So I didn’t get to mention this in the abbreviated version (I cut like 25 min from the long version lol) but sax is my main instrument. So I was obviously happy to hear that since it’s by far the easiest for me to play. And I keep hearing that about Halo 3, should I do a reaction/breakdown to it? I hear it’s amazing and only know like 3 Halo themes.
9:00 this part always stuck out to me because it’s not just the main theme, but the main theme transitioned SEAMLESSLY into the Zelda lullaby my GOD that hits so right
YESSSSSSS!!!!! Oh my goodness, I heard this after I finished editing and posted, and I drove me crazy because I DIDN’T CATCH IT until after. Such an amazing theme combination and probably says something about Zelda and Link working together. Someone pointed that out about Spirit Tracks. Gotta be one of the coolest things in here and I’m SO glad you mentioned it. Let’s GOoo!!! People like this one up to the very top!
@@ZeldaMusicTheoryOOOOOO THAT’S A GOOD POINT The musical references are very Link Zelda oriented…. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm PLAYABLE ZELDAAAAA I’M 90% SURE AND ON HIGH COPIUM THE EVIDENCE IS THERE lol
Zelda's soundtrack is a masterpiece that has been developing for 37 years, with such legendary composers who are able to manipulate memorable motifs while still keeping their work so fresh and exciting. I have such a passion for the musical side of these games, I truly do believe they are some of the best compositons to ever be created. Your channel and videos that delve way into this matter, and your enthusiasm in doing so is truly amazing. Thank you for doing what you do, I'm glad to see I'm not the only person way too obsessed with Zelda's ost, and I feel I learn so much from every video you make!
WOW, first of all THANK YOU (meaning every single one of your reading this comment and watching my videos) SO MUCH! Secondly, this comment could have been written by me. That’s what’s wild. I’m the same as you guys, I just love Zelda music and want to see it better recognized. And there’s a HUGE following, I truly don’t understand why “Zelda Music Theory” didn’t already exist. But Somebody’s gotta do it, and I happen to have a degree in music and rather than practicing my sax and study, I just tinkered on a piano and taught myself Zelda songs 🤣🤣🤣 This is now my only musical outlet, and my wife is sick and tired of me calling out in movies “That’s Dorian Mode!” I am SUPER grateful to have others who appreciate it too. Props to Nintendo and the amazing composers, not just Koji Kondo but all of them, for giving us so much to appreciate. And thanks for your comment!!!
I think the spirit track reference right at the beginning is SO IMPORTANT, Zelda and Link will be working together throughout this WHOLE GAME, despite being separated in different times or something! This theme right at the beginning tells us from the start that that is going to be a MAJOR focus! Also Spirit Tracks, while not very well liked for some reason, has one of, if not, the absolute best, most bangin' soundtracks of any Zelda game hands DOWN
People don't like it because its not a home console Zelda so they didn't play it and rather than being left out, they just say it sucked and isn't worth playing. Or they get Phantom Hourglass mixed up with it.
Wow I’m SO glad you’re pointing this out. I made a joke about Spirit Tracks like 1 video ago and someone said. “Hm. You like Zelda and Music and DON’T like Spirit Tracks?” I didn’t mean to knock it, just to say it cannot be compared to the hype of TOTK as a sequel. But evidently it was AMAZING! And GetterRay’s comment summarizes it for me. I only really like the games I played. That leaves out any handheld console and even Skyward Sword I never played. (Also SS had amazing music like Fi’s Theme). Maybe I should react to and breakdown music from Spirit Tracks. Let me know what the best songs are!
Major props to whoever at Nintendo decided to start jazzing up their soundtracks ~10 years ago. First time I remember *really* noticing that sweet sweet sax being featured was around the MK8 / SM3DW era and it's been all bangers ever since
Thank you all SO MUCH for the warm and welcoming reception. It’s an honor to be able to cover my favorite music from my favorite game of all time: Zelda. I as super blessed that all of you happen to share my passion. I never expected nearly this kind of response. I’m going to do my best to respond to questions and comments, but know that if you watched, liked, subbed, or comment, I truly appreciate you individually 🙏🏽 and am very blessed by it. Now the million dollar question… What should I do NEXT?? Quick disclaimer: You guys found SO MUCH new stuff it warrants a second video where I address the voices and Suona theme (Zonai?), the E3 trailer references, and many more. So that’s what I’m gonna work on for the next few days and get it out ASAP. The Director’s Cut of this video is live, so for those interested it is FULL of cool Zelda music references. When the dust settles: A Analyze the Theme from the Gameplay Demonstration (let’s be honest, it’s absolutely sick) and maybe even bust out my alto sax 😅 B Show my experience (with footage) almost getting to play pickle ball against Jack Sock, John Isner, and Mardy Fish yesterday at my home tennis club. Wild. C Break down the Wintergatan Marble Machine as a musician explaining why it works and sounds good Vote in the comments below. Thank you very much. patreon.com/ZeldaMusicTheory Kevin ZMT
Evene though I am a big Zelda fan I would choose C as I have watched theses types of machines on yt and would love a breakdown of how it work. Sounds really interesting!!!🤓
A. Mostly because TOTK content is really taking off now, so if you manage to get a grip on the Zelda fans your channel would do pretty well. Also you said that you have a longer version, and I'd say you should release it while this video is still getting popular, so that people who'd want more has something to check out, whilst also increasing your view time so you can monetize.
I’m surprised that no one has really mentioned that the Erhu is one of the instruments that they have chosen to use more than once so far. It has such a unique sound. It’s a very interesting choice
The erhu really symbolizes Zelda. The fact that it’s such a key component and melody in the totk main theme symbolizes that this game revolves around Zelda and her story
There's one thing that really impacted me in this trailer, it's that part at 7:02 in your video when Link goes up and then we see that figure. The distorted vocals and then the "boom" of the wind instruments make a really clear contrast and it really hit hard for me. Anyway amazing video as usual and I still don't understand how the hell this channel doesn't have more subscribers
And everyone is pointing out that the elevator says transport, could be a time travel mechanism? And then someone from the future? Hmmmm. Amazing stuff!
The crazy sax bit is very similar to the reversed voice melody in the "sequel to breath of the wild" reveal trailer. I also really love the 2nd time we hear Ganon's theme with the war drums.
I’ve heard that a couple times now, will be interesting to learn more about. And I love those drums. A ton of stuff got cut from the full version. Had to keep this one engaging. Hopefully a week or two and I’ll release the long version (like 45 min lol)
Let’s go, you were a step ahead of me on this one. I saw it on another comment section and was like, Wait really? Then I heard it and was like OMGosh totally! It was very cool. Wouldn’t be surprised if it was thrown in as a little Easter egg.
As a producer, musician, and long time Zelda fan: I am here to say that I loved every second of this. Subscribing!! Keep up the great content!! Looking forward to playing Tears of The Kingdom :)
I may be brand new to this channel, but I've been waiting since the trailer dropped for SOMEONE to go into the music. Imagine my shock when I find there's a whole channel! INSTANTLY subbed my dude
Let’s Gooo. That was the goal- pursue what I’M passionate about, and hopefully others will resonate with it. I’m glad Zelda music has had such a presence and a following. It’s amazing.
3:22 - it's super tenuous, but just after the Hyrule Castle theme, is that a nod to the classic ascending treasure obtain music? I feel like I'm clutching at straws a bit! Absolutely love the video man, immediately subscribed!
Great video. I just love the music in the zelda games. It's crazy how music can have such power over our emotions. When I'm watching this trailer I can't help but hold back tears.
Music holds the power to surpass language, unlock doors, change moods- that’s the message Zelda brings by making it integrated into gameplay as an item. Game designers for Zelda hold music in the highest regard.
God. I can’t help but get emotional when listening to all of these little references. Especially when they use the hero’s theme. I’ve been playing Zelda games since I was 9. I am now 21. The Legend of Zelda is by far my favorite game series of all time. I had and have not a single doubt in my mind that this game will be absolutely amazing. There aren’t any bad Zelda games in my opinion. People thought that the game was going to be a glorified DLC, but I just always thought “It’s the Zelda team. It’ll be okay.” The Zelda team are one of the most passionate game devs out there. Just a few more weeks guys!!!
I really appreciate that you talked about the musical references in this trailer! I've only seen 1 other video talking about it. I've been looking for a video like this since the trailer released. Thank you so much!
Absolutely! Yeah I actually watched Zach Heyde’s a liked it, and later saw one with just images and music, but didn’t feel this video had been created yet. It took me over a week but here it is. Thanks for watching! This space really needs someone covering it consistently.
Great video! Fellow musician and Zelda fan here! Was definitely 100% distracted by the music in the trailer! Can’t wait to play TOTK! I love hearing the original theme motif back in the soundtrack!
8:28 you praise the composer for timing the perfect parry, but the composer didn't do that, the video editor of the trailer did. Some of the best video editors are music enthusiasts and are very skilled at timing the visuals to the music. I know this because I'm a video editor and was a music major. I love your work. Keep it up!
