Ben Böhmer is a master of emotional harmony, the kind that works on Spotify and on a festival system alike. This breakdown walks through his harmony inside Ableton, layer by layer, from the piano skeleton to pads, atmosphere, plucks, melody, and the way it all stacks into one immersive world. It is built around his track Father Ocean.
The Skeleton: Piano and Bass
The harmonic skeleton, kept as simple as possible. Everything else is built on top of this.
Key settings:
- Octaves and a clear three-chord progression on piano
- Bass following the same structure
The Deep Pad
Where the warmth comes from. Pad voicings make the harmony fuller and more emotional, and the tension in this style lives in the second chord's voice leading.
Key settings:
- Chord 1: F# minor, with the fifth dropped an octave
- Chord 2: an A5 power chord, then the upper fifth moved down a semitone for tension inside the chord
- Chord 3: E major, with an optional F#4 adding a 9 on top for the vibe
- The push and resolve comes from chord 2's voice leading
The Atmosphere: Drone and Pad Texture
Continuity and movement. A drone connects the chord changes and makes the harmony cinematic, while a brighter pad texture keeps long chords from feeling static.
Key settings:
- Drone: hold notes across the whole progression, adding a new note per chord so it evolves
- Pad texture: copy the deep-pad MIDI into a richer, brighter sound for movement
The Plucks: Rhythm
Pads sustain, plucks drive. Mono plucks add forward motion and momentum, even with very few notes.
Key settings:
- Mono plucks for rhythmic energy
- Kept sparse, so they push the harmony without cluttering it
The Melody
Clear and memorable, sitting inside the harmony instead of fighting it. A glide layer connects the notes for a vocal-like expression.
Key settings:
- Keep some notes constant and alter others; an E works across all three chords (a 7th, then the fifth, then the root, so it lands home on the last chord)
- A glide layer to connect notes smoothly, less flashy lead, more emotional glue
All Layers Together
The magic is not one track, it is clear layer roles stacking into an immersive world.
Key settings:
- Structure, depth, brightness, atmosphere, tension and release
- Rhythmic movement, melodic identity and expressive glide
- Each layer does one job
Grab the full course
Want to produce this style from a blank project to a mastered track? The Melodic House Academy Vol. 2 has the samples, presets, Ableton projects and course modules to get your tracks release ready.
Watch the full breakdown
See the full harmony walkthrough in the video:
Reference track
This breakdown is based on:
- Ben Böhmer - Father Ocean