Do you want to create spooky sounding music? Perhaps you want to make music suitable in a spooky film, TV or game soundtrack. Or perhaps you simply want to create a spooky atmosphere for halloween?
The main ingredients for a spooky sound is tension. You can create tension in many ways in music, but the main ways are to have tension in the harmonies and melodic intervals used.
And the second main way is to create tension with the tone and texture of the instruments and sounds you use.
Let’s explore some of the guidelines and tips for making spooky music:
7 Tips on How to Make Spooky Music
- Write the music in a minor key (or minor mode)
- Avoid simple major triad chords (add tension colors instead)
- Create a lot of chromatic voice leading (half steps)
- Add surprising and dissonant chord changes
- Focus on lower dynamics to make it more sneaky
- Use low drones and pads for an ominous vibe
- Make use of ambient textures for an evil mood
Bonus Tips on Spooky Music
Keeping the music arrangement minimal, with sparse instrumentation and lots of air and space in the music, is a great way to bring out that spooky, ominous, haunting character in your music. Like there is someone, or something, hiding in the shadows.
For a more evil and powerful vibe you want to make sure your bass and low end is clear and focused in the mix. And generally it works very well to have long notes of harmonic tension in the very high range to get that “nail-biting” atmosphere.