I love when Bassists write music because they always pay a lot of attention to bottom end and either do some off the wall stuff and create something that uses the bass to harmonise instead of just copying the roots, or they make it orchestral and really use it to emphasise the flow of a piece
Exactly. I was used to play Sonic on the Master System and the first thing that got my attention when I first started Sonic on my Genesis was the BASS. Strong, defined and well written bass!
Have you considered using the NSF/SPC/VGM files and players so that you can isolate individual sound channels for your demonstrations? It can be difficult for non-music majors to understand and follow the sheet notation and to differentiate which notes that correspond to, but highlighting the notes as they play like what MIDI players like Noteworthy Composer do and playing the specific chiptune channels in isolation would help make your point clear to even non-music theorists.
Sakuraburst I don't normally do this, but your production streams are mind-blowing, it's great seeing how such complex productions are made from one of the pros, thanks, man!
Yay a great video about Sonic Music Theory, it is unbelievable the lack of material about it even with the soundtrack having almost 30 years. Thanks for the video. Subscribed and hoping for more Sonic videos :P
Is it? Historically, people couldn't have cared less about game music. Remember that a lot of people still alive today used to laugh at gamers for "wasting their time playing with toys" and expected the video game market to phase out because "we've already got movies" So the lack of material doesn't surprise me. Its literally taken this whole time for gaming to begin to be considered as a serious form of entertainment, so only now will we start to see this kind of info to come out more and more. And to the doubters whom it may concern: told you so. 🖕
Its true, I have always wanted to do a youtube channel like this, I have the music theory and analysis mastery down, I have the tech, but I have no video making knowledge, I'm glad someone is doing this though! I would love to send you requests or send you some recommendations on some of my favorite vg pieces I have analyzed, I plan to back your patreon as well, anyway, keep doing this man! I know there are a bunch of people who enjoy these who don't even know how to read music, but for those of us with a passion for video games and useless degrees in music composition and theory are absolutely in love with this!
dude, incredible analysis!! I loved that soundtrack as a kid. Some of the theory behind this is really complex and the general weirdness/unique quality of the soundtrack is down to that - it'd be interesting to find out how much the composer thought about the writing in terms of theory vs how much was just coming up with the ideas naturally!
Hey, I just discovered this channel and I'm really digging this video. I've been writing arrangements of video game songs for the Gamer Symphony Orchestra at UMD, so just hearing more about the technical side of music (since music theory isn't my strongest suit) is very interesting. I think I might just subscribe. Now, if I could recommend a game, I know someone in the comments has already mentioned Earthbound and Undertale, but I'd actually like to recommend Mother 3. I'd love to see a video about how Mother 3's rhythm based battle system influences the musical compositions, and see some of the more music theory side to how those songs were constructed. Like, for instance, how the song Strong One is in 15/8, but in order to make the song more difficult and unsettling for the Masked Man boss fight, they threw out a 16th note and made it 29/16, completely throwing off the player's rhythm. Mother 3 does things like that to make the songs more difficult all the time, like adding additional beats in between measures (Piggy Guys vs Piggy Something), changing a song with a constant 4/4 meter into something with a meter I can't even really place consistently (Zombeat vs Tough Zombeat), and just making the song faster (Dry Guys vs Even Drier Guys). It really is just a fantastic and well crafted soundtrack. And that doesn't even mention it's fantastic motifs and compositions outside the field of battle. Just saying, it might be a fun episode to do.
found this channel by accident and just want to say you deserve a lot more subscribers, happy you're showing video game composers the love they deserve they're often an unsung hero in video games.
What really sets Sonic music apart from the competition is the sheer variety found within each game. Additionally, Sonic music is significantly more complex, relying heavily on background/foreground melody switching, harmonies and counter-harmonies, broken and full chords, and a large variety of instrumentation. Finally, Sonic music is composed by multiple collaborating composers, especially Sonic 3 and Knuckles. In Sonic, musically, anything goes, provided it is of superior quality.
As a music noob, I can't help but wonder if the composers were aware of all the technical tricks they did, or if they composed with their gut and it turned out like this. I'd love for you to talk a bit about this in a video if you have the chance!
I just clicked just to hear the my childhood music. Sonic was my 1st game I ever played. I didn't get into game music until my teens. When I heard sonic music I felt numb and sad that my best life was during playing this game.
Hi! Finally! A Videogame music channel that goes in! I have a single request (okay a first request) HYDROCITY ACT I and II ...but especially Act II. The way the main motif of Act I is taken and then ramped up in the A section (after the intro) of Act II is so hype and actually quite "cool"
That was a pretty good mini-analysis, buddy! Now it'll be stuck in my head for the next 48 hours haha. Seriously, one of my favorite video game music tracks of all time.
As a music major who contributes most of his fascination with music to video games, I have to say thank you. Thank you thank you thank you. This is going to be a fun channel to watch.
If you're a music major into video game music, I suggest also checking out my channel. I have a few transcriptions posted up and will be doing analyses as well. It'll be more geared towards viewed with a background in music. I already have a harmonic analysis of Chrono Trigger's main theme up, and am currently working on the second installment. Feel free to drop a request for any tunes or analyses, especially if you end up becoming a patron. Best of luck in your studies!
