if he hadn't suggested it.  And thanks!  For the main progression, I basically just stuck (conceptually) to the "Lydian Vamp".  Typically in the Lydian Vamp you go from I-II, and because the II has the augmented 4th in it, you are really clearly establishing that Lydian flavor, but by just going back and fourth you never open the door to the inherent instability of Lydian, wanting to resolve outward to the relative Ionian.  I did the same thing here, but switched back and forth between i-II and i-vii, because the movement from i to vii highlights the diminished 3rd, where going from i to II highlights the augmented 4th. I think you're right about the left hand pattern playing into the spooky vibe, but as I mentioned above, I used the classic Dany Elfman trick of putting bell sounds two (or three) octaves above a rhythmic bass to produce a creepy vibe.  He uses that a LOT, like all through Nightmare Before Christmas, but also Beetlejuice, Edward Scissor Hands, even in Batman II for a lot of the Penguin's music.  And then because there are so many minor 2nd intervals through out, I spent a lot of time with them in the melody, and minor 2nd are the creepiest of the intervals.  In fact minor 9ths are my go to trick for "suspense" building in horror scoring, because you get the same creepiness of a minor second, but because there an octave apart it's not obvious why it sounds creepy... so just stacking minor 9ths (or 16ths), particularly in strings, creates a super unsettling, creepy tension.  And, I kind of danced around that same thing with this piece. 

[quote=rplktr]Sort of a magical feeling to this scale, especially when played with a Rhodes that has a bit of a glockenspiel/music box glimmer. Well composed![/quote] Thanks, and yeah, that's that augmented 4th... Lydian is my go to for "magical" sounds... in this case it's creepy because of the diminished third, and has an unsettling mildly exotic sound because of the increased distance between the 3rd and 4th scale degrees. I also stole a trick from Dany Elfman and John Williams, in playing the left and right hand parts farther apart, the extra distance between the higher melody line and the lower rhythm and bass adds a magical quality... not sure why though... but it's on display all through The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Harry Potter scores. [quote=jwh]had to put on the headphones for this. what a mood! was thinking Lynch would enjoy this, and it made me think of one of my favorite videos on this cursed world wide web: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-eqgr_gn4k/]Angelo Badalamenti explaining how he wrote Laura Palmer's theme.[/url] <3[/quote] Oh man it DOES have very Twin Peaks energy doesn't it!!! Lydian diminished is kinda like a Lynchian mullet creepy up front magical in the back. [quote=horatiuromantic]great vibe! (get it? cause it sounds like a vibraphone? no?) def getting haunted house vibes. would be interesting to find if a mode will always lead to a particular sound, or it's usable in different ways. like could you make this mode sound happy instead of haunted house-y? [/quote] That's a really good question, I mean it's really just a mode of the Harmonic Minor scale, so functionally anything you can do with that, you can do with this. As an example here harmonically I vamped between the i - II and i - vii... but if one kept to i - II, and melodically stayed mostly on the upper end of the scale, it would mostly feel Lydian, which would be very magical and bright, then hitting that diminished third every now and again would create a "something is wrong" unsettled vibe... but it might not always read as creepy. Conversely, if you kept to the lower part of the scale it would have a very middle eastern flavor to it, so if one where to play more uptempo and staccato, with complex rhythms it would have a Khaliji "hijazz" feel probably; or slower and more legato would be like an Aladdin "Cave of Wonders" thing I suspect. [quote=ViridianLoom][quote=Napear] Oh Fran Bow is a good call out... I had something "The Room" rattling around, like while solving a puzzle with time pressure. But yeah, I totally see the "dark whimsy" angle. Now to lob the challenge back at you, I'm curious to hear what your take on the [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_road_progression]Royal Road[/url] progression would be. [/quote] Oh yeah, The Room would totally fit with that vibe too. That franchise leans into cosmic horror as you get towards the final puzzles. Pretty good franchise, I need to finish it (I think I took a break during the third and never returned). I shall keep the Royal Road progression in mind and see what I can do. I'll be sure to notify you whenever I write a song that uses it :P [/quote] I look forward to it d(>_･ ) [quote=Cursory]Thanks for this, I tend to stick to the easy modes :lol: but this is such a cool feeling/sound. I like how the main progression manages to feel grounded despite being Lydian. I think the the left hand having an established pattern and rhythm was a great choice that helps achieve this, and gives the melody plenty of space to ring out and be spooky. [/quote] Well really you should thank ViridianLoom because I for sure would not have tried to do anything with it if he hadn't suggested it. And thanks! For the main progression, I basically just stuck (conceptually) to the "Lydian Vamp". Typically in the Lydian Vamp you go from I-II, and because the II has the augmented 4th in it, you are really clearly establishing that Lydian flavor, but by just going back and fourth you never open the door to the inherent instability of Lydian, wanting to resolve outward to the relative Ionian. I did the same thing here, but switched back and forth between i-II and i-vii, because the movement from i to vii highlights the diminished 3rd, where going from i to II highlights the augmented 4th. I think you're right about the left hand pattern playing into the spooky vibe, but as I mentioned above, I used the classic Dany Elfman trick of putting bell sounds two (or three) octaves above a rhythmic bass to produce a creepy vibe. He uses that a LOT, like all through Nightmare Before Christmas, but also Beetlejuice, Edward Scissor Hands, even in Batman II for a lot of the Penguin's music. And then because there are so many minor 2nd intervals through out, I spent a lot of time with them in the melody, and minor 2nd are the creepiest of the intervals. In fact minor 9ths are my go to trick for "suspense" building in horror scoring, because you get the same creepiness of a minor second, but because there an octave apart it's not obvious why it sounds creepy... so just stacking minor 9ths (or 16ths), particularly in strings, creates a super unsettling, creepy tension. And, I kind of danced around that same thing with this piece.

