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Adventure

Musical

Example

Adventure

Secret

Score

Adventure

Animated

Score

Adventure music is full of excitement and anticipation. We can employ a few simple techniques to create these emotions. Probably the most important technique involves the use of a particular mode: the Lydian mode. The D Lydian mode (or "D Lydian scale") comprises the notes D, E, F#, G#, A, B, C#:

We will use only the notes from this mode to create our main melody and harmony.

INTRO

We briefly delay the use of the Lydian mode at the start of our piece. The trumpets introduce the music with a loud, brassy flourish in bar 1. To create this exhilarating effect, they stray from the above-mentioned Lydian mode by playing three opening chords that are mostly chromatic:

Chromatic trumpet chords ascending rapidly create a rush of excitement and, though we haven't limited them to the notes of our Lydian mode, they create the desired effect. Our piece really takes off in bar 2.