I've been really enjoying these videos. It's honestly making me want to go back and actually study music theory just so I can understand what you're talking about.
this is the best youtube channel ive ever found. thank you for your work, dude. seriously, this is the best. i have always thought the sonic 2 soundtrack is one of the most genius things ever created. music theory and old videogames are like my 2 favourite things in the world. all of these old musical concepts have stuck with me, and all the stuff i create even today in bands, owes so much to this old game music. a prefect balance between harmony and dissonance, hooks and complexity, basic rhythms and crazy syncopation. also, 1:52 is my sonic experience in a nutshell. those awkard jumps on a 45 degree angle were a nightmare. a total physics anomoly
Hey man, I just wanted to say as a musician/composer/nerd, I really dig all of your stuff! I really love the work you do, and I could honestly listen to you analyze these things for hours. I'd love to see analyses of things like Dark Souls and its use of motifs, or just the feelings it creates (although that gets some into music cognition). Brilliant work! I look forward to following it!
Awesome analysis. So nice of you to include clips and pictures of the sheets too. The best sonic songs IMO are all in Sonic 3 though. And angel Island, hydrocity, ice cap, and flying battery zones are the best of the best.
So, I watched your video on Mario Kart's Rainbow Road and watched this and I learned a thing or two about motifs and structure in music. I'm making an RPG for the Nintendo Switch and was struggling with writing music for it and instead I just took different actions in different music and just improvised. Now I still may be struggling but I think I got a better understanding when it comes to how music is controlled. Thanks for these videos on music theory in gaming, man.
New subscriber here, totally in love with your channel! I find really interesting how the compositions of Koji Kondo and Masato Nakamura generally contrast each other in a way similar to how the franchises they worked on did: the Mario games showcase Kondo's old fashioned composition skills by basing his pieces on fast harmonic movements of simple chords (like in classical music) alongside with a great feel for jazz and swing (chromatic notes, syncopated rhythms, etc); Nakamura goes in a totally opposite way with Sonic by creating slower progressions with richer, extended chords and simpler melodies to emphasize specific sonorities (almost with a modal approach), kinda like many contemporary music acts in the 80's/90's.
dude i just found your stuff, and its awesome. i'm a musician and a huge fan of video game music, its cool seeing someone break it all down like this, especially when I can understand it all lol. Love this stuff man!!!! Subbed.
Man this is awesome man! It just makes me appreciate the music even more, you can see the genius behind it! I'm a musician myself so I can definitely see how great this is.!
Sonic has always been my favorite video game series, and I've long appreciated the soundtracks. One personal favorite is the Final (not Extra) Boss theme from Sonic 3 & Knuckles. The song manages to break most conventions of form, phrasing, and melody, and yet I still find it incredibly engaging. Great analysis.
Ramblings I've had about classic Sonic OST's Sonic soundtracks benefit very well from zone theme variations. The best example in Sonic 3 and Knuckles is probably Angel Island Zone, where Act 1's melody line (the one heard midway through the song) is this cheery quip in C Mixolydian (strangely enough), and Act 2's is identical to Act 1, only changing every E to an Eb, changing the mode to Dorian. This mode change from major to minor adds urgency to the song, giving plenty of reasons to keep Sonic's pace up. In Sonic CD's JPN OST, Palmtree Panic's Present theme is kind of a troll version of Green Hill Zone's theme, since it basically cuts out the IV and iii and continuously loops the iim7 and the Imaj7 for about a minute. Then, it cheekily brings back the IV and iii, but removes the I (IVmaj7 iiim7 iim7 iiim7, IVmaj7 iiim7 iim7 iim7) to prick-tease the listener, before going to a V chord with no mediant (and no sus4 as far as I can hear) and THEN resolving itself to I and making more progressions I don't feel like analyzing here. Then PP's Bad Future theme ends up being even more trolly by running almost the whole song in C's iim7 chord, to the point where the song could be interpreted as Dm. The song is sort of cursed with emptiness as no real focal point can be found until the iconic sax solo from the Present theme comes in... heavily distorted and looping on itself like a broken record, keeping the focal point obfuscated. Not to mention the Ab (serving to add a blues interest) in the bass line, or the distorted/reversed voice clips used from the "good" counterpart to add more unease. Then, in the most intense part of the song, the iim7 Imaj7 progression returns, but is overlapped with the established accompaniments from earlier, kind of turning the Imaj7 into a Imaj9 due to the prevalence of D's. (Tidal Tempest Zone's JPN present theme's intro does an almost identical 9 chord progression to Spring Yard zone, right down to the 9-7-5 arpeggiating melody, with the only difference being it goes DOWN from A9 to G9, and there is no extra V to be found.) ^ this doesn't relate to anything, I just like the parallel. And let's not even DELVE into Sonic Mania's brilliance with Act 1 and Act 2 themes. The way Tee adds color to Act 2 themes (especially in Green Hill, Studiopolis, Press Garden, Mirage Saloon, Metallic Madness, and Titanic Monarch) is nothing short of ingenious.