You definitely nailed it. It's sweet at times, and disturbing at others, you never know what you're going to get with every chord.
- Devieus

You definitely nailed it. It's sweet at times, and disturbing at others, you never know what you're going to get with every chord. - Devieus

To me it sounds like it could also be an intro or interlude on a Dream Theater album ) given that they do know their theory I wouldn't be surprised if they also used Lydian Diminished in some parts - that's why my mind ran to that direction.

To me it sounds like it could also be an intro or interlude on a Dream Theater album :)) given that they do know their theory I wouldn't be surprised if they also used Lydian Diminished in some parts - that's why my mind ran to that direction.

+1 to this - the mystery unfolding. Loving the discussion and comments above

[quote=Devieus]You definitely nailed it. It's sweet at times, and disturbing at others, you never know what you're going to get with every chord. - Devieus[/quote] +1 to this - the mystery unfolding. Loving the discussion and comments above

Def feel those spooky mysterious vibes.  It gave me some Tim Burton-esque visuals with the melody trailing.  Love how the bass notes sound in this too.  Dark and thick and combined with the melody just gives it such magical sound.  Well done!

Def feel those spooky mysterious vibes. It gave me some Tim Burton-esque visuals with the melody trailing. Love how the bass notes sound in this too. Dark and thick and combined with the melody just gives it such magical sound. Well done!

I think ViridianLoom nailed it: full of childlike whimsy, but also creepy at times. Very nicely done! I love twinkly music box and this hits that spot perfectly. Great job!

I think ViridianLoom nailed it: full of childlike whimsy, but also creepy at times. Very nicely done! I love twinkly music box and this hits that spot perfectly. Great job!

[img]https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbestanimations.com%2FAnimals%2FInsects%2FSpiders%2Fspiderweb-animated-gif-7.gif&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=4909a829326e89aa7e4e56c4389ebd560470f24e2547caa80888e934867e57d2&ipo=images[/img]

Thanks, yeah, it's always nice to have more tools in the tool box, and Lydian Diminished, for sure goes in the "creepy" box

Hey thanks, that's actually an incredible compliment for me... Jordan Rudess is a god amongst men, so to have made something that even brings to mind anything he's ever thought about doing, is an honor. 

Awesome, I'm always worried when I start a theory ramble that anyone who sees it will have their eyes glaze over and just nope past it, so I'm glad it was interesting to someone... other than me.  (‘-’*)

Thank you... I might have a, um... mild fixation on Danny Elfman's work... so I think a lot of my work has a "Tim Brutony" feel to it... whether I want it to or not... at least here it's like warranted.  (｡･･｡)

Thanks, and yeah I'm loving the Rhodes V8... like I love Rhodes sounds anyway, but they did a GREAT job with the samples (I guess obviously) and man is the plugin deep, and it just sounds so nice. 

[quote=Devieus]You definitely nailed it. It's sweet at times, and disturbing at others, you never know what you're going to get with every chord. - Devieus[/quote] Thanks, yeah, it's always nice to have more tools in the tool box, and Lydian Diminished, for sure goes in the "creepy" box [quote=Aletheia]To me it sounds like it could also be an intro or interlude on a Dream Theater album :)) given that they do know their theory I wouldn't be surprised if they also used Lydian Diminished in some parts - that's why my mind ran to that direction.[/quote] Hey thanks, that's actually an incredible compliment for me... Jordan Rudess is a god amongst men, so to have made something that even brings to mind anything he's ever thought about doing, is an honor. [quote=miraclemiles][quote=Devieus]You definitely nailed it. It's sweet at times, and disturbing at others, you never know what you're going to get with every chord. - Devieus[/quote] +1 to this - the mystery unfolding. Loving the discussion and comments above [/quote] Awesome, I'm always worried when I start a theory ramble that anyone who sees it will have their eyes glaze over and just nope past it, so I'm glad it was interesting to someone... other than me. (‘-’*) [quote=Tone Matrix]Def feel those spooky mysterious vibes. It gave me some Tim Burton-esque visuals with the melody trailing. Love how the bass notes sound in this too. Dark and thick and combined with the melody just gives it such magical sound. Well done![/quote] Thank you... I might have a, um... mild fixation on Danny Elfman's work... so I think a lot of my work has a "Tim Brutony" feel to it... whether I want it to or not... at least here it's like warranted. (｡･･｡) [quote=jegasus]I think ViridianLoom nailed it: full of childlike whimsy, but also creepy at times. Very nicely done! I love twinkly music box and this hits that spot perfectly. Great job! [/quote] Thanks, and yeah I'm loving the Rhodes V8... like I love Rhodes sounds anyway, but they did a GREAT job with the samples (I guess obviously) and man is the plugin deep, and it just sounds so nice. [quote=emily]♥[/quote] [img]https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExaXc5ajRwdGVjMWRmbmtvNTdpOWswcmZ5dmtpcmZ1aDB6M2NkanpmOSZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/h6xzmDDFTowrvikAxu/giphy.gif[/img]