Wow you are totally right. Good call! I should have said shoutout to the editor. You know it’s like linemen in the NFL. When they do the best job no one talks about them. I’m sure editing goes way under-appreciated. I began editing in the last 6 months for my own videos, so I can appreciate what you do! It’s by far the most time consuming part. It pained me to film this video last week and then just sit on the footage while all these other videos are popping up. But first commitment is to quality, I’ll never put out something I don’t believe in. Thanks!
Really! Did you get it when I stopped and said… recognize this? Or was it when the video actually played the theme? Also I didn’t know this one, I had to research a bit to see what other themes I missed and believe it or not this was the first one I missed. It’s pretty cool that it’s in the same key. I think it was a secret little Easter egg but not necessarily intended to convey any significance in the new game. Maybe some Link/Zelda stuff.
Oh I think Zeltik broke that down in his video. That’s crazy, no idea how you guys decode it. I’ve never looked into it. Thanks for commenting! Wait… So that could be like, a Time Machine?? Hmmm… 🤔
No that's paradolia. I keep hearing it as "but you can't." Does that mean that it's gonna end with link dying and Ganon taking over Hyrule? Stupid dumb dumb, you cant take shit like that as evidence when it's not even in English.
I'm shocked I didn't spot the possible reference to the spirit tracks - sacred duet in that opening bit! Some strength to that is Manaka Kataoka (one of the composers of spirit tracks and led the BOTW music I think) is also one of the composers of TOTK, so I wouldn't be surprised if she did sneak in a little reference to one of her previous games. That sent me backkk, PH and ST are some of my personal favourites in the series, being the very first ones I played and wished they got a little more love from the community . Keep up the awesome work tho ZMT! 💚
Hahahaha it honestly was totally unfair of me since I have never played either of them. And I loved WindWaker growing up. But it was just a light tease, and really intended to be a “was there more hype for those sequels or THIS sequel” comparison. There have only been a handful of Zelda sequels ever, and Z2 and Majora’s Mask were both made like 1 yer after. This one took 6 LONG years. It had better be good 😬😃
Let’s gooo, you and me both. I’m just a Zelda fan who nerds out on music and I’m trying really hard to create entertaining videos to connect with others who are also interested. Can’t wait
Really well made video. I also felt like we needed a video like this talking about the music. The sax hits so hard on the final trailer out of nowhere. Keep it up!
what i love most is that regardless of if you can recognize every reference, as a whole - even including the new music - it has SO MUCH of an old school Zelda feel to it. the real Tears of the kingdom = me everytime i listen to the trailer music
Hahaha that will always be the video that blew up the channel. So much fun. I need to do more TOTK content now. But also really enjoying doing more classic Zelda
@ZeldaMusicTheory your videos make so much sense and really open my eyes up to the most beautiful compositions behind the actual gameplay. Thank you, and keep up the good work!
At 0:36, the last 4 notes sounds like the age of calamity's main theme. It would kinda makes sense because the little guardian use this melody to time travel so maybe it's a hint for time travel At 7:03, its the first 3 notes from the first teaser so A,B,E, then they skip Bb to continue with Gb,Gb,G natural. And what's cool about this is that they hid the full melody between 8:30 and 8:35 (A,B,E,Db,Gb, Gb, G natural) and the same happen between 8:53 and 8:58 including the mysterious voices In between 9:00 and 9:04, it's like they fused the main Zelda theme with Zelda's Lullaby And between 10:49 and 10:55, it looks like the same 4 notes for the age of calamity's main theme That's how I found but great analysis 👍
Unfortunately, many people who bring up the Final Lokomo song only show the recital part of it where Zelda mimics Link's part instead of doing her own. When you listen to the full song (or the 2nd half of the recital) it firmly plants this reference as the motif references zelda's last 3 notes going into the 5 notes mentioned in the video. It's 100% the final lokomo song with that additional context
Abdeo03 WOOOOWWWW So I kept reading comments about the sax theme being the voices and didn’t understand. Yeah, I’ll definitely need a video explaining and maybe playing it. And I think I get most of the references. And YESSS I found that Zelda’s Lullaby connection immediately after Link’s Overworld theme RIGHT after I finished editing and posted it. And I was contemplating how I was going to make that pert clear. Need another video now 🤣 Thanks so much for your detailed comment! You get a ticket to the party 😃s
dragontamer108 can you send me a link to that part on yt? I would love to research it more and hear what you’re talking about. Time references always help. Thanks so much!
@@ZeldaMusicTheory im not the best with musical notations but i'll do what i can th-cam.com/video/8N21htq8lXQ/w-d-xo.html This is the full version of the Final Lokomo theme, which is referenced ,as mentioned, right at the beginning of the trailer at 0:36 here. Instead of the first few seconds where Zelda is reciting Link's half of the duet, if you skip to the 3rd and 4th refrains of the song, starting at around 0:24 in the above video, Zelda starts to do her side of the duet instead of Link's while still isolated from the rest of the music. Here, the important notes are the final 3 of her line, the final note being where Link starts to play his side of the duet on the pan flute, overlapping with Zelda's held note. Later on, when the cutscene starts after a successful recital, at 0:42 in the video, the game takes over Link's control to let the song play, allowing you to hear both sides as they were meant to be heard. Combining the 3 ending notes of Zelda's, along with the 5 notes of Link's, with the overlapping note in the center, you get the exact 7 notes used in the trailer, more or less, with little more than a change in Rubato making a difference Unfortunately due to the wonky controls of DS Microphones combined with simultaneous dragging of the touch screen, there are not a lot of good instances of the full motif during the Recital part without all the other Lokomos starting to join in and muddy the audio waves. However i did manage to find one instance that does a pretty good job, which i will link here th-cam.com/video/9GXj1HcP94U/w-d-xo.html starting from the start of the Recital
Cool to find a youtuber thats knowledgeable in music but also knowledgeable in the history of zelda, I was impressed by all the references you were able to pull from, I never recognized that variant of the Zelda main theme was from the 25th anniversary version of the track
Thanks so much! That one was stuck in my head like 5-10 min and I was like WAIT It’s the 25th anniversary just in that one moment lol. I was just glad it’s in the first like 10 min 🤣 And probably not intentional from the composer, just a connection I made.
@@ZeldaMusicTheory Oh, I have no doubt that it was intentional, the chord progession was identical and it really gives the music a different effect, its not as "elegant and pretty" as the normal progression goes, and instead excensuates this feeling of "resolute heroism" which I think is just really dope
7:28 it plays a couple notes of Fi’s theme here, referencing the master sword, especially when Rauru says that “our last line of defense will be link, and the sword he carries”
With that spirit tracks one it didn't register to me until a little after the trailer, I knew I recognized it but didn't know from what, until I saw a vid comparing them, and I just sat there in shock, with sacred duet being my favorite zelda song of all time, that definitely had me in shock for awhile lol
Apparently, it's not a saxophone, but a suona, which is a chinese double reeded instrument with a metal bell, hence why it sounds similar. In a lot of chinese music it is commonly paired with the erhu (a chinese bowed string instrument). The erhu seems to be this game's main instrument, and was the main instrument for the dragon theme in botw, so it makes sense that a suona was chosen to go with it in the final trailer, I hope we'll hear more of it in the game!
Just wondering, who is saying it's a suona? Is this from Nintendo? I'm 99% sure it's an alto in the beginning and tenor playing in the altissimo range later in the trailer. I'm a saxophone player/teacher. I do hear the erhu but I'd be surprised if that's a suona.
@@Tim21026 not from nintendo, just heard the suona thing and thought it made sense (at first I honestly thought it was an oboe but then I remembered nobody ever features solo oboe). I think it sounds like a suona, I may not be as experienced as you, but from my experience playing alto sax the sound is usually a bit more mellow and tends to be able to fit a little bit more in with a large band as opposed to the suona which kinda just cuts through everything. I know when playing sax you can get a lot of different tones depending on how you play, similar to this, but I haven't really heard any ost composers explicitely try to use that before (though maybe it's just because nobody really features saxes in symphony arrangement) they usually just default to "do the nice sounding smooth tone" or "do the even smoother one" if it's jazz. In any case, we're both speculating since nintendo probably doesn't care enough to confirm anything about the music, but I think my theory is a little more valid because it falls in line with the whole chinese instruments thing totk has going on. Also why do you think they would use an alto and a tenor swapping off the same line sequentially, that sounds overly complicated.
So I’m actually a sax player by trade (not a great one but I do have a degree in music and main instrument is sax). I don’t think there’s a definitive answer but knowing Nintendo I’m leaning towards suona. Could be like soprano with a jazz mouthpiece or something, it’s super bright and edgy. But I don’t think it’s alto or tenor using altissimo. I do play my sax for Directors Cut of the most recent breakdown, but as you guys will see I’m super rusty. Soft reeds and not practice so my sound isn’t as good as it once was lol. But that’s alright, it’s just for you guys to see, not a performance.
as a saxophonist, i’m quite confident that that is a alto, as both the alto was used earlier in the trailer, and the fact that it sounds very much like a saxophone. double reed instruments typically have a very distinct shrill sound, something that the soprano sax copies fairly decently, and the instrument used has a timbre much closer to that of alto altissimo than that of a suona. For many beginner saxophonists, altissimo is not something to be covered early on, yet once you spend more time listening to that register of the saxophone, the distinction between saxophone altissimo and other instruments is quite clear.