I would love to see a video on the Sonic Rush, Adventure series, and/or Unleashed series. Most of the sonic games carry tunes that I LOVE but these, in particular, have such special moments and Id love to hear why that could be. Excellent video!
Great as always. Might I suggest a video on Earthbound or Undertale at some point in the future? I'm sure there'd be plenty to look at in either. Keep up the good work.
Love the content, but I also love how he's tracking every time he died ingame too XD
3 ปีที่แล้ว
Does anyone else watch the videos on this channel with a guitar, figuring out the chords as necessary? I find it really beneficial to map the learnings to my main instrument. Having a blast, thank you.
I am a musician and I also have a youtube channel (where I talk mostly about development of emulators like MAME). I decided I should create a video about music theory applied to the Sonic 1 sound track. Found your video. My video is not needed anymore. Thanks!
Love the channel, but especially the Sonic stuff - it's been a huge part of my life. Would love an analysis of either Sonic 3 & Knuckles - not by Nakamura, but by a mix of Sega musicians and Michael Jacksons team - or Jun Senoue/Tomoya Ohtani's work in the most recent Sonic games, as both are very interesting musically. Keep up the great work, mate
Great work, man! Really impressed by your analysis, you obviously know what you're talking about and it shows. I didn't realize how often Nakamura used the IV-iii-ii-I! If I had any "complaints," I'd mention keys - there were a couple things you mentioned that felt a little lacking to me in explanation. When you mentioned the one A7 in Labyrinth Zone, you compared F to Dm, mentioning how A7 exists in Dm so there's some common ground there. I could see that, but Labyrinth Zone is in C, not F (and given that your score seems to have no sharps/flats in the key sig, I assume you knew this), so it makes even less sense... I'd argue that the biggest factor in the "smoothness" of the A7 is the preceding Em7 - since E is the V of A. A7, then, is a secondary dominant, but non-functioning... Or perhaps kinda half-functioning if you consider the following FM7 to be a Dm9 w/o the bass, haha... But maybe that's what you meant to say? In addition, I would bring up the one bit in Star Light Zone. The A section's tonal center isn't D - in fact it's not even in a minor key at all, it's in the key of C all the way through. While that particular descending pattern is almost /always/ heard on the tonic of a minor key (or at least on the submediant of a major one), it's certainly not the case here. While D is absolutely tonicized for a moment, it's not the key... But those are nitpicks. This video is fantastic, and I wish you luck w/your channel. I especially appreciate the mention of the suspended V chord Nakamura (and so much J-Pop) absolutely adores, as well as the F#7alt in Labyrinth Zone (
A friend of mine just linked me this. I gotta say man. I'm floored. This shit is amazing. Like... as a fellow musician and composer, who likes analysing music as well, its really cool to see someone go so in-depth with this. I've not looked in depth at your channel yet but may I make the suggestion you do some virt or tim follin games. That stuff is amazing, both from a technical and compositional perspective.
Agreed! I plan to transcribe Follin's stuff from Solstice. That opening theme is ridiculous! I'll post it up on my channel along with an analysis once I am able to get around to it. Until then, I have a growing list of transcription videos if you have a chance to check 'em out!
This is such a great video! I would love a sequel to this some day, covering Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles. (Sonic 3D Blast and Sonic Spinball also have some great tunes, if we want to get a bit more obscure.) Also, all of these clips of Sonic dying are giving me major flashbacks.
Great series of videos. I just subscribed. I'm also a musician, so it's interesting to see these pieces of music analyzed like this. I played in a woodwind trio and I was actually arranging the music of Mega Man 2 into a suite for woodwind trio, but the trio ended up disbanding before I could finish it. At any rate, my favorite Sonic tune comes from Sonic 2. It's the Mystic Cave Zone music.
I have a lot to say but unfortunately its hard for me this not being my language. First of all, I just subscribed to yoyr channel and that makes me feel bad because I've been watching your videos almost since you started this. And let me tell you that they have taught me a lot even if I still don't get much of the words and terms you use. This video in particular didn't caught my attention at first, cause I've never interested in Sonic games; but the music is another thing. I've been a fan of DCT for a few years now, and the things that you explained here made me understand and realize my inicial reaction to their songs back when I started listening the their earlier music. I remember, while playing some of the 80s and early 90s songs, feeling a little weirded out by their sound. Like, when the intro of a song started, it made think that the melody would take certain direction and taking a surprising turn. This made it difficult for me to understand their compositions, to adapt to the transitions, the only thing that glued me to DCT from the begining was Miwa's voice. One thing I knew for sure is that this music is unconventional in a sense, but I didn't why or where that thought came from. Now you helped me understand why (and confirm that it wasn't just me). And can't see Nakamura's work as anything other than genius.
