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what scales can i use for a creepy circus/funhouse atmosphere?


tuesday

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the question is already in the title, but i'm doing some music for a play which requires a creepy funhouse / circus atmosphere, and i was wondering if someone could recommend some scales or modes that would help in creating this feeling... circus music just doesn't seem like a major/minor scale kind of thing... more chromatic really...

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Originally posted by tuesday

the question is already in the title, but i'm doing some music for a play which requires a creepy funhouse / circus atmosphere, and i was wondering if someone could recommend some scales or modes that would help in creating this feeling... circus music just doesn't seem like a major/minor scale kind of thing... more chromatic really...

that kind of stuff is usually a nice major melody, usually a happy Ice Cream truck type thing, but with odd harmonization, the level of weirdness is detemined by the the weirdness of the harmonies, for slight creepiness try lydian, for more try altered scales, for more try atonal, for more try clusters.

 

don't use plain major and minor chords (make up some weird alterations), unless they have direct disonance with a resting tone in the melody. try using augmeted chors insted of major, and dimished of fully diminished for minor chords. exirment untill it sounds write to you, there is no set rules, also the instrument voice is important. a little organ will be in order for the chords.

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Try chords with stacked tritones, scales with both the major and minor 3rd.

 

When I think of 'circus music' I think of 3/4 time signature, like in the Beatles tune 'For the benefit of Mr. Kite' from the Sgt.Pepper's album. I've always found the 'circus' part of the tune strangely creepy...

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yeah, 3/4 and 2/4 time, and a keyboard patch that sounds like a circus pipe organ...

 

thanks for the suggestions, everyone!

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I'm a collector of horror movie soundtracks, and I thought about this question yesterday at home. So I took an hour and looked through my collection.

 

I found a very nice example of this kind of creepy music in the hellraiser 2 soundtrack. If anyone is interested i can put a short part on the net tomorrow.

 

Btw, the scale this piece used was a minor with b5 played over a major I,IV,V progression.

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minor with a b5 over a major progression... sounds interesting. go ahead and post it if you think it'll be relevant; i'd be glad to hear it.

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Originally posted by tuesday

ze young man stepped into ze hall of mirrors

vere we saw a reflection of himself.

thanks for the clip!

 

 

No problem. If you're looking for something else let me know. As long as it's creepy stuff I probably have it.

 

Nils

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