11:00 that little riff played on the erhu/bouzouki is most likely the intro riff to the Gerudo Town theme in botw, (iirc) originally played in Dmin. It only shares the first 3-4 notes but its undeniably resemblant
Spirit Tracks is my favorite Zelda Game, and it's the first one I played. I'm so glad it's not being totally forgotten. It would make sense to use the Sacred Duet, as it's kind of a music motif for Zelda's spiritual power and working with Link. In Spirit Tracks you work beside Zelda fending off Maladus, so maybe in this game, Zelda can lend you some of her Spiritual energy/power to help with things, making the Sacred Duet apt for that. Who knows, I'm just glad it's included in this, even if it's not as noticeable. Great Video, can't wait to see the full analysis.
7:03 That's the backwards thing you were talking about from the other trailers. It's the same weird backwards sounding singing from the original E3 2019 trailer
I am surprised that more people aren’t talking about 7:03 and the huge hit there as it transitions to the lizard dude. I think this is them using the music to tell us that this dude or scene is important obviously. But I am surprised that nobody I’ve seen has mentioned it. Also the percussion at 9:39 - 9:54. I especially love how it builds for the drop right afterwards with what I assume are those bongos? Or some other percussion instrument. Honestly one of my favorite parts of the trailer. Makes the Ganondorf reveal extremely hype.
Exactly. I talk more about those drums in the long version. But i filmed for like an hour and 8 minutes, so nobody wants all the dead space in between 🤣 This is like a condensed version of the long one. I’ll eventually edit that one together and post it.
I also loved the drum use in the trailer. To me the trailer tells a 3 part story/play, and the music is an integral part of it. I have been looking for more people to talk about it, but while others love the sax (and yes, I love it too), that Ganondorf reveal music sticks out
im so happy i found your video because i found most of these references by myself but i don't "speak" musical theory so having you putting all these things into words is just amazing!
05:37 everyone comparing this part to twilight princess is WRONG. It’s the opening for the botw 2017 e3 presentation. For sure, the last note gives it away.
Oh my gosh, that is SUCH a great call out. Amazing. Everyone please like this comment (from barber) because that is spot on and I totally missed it. WOWWWWWW! There’s one other that I missed, it’s a repetition of Zelda’s Lullaby RIGHT after Link’s theme See if anyone can hear it 😃
Because it doesn’t really sound like it. The only two notes in common are the second and third, G and F#. Twilight princess motif: B G F# D Botw/Totk trailer motif: E G F# D#
what I think is amazing about the sax part, is you can play the hero main theme underneath it with some notes diminished to fit the minor feel, in your head and it fits with certain note sequences within the sax part, then when the actual reference pops in it flows over in it perfectly. this composition is a masterpiece, and I've always been koji all the way hahah. also glad you spotted the aoc theme too haha lots of others don't catch it and its in there twice. nice vid man💯
listening at it more I think they first had in mind to do the main theme in that sax part in its entirety and later in the composition they felt like it fit better after the ganondorf theme. also the age of calamity is heard again when riju says "but you are not alone"
I'm new here, was pointed in your direction by Zeltik and I must say this video is awesome! The music in Zelda is so incredible not to mention nostalgic, and to delve into music into this much detail is fantastic, thank you!
Man, so I kind of hate that Mario is SO recognizable, because I’m a bigger fan of Zelda. But since Koji Kondo wrote themes for both for so long, I guess I can live with it. I do think Zelda has greater integration with music into it’s games, especially starting with Ocarina of Time, but even before that with the original and the recorder, ALTTP, etc. It’s always been amazing. WindWaker, it goes on and on.
8:37 I've heard several people say this is an Alto Sax, but when I listened to it the first time I thought that just HAS to be a Taepyeongso or a Suona? it definitely would fit the Erhu thats repeatedly used in both Botw and TotK.
After hearing the main theme in the new trailer I shed tears. I didn't realize I was this attached to the franchise, and I haven't touched a legend of zelda game since botw launched
8:25 I'm no music expert but if I'm not wrong this part here is a triunfant version of the theme in the reveal trailer for tears of the kingdom. Before we knew it's name.
I'm so glad I found this! I only saw one other music guy reference similar things but not this in depth. I think I am so right about this game being the one to tie all the games together. When I heard it I just had a feeling. The music is the hint. I only recognized a couple of these but figured there was more I missed cuz it's been so long since I played the older games. This is definitely going to be a game focused on a Zelda multiverse.
Honestly you may be right! And I saw a video by Zach Heyde that I really liked but kind of wanted my own reaction/breakdown. And everyone on his channel just begged for a 45 min long version, so I decided to go more in depth and post the shorter version first. I’m editing the longer one now. Thanks for watching!
I’m of the same mind, this feels like it’s supposed to be the “game to end all games” if that makes sense, from everything that’s been referenced in the trailer. But what did it for me was that the music evolved throughout trailer referencing every game.
The spot where it sounds like they might be saying something with that reversal you talked about starting at 7:03 are the same notes from the Song of Time, just with quarter notes rather than the half note in the middle.
The main original theme seems to come through in larger and larger sections at a time, before being cut shy of the whole thing. When it hits in full, its gonna be incredible.
Wow. I can find my passion for zelda (including the nostalgcs deeply in me) in your presentation but of course I Lack your exceptionally cool skills of hearing and being able to produce music like that. So amazing! Thank you very much!
So I have very strong theories on if this game will link to Twilight Princess specifically given so many details. One, the TP theme that's included, but ALSO the sound bytes you hear at 3:16 and the backwards singing/voices are very resemblant of the music and sound effects you hear in TP when the Twilight is covering Hyrule and in the Twili realm. Lastly, what weve seen of the Sky Islands reminds me a lot od the sky temple we see in TP. There are way too many connections to ignore and I'm wondering if the Zonai and the Twili are going to be connected.
It's crazy how many of the classic songs from Ocarina were originally in Link to the Past! Zelda's Lullaby wasn't called that at the time, but it was in LTTP. So was the Kakariko village theme for example!
I was going to say this exact thing. And I didn’t even learn that until like 3-4 years ago. There are so many that originate from there. Truly amazing History Zelda music has. Have to do a video on that at some point.
So sick, glad to see a great analysis! I thought I heard that Age of Calamity theme where you heard the Spirit Tracks theme (the last 4 notes of the first 7), which i found interesting because Terakko plays that jingle whenever he’s about to mess with timelines and such, and its looking like time travel might be an element in this game to!
The beginning sounds very Lord of the Rings to me I didn't even recognize it as Spirit Tracks. I did recognize the King/Hyrule Castle theme it's one of my favorites from Zelda series every time it pops up I love it. Ganons Theme might be my all time favorite Zelda song and I loved to hear it in the TOTK trailer. The Sax was also a welcome surprise, Saxophone is my 2nd favorite instrument (Violin being #1) The music in this trailer was fittingly very Legendary.
Nice! I was tipped off by a comment about Spirit Tracks, I looked it up and was like “Ohhh, SNAP!” Same with Hyrule Warriors. Overall amazing trailer and music. Can’t wait for the game! Love violin too.
How the heck did I not find your channel before today? I love game music, especially Zelda. Twilight princess' Hyrule castle theme, also had a version that was just the keys played slowly. It's beautiful and I'm glad this vid reminded me of it. Easy subscribe btw, the concept of the channel was enough
To me, the words at 7:02 and 7:05 sound like the phrases "our fu-ture" and "our ba-ttle" being sung in disjointed/random keys. Given that a lot of people think that the Zonai and time travel are going to be involved in this game, the phrases make sense. I think people are assuming it's backwards because the sound is coalescing to a point at the end of each syllable like a reverse echo. I went back to listen to the first trailer, where there was more of that type of 'singing', but all I can tell is that whatever they're saying is repeated over and over again there.
Nice! We’ll probably learn more as time goes on, maybe Nintendo will shed some light or the game itself will have that chant or something. Thanks for the thoughts! Would love to see time travel and Zonai. Man this game looks amazing.
I like that in the rest of the trailers, Zelda’s lullaby at the end has been on kokyū but they switched it to the more classic piano for this one, feels more somber
Man, how do you all know all these foreign instruments. My wife asks me all the time- what instrument is that? And my answer is always, Idk it’s not a normal traditional European or American orchestra instrument so I’ve never played it. I literally had to learn every band or orchestra instrument as a part of my music degree. But I LOVE the instrumentation and it sounds so Japanese and amazingly fits the theme.