I feel like Sonic 2 is where this kinda thing met its zenith, with tracks like casino night zone, chemical plant zone, and mystic cave zone giving us incredibly memorable hooks and melodies and rhythms, while its ending theme is just straight up an existing pop song by Dreams Come True. then Sonic 3 kinda does a little less "complex masterpiece studio album" and a little more "playing guitar with your teeth" in terms of composition, but it gives us super memorable tracks nonetheless
That was so awesome! Would you consider doing a video like this about Megaman music? It would be so wonderful! Thank you, this video was so great! Keep it up :)
So good! You just know me, bro. My faves have got to be Flying Battery Zone from Sonic & Knuckles, or Metropolis Zone from Sonic 2. I'd love to see this same exploration for 2 & Sonic & Knuckles, but you knew that already!
just started watching these videos and I'm almost out of them I'm still in classes for music theory, I can uderstand this more then my class .lol thank you
Yes, I love the chromatically descending tonic. It's one of those things that I probably like a little too much, seeing as I based an entire song off of it, and find myself cramming it in lots of places without realizing it anyways.
Oh, so the composer is a bassist! No wonder those tracks are so fun to play with an electric bass :) As for my favorites, pretty simple: Green Hill Zone and Emerald Hill Zone. Simple, punchy and unforgettable :3
One thing that would help music readers and non music readers is a scan line of the part of the notation that are actually playing when you give examples. When you suddenly start playing a section of notation but there are 8 bars on screen and your staring on bar 4, it's often hard to get your eyes and ears ready in time to take the example in. I ended up having to rewind quite a few of them once I'd had a second to get my eyes and ears ready, once I knew where the audio was going to suddenly start from.
Zachary McCoy The spring is blocking the jump The slope is too steep The Platform and the wall is your only excuse, He might missed something he just wanted to get back.
Since I was a kid Nakamura es one of my big musical influences. So weird when you are growing and having bands and everyones talk about Deep Purple, Floyd, Metallica, Black Flag, etc..
![Rhythmic Dissonance in the Knuckles' Chaotix Soundtrack [Patron Request]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TKodQQD9AmE/mqdefault.jpg)
I love when Bassists write music because they always pay a lot of attention to bottom end and either do some off the wall stuff and create something that uses the bass to harmonise instead of just copying the roots, or they make it orchestral and really use it to emphasise the flow of a piece
A lot of the Sonic composers are indeed bassists. Nakamura, Tomoya Ohtani, and Kenichi Tokoi are all time Sonic greats.
Exactly. I was used to play Sonic on the Master System and the first thing that got my attention when I first started Sonic on my Genesis was the BASS.
Strong, defined and well written bass!
@@robkilbride9242 Jun Senoue used to play bass too
When you watch a complicated video and pretend to understand
Have you considered using the NSF/SPC/VGM files and players so that you can isolate individual sound channels for your demonstrations? It can be difficult for non-music majors to understand and follow the sheet notation and to differentiate which notes that correspond to, but highlighting the notes as they play like what MIDI players like Noteworthy Composer do and playing the specific chiptune channels in isolation would help make your point clear to even non-music theorists.
Great idea!
Yes, I enjoy the concept of this channel but cant understand crap.
Jess Bermudes I am right there with you, man. the 30% I understand is awesome. I wish I got the other 70%
Yes, please do this. I love the concept but I can't follow very much of it because I don't know the terminology.
VGMTrans is a great tool for this kind of thing.
one of my fav channels right now! i'd suggest letting the music play a little longer before cutting away
Thanks so much! I'll keep that in mind going forward
good advice
I'd say keep it short to where you were just talking about, and no extra bits.
Sakuraburst I don't normally do this, but your production streams are mind-blowing, it's great seeing how such complex productions are made from one of the pros, thanks, man!
Yes, but dont forget that makes the algorithm angry and can easily lead to copyright strikes.
Sonic's games have varied in quality over the years, but one things stays consistent: amazing music.
Yay a great video about Sonic Music Theory, it is unbelievable the lack of material about it even with the soundtrack having almost 30 years. Thanks for the video. Subscribed and hoping for more Sonic videos :P
Is it? Historically, people couldn't have cared less about game music. Remember that a lot of people still alive today used to laugh at gamers for "wasting their time playing with toys" and expected the video game market to phase out because "we've already got movies"
So the lack of material doesn't surprise me. Its literally taken this whole time for gaming to begin to be considered as a serious form of entertainment, so only now will we start to see this kind of info to come out more and more.
And to the doubters whom it may concern: told you so. 🖕
5:35
Interestingly, the chromatically descending tonic is a progression I often hear on modern Japanese songs
Yeah, that's a thing he forgot to mention: due to cultural differences, Eastern music commonly uses tricks uncommon in Western music and vice versa.
I think it's just a common progression overall
top tier content again. Dude you have the potential to be one of the best and most interesting vgm channels on youtube
Oh stahp, you
STAHP RIHT TERE!
Its true, I have always wanted to do a youtube channel like this, I have the music theory and analysis mastery down, I have the tech, but I have no video making knowledge, I'm glad someone is doing this though! I would love to send you requests or send you some recommendations on some of my favorite vg pieces I have analyzed, I plan to back your patreon as well, anyway, keep doing this man! I know there are a bunch of people who enjoy these who don't even know how to read music, but for those of us with a passion for video games and useless degrees in music composition and theory are absolutely in love with this!
dude, incredible analysis!! I loved that soundtrack as a kid. Some of the theory behind this is really complex and the general weirdness/unique quality of the soundtrack is down to that - it'd be interesting to find out how much the composer thought about the writing in terms of theory vs how much was just coming up with the ideas naturally!
