INDIANA JONES AND THE DAILY COMMUTE

Once the car had been defrosted and I'd pulled out into the road, I flicked on the radio.

"This is Classic FM," said a voice.

Before long, as I sped through golden tree tunnels on my way to work, the theme from Indiana Jones was pushing me along.

I gripped the wheel, smiling to myself. Then I whacked up the volume.

What a tune to drive to work to! John Williams is a genius. The bold brass theme swells confidently over those classic horse-hoof pounding strings, thumping timpani and semi-quavered french horns underneath. The rhythm and the fanfare oozes drama and adventure.

Also, it's interesting how he uses intervals of fourths and fifths which sort of modulate over ascending keys. The whole thing just carries that sense of escalating drama, but keeps it brave and positive.

And that's just the first section! Soon it links dramatically from bombastic to the smooth strings and floating harps of a grand sweep over mountains and forests. You can almost hear the engine of the biplane as it swoops and soars over the landscape.

This is one thing I really love about John Williams, although he does use this exact technique when ET and Eliot go cycling over the forest, and in Princess Leia's theme in Star Wars. These swooning strings add romance to the adventure. And they tell you everything you need to know about the tale.

John Williams is ultimately a storyteller, and he understands how to pace your emotions through the narrative perfectly.

Soon we're back to the main theme, this time with a military rattle of snares and the high twinkling xylophones and flutes adding scale to the music. I love this. It climbs to a crescendo, brass and strings and percussion pounding together and then it drops off to finish. You couldn't help but applaud in that sudden dramatic silence.

Well I could, I was driving, but I certainly felt that boyish rush of adventure as I swung the car down Sulham Hill.

I wish I could write music like John Williams. He just knows how to capture a story and retell it with an orchestra, while simultaneously inventing a tune that hooks itself to the essence of a film.

I got to work feeling like anything might be possible.