All I know is that the twilight princess part (1:20 from the final trailer) sounds closer to the 'Kakariko Village - 25th Anniversary ' @ 2:10, than anything else from twilight princess (th-cam.com/video/YXdvDYHGuNE/w-d-xo.html for the timestamp I'm referencing)
Nice! I appreciate the link and time stamps. I do go listen to all of those. So this (Zelda 25th Anniversary) is a reference to the Midna’s’s Lament/Hyrule Field theme from Twilight Princes. But only the first 3 notes are the same. And someone else pointed out the the E3 Trailer for BOTW opens with a line almost exactly like it. I do think they are all very similar, it’s hard to tell which they wanted to evoke a connection to. Only the first 3 notes are identical. Could be an Easter egg but not a particularly strong one. It could be that they knew theories would pop up, but non of the themes were really significant references. Thanks for the comment!
I love the references, it’s always something I look out for in Zelda music and you definitely pointed out some that I didn’t get. I don’t know how they made this trailer theme so good but they crush it every single time.
I’ve been waiting for someone to make a video like this 🙏 I’m obsessed with the music in this trailer. Definitely need to check out more of your videos!
Thanks so much! I actually am my own channel’s biggest fan 🤣 Well I should rephrase- every video I put out is like a love letter to the composers who shaped my childhood. And the things I’m drawing together are so impactful to me, I hope they are for other people as well. I hope you enjoy the others and let me know what you think!
I heard somebody claim in a video that the epic saxophone/choir part in the second half of the trailer is the same tune that the distorted voices are singing in the first teaser and after listening to it over and over I'm convinced it's true, at least at the beginning. I was hoping to find confirmation here but you didn't address it. Am I crazy?
Nice! So glad you guys are helping connect the dots. This community is so strong. I don’t know much about it, just threw it in to ask. I did attempt to find an answer before but found nothing concrete. I’ll go check it out!
already knew most the references since i’ve watched the trailer so many times in the past year and picked up on references throughout but still amazing video i love the trailer so much
It could be a stretch, but at 8:25, the chord progressions seem to line up with the ballad of the goddess melody. Which could be another hint at how this game is connected to skyward sword. If you make another video, I’d love to see you do a deep dive on that!
SO the chords there basically go 1, b7, b6, 5, 4(minor), 5, b6, 5 or similar (I’m simplifying and not using Roman numberals like a good music theory student would do, like bVll instead of b7… And Ballad of the Goddess goes more like 1 (minor) b7 b3 4(major) b6 b7 b6 b7. So what you’re hearing could be the similarity between the 1 b7 b6 movement. I do go into more detail in the full length video. I’ll try to edit and post that one at some point. But that 1 b7 b6 is the primary chord progression in the opening for Zelda on the NES, and also for the overworld theme. And everywhere else you look in Zelda, even b6 b7 1 in Mario. So you’re onto something 😃
@@ZeldaMusicTheory ahhh that makes sense!! Thank you for the in depth response! I use to be a music major so I love geeking out over this stuff 😁 Can’t wait to see more of your content once the game comes out!
I go back and forth... it sounds soooo much like an alto sax but my ear expects that when I hear reeded instruments in that register. It very well could be a suona, I had no idea they could bend pitches like that, the timbre just sounds sax to me. But wow, that's really cool thanks for sharing the video link
@@kj_H65f Well, in my opinion it definitly doesn't sound like a saxophone at all (I play saxophone myself so I hope my ears aren't too bad on that lol) But regardless, it's a great cover and I love discovering traditional and uncommon instruments. Thank's for sharing!
Wow. So my main instrument is actually saxophone and I have a degree in music (not that that makes me an expert necessarily). Never heard of the instrument but it certainly could be. The vibrato is much more wild. Timbre sounds very similar. So opening of the trailer 100% alto sax. Main theme… sounds to me like a soprano sax with a jazz mouthpiece and a soft reed 🤣 But there’s also a lot that goes on in post production, so who knows. I’d love to hear an official answer from Nintendo. Worth noting the Gameplay Demonstration Theme we were all calling “main theme’ for a while sounds like an alto sax with a regular classical mouthpiece to me. And very different than that soprano or Shona sound. Thanks for commenting!
Hear me out: The high pitch chime at 10:58 right before the logo is a reference to the "low health" sound effect from previous games, especially since it follows Zelda's line of, "Link, you are our final hope," evoking a sense of desperation. Anyone else hear it or am I reaching?
I think at the very beginning when link is falling I hear a faint song from the triforce room in a link to the past... Song plays right before the credits.
I saw that one on another video and I do think it’s very similar, unsure if it was intentional but thought I’d throw it in. Trying not to be a conspiracy promoter 🤣 Only true references.
The saxophone gets me every time I watch this. It is so powerful and so unexpected
Thats how I felt with Halo 3 ODST the jazziest Halo game of all.
YES!
So I didn’t get to mention this in the abbreviated version (I cut like 25 min from the long version lol) but sax is my main instrument. So I was obviously happy to hear that since it’s by far the easiest for me to play. And I keep hearing that about Halo 3, should I do a reaction/breakdown to it? I hear it’s amazing and only know like 3 Halo themes.
@@ZeldaMusicTheory Listen to the Halo 3 ODST sound track. It aged like a very fine wine
I have to say, the saxophone was really off-putting to me. I’m slowly warming up to it.
9:00 this part always stuck out to me because it’s not just the main theme, but the main theme transitioned SEAMLESSLY into the Zelda lullaby my GOD that hits so right
YESSSSSSS!!!!! Oh my goodness, I heard this after I finished editing and posted, and I drove me crazy because I DIDN’T CATCH IT until after. Such an amazing theme combination and probably says something about Zelda and Link working together. Someone pointed that out about Spirit Tracks. Gotta be one of the coolest things in here and I’m SO glad you mentioned it. Let’s GOoo!!! People like this one up to the very top!
@@ZeldaMusicTheoryOOOOOO THAT’S A GOOD POINT
The musical references are very Link Zelda oriented….
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
PLAYABLE ZELDAAAAA
I’M 90% SURE AND ON HIGH COPIUM THE EVIDENCE IS THERE
lol
Watched the trailer so many times how didn't I catch that haha
@@thespeedyyoshi No... please... don't give me hope...
@@thespeedyyoshiZELDA PLAYABLE CONFIRMEDDDDD
Zelda's soundtrack is a masterpiece that has been developing for 37 years, with such legendary composers who are able to manipulate memorable motifs while still keeping their work so fresh and exciting. I have such a passion for the musical side of these games, I truly do believe they are some of the best compositons to ever be created. Your channel and videos that delve way into this matter, and your enthusiasm in doing so is truly amazing. Thank you for doing what you do, I'm glad to see I'm not the only person way too obsessed with Zelda's ost, and I feel I learn so much from every video you make!
WOW, first of all THANK YOU (meaning every single one of your reading this comment and watching my videos) SO MUCH! Secondly, this comment could have been written by me. That’s what’s wild. I’m the same as you guys, I just love Zelda music and want to see it better recognized. And there’s a HUGE following, I truly don’t understand why “Zelda Music Theory” didn’t already exist. But Somebody’s gotta do it, and I happen to have a degree in music and rather than practicing my sax and study, I just tinkered on a piano and taught myself Zelda songs 🤣🤣🤣 This is now my only musical outlet, and my wife is sick and tired of me calling out in movies “That’s Dorian Mode!” I am SUPER grateful to have others who appreciate it too. Props to Nintendo and the amazing composers, not just Koji Kondo but all of them, for giving us so much to appreciate. And thanks for your comment!!!
I think the spirit track reference right at the beginning is SO IMPORTANT, Zelda and Link will be working together throughout this WHOLE GAME, despite being separated in different times or something! This theme right at the beginning tells us from the start that that is going to be a MAJOR focus! Also Spirit Tracks, while not very well liked for some reason, has one of, if not, the absolute best, most bangin' soundtracks of any Zelda game hands DOWN
I loved Spirit Tracks so much
The composer for Spirit Tracks was the main composer for BOTW and this. They're sooooo good.
Spirit tracks has somehow become one of my favorite Zelda games over time
People don't like it because its not a home console Zelda so they didn't play it and rather than being left out, they just say it sucked and isn't worth playing. Or they get Phantom Hourglass mixed up with it.
Wow I’m SO glad you’re pointing this out. I made a joke about Spirit Tracks like 1 video ago and someone said. “Hm. You like Zelda and Music and DON’T like Spirit Tracks?” I didn’t mean to knock it, just to say it cannot be compared to the hype of TOTK as a sequel. But evidently it was AMAZING! And GetterRay’s comment summarizes it for me. I only really like the games I played. That leaves out any handheld console and even Skyward Sword I never played. (Also SS had amazing music like Fi’s Theme). Maybe I should react to and breakdown music from Spirit Tracks. Let me know what the best songs are!
Major props to whoever at Nintendo decided to start jazzing up their soundtracks ~10 years ago. First time I remember *really* noticing that sweet sweet sax being featured was around the MK8 / SM3DW era and it's been all bangers ever since
Love it
The music in Zelda is honestly what sets it apart from every other game. The raw emotion in the music is insane
Thank you all SO MUCH for the warm and welcoming reception. It’s an honor to be able to cover my favorite music from my favorite game of all time: Zelda. I as super blessed that all of you happen to share my passion. I never expected nearly this kind of response.