Luminist he is japonese so here you go
i like how he constantly dies in the background
Hey, I just discovered this channel and I'm really digging this video. I've been writing arrangements of video game songs for the Gamer Symphony Orchestra at UMD, so just hearing more about the technical side of music (since music theory isn't my strongest suit) is very interesting. I think I might just subscribe.
Now, if I could recommend a game, I know someone in the comments has already mentioned Earthbound and Undertale, but I'd actually like to recommend Mother 3. I'd love to see a video about how Mother 3's rhythm based battle system influences the musical compositions, and see some of the more music theory side to how those songs were constructed. Like, for instance, how the song Strong One is in 15/8, but in order to make the song more difficult and unsettling for the Masked Man boss fight, they threw out a 16th note and made it 29/16, completely throwing off the player's rhythm. Mother 3 does things like that to make the songs more difficult all the time, like adding additional beats in between measures (Piggy Guys vs Piggy Something), changing a song with a constant 4/4 meter into something with a meter I can't even really place consistently (Zombeat vs Tough Zombeat), and just making the song faster (Dry Guys vs Even Drier Guys). It really is just a fantastic and well crafted soundtrack. And that doesn't even mention it's fantastic motifs and compositions outside the field of battle.
Just saying, it might be a fun episode to do.
ChazzzyF ikr
Another excellent video!! Do you have plans for Sonic 2?
I don’t think he has plans for sonic 2
@@icandoodlee hahaha lol xddd
Sonic 2 bonus video?
@@Haliflux1111 Sonic 3 doilus video?
@@sanicmaniac EXACLTY
I didnt realize how catchy some Sonic tunes are. Thanks for the hit of knowledge!
have you never played sonic?
found this channel by accident and just want to say you deserve a lot more subscribers, happy you're showing video game composers the love they deserve they're often an unsung hero in video games.
What really sets Sonic music apart from the competition is the sheer variety found within each game. Additionally, Sonic music is significantly more complex, relying heavily on background/foreground melody switching, harmonies and counter-harmonies, broken and full chords, and a large variety of instrumentation. Finally, Sonic music is composed by multiple collaborating composers, especially Sonic 3 and Knuckles. In Sonic, musically, anything goes, provided it is of superior quality.
SET ME FREE
The Blue Wizzrobe TRUST ME AND WE WILL
dinosaur 202 Pfffff. Normies. We all know the Rush series has the best soundtrack.
I like the Unleashed sound track. It takes a step back from the Rock or Pop-ish music you usually find in a modern Sonic games.
High Rollin' Armadillo
The Advance Trilogy had a god tier soundtrack IMO.
Absolutely love your stuff! There's not enough good, fun music theory content out there... keep it up!
As a music major, I find this fascinating. Recommendations did good this time. Subscribed!
Really great job. Keep going with Sonic. Both 2 & 3 are worth the time as I'm sure you know.
As a music noob, I can't help but wonder if the composers were aware of all the technical tricks they did, or if they composed with their gut and it turned out like this. I'd love for you to talk a bit about this in a video if you have the chance!
I fell like it is both
6 years now. Have you improved your knowledge?
I just clicked just to hear the my childhood music. Sonic was my 1st game I ever played. I didn't get into game music until my teens. When I heard sonic music I felt numb and sad that my best life was during playing this game.
Hi! Finally! A Videogame music channel that goes in!
I have a single request (okay a first request)
HYDROCITY ACT I and II
...but especially Act II.
The way the main motif of Act I is taken and then ramped up in the A section (after the intro) of Act II is so hype and actually quite "cool"
That was a pretty good mini-analysis, buddy! Now it'll be stuck in my head for the next 48 hours haha.
Seriously, one of my favorite video game music tracks of all time.
Spring Yard is my favorite. It’s so damned early 90’s it reeks of Steve Urkel and Laura.
Funny, since Sonic was voiced by Steve Urkel back then.
@I Am I
That's because it's the best one and you're a smart person from childhood apparently.
@@knightshousegames
Wait... What?
@@-Twotonepony- In the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon, the guy who played Steve Urkel voiced Sonic.
As a music major who contributes most of his fascination with music to video games, I have to say thank you. Thank you thank you thank you. This is going to be a fun channel to watch.
If you're a music major into video game music, I suggest also checking out my channel. I have a few transcriptions posted up and will be doing analyses as well. It'll be more geared towards viewed with a background in music. I already have a harmonic analysis of Chrono Trigger's main theme up, and am currently working on the second installment. Feel free to drop a request for any tunes or analyses, especially if you end up becoming a patron.
Best of luck in your studies!
Hey man I love your videos! I'm a composer myself and I've been enjoying these since you posted on /r/musictheory. Keep it up!
Garrett T. Beelow - Composer :)
I've been really enjoying these videos. It's honestly making me want to go back and actually study music theory just so I can understand what you're talking about.
this is the best youtube channel ive ever found. thank you for your work, dude. seriously, this is the best. i have always thought the sonic 2 soundtrack is one of the most genius things ever created. music theory and old videogames are like my 2 favourite things in the world. all of these old musical concepts have stuck with me, and all the stuff i create even today in bands, owes so much to this old game music. a prefect balance between harmony and dissonance, hooks and complexity, basic rhythms and crazy syncopation. also, 1:52 is my sonic experience in a nutshell. those awkard jumps on a 45 degree angle were a nightmare. a total physics anomoly
Your video has been very useful for my composing. Thanks!
