Composer Blog: Derek Chisholm

DerekChisholm

Emotions Run High...

One of my best qualities as a composer is being able to connect with a character on an emotional level. It’s very easy for me to empathize and feel like the character would in each situation. Composing from a first-person rather than a third-person perspective creates a much deeper sound and immerses the player further into the game and out of their living room chairs. Knowing exactly when a character changes from timid optimism to absolutely jubilant will help the composer t

Resident Evil - Ambient Level Sample

Horror games are by far some of the most difficult to score genres, in my opinion. There are so many different emotions to consider it can be hard to sometimes pin down the perfect descriptive word. Not only that, but then you have action, ambient, safe-house, plot-progressing, and thematic music to consider. Then the scenery plays a huge role in how your music should sound. Music from a pipe organ sounds great in a church, but probably not the best fit when wandering around

Project Blitz Waltz

My most recent sample is underway, and I'm so excited to share it! Even if it's only 47 seconds, I'm still very proud of what's been produced so far. The piano work is complex and layered with hybrid chords, off-color notes, and time changes. An interesting aspect of this composition is the use of octave harmonies. The progression of the melody has many places where the next logical note would be a whole step higher, back to chord 1, but instead the chord is dropped an octave

Off-Chord Notes

Most piano compositions (symphony and modern music too) tend to have a clearly defined chord structure. Classical has rhythm and great chord progression. Romantic piano has complication, but still good chord structure. Jazz is further complicated by its different scales and 7th notes, but still has a clear structure. Chords are typically "lead up to" by other notes to make either complete a musical phrase, to transition to a new chord, or to emphasize the next note's harmony/

Fallout 3 Opener - New Sample!

This opening trailer took some time to hash out. It's not every day that you're thrown back into the 1950's, when it's actually 2277 and the world has imploded on itself. The subway scene starts with a few images of toys as it pans out slowly, and I wanted to give the scene a "family" attribute in the beginning. I imagined a family traveling with their little girl and bringing her teddy bear along for the trip right before the apocalypse. It's a grim scene with some grim chil

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