So yeah, today I got super deep into Howard Shore’s music for Lord of the Rings. Like, really deep. Started because I wanted to figure out why those tunes stick in your head forever, right?
First thing I did was put the movies on again. Didn’t even watch the whole thing, just hit play, turned off the volume sometimes, and tried to notice when certain music popped up. Like, when Frodo was chilling in the Shire at the start? That peaceful flute sound hits immediately. Started scribbling notes: “Shire theme = happy flutes, feels safe.” Basic, but gotta start somewhere.
Then the mood shifts when Gandalf shows up, boom. That low kind of chanting or whatever? That’s the Fellowship motif kicking in. Figured I needed to actually listen, not just hear. Pulled up the soundtrack separately, skipped around trying to follow just that “Fellowship” sound. Was kinda hard! It pops up different places, sometimes faster, sometimes slower. Annoying at first, like trying to follow a conversation in a noisy room.
Decided to break it down dumb-simple. Grabbed my crappy keyboard – not a real piano, just one of those digital ones. Tried picking out the main notes for each character’s “thing”. The Shire music? Sounds kind of… bouncy and climbing up? Hit some high notes. Then tried Sauron’s music. Total opposite! Super low, heavy, feels like stomping boots. Huge difference. Playing them back-to-back, even badly, made it obvious how Shore tells you who’s who just with sound.
Got stuck on the Mordor stuff. That grating metal-on-stone sound? Wild. Tried figuring out how he makes something sound so scary and hopeless. It ain’t just about playing loud. Listened closely, rewound a bunch. Sounds like:
- Weird instruments, maybe not even normal orchestra stuff?
- Things hitting metal, scraping, that kind of harsh noise.
- Underneath it, a deep, slow rhythm like a heartbeat from hell.
Played with trying to layer that myself on the keyboard with different sounds. Sounded awful, obviously, but wow, it hit me why it works: it’s uncomfortable to listen to. Makes you wanna cover your ears. Genius, actually.
Realized the best part was how these themes talk to each other. Like, when the Shire theme pops up somewhere dark? Sounds sad, lonely… a few notes change and it hits you right in the feels. Doesn’t need words. Or the triumphant Fellowship theme building louder and louder when something big happens? Gives you chills ’cause you recognize it, even if you didn’t know the name.
Ended up just blasting the Rohan theme for like 20 minutes while vacuuming. That horn call? Man. Sounds open, horse hooves almost, free. Makes you feel like charging into battle with a mop. That’s the power. He doesn’t just write music; he paints pictures with sound.
So yeah, after playing with it, poking it, even messing up trying to copy bits – I finally see it. It works ’cause every bit of music tells a tiny story. Knows exactly what to make you feel. Happy, scared, hopeful, crushed. And he weaves it all together like a crazy tapestry. Didn’t knew much when I started, but now? Man, I get the hype.