Take a shot every time you hear him say the word "zone"
AngryIsHere XD If you did, you'd probably die.
You might still be alive if he didn't say "special zone" lol
I'm really a sucker for the Sonic 3 soundtrack
Hey man, I just wanted to say as a musician/composer/nerd, I really dig all of your stuff! I really love the work you do, and I could honestly listen to you analyze these things for hours.
I'd love to see analyses of things like Dark Souls and its use of motifs, or just the feelings it creates (although that gets some into music cognition).
Brilliant work! I look forward to following it!
This is very interesting and engaging, and I've always wanted to know how video game music sounds the way they do, so this is really good!
Awesome analysis. So nice of you to include clips and pictures of the sheets too.
The best sonic songs IMO are all in Sonic 3 though. And angel Island, hydrocity, ice cap, and flying battery zones are the best of the best.
So, I watched your video on Mario Kart's Rainbow Road and watched this and I learned a thing or two about motifs and structure in music. I'm making an RPG for the Nintendo Switch and was struggling with writing music for it and instead I just took different actions in different music and just improvised. Now I still may be struggling but I think I got a better understanding when it comes to how music is controlled. Thanks for these videos on music theory in gaming, man.
... oh man, this explains so many of my progression habits. :| As with all you do, very nicely done. :D
new favorite channel. Learning so much about music theory for games!!
Nakamura still goes in. Bring him back.
New subscriber here, totally in love with your channel!
I find really interesting how the compositions of Koji Kondo and Masato Nakamura generally contrast each other in a way similar to how the franchises they worked on did: the Mario games showcase Kondo's old fashioned composition skills by basing his pieces on fast harmonic movements of simple chords (like in classical music) alongside with a great feel for jazz and swing (chromatic notes, syncopated rhythms, etc); Nakamura goes in a totally opposite way with Sonic by creating slower progressions with richer, extended chords and simpler melodies to emphasize specific sonorities (almost with a modal approach), kinda like many contemporary music acts in the 80's/90's.
That's a great point! They both really personify their respective franchises.
This is so interesting even though I know absolutely zero of these terms
Love the content, man! Keeps getting better and better! My favorite sonic song is definitely the Toxic Cave Theme from Sonic Spinball.
god this channel has improved a LOT, these old videos are hard as fuck to follow
This channel was an incredible discovery! Simply thanks :)
Your explanations about video game music on TH-cam could easily be turned into an academic musicology work.
if i could understand what he is saying
@@dynastylobster8957 you would if you knew basic music tho
dude i just found your stuff, and its awesome. i'm a musician and a huge fan of video game music, its cool seeing someone break it all down like this, especially when I can understand it all lol. Love this stuff man!!!! Subbed.
I dabble in composing music and your videos are very informative and inspiring!
Man this is awesome man! It just makes me appreciate the music even more, you can see the genius behind it! I'm a musician myself so I can definitely see how great this is.!
Sonic has always been my favorite video game series, and I've long appreciated the soundtracks. One personal favorite is the Final (not Extra) Boss theme from Sonic 3 & Knuckles. The song manages to break most conventions of form, phrasing, and melody, and yet I still find it incredibly engaging. Great analysis.
I love what you're doing with these. Can't wait for the next video!
Ramblings I've had about classic Sonic OST's
Sonic soundtracks benefit very well from zone theme variations. The best example in Sonic 3 and Knuckles is probably Angel Island Zone, where Act 1's melody line (the one heard midway through the song) is this cheery quip in C Mixolydian (strangely enough), and Act 2's is identical to Act 1, only changing every E to an Eb, changing the mode to Dorian. This mode change from major to minor adds urgency to the song, giving plenty of reasons to keep Sonic's pace up.
In Sonic CD's JPN OST, Palmtree Panic's Present theme is kind of a troll version of Green Hill Zone's theme, since it basically cuts out the IV and iii and continuously loops the iim7 and the Imaj7 for about a minute. Then, it cheekily brings back the IV and iii, but removes the I (IVmaj7 iiim7 iim7 iiim7, IVmaj7 iiim7 iim7 iim7) to prick-tease the listener, before going to a V chord with no mediant (and no sus4 as far as I can hear) and THEN resolving itself to I and making more progressions I don't feel like analyzing here.
Then PP's Bad Future theme ends up being even more trolly by running almost the whole song in C's iim7 chord, to the point where the song could be interpreted as Dm. The song is sort of cursed with emptiness as no real focal point can be found until the iconic sax solo from the Present theme comes in... heavily distorted and looping on itself like a broken record, keeping the focal point obfuscated. Not to mention the Ab (serving to add a blues interest) in the bass line, or the distorted/reversed voice clips used from the "good" counterpart to add more unease. Then, in the most intense part of the song, the iim7 Imaj7 progression returns, but is overlapped with the established accompaniments from earlier, kind of turning the Imaj7 into a Imaj9 due to the prevalence of D's.
