Film Scores Explored · Robert Rodriguez

Write Music
That Tells a Story.

Learn how melody, harmony, rhythm, and orchestration shape a scene—and bring those choices into your own composing.

8 genre recipes to help you start sketching.

The Film Composer’s Recipe Book by Robert Rodriguez — YOUR FREE STARTING POINT

From loving a score to writing your own

You know how the scene should feel.
Which musical choice gets you there?

Maybe you have a melody, a few chords, or a sound you love. The next step is deciding what they’re saying about the story.

That’s what we explore here. What makes a theme feel heroic? Why does a small change in harmony make a scene feel uncertain? And how can you try those ideas in your own music?

Start with one musical idea

The Film Composer’s
Recipe Book

A free reference for the moment you sit down to write. Pick a genre, explore its musical ingredients, and start a sketch.

Explore the Free Recipe Book

Join OdysseyNotes for stories about musical storytelling, plus occasional emails about my books and composing resources. The Recipe Book is your free welcome bonus.

Choose a direction.

8 genre recipes, including heroic action, horror, drama, fantasy, and comedy.

Find your starting points.

Ideas for melodic intervals, chord progressions, tempo, and instrumentation.

Keep it beside your keyboard.

A quick reference you can return to while you’re working on a piece.

Hey there! I’m Robert.

I teach composing
through the stories
we love.

I’m a composer, educator, and the creator of Film Scores Explored. I break down how scores support characters, emotion, and narrative—and what we can learn from those choices.

I also tutor composers through the ThinkSpace Education Orchestral Composition Bootcamp.

More about me

When you want to go further