# Orchestral music - Epic



## trlakin

Hello.

I am trying to learn how this new, modern epic music works.
I would have few questions for someone who is in mood to help me here.

1. Where to start building Epic track (chords, main melody, ostinato...)?
2. How to built ostinato using violins or high strings with low strings or cello, how to get good rhytmic ostinato that follow chords? 
- I usually get very bad ostinatos.
3. Which instruments can be combined for main melody, is it viola with some high violin, and add some brass and things in between on some notes to get something interesting in the track?
4. What about drums how they goes?

I know theory, actually my theory is based on my ears more than knowledge, i can hear whats wrong with notes, but I am very bad at placing notes for ostinato, even if I get good violins melody, whats pretty easy for me to make, I can easily find chords for melody, its easy to me too, but than I stuck, I stuck with that ostinato, however i create one it destroys my track, if i go further and create drum loop it goes even worse.

Can someone give me some links, some advice or anything?

I would apreciate it alot. I can't proceed without help anymore, whatever i try to create ends same, ostinato fails.

I am using FL Studio.

I am noob for this music, and I wanna be better. Please help :tiphat:


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## Rik1

Well I've learnt something new. I'm a musician but have never heard of the genre 'Epic' music. I just looked it up and I see it's the kind of sweeping 'deep' sounding music heard in films and TV.

I don't know of any advice on how to write a 'good' ostinato except to experiment until you find something you like. In terms of orchestrating it, the default would be to start on low strings initially and add more layers of instruments (upper strings etc) at points where you need to intensify the sound.

I'll let someone else chime in with some proper advice. I understand how this music works from a performer perspective, and I've made arrangements of existing music but I'd say I am a bad composer!


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## Cosmos

I don't know much about this field, nor do I know how old you are, but I suggest the first place to start would be a few things to do:
- Study the scores of music you like. If you can't find access to these "epic" works you're describing, maybe look at symphonic poems from the 19th century, which were influential on a lot of film music. 
- Listen to the music while looking at the score to see how orchestration plays out
- Maybe study music theory for the questions on chords and ostinatos and what not


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## Mahlerian

In case you're still looking at this thread, remember two things about your ostinatos.

- They should stick very closely to the harmony, enough to imply it without any harmonic background. Use triadic or scalar fragments, without a very wide range.

- The rhythm should match the emphases in the other parts; any syncopations used should reinforce the main rhythm, not fight against it.


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