(Tidal Tempest Zone's JPN present theme's intro does an almost identical 9 chord progression to Spring Yard zone, right down to the 9-7-5 arpeggiating melody, with the only difference being it goes DOWN from A9 to G9, and there is no extra V to be found.)
^ this doesn't relate to anything, I just like the parallel.
And let's not even DELVE into Sonic Mania's brilliance with Act 1 and Act 2 themes. The way Tee adds color to Act 2 themes (especially in Green Hill, Studiopolis, Press Garden, Mirage Saloon, Metallic Madness, and Titanic Monarch) is nothing short of ingenious.
I would love to see a video on the Sonic Rush, Adventure series, and/or Unleashed series. Most of the sonic games carry tunes that I LOVE but these, in particular, have such special moments and Id love to hear why that could be. Excellent video!
Great as always. Might I suggest a video on Earthbound or Undertale at some point in the future? I'm sure there'd be plenty to look at in either. Keep up the good work.
Those are both actually coming soon! Well one sooner than the other. I have a list to get through haha
8-bit Music Theory when is undertale doe?
Great work on these! Keep it up. Awesome idea for a channel
Great! I'm loving your videos and the way you pay attention to details and patterns. Don't go lazy, please x)
always love to find a new cool channel on youtube
Love the content, but I also love how he's tracking every time he died ingame too XD
Does anyone else watch the videos on this channel with a guitar, figuring out the chords as necessary? I find it really beneficial to map the learnings to my main instrument. Having a blast, thank you.
Best channel on the internet at the moment! Keep going.
Really enjoy your videos man, entertaining AND educational delivered in a fairly straight forward decent length format ^^ More pls haha
I failed music thoery 2 in college. You make thoery fun. Good job. You have earned a subscription.
hope to see more videos on sonic music in the future, love your videos
I am a musician and I also have a youtube channel (where I talk mostly about development of emulators like MAME). I decided I should create a video about music theory applied to the Sonic 1 sound track. Found your video. My video is not needed anymore. Thanks!
being composer just starting out, I really enjoy these videos.
this is one of the few channels where i'm bummed out when I don't see ads
Love the channel, but especially the Sonic stuff - it's been a huge part of my life. Would love an analysis of either Sonic 3 & Knuckles - not by Nakamura, but by a mix of Sega musicians and Michael Jacksons team - or Jun Senoue/Tomoya Ohtani's work in the most recent Sonic games, as both are very interesting musically. Keep up the great work, mate
This channel is pure gold✨✨
Great work, man! Really impressed by your analysis, you obviously know what you're talking about and it shows. I didn't realize how often Nakamura used the IV-iii-ii-I!
If I had any "complaints," I'd mention keys - there were a couple things you mentioned that felt a little lacking to me in explanation. When you mentioned the one A7 in Labyrinth Zone, you compared F to Dm, mentioning how A7 exists in Dm so there's some common ground there. I could see that, but Labyrinth Zone is in C, not F (and given that your score seems to have no sharps/flats in the key sig, I assume you knew this), so it makes even less sense... I'd argue that the biggest factor in the "smoothness" of the A7 is the preceding Em7 - since E is the V of A. A7, then, is a secondary dominant, but non-functioning... Or perhaps kinda half-functioning if you consider the following FM7 to be a Dm9 w/o the bass, haha... But maybe that's what you meant to say?
In addition, I would bring up the one bit in Star Light Zone. The A section's tonal center isn't D - in fact it's not even in a minor key at all, it's in the key of C all the way through. While that particular descending pattern is almost /always/ heard on the tonic of a minor key (or at least on the submediant of a major one), it's certainly not the case here. While D is absolutely tonicized for a moment, it's not the key...
But those are nitpicks. This video is fantastic, and I wish you luck w/your channel. I especially appreciate the mention of the suspended V chord Nakamura (and so much J-Pop) absolutely adores, as well as the F#7alt in Labyrinth Zone (
really enjoying your channel. Thanks for the great content
0:04 oh. So that's why the bass lines of sonic music are so good.
A friend of mine just linked me this. I gotta say man. I'm floored. This shit is amazing. Like... as a fellow musician and composer, who likes analysing music as well, its really cool to see someone go so in-depth with this. I've not looked in depth at your channel yet but may I make the suggestion you do some virt or tim follin games. That stuff is amazing, both from a technical and compositional perspective.
Agreed! I plan to transcribe Follin's stuff from Solstice. That opening theme is ridiculous! I'll post it up on my channel along with an analysis once I am able to get around to it. Until then, I have a growing list of transcription videos if you have a chance to check 'em out!
Sonic music is always great
Great work! Love the videos and you do an awesome job keeping it clear and concise.
Just found you through Reddit. Awesome video and channel. You've got a new sub!
I really want to understand what you're saying but my brain just doesn't get any of it.
Struggles of being a simple-minded man, I suppose.
this channel is insanely good
This is such a great video! I would love a sequel to this some day, covering Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles. (Sonic 3D Blast and Sonic Spinball also have some great tunes, if we want to get a bit more obscure.)