I’m going to do my best to respond to questions and comments, but know that if you watched, liked, subbed, or comment, I truly appreciate you individually 🙏🏽 and am very blessed by it.
Now the million dollar question…
What should I do NEXT??
Quick disclaimer:
You guys found SO MUCH new stuff it warrants a second video where I address the voices and Suona theme (Zonai?), the E3 trailer references, and many more. So that’s what I’m gonna work on for the next few days and get it out ASAP. The Director’s Cut of this video is live, so for those interested it is FULL of cool Zelda music references.
When the dust settles:
A Analyze the Theme from the Gameplay Demonstration (let’s be honest, it’s absolutely sick) and maybe even bust out my alto sax 😅
B Show my experience (with footage) almost getting to play pickle ball against Jack Sock, John Isner, and Mardy Fish yesterday at my home tennis club. Wild.
C Break down the Wintergatan Marble Machine as a musician explaining why it works and sounds good
Vote in the comments below. Thank you very much.
patreon.com/ZeldaMusicTheory
Kevin
ZMT
I think you should do A, analyze the theme from the gameplay demonstration, because yes, it's absolutely sick 🔥
All of them sound cool, but I’d choose C
Evene though I am a big Zelda fan I would choose C as I have watched theses types of machines on yt and would love a breakdown of how it work. Sounds really interesting!!!🤓
A. Mostly because TOTK content is really taking off now, so if you manage to get a grip on the Zelda fans your channel would do pretty well. Also you said that you have a longer version, and I'd say you should release it while this video is still getting popular, so that people who'd want more has something to check out, whilst also increasing your view time so you can monetize.
I’m surprised that no one has really mentioned that the Erhu is one of the instruments that they have chosen to use more than once so far. It has such a unique sound. It’s a very interesting choice
I think I’m afraid of pronouncing it 😅 (“Are-who??”)
“Air who”
@@ZeldaMusicTheory yep, that’s the right way to say it
The erhu really symbolizes Zelda. The fact that it’s such a key component and melody in the totk main theme symbolizes that this game revolves around Zelda and her story
Glad someone covered it! The theme has been giving me chills since the trailer dropped!
It’s soooo good. Gotta do the gameplay demonstration theme soon.
The music is so good
There's one thing that really impacted me in this trailer, it's that part at 7:02 in your video when Link goes up and then we see that figure. The distorted vocals and then the "boom" of the wind instruments make a really clear contrast and it really hit hard for me.
Anyway amazing video as usual and I still don't understand how the hell this channel doesn't have more subscribers
And everyone is pointing out that the elevator says transport, could be a time travel mechanism? And then someone from the future? Hmmmm. Amazing stuff!
My sister says the exact same thing, she loves the instrumentals there.
The crazy sax bit is very similar to the reversed voice melody in the "sequel to breath of the wild" reveal trailer. I also really love the 2nd time we hear Ganon's theme with the war drums.
I’ve heard that a couple times now, will be interesting to learn more about. And I love those drums. A ton of stuff got cut from the full version. Had to keep this one engaging. Hopefully a week or two and I’ll release the long version (like 45 min lol)
I KNEW I WASN'T GOING CRAZY FOR THINKING I HEARD SPIRIT TRACKS IN THE BEGINNING.
No one ever mentioned it, and I thought I was going crazy 😭
I’m so glad someone has done a video on this because I feel like music MAKES these trailers and I just don’t see enough people talking about it.
Exactly. Everyone seems to mention the music but not really break it down. And that’s like what I do 🤣 Like it’s my calling
So sick, I’m glad people like you can point all these details out because there’s no way I’d be able to find them 😅 awesome video
Hahaha awesome thank you so much!
I was waiting for someone to point out the Spirit Tracks theme at the start of the trailer! Glad to see someone’s finally digging into the music
Let’s go, you were a step ahead of me on this one. I saw it on another comment section and was like, Wait really? Then I heard it and was like OMGosh totally! It was very cool. Wouldn’t be surprised if it was thrown in as a little Easter egg.
As a producer, musician, and long time Zelda fan: I am here to say that I loved every second of this. Subscribing!! Keep up the great content!! Looking forward to playing Tears of The Kingdom :)
Thanks so much! High praise and I appreciate it.
I may be brand new to this channel, but I've been waiting since the trailer dropped for SOMEONE to go into the music. Imagine my shock when I find there's a whole channel! INSTANTLY subbed my dude
Let’s Gooo. That was the goal- pursue what I’M passionate about, and hopefully others will resonate with it. I’m glad Zelda music has had such a presence and a following. It’s amazing.
3:22 - it's super tenuous, but just after the Hyrule Castle theme, is that a nod to the classic ascending treasure obtain music? I feel like I'm clutching at straws a bit!
Absolutely love the video man, immediately subscribed!
I did go back and listen- probably not intentional but a cool thing to note!
Great video. I just love the music in the zelda games. It's crazy how music can have such power over our emotions. When I'm watching this trailer I can't help but hold back tears.
Music holds the power to surpass language, unlock doors, change moods- that’s the message Zelda brings by making it integrated into gameplay as an item. Game designers for Zelda hold music in the highest regard.
I can't get enough of this trailer and the music in it especially
I know, me neither! It’s amazing.
God. I can’t help but get emotional when listening to all of these little references. Especially when they use the hero’s theme. I’ve been playing Zelda games since I was 9. I am now 21. The Legend of Zelda is by far my favorite game series of all time. I had and have not a single doubt in my mind that this game will be absolutely amazing. There aren’t any bad Zelda games in my opinion. People thought that the game was going to be a glorified DLC, but I just always thought “It’s the Zelda team. It’ll be okay.” The Zelda team are one of the most passionate game devs out there. Just a few more weeks guys!!!
Oh my gosh couldn’t have said this better myself. It’s amazing.
Nice analysis! And thanks for kind and specific explanation~!!
Great video. The trailer's music was amazing. Can't wait for the longer version and for you to maybe cover the full main theme we have now
Thanks so much! I’ll see if I can get it out next weekend. Still lots of editing 🤣 And what an amazing trailer and game.
Dude! This is the most necessary and MOST needed TH-cam channel out of all the Zelda channel’s.
Thank you 🙏🏻🥹
Let’s gooo!
I really appreciate that you talked about the musical references in this trailer! I've only seen 1 other video talking about it. I've been looking for a video like this since the trailer released. Thank you so much!
Absolutely! Yeah I actually watched Zach Heyde’s a liked it, and later saw one with just images and music, but didn’t feel this video had been created yet. It took me over a week but here it is. Thanks for watching! This space really needs someone covering it consistently.
Great video! Fellow musician and Zelda fan here! Was definitely 100% distracted by the music in the trailer! Can’t wait to play TOTK! I love hearing the original theme motif back in the soundtrack!
8:28 you praise the composer for timing the perfect parry, but the composer didn't do that, the video editor of the trailer did. Some of the best video editors are music enthusiasts and are very skilled at timing the visuals to the music.
I know this because I'm a video editor and was a music major. I love your work. Keep it up!
Wow you are totally right. Good call! I should have said shoutout to the editor. You know it’s like linemen in the NFL. When they do the best job no one talks about them. I’m sure editing goes way under-appreciated. I began editing in the last 6 months for my own videos, so I can appreciate what you do! It’s by far the most time consuming part. It pained me to film this video last week and then just sit on the footage while all these other videos are popping up. But first commitment is to quality, I’ll never put out something I don’t believe in. Thanks!
great video, not only entertaining and educational but you can actually see your passion for music and Zelda combining, and Im all for it
Instant sub, ngl. Can’t believe I missed the Spirit Duet reference, that’s one of my fave Zelda songs ever
Really! Did you get it when I stopped and said… recognize this? Or was it when the video actually played the theme? Also I didn’t know this one, I had to research a bit to see what other themes I missed and believe it or not this was the first one I missed. It’s pretty cool that it’s in the same key. I think it was a secret little Easter egg but not necessarily intended to convey any significance in the new game. Maybe some Link/Zelda stuff.
When Link is going up the elevator, it sounds like it is saying “the future.”
Also, the text on the elevator itself reads “transport.”
Oh I think Zeltik broke that down in his video. That’s crazy, no idea how you guys decode it. I’ve never looked into it. Thanks for commenting! Wait… So that could be like, a Time Machine?? Hmmm… 🤔
No that's paradolia. I keep hearing it as "but you can't." Does that mean that it's gonna end with link dying and Ganon taking over Hyrule? Stupid dumb dumb, you cant take shit like that as evidence when it's not even in English.
