Hope is Kindled: 'The Power of a Simple Theme'

If you're a Lord of the Rings fan (and even if you're not) here's an example of the power of a simple theme. In this scene, the goal is to give a feeling for hope. And boy does it do it!

It starts out as a slow builiding bunch of chords going up and up until... the main theme kicks in at the 1:02 mark - a simple 8-bar phrase in 4/4 time. This is what it is. It's also pretty sure it's based on the modal scale of D dorian. Interesting because it's a very old 'church mode' and fits well with the 'Autumnal' feeling this composer wants to create.

See? Even these guys use the 8-bar phrase which is why I incorporate it into the lessons. It's a powerful compositonal framework!