Year 10 - Music
Vertical layering
Extending understanding in film music: video game music
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Unit Summary
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Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain how linear loops work in video games and have created some for a racing game.
Key Notes
- Video game composers make music adaptive by using linear loops and vertical layering.
- This allows music to quickly and seamlessly respond to changes caused by a player's actions.
- Adding (or removing) layers to develop the texture is one way to do vertical layering.
- Adding a harmonised melody is another common tool used by composers for this purpose.
Vocabulary To Learn
- linear loop: a repeating musical idea in a video game that can be looped indefinitely
- adaptive music: music that can change by reacting to a stimulus; video game music reacts to the player's actions
- vertical layering: where layers of music are 'stacked' on top of each other and change in response to the player's actions
- arpeggio: notes of a chord played separately, ascending or descending
- harmonisation: adding notes to a melody to create harmony with the main melodic notes (also called harmonising)
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Reharmonising a melody is as simple as playing it a third higher.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Video game composers make music adaptive by using linear loops and vertical layering. This allows music to quickly and seamlessly respond to changes caused by a player's actions.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'linear loop'
a repeating musical idea in a video game that can be looped indefinitely.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Reharmonising a melody is as simple as playing it a third higher. Correction: While this can be effective, for certain melodies this won't work effectively. Instead, experimenting with the harmonised melody both above and below the main melody is key, as well as experimenting with 3rds and 6ths.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 10 Music guide library.