I'm shocked I didn't spot the possible reference to the spirit tracks - sacred duet in that opening bit! Some strength to that is Manaka Kataoka (one of the composers of spirit tracks and led the BOTW music I think) is also one of the composers of TOTK, so I wouldn't be surprised if she did sneak in a little reference to one of her previous games. That sent me backkk, PH and ST are some of my personal favourites in the series, being the very first ones I played and wished they got a little more love from the community . Keep up the awesome work tho ZMT! 💚
Hahahaha it honestly was totally unfair of me since I have never played either of them. And I loved WindWaker growing up. But it was just a light tease, and really intended to be a “was there more hype for those sequels or THIS sequel” comparison. There have only been a handful of Zelda sequels ever, and Z2 and Majora’s Mask were both made like 1 yer after. This one took 6 LONG years. It had better be good 😬😃
9:28 May the Spirits of Good bless you, thanks for giving credit to the awesome Spirit Tracks
Hahaha let’s go!
I'm so glad that this channel exists. Looking forward to all the Tears of the Kingdom videos when it finally comes out!
Let’s gooo, you and me both. I’m just a Zelda fan who nerds out on music and I’m trying really hard to create entertaining videos to connect with others who are also interested. Can’t wait
Really well made video.
I also felt like we needed a video like this talking about the music.
The sax hits so hard on the final trailer out of nowhere.
Keep it up!
what i love most is that regardless of if you can recognize every reference, as a whole - even including the new music - it has SO MUCH of an old school Zelda feel to it.
the real Tears of the kingdom = me everytime i listen to the trailer music
Totally agree
Rewatched this since the trailer is now 1 year old and this analysis still amazes me one year later.
Hahaha that will always be the video that blew up the channel. So much fun. I need to do more TOTK content now. But also really enjoying doing more classic Zelda
@@ZeldaMusicTheoryReally love your channel. The perfect example that quality is more than quantity. Good things come for those who wait. Good job!
@ZeldaMusicTheory your videos make so much sense and really open my eyes up to the most beautiful compositions behind the actual gameplay. Thank you, and keep up the good work!
The moment it shifts from Zelda falling into Ganons theme it went from I’m excited to TIME PLEASE SPEED UP NOW! Feeling for this game
Could it be that there is some "chaga-chaga" frome the "Gerudo Valley"- theme in the background at 10:10?
Not sure 😄
At 0:36, the last 4 notes sounds like the age of calamity's main theme. It would kinda makes sense because the little guardian use this melody to time travel so maybe it's a hint for time travel
At 7:03, its the first 3 notes from the first teaser so A,B,E, then they skip Bb to continue with Gb,Gb,G natural. And what's cool about this is that they hid the full melody between 8:30 and 8:35 (A,B,E,Db,Gb, Gb, G natural) and the same happen between 8:53 and 8:58 including the mysterious voices
In between 9:00 and 9:04, it's like they fused the main Zelda theme with Zelda's Lullaby
And between 10:49 and 10:55, it looks like the same 4 notes for the age of calamity's main theme
That's how I found but great analysis 👍
Unfortunately, many people who bring up the Final Lokomo song only show the recital part of it where Zelda mimics Link's part instead of doing her own. When you listen to the full song (or the 2nd half of the recital) it firmly plants this reference as the motif references zelda's last 3 notes going into the 5 notes mentioned in the video. It's 100% the final lokomo song with that additional context
@@kirby2809 bro thats the main zelda theme of course its in the twilight princess title theme
Abdeo03 WOOOOWWWW So I kept reading comments about the sax theme being the voices and didn’t understand. Yeah, I’ll definitely need a video explaining and maybe playing it. And I think I get most of the references.
And YESSS I found that Zelda’s Lullaby connection immediately after Link’s Overworld theme RIGHT after I finished editing and posted it. And I was contemplating how I was going to make that pert clear. Need another video now 🤣
Thanks so much for your detailed comment! You get a ticket to the party 😃s
dragontamer108 can you send me a link to that part on yt? I would love to research it more and hear what you’re talking about. Time references always help. Thanks so much!
@@ZeldaMusicTheory im not the best with musical notations but i'll do what i can
th-cam.com/video/8N21htq8lXQ/w-d-xo.html
This is the full version of the Final Lokomo theme, which is referenced ,as mentioned, right at the beginning of the trailer at 0:36 here. Instead of the first few seconds where Zelda is reciting Link's half of the duet, if you skip to the 3rd and 4th refrains of the song, starting at around 0:24 in the above video, Zelda starts to do her side of the duet instead of Link's while still isolated from the rest of the music. Here, the important notes are the final 3 of her line, the final note being where Link starts to play his side of the duet on the pan flute, overlapping with Zelda's held note.
Later on, when the cutscene starts after a successful recital, at 0:42 in the video, the game takes over Link's control to let the song play, allowing you to hear both sides as they were meant to be heard. Combining the 3 ending notes of Zelda's, along with the 5 notes of Link's, with the overlapping note in the center, you get the exact 7 notes used in the trailer, more or less, with little more than a change in Rubato making a difference
Unfortunately due to the wonky controls of DS Microphones combined with simultaneous dragging of the touch screen, there are not a lot of good instances of the full motif during the Recital part without all the other Lokomos starting to join in and muddy the audio waves. However i did manage to find one instance that does a pretty good job, which i will link here th-cam.com/video/9GXj1HcP94U/w-d-xo.html starting from the start of the Recital
Legit one of the coolest analysis videos I’ve ever seen. Really amazing job.
Thank you so much! Legit one of the nicest compliments I’ve gotten, much appreciated. 🙏🏽
Cool to find a youtuber thats knowledgeable in music but also knowledgeable in the history of zelda, I was impressed by all the references you were able to pull from, I never recognized that variant of the Zelda main theme was from the 25th anniversary version of the track
Thanks so much! That one was stuck in my head like 5-10 min and I was like WAIT It’s the 25th anniversary just in that one moment lol. I was just glad it’s in the first like 10 min 🤣 And probably not intentional from the composer, just a connection I made.
@@ZeldaMusicTheory Oh, I have no doubt that it was intentional, the chord progession was identical and it really gives the music a different effect, its not as "elegant and pretty" as the normal progression goes, and instead excensuates this feeling of "resolute heroism" which I think is just really dope
7:28 it plays a couple notes of Fi’s theme here, referencing the master sword, especially when Rauru says that “our last line of defense will be link, and the sword he carries”
With that spirit tracks one it didn't register to me until a little after the trailer, I knew I recognized it but didn't know from what, until I saw a vid comparing them, and I just sat there in shock, with sacred duet being my favorite zelda song of all time, that definitely had me in shock for awhile lol
Oh my gosh, that’s amazing! Was the video comparing them mine? Or another video?
I’ve been like “I wish someone analysed the music” and here you are, suggested by the algorithm. Thank you man!
Hahaha somebody’s gotta do it!
Apparently, it's not a saxophone, but a suona, which is a chinese double reeded instrument with a metal bell, hence why it sounds similar. In a lot of chinese music it is commonly paired with the erhu (a chinese bowed string instrument). The erhu seems to be this game's main instrument, and was the main instrument for the dragon theme in botw, so it makes sense that a suona was chosen to go with it in the final trailer, I hope we'll hear more of it in the game!
Totally makes sense and that’s a fantastic choice from Nintendo.
Just wondering, who is saying it's a suona? Is this from Nintendo? I'm 99% sure it's an alto in the beginning and tenor playing in the altissimo range later in the trailer. I'm a saxophone player/teacher. I do hear the erhu but I'd be surprised if that's a suona.
@@Tim21026 not from nintendo, just heard the suona thing and thought it made sense (at first I honestly thought it was an oboe but then I remembered nobody ever features solo oboe). I think it sounds like a suona, I may not be as experienced as you, but from my experience playing alto sax the sound is usually a bit more mellow and tends to be able to fit a little bit more in with a large band as opposed to the suona which kinda just cuts through everything. I know when playing sax you can get a lot of different tones depending on how you play, similar to this, but I haven't really heard any ost composers explicitely try to use that before (though maybe it's just because nobody really features saxes in symphony arrangement) they usually just default to "do the nice sounding smooth tone" or "do the even smoother one" if it's jazz. In any case, we're both speculating since nintendo probably doesn't care enough to confirm anything about the music, but I think my theory is a little more valid because it falls in line with the whole chinese instruments thing totk has going on. Also why do you think they would use an alto and a tenor swapping off the same line sequentially, that sounds overly complicated.
So I’m actually a sax player by trade (not a great one but I do have a degree in music and main instrument is sax). I don’t think there’s a definitive answer but knowing Nintendo I’m leaning towards suona. Could be like soprano with a jazz mouthpiece or something, it’s super bright and edgy. But I don’t think it’s alto or tenor using altissimo. I do play my sax for Directors Cut of the most recent breakdown, but as you guys will see I’m super rusty. Soft reeds and not practice so my sound isn’t as good as it once was lol. But that’s alright, it’s just for you guys to see, not a performance.
as a saxophonist, i’m quite confident that that is a alto, as both the alto was used earlier in the trailer, and the fact that it sounds very much like a saxophone. double reed instruments typically have a very distinct shrill sound, something that the soprano sax copies fairly decently, and the instrument used has a timbre much closer to that of alto altissimo than that of a suona.
For many beginner saxophonists, altissimo is not something to be covered early on, yet once you spend more time listening to that register of the saxophone, the distinction between saxophone altissimo and other instruments is quite clear.
