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Royalty Free Drones Music
How to Incorporate Drones Music in your Project
Ironically, one of the most utilized forms of music in film is one of the least musical.
More often than not, music in film is there to create or add to an atmosphere rather than impress musically.
In music, there's never any need to say something with 100 notes if you can say it with 1.
The same can be said about creating atmosphere, and that's where Drones music comes in.
What is Drones Music
Drone, in musical terms, is a long-sustained note that can also be referred to as a pedal note.
The sustained note can last for an entire piece of music at times and is often low-pitched.
It's usually low-pitched because it acts as a bed for a melody that plays above. Although, in film, it's common for a drone to work alone without a melody line.
Drones are generally monophonic, which means a single note, but sustained chords can be considered drones, too.
Although, any harmony created with a drone tends to come from shorter notes added above.
Whether it's a constant melody or sporadic notes, it allows you to change between consonant and dissonant harmonies.
In other words, you can manipulate the atmosphere between extreme tension and resolution.
The technique of using drones in music can be traced back as far as the 12th century.
Our collection of royalty-free music doesn't date quite that old, but it is full of stunning music for your projects.
Don't forget to audition tracks with our exclusive video preview tool.
Dread the Drone
Drones in film are commonly used to create tension in darker scenes.
It's a way to create anxiety in the viewer because it's uncomfortable.
The drone, in this situation, isn't typically a pleasing sound, and the uncertainty of when it ends is what creates anxiety.
It's that feeling of knowing something is going to happen but not knowing when, which means you can't relax.
It's such a simple technique, but it's so effective. One of the earliest examples of drone music being used in this way is 1931s Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde.
As an example of how long a drone can be sustained, we can look at some of the master classical composers.
For example, Richard Wagner was known to include sustained notes up to 15 minutes long in his works.
A Lighter Side
We mentioned already that melodies and other notes could change the harmonic quality of a drone.
That means it doesn't need to be about anxiety and tension. It could instead focus on peacefulness and resolution.
If we try to imagine how that translates into a movie scene, it could be something like the sun rising to signify a new day and perhaps a change of fortune.
It could also be something less cheesy, but you get the idea.
In musical terms, what we are talking about is the difference in the interval between the drone and the note above.
A low sustained note with a major 7th above, or even a major 7th and 9th, can change something that was dark and gloomy to something bright and hopeful.
Have a Break
We used Richard Wagner as an example of drones lasting for very long times, but it doesn't have to.
Think of a ship's distress call; you'd think of that as a drone, right?
But it's not constant; it has short pauses between droning.
Using a drone this way doesn't just create tension and anxiety; it gives the feeling of motion like something is coming.
Sometimes, those short little breaks just make it more terrifying.
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