Also, all of these clips of Sonic dying are giving me major flashbacks.
Interesting ! Favorite sonic tune : Spring Yard Zone
I'm trying the 7th in VOPM
This is exactly the kind of thing I like to see, breaking down the theory of old game music!
Great series of videos. I just subscribed. I'm also a musician, so it's interesting to see these pieces of music analyzed like this. I played in a woodwind trio and I was actually arranging the music of Mega Man 2 into a suite for woodwind trio, but the trio ended up disbanding before I could finish it.
At any rate, my favorite Sonic tune comes from Sonic 2. It's the Mystic Cave Zone music.
I have a lot to say but unfortunately its hard for me this not being my language. First of all, I just subscribed to yoyr channel and that makes me feel bad because I've been watching your videos almost since you started this. And let me tell you that they have taught me a lot even if I still don't get much of the words and terms you use. This video in particular didn't caught my attention at first, cause I've never interested in Sonic games; but the music is another thing. I've been a fan of DCT for a few years now, and the things that you explained here made me understand and realize my inicial reaction to their songs back when I started listening the their earlier music. I remember, while playing some of the 80s and early 90s songs, feeling a little weirded out by their sound. Like, when the intro of a song started, it made think that the melody would take certain direction and taking a surprising turn. This made it difficult for me to understand their compositions, to adapt to the transitions, the only thing that glued me to DCT from the begining was Miwa's voice. One thing I knew for sure is that this music is unconventional in a sense, but I didn't why or where that thought came from. Now you helped me understand why (and confirm that it wasn't just me). And can't see Nakamura's work as anything other than genius.
Sonic music is impregnated in my heart ♥. I would love to hear your thoughts on Sonic 2, 3 or sonic&knucles. Those are my favs :)
Sonic 2 is pretty similar to 1.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles, OTOH, would be a rollercoaster! Please do S3&K!
yeah! Sonic 3 & Knuckles is so epic
yes please cover sonic 2, 3 and s & k!
I've never been so excited about music theory until this video.
I feel like Sonic 2 is where this kinda thing met its zenith, with tracks like casino night zone, chemical plant zone, and mystic cave zone giving us incredibly memorable hooks and melodies and rhythms, while its ending theme is just straight up an existing pop song by Dreams Come True.
then Sonic 3 kinda does a little less "complex masterpiece studio album" and a little more "playing guitar with your teeth" in terms of composition, but it gives us super memorable tracks nonetheless
That was so awesome! Would you consider doing a video like this about Megaman music? It would be so wonderful! Thank you, this video was so great! Keep it up :)
So good! You just know me, bro. My faves have got to be Flying Battery Zone from Sonic & Knuckles, or Metropolis Zone from Sonic 2. I'd love to see this same exploration for 2 & Sonic & Knuckles, but you knew that already!
Discovered your channel today, LOVE IT! Watched almost all your videos, and have learned quite a bit! Please continue making videos!!! :D
Awesome analysis! I've based my own compositions on the structures of Sonic themes in the past.
Really cool work once again. Anything from Kirby and the Amazing Mirror would be really cool.
Thanks! I'll put it on the list!
just started watching these videos and I'm almost out of them I'm still in classes for music theory, I can uderstand this more then my class .lol thank you
Yes, I love the chromatically descending tonic. It's one of those things that I probably like a little too much, seeing as I based an entire song off of it, and find myself cramming it in lots of places without realizing it anyways.
Oh, so the composer is a bassist! No wonder those tracks are so fun to play with an electric bass :)
As for my favorites, pretty simple: Green Hill Zone and Emerald Hill Zone. Simple, punchy and unforgettable :3
Love these videos! Keep 'em coming!
And also.. those basslines!!
One thing that would help music readers and non music readers is a scan line of the part of the notation that are actually playing when you give examples.
When you suddenly start playing a section of notation but there are 8 bars on screen and your staring on bar 4, it's often hard to get your eyes and ears ready in time to take the example in. I ended up having to rewind quite a few of them once I'd had a second to get my eyes and ears ready, once I knew where the audio was going to suddenly start from.
You're awesome man. Love your channel. You should do a video about Hideki Naganuma's work!!!
The progression appears on Sky Chase Zone (Sonic II). Love this OST, thanks for the explanation
Spring Yard Zone is pure new jack swing.
Star Light Zone is my favorite Sonic the Hedgehog song and Metropolis Zone is my favorite Sonic the Hedgehog 2 song, but both soundtracks are amazing.
1:47-1:58: Noob.
Zachary McCoy The spring is blocking the jump
The slope is too steep
The Platform and the wall is your only excuse,
He might missed something he just wanted to get back.
For real. I couldn't listen to anything he was saying because of how badly he's playing here.
He's a musician, not a platformer junkie.
Sure, but this is also the very first level, and I'm sure he had quite a lot of other footage to choose from. Just let us have this.
Hahahah!
Since I was a kid Nakamura es one of my big musical influences. So weird when you are growing and having bands and everyones talk about Deep Purple, Floyd, Metallica, Black Flag, etc..
10.000 Subscribers! Congratulations! :)
Favorite sonic song is pumpkin hill (totally ironically, though)