11:00 that little riff played on the erhu/bouzouki is most likely the intro riff to the Gerudo Town theme in botw, (iirc) originally played in Dmin. It only shares the first 3-4 notes but its undeniably resemblant
Similar, not sure if it was intentional by composers or not
Spirit Tracks is my favorite Zelda Game, and it's the first one I played. I'm so glad it's not being totally forgotten. It would make sense to use the Sacred Duet, as it's kind of a music motif for Zelda's spiritual power and working with Link. In Spirit Tracks you work beside Zelda fending off Maladus, so maybe in this game, Zelda can lend you some of her Spiritual energy/power to help with things, making the Sacred Duet apt for that. Who knows, I'm just glad it's included in this, even if it's not as noticeable. Great Video, can't wait to see the full analysis.
ExACTly. You got it!
Byrne I miss u so much T.T
7:03 That's the backwards thing you were talking about from the other trailers. It's the same weird backwards sounding singing from the original E3 2019 trailer
Dude I am ENTHRALLED with the music theory and connections of stanzas in the Zelda games, so this spoke directly to my soul. PLEASE MAKE MORE
Let’s gooo. Much more to come
Completly underrated channel from the first glance. Some of the refernces I noticed, you blessed me with many more
Thank you so much! This video has blown up in the first 12 hours, so we’ll see where it ends up. Thanks for joining and welcome aboard!
I am surprised that more people aren’t talking about 7:03 and the huge hit there as it transitions to the lizard dude. I think this is them using the music to tell us that this dude or scene is important obviously. But I am surprised that nobody I’ve seen has mentioned it. Also the percussion at 9:39 - 9:54. I especially love how it builds for the drop right afterwards with what I assume are those bongos? Or some other percussion instrument. Honestly one of my favorite parts of the trailer. Makes the Ganondorf reveal extremely hype.
Exactly. I talk more about those drums in the long version. But i filmed for like an hour and 8 minutes, so nobody wants all the dead space in between 🤣 This is like a condensed version of the long one. I’ll eventually edit that one together and post it.
I also loved the drum use in the trailer. To me the trailer tells a 3 part story/play, and the music is an integral part of it.
I have been looking for more people to talk about it, but while others love the sax (and yes, I love it too), that Ganondorf reveal music sticks out
th-cam.com/video/T0bvtOH37OY/w-d-xo.html
Mortal Struggle beneath a Blood Moon (Enemy Outpost)
they remind me of some parts of this song from aoc
Yea it sounds similar
im so happy i found your video because i found most of these references by myself but i don't "speak" musical theory so having you putting all these things into words is just amazing!
I try hard to keep the heavy language to a minimum, or at least play it on piano
05:37 everyone comparing this part to twilight princess is WRONG. It’s the opening for the botw 2017 e3 presentation. For sure, the last note gives it away.
How are you so sure that the opening of the E3 trailer wasn't also a reference to Twilight Princess?
Oh my gosh, that is SUCH a great call out. Amazing. Everyone please like this comment (from barber) because that is spot on and I totally missed it. WOWWWWWW! There’s one other that I missed, it’s a repetition of Zelda’s Lullaby RIGHT after Link’s theme See if anyone can hear it 😃
Because it doesn’t really sound like it. The only two notes in common are the second and third, G and F#.
Twilight princess motif: B G F# D
Botw/Totk trailer motif: E G F# D#
@@arbbr9397 alright, I'm not someone who can differentiate notes like that, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt
We chatted on the other comment but thanks for this! Check out my latest short!
The true trailer deconstruction video we have been waiting for!
what I think is amazing about the sax part, is you can play the hero main theme underneath it with some notes diminished to fit the minor feel, in your head and it fits with certain note sequences within the sax part, then when the actual reference pops in it flows over in it perfectly. this composition is a masterpiece, and I've always been koji all the way hahah.
also glad you spotted the aoc theme too haha lots of others don't catch it and its in there twice. nice vid man💯
listening at it more I think they first had in mind to do the main theme in that sax part in its entirety and later in the composition they felt like it fit better after the ganondorf theme. also the age of calamity is heard again when riju says "but you are not alone"
Nice! I will listen for that. Thanks for the comments!
I'm new here, was pointed in your direction by Zeltik and I must say this video is awesome! The music in Zelda is so incredible not to mention nostalgic, and to delve into music into this much detail is fantastic, thank you!
Really? I love Zeltik’s videos, how did that happen? In a comment?
Hot take:
Zelda’s lullaby is the most iconic motif in gaming.
Man, so I kind of hate that Mario is SO recognizable, because I’m a bigger fan of Zelda. But since Koji Kondo wrote themes for both for so long, I guess I can live with it. I do think Zelda has greater integration with music into it’s games, especially starting with Ocarina of Time, but even before that with the original and the recorder, ALTTP, etc. It’s always been amazing. WindWaker, it goes on and on.
8:37 I've heard several people say this is an Alto Sax, but when I listened to it the first time I thought that just HAS to be a Taepyeongso or a Suona? it definitely would fit the Erhu thats repeatedly used in both Botw and TotK.
Agreed, I believe it’s Erhu and Suona.
After hearing the main theme in the new trailer I shed tears. I didn't realize I was this attached to the franchise, and I haven't touched a legend of zelda game since botw launched
Oh my gosh, BOTW completely revitalized my love for Zelda. I never beat TP and never even played SS. This one I have sunk like 150 hours into easy
All of the different musical references were one of the first things I noticed, glad someone made a video about it! Subbed!
Thanks so much!
8:25 I'm no music expert but if I'm not wrong this part here is a triunfant version of the theme in the reveal trailer for tears of the kingdom. Before we knew it's name.
I made a similar comment! I totally agree.
Yes you are BOTH right! This is one of the few references I believe is a true reference and did not see at all. I’m so glad you guys brought it up!
Thanks you for this, this actually made my day ! Thanks a lot !
Thanks for commenting!
I'm so glad I found this! I only saw one other music guy reference similar things but not this in depth. I think I am so right about this game being the one to tie all the games together. When I heard it I just had a feeling. The music is the hint. I only recognized a couple of these but figured there was more I missed cuz it's been so long since I played the older games. This is definitely going to be a game focused on a Zelda multiverse.
Honestly you may be right! And I saw a video by Zach Heyde that I really liked but kind of wanted my own reaction/breakdown. And everyone on his channel just begged for a 45 min long version, so I decided to go more in depth and post the shorter version first. I’m editing the longer one now. Thanks for watching!
@@ZeldaMusicTheory cool can't wait! The video I was watching was by a music producer called String Player Gamer. I'll have to check out Zach's vid.
Ah nice. I just discovered Zach, have a feeling we’d be friends 😃
I’m of the same mind, this feels like it’s supposed to be the “game to end all games” if that makes sense, from everything that’s been referenced in the trailer. But what did it for me was that the music evolved throughout trailer referencing every game.
The spot where it sounds like they might be saying something with that reversal you talked about starting at 7:03 are the same notes from the Song of Time, just with quarter notes rather than the half note in the middle.
It’s close, the “The Future” part goes 451, the Song of Time is b351. One note different.
I recognized that first Spirit tracks song too 😢 it was amazing 😢
I know, I had to read it in. Comment, I initially missed it!
Thanks for your great video! I love the music analysis!
Finnally. Someone mentioning spirit tracks. Im not the only one
Omg bro. you hit every single theme of the trailer, you are amazing!
Oh my gosh, I missed SOOO much. Sequel in the works
The main original theme seems to come through in larger and larger sections at a time, before being cut shy of the whole thing.
When it hits in full, its gonna be incredible.
Exactly, I want to analyze that main theme now.
Wow. I can find my passion for zelda (including the nostalgcs deeply in me) in your presentation but of course I Lack your exceptionally cool skills of hearing and being able to produce music like that.
So amazing! Thank you very much!
That’s what I do 😉 And you and me both, this music is deeply moving and nostalgic. So glad others feel the same way.
So I have very strong theories on if this game will link to Twilight Princess specifically given so many details. One, the TP theme that's included, but ALSO the sound bytes you hear at 3:16 and the backwards singing/voices are very resemblant of the music and sound effects you hear in TP when the Twilight is covering Hyrule and in the Twili realm. Lastly, what weve seen of the Sky Islands reminds me a lot od the sky temple we see in TP. There are way too many connections to ignore and I'm wondering if the Zonai and the Twili are going to be connected.
That could certainly be! Sky islands are such a nice details.
It's an amazing trailer with super awesome music! Thanks for the disection!
Absolutely!
I love how the last 3 notes when they show the date is Zelda's Lullaby from Ocarina of Time 😊
It's crazy how many of the classic songs from Ocarina were originally in Link to the Past! Zelda's Lullaby wasn't called that at the time, but it was in LTTP. So was the Kakariko village theme for example!
I was going to say this exact thing. And I didn’t even learn that until like 3-4 years ago. There are so many that originate from there. Truly amazing History Zelda music has. Have to do a video on that at some point.
And yes I love when they end with that. Especially over a minor key. It’s kind of haunting and tense and emotional.
