🎼 The Music Theory Behind Elder Scrolls: Oblivion’s Soundtrack (And How You Can Use It)

Jun 16

Why do millions of gamers adore the soundtrack of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, composed by Jeremy Soule? What makes this music so immersive? Let’s break down three key music theory concepts used in the score:

✅ Consistent use of Drone Notes
✅ Subtle Altered Chords
✅ Bombastic use of Mode Mixture

For each of these, I’ll show you:

🎧 An example from the soundtrack
🎹 The theory behind the concept
🎯 How you can apply (or subvert) it in your own music

Let’s dive in.

1️⃣ Drone Notes: Creating Atmosphere with a Single Pitch

One of the most defining features of Oblivion’s soundtrack is no doubt its persistent use of drone notes. Often, you’ll hear an entire piece in these games sit over a single sustained bass note—whether in the strings, low winds, or synths.

In the example, notice how the entire texture hovers around a static internal pedal point of a B note. Harmonies shift and evolve above and below it, but that B never moves. It’s like a tonal anchor.

🎓 Theory:
This is a classic drone technique, borrowing from both medieval music and ambient film scoring. The static bass note or internal pedal points creates a sense of space and timelessness—which is perfect for a fantasy setting like Oblivion. Drone notes color every chord around them in a unique way. An A minor chord over a D drone has a very different feel than a G major over the same drone, even though neither chord includes D as a root.

And that’s the magic of drones—they’re incredibly simple, but they unlock complex harmonic colors, paradoxically, just by staying still. You’ll notice how much the emotion can change and how much depth you can add simply by swapping out the chord on top of, below, or around the drone.

🛠️ How to Use It:

Create a drone using sustained synths or low strings
Build chords around it—try diatonic ones first, then introduce altered or modal chords
Watch how the same drone can support entirely different emotions

⚠️ When It Fails:
Pay attention to your intervals created with the drone. A dissonant interval between your drone and the chords around it, like a minor 2nd or Tritone, can be difficult to make gel as opposed to more consonant intervals like perfect 4ths or minor 6ths.

Additionally, be careful—too much drone can make your piece feel static. If everything stays the same too long without contrast, the music loses direction. Balance is key. Try layering evolving textures or adding a subtle countermelody to keep interest alive without breaking the drone.

2️⃣ Subtle Altered Chords: Restraint That Builds Tension

Where you might expect strong chord progressions or modulations, Oblivion instead leans into subtle variation—sus chords, added tones, and the occasional missing chord tone.

Hear how the harmony evolves slowly—there’s a sus2 here, or an add11 there, a 3rd missing or shifted minor. These aren’t flashy chord changes, but they keep the texture alive.

🎓 Theory:
Rather than moving through traditional cadences, Soule modifies static chords over time. Again, these soundtracks are a masterclass in getting more for less work. These alterations—things like suspending the 3rd, omitting the 5th, or using upper chord extensions like adding a 13th—create harmonic interest sometimes without even having to leave the home chord. Understand, it’s more about texture than function here.

Altered chords are a great composing trick to hold the listener’s attention without creating full harmonic movement. And it’s perfect for ambient scoring where creating a mood, space, and subtlety are more important than strong resolutions!

🛠️ How to Use It:

Take a basic chord and write 3–4 variations of it
Try removing the 3rd for ambiguity. Add a 2nd or 9th for color (or 11th, 13th, b5, go wild!)
Shift voicings subtly every 1–2 bars to keep things evolving

⚠️ When It Fails:
This admittedly can be a bit deflating at the wrong moment. If you’re worried about losing energy, add rhythmic motion or instrumentation shifts to maintain forward momentum. But, if your listener is expecting harmonic resolution—like in a battle theme or a heroic cue—this technique may feel too passive or worse, like a big swing and a miss. So opt to use this in explorative, ambient, or emotional cues where harmonic subtlety is a strength and not weakness.

What to do then when you want that big epic moment...?

3️⃣ Bombastic Mode Mixture: Big Emotions, Big Swerves

When Oblivion’s music does make a big harmonic move, it’s often through bold mode mixture—pulling chords from parallel modes to shock the ear. Suddenly, you’re hit with a major chord that shouldn’t be there, or a minor iv that feels cinematic and bold. The brightness of major chords or sadness of minors hits even harder when they don’t technically belong in the key. That’s mode mixture in action.

Right at this moment, at the cadence, we hear a G major chord in the context of D minor—a clear use of mode mixture. This major IV chord (borrowed from D Dorian or D major) introduces warmth but also heroism into the otherwise somber minor harmonic palette. It’s emotionally potent and helps define the Oblivion main theme’s regal yet melancholy sound.

🎓 Theory:
Mode mixture is when you borrow chords from the parallel keys, typically minor or major. So if you’re in C major, you might use an Ab major (b6), or an F minor (iv). These chords don’t belong diatonically—but that’s the point. They bring drama and epicness!

It’s such a powerful tool to have at your disposal. You’ll hear this in a lot of film and game music when something shifts emotionally—like a sudden reveal or a heroic sacrifice. A borrowed chord grabs your attention immediately.

🛠️ How to Use It:

Identify your key, then borrow from the parallel mode
Try a bVI, bIII or IV that doesn’t traditionally belong for that “wow” moment
Use this as a climax or turning point—save it for that big emotional impact

⚠️ When It Fails:
If you overuse it, mode mixture can lose its surprise. Use it like seasoning—sparingly and intentionally. Or like icing on a cake, too much icing and it doesn’t matter how good your cake is. Similarly, too much mode mixture and it loses its impact, and worse, your tonal center gets muddy erasing the foundation that makes mode mixture work in the first place!

Remember: what makes a surprising chord powerful is contrast—so make sure your surrounding material subtly builds up to it (perhaps by using the previously mentioned atmospheric drone notes on the tonic or subtle altered chords).

🎯 Conclusion

Jeremy Soule’s score for Oblivion is a masterclass in restrained harmony, subtle tension, and well-timed drama. The drone notes give it atmosphere, the altered chords give it texture, and the mode mixture delivers that big emotional payoff.

Try these techniques in your own compositions—maybe for your next fantasy score, ambient cue, or RPG soundtrack. You’ll be surprised how simple but effective they are, especially when used in proper balance.