Compose Legendary Video Game Music

How to make complete, original video game music compositions from scratch.

If you pause a boss fight just to listen to the music, or you have half-finished ideas sitting on your hard drive because you "don't know enough theory" to finish them, this book is for you. A clear, step-by-step system to go from noodling in your DAW to writing a complete, original game theme.

What you will learn

• Turn "no ideas" into motifs and full themes: grow a 1 to 2 bar idea into 8, 16, and 32 bar loops that feel like real game music
• Control emotion on purpose: rhythm, repetition, contrast, and scale degrees that make tracks feel calm, heroic, tragic, or hype on command
• Write melodies people can hum: melody shapes, question-and-answer phrases, cadences, and a sketch-to-finished workflow
• Harmonize like a game composer: start with simple triads, then level up to chord functions, substitutions, pedals, and modulation
• Finish more music, faster: the "Direction, Not Perfection" mindset and the 30-sketch workflow

Major sections

• Video game music form: motifs, subphrases, form patterns, intros, and full-form examples
• Video game music rhythm: a concrete sketch process and rhythm tools for contrast and motion
• Video game music melody: shapes, movement types, tension notes, and "melody done" checklists
• Video game music chords: three levels of harmony, harmonic rhythm, substitutions, and modulation

Is this book for you?

• Gamers who dream of scoring games but have never finished a full track
• Self-taught musicians drowning in random tutorials
• Composers who can mix but know their melodies are weak

You do not need to read music to start. If you are new to theory, the book includes access to the full Music Theory Level 1 course at no extra cost, plus a video walkthrough for your first composition.

Hardcover edition. Printed on demand and shipped to your door. Press any button to start your composer journey.

About the author. Dan Spencer is a composer, OST creator, author, and coach who teaches the practical path from idea, or no ideas, to finished music you can actually play, write, understand, and ship.

What readers are saying

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