So sick, glad to see a great analysis! I thought I heard that Age of Calamity theme where you heard the Spirit Tracks theme (the last 4 notes of the first 7), which i found interesting because Terakko plays that jingle whenever he’s about to mess with timelines and such, and its looking like time travel might be an element in this game to!
Wow I like that catch that when time travel is involved that theme pops up. It could definitely be a quote!
The beginning sounds very Lord of the Rings to me I didn't even recognize it as Spirit Tracks.
I did recognize the King/Hyrule Castle theme it's one of my favorites from Zelda series every time it pops up I love it.
Ganons Theme might be my all time favorite Zelda song and I loved to hear it in the TOTK trailer.
The Sax was also a welcome surprise, Saxophone is my 2nd favorite instrument (Violin being #1)
The music in this trailer was fittingly very Legendary.
Nice! I was tipped off by a comment about Spirit Tracks, I looked it up and was like “Ohhh, SNAP!” Same with Hyrule Warriors. Overall amazing trailer and music. Can’t wait for the game! Love violin too.
How the heck did I not find your channel before today? I love game music, especially Zelda. Twilight princess' Hyrule castle theme, also had a version that was just the keys played slowly. It's beautiful and I'm glad this vid reminded me of it. Easy subscribe btw, the concept of the channel was enough
Thank you so so much!
To me, the words at 7:02 and 7:05 sound like the phrases "our fu-ture" and "our ba-ttle" being sung in disjointed/random keys. Given that a lot of people think that the Zonai and time travel are going to be involved in this game, the phrases make sense. I think people are assuming it's backwards because the sound is coalescing to a point at the end of each syllable like a reverse echo. I went back to listen to the first trailer, where there was more of that type of 'singing', but all I can tell is that whatever they're saying is repeated over and over again there.
Nice! We’ll probably learn more as time goes on, maybe Nintendo will shed some light or the game itself will have that chant or something. Thanks for the thoughts! Would love to see time travel and Zonai. Man this game looks amazing.
Glad I found this channel. Can’t wait to see all the references in game once it comes out!
Thanks so much! Me too!
Zelda games have always had such amazing music.
Love this video! I noticed these references as well. Zelda music is so great, and it’s so fun dissecting and analyzing them. Excellent channel!
Thanks so much!
I like that in the rest of the trailers, Zelda’s lullaby at the end has been on kokyū but they switched it to the more classic piano for this one, feels more somber
Man, how do you all know all these foreign instruments. My wife asks me all the time- what instrument is that? And my answer is always, Idk it’s not a normal traditional European or American orchestra instrument so I’ve never played it. I literally had to learn every band or orchestra instrument as a part of my music degree. But I LOVE the instrumentation and it sounds so Japanese and amazingly fits the theme.
On man you just gave me goosebumps listening you break themes down
All I know is that the twilight princess part (1:20 from the final trailer) sounds closer to the 'Kakariko Village - 25th Anniversary ' @ 2:10, than anything else from twilight princess (th-cam.com/video/YXdvDYHGuNE/w-d-xo.html for the timestamp I'm referencing)
Nice! I appreciate the link and time stamps. I do go listen to all of those. So this (Zelda 25th Anniversary) is a reference to the Midna’s’s Lament/Hyrule Field theme from Twilight Princes. But only the first 3 notes are the same. And someone else pointed out the the E3 Trailer for BOTW opens with a line almost exactly like it. I do think they are all very similar, it’s hard to tell which they wanted to evoke a connection to. Only the first 3 notes are identical. Could be an Easter egg but not a particularly strong one. It could be that they knew theories would pop up, but non of the themes were really significant references. Thanks for the comment!
I love the references, it’s always something I look out for in Zelda music and you definitely pointed out some that I didn’t get. I don’t know how they made this trailer theme so good but they crush it every single time.
It makes sense that the falling scene would be taken from twilight because I think there is going to be a lower world function in the game
Well that’s a great point. Could be intentional. That game is just dark and beautiful with the Twilight everywhere isn’t it?
Great video!! All the references make me so emotional😭
I’ve been waiting for someone to make a video like this 🙏 I’m obsessed with the music in this trailer. Definitely need to check out more of your videos!
Thanks so much! I actually am my own channel’s biggest fan 🤣 Well I should rephrase- every video I put out is like a love letter to the composers who shaped my childhood. And the things I’m drawing together are so impactful to me, I hope they are for other people as well. I hope you enjoy the others and let me know what you think!
I've never come across this channel, but i love this! You're clearly talented and knowledgeable.
I'm impressed and entertained.
Thanks so much!
I heard somebody claim in a video that the epic saxophone/choir part in the second half of the trailer is the same tune that the distorted voices are singing in the first teaser and after listening to it over and over I'm convinced it's true, at least at the beginning. I was hoping to find confirmation here but you didn't address it. Am I crazy?
Yes! I have been saying that since I first saw the new trailer! I made a similar comment here, I have timestamps too so you can hear it. I agree
Nice! So glad you guys are helping connect the dots. This community is so strong. I don’t know much about it, just threw it in to ask. I did attempt to find an answer before but found nothing concrete. I’ll go check it out!
already knew most the references since i’ve watched the trailer so many times in the past year and picked up on references throughout but still amazing video i love the trailer so much
It could be a stretch, but at 8:25, the chord progressions seem to line up with the ballad of the goddess melody. Which could be another hint at how this game is connected to skyward sword. If you make another video, I’d love to see you do a deep dive on that!
SO the chords there basically go 1, b7, b6, 5, 4(minor), 5, b6, 5 or similar (I’m simplifying and not using Roman numberals like a good music theory student would do, like bVll instead of b7…
And Ballad of the Goddess goes more like 1 (minor) b7 b3 4(major) b6 b7 b6 b7.
So what you’re hearing could be the similarity between the 1 b7 b6 movement. I do go into more detail in the full length video. I’ll try to edit and post that one at some point.
But that 1 b7 b6 is the primary chord progression in the opening for Zelda on the NES, and also for the overworld theme. And everywhere else you look in Zelda, even b6 b7 1 in Mario. So you’re onto something 😃
@@ZeldaMusicTheory ahhh that makes sense!! Thank you for the in depth response! I use to be a music major so I love geeking out over this stuff 😁 Can’t wait to see more of your content once the game comes out!
I got shivers less than 2 minutes into the video. Good job man.
Hahaha thanks so much! Check out the sequel and Director’s Cuts if you enjoyed this one.
Are they using Saxophone? I heard they are using Suona th-cam.com/video/gaWBEWQpqr4/w-d-xo.html
I go back and forth... it sounds soooo much like an alto sax but my ear expects that when I hear reeded instruments in that register.
It very well could be a suona, I had no idea they could bend pitches like that, the timbre just sounds sax to me.
But wow, that's really cool thanks for sharing the video link
@@kj_H65f Well, in my opinion it definitly doesn't sound like a saxophone at all (I play saxophone myself so I hope my ears aren't too bad on that lol)
But regardless, it's a great cover and I love discovering traditional and uncommon instruments.
Thank's for sharing!
@@wawan3961 sorry I think I meant soprano. It sounds so much like the sound Kenny G could make.
Wow. So my main instrument is actually saxophone and I have a degree in music (not that that makes me an expert necessarily). Never heard of the instrument but it certainly could be. The vibrato is much more wild. Timbre sounds very similar. So opening of the trailer 100% alto sax. Main theme… sounds to me like a soprano sax with a jazz mouthpiece and a soft reed 🤣 But there’s also a lot that goes on in post production, so who knows. I’d love to hear an official answer from Nintendo.
Worth noting the Gameplay Demonstration Theme we were all calling “main theme’ for a while sounds like an alto sax with a regular classical mouthpiece to me. And very different than that soprano or Shona sound.
Thanks for commenting!
I literally can't hold back the eye watering & spine chilling effects of this song jeeezzz
This was a great video to watch! Love it, man!
Thanks so much! Let me know what else you want to see!!!
I just love the background use of ehru at 8:57 it just works amazingly
It’s so amazing. Instrumentation is wild in this trailer
Just found your channel. Good to see someone who appreciates Zelda music to its max!
Thanks so much! Finally my “NERDery” is accepted! Hahahaha
@@ZeldaMusicTheoryI wish I found ur channel earlier
I’m just glad I started. I almost didn’t start it at all.
Hear me out: The high pitch chime at 10:58 right before the logo is a reference to the "low health" sound effect from previous games, especially since it follows Zelda's line of, "Link, you are our final hope," evoking a sense of desperation. Anyone else hear it or am I reaching?
I did throw this in the sequel soon to come
I think at the very beginning when link is falling I hear a faint song from the triforce room in a link to the past... Song plays right before the credits.
That is one of my all time favorite Zelda compositions. And it sounds similar- kinda this 1451 sound.
9:23 thank you for not explaining I lost my mind when I heard that
I saw that one on another video and I do think it’s very similar, unsure if it was intentional but thought I’d throw it in. Trying not to be a conspiracy promoter 🤣 Only true references.