KVR Audio

memyselfandus · Post by **memyselfandus** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:42 pm

Anyone know what scales and chord types are used in "Circus" and "Parade" music?
And any links with sheet music or tabs and mp3's with this sort of music?

Cordelia · Post by **Cordelia** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 1:51 am

A huge over-genealization, but you might try Googling "circle of fifths".

jplanet · Post by **jplanet** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 2:40 am

Do a search for Calliope and steam organ music. Most of it is written in good old Ionian (traditional major scale).

memyselfandus · Post by **memyselfandus** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:43 am

Lol, awesome. I am thinking if Im in CMaj I could throw in some F# "major Tritones"...

jplanet · Post by **jplanet** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:47 am

Ah! Then it will sound like a circus from a Stephen King movie. Cool!

Hernan123 · Post by **Hernan123** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 6:05 am

some chromatic fluorishes too I think

gravehill · Post by **gravehill** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 7:03 am

The best known circus music piece, "Entrance of the gladiators" is full of chromaticism.

jcivil · Post by **jcivil** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 5:09 am

memyselfandus wrote:Anyone know what scales and chord types are used in "Circus" and "Parade" music?

lydian is used an awful lot, like the major mode with a #4.
eg: "A" tonic, major scale of E

Toxikator · Post by **Toxikator** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 2:51 pm

If it were ME doing it, I'd do a root-fifth alternation on the down beats in my left hand (think like Lisa's jug song for homer) with the right hand improvising straight lines with the chromatic scale starting at the root (that is, move up and down by half-step ONLY but turning whenever you want) in 16th notes... and the occasional syncopated leap by an octave or fifth.

I'll post an example...

jcivil · Post by **jcivil** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 7:15 pm

aieda_cin wrote:if you're throwing some tritones in think about hitting them with a harmonic minor - not melodic - and forget about the 'classical minor rules' (IMO)... make sure you have lots of fun with it... arabian, gypsy and a bit rag...

some drunk arab gypsy - that sounds like a pretty cool circus theme to me... you could probably even write a book about it as well.

yeah, perverted minor, that's the ticket.

augmented seconds.

c D# (e) f G# (a)

Toxikator · Post by **Toxikator** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:07 pm

oh lawd, is dat sum half-sharps? Or is that just the font?

DrApostropheX · Post by **DrApostropheX** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:11 pm

I always that the super-locrian mode worked well with circus music.

Toxikator · Post by **Toxikator** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:12 pm

My promised example, hope it gives a general idea:

Carney!

KTHE · Post by **KTHE** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 2:04 am

aieda_cin wrote: but darken it up! mmmmm dark circus music.... irony dark lyrics, cynacism it's in c major and that'll never work.

A

dark circus music?! now that is cool!

KTHE · Post by **KTHE** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 2:08 am

toxikator... nice. thanks. just before bedtime, too.

Scales and Chords in Circus and Parade Music?