How ONE CHORD Tells the Story of Zelda BOTW
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 เม.ย. 2024
- The music of Zelda Breath of the Wild features one chord more than any other. At first glance many dismiss it as the "Gerudo" chord or Phrygian mode. But the bII chord appears in all 4 Champion theme, all 4 Divine Beasts, and many others.
This video is a deep dive down the rabbit hole of what this chord may represent and where it comes from. Hint: Ocarina of Time has a lot of influence 😁
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Kevin
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Koji Kondo and many other musical talents at Nintendo are just geniuses at how they compose music. I think it is just amazing how a simple theme written overnight has had so many hidden references in so many different ways over 35+ years, it just really blows my mind.
I think it’s beautiful that the TotK composers reference Kondo so deeply but subtly!!!
It's weird that the best songs from Kondo started with three notes repeated - Zelda's Lullaby, Epona's Song, Saria's Song, etc.
I wish I could have an eighth of his brilliance. It would make me half decent at music lok
Splatoon
Percussionists are gonna have your head for that Hestu joke.
Hestu when you are “nekky nekky” 💀
A cool detail about the S.O.S signals is that each appears later in their respective theme to signify how long it took each Champion to call for help. Mipha’s appears first, seeing as she’s a healer not a fighter. Next is Urbosa and Daruk. Then finally Revali, who waited the longest out of being a cocky moron, but his plays the most frantically.
Don't call a champion a moron for being tenacious and brave in that situation. It's not like giving up was an option.
All of these characters matter to some players. Don't kick them while they're down.
@@AltairLeviosaThey are not real people calm down
People connect with stories, that's the point. Isn't that why you wrote your comment on a Zelda video in the first place? Also the point i was trying to make was that even if you don't respect the character, at least have some respect for fellow players. Hating on Revali has become so normalised that it's difficult for players who connected with his story to have a civil discussion with others. That is unfortunate for real people and not how the game was intended to affect the community. This video delves a bit into how depressing the story can be already, which is an experience all players share.
I was simply gently nudging to be a little mindful and refrain from insulting things that real people who watch this video care about, so no one feels excluded from the discussion. Shouldn't be much to ask. We don't have to make a thing out of it.
@@AltairLeviosaRight. But he was being objectively stupid, he was flying above the kingdom, he saw what the calamity was doing from a bird’s eye view, he should have realised “Oh no, i’m in danger, i need reinforcements” and sent out the SOS ASAP, but he didn’t because he was like “Nah, I can take him”
@@Stusheep Stupid is not the word. Revali's main trait is being prideful, to the point of it being detrimental.
He is one the best Rito warriors in the last thousands of years, and one the best warrior in whole of Hyrule before the Calamity --and he knows it.
And from everyone's point of view, the Calamity shouldn't even have been a problem. There were thousands of guardians ready to destroy Ganon, 4 mech mastodontes ready to obliterate him, and the best warriors in the world.
When he saw the Calamity appear, he felt confident --as everyone did-- that they would defeat it.
But when he realized otherwise, it was too late. So he stood his ground, he decided to go the best way a warrior could: fighting to its end to protect his people.
Assuming some theories about how atrocious the Blights were to the Champions, it's fair to say the latter were downright tortured to their death.
The fact that Revali held out his cries for hope the longest shows how important his pride was.
*He didn't want others to die like he did.*
He even dropped all of his pride to warn Link of how dangerous the Wind Blight is (granted, the in-game experience isn't that overwhelming).
Revali wasn't stupid.
Your videos never fail to blow my mind about a series that as a lifelong fan I thought I knew everything about
This was the first comment I read after posting and it made my day. 😁 That's the goal, find stuff nobody talks about and shine light on it. It's crazy to say this, but the music of Zelda and Koji Kondo are... UNDERRATED. Which is insane because they are already held in such high regard. And yet there is still so much that goes unnoticed.
5:24 that section about the Morse code messages f’ed me up. I was flabbergasted for at least 2 minutes
I had never noticed it was a slow version of Ganondorf theme when beating a boss in OOT I cannot believe it. OOT is literally the first video game I have ever played a couple of decades ago ahah
I discovered this about 2 months ago and was absolutely blown away. This video was actually exactly the order in which I heard all these. First champions, then divine beasts, main theme, Hyrule Castle theme, then Kass's theme. Then I realized the Z1 theme, and started looking at Ganon's themes. And then in Ocarina of Time heard the Boss Defeated (and I think someone left a comment saying it was referenced in TOTK Ganon Transformation), and I noticed it's in the same key! Absolutely incredible. And then at the end heard all the 54b3b21 chord progressions. Sick.
@@ZeldaMusicTheory thank you to have shared the process of discovering this with us it's very interesting!
Another example that people might have pointed out already is the game over jingle in BotW- it is a fancy b2 chord if we’re in c minor, the key of the main theme.
Oh wow I didn't notice that one. Very nice catch! I love how a ton of these have a major 7 and sharp 11. I kept this video light on the music theory because it's so advanced.
@@ZeldaMusicTheory yeah I love those 7 sharp 11 chords! such a vibe.
6:45 "drummers aren't musicians" 😂😂 that killed me
So unexpected yet a perfectly timed joke 😂
I had so much fun with that one. Super offensive but funny enough where even the drummers have to laugh. 😆
Drummers just like hitting things
lmao
The fact that you pretty much proved a new OOT theory after all this time is absolutely incredible! This is truly amazing work! Thank you for your contributions!
The musical callbacks to ALttP in even the most subtle ways really show how central to the series‘ identity it is. It is the original gameplay formula perfected, offering exploration as well as complex dungeon design.
Your observations just hammered that home for me once again. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing insight as always!
Some ppl grow up hearing a lot of Bach, or the Stones, or whatever. I grew up hearing a lot of Zelda music, so it's kinda the basis of whatever "ear" I have in music, which is not a very good one. Like, I can't hear a chord progression in one piece and then in another piece and find a relationship, unless it's in both the same key and time, or there are other very strong contextual connections. The way you explain these by overlaying one track over another, or playing one over another, MAKES ME HEAR IT. The music of my own childhood. Things I never knew about it and would never be able to hear if you only played them one after another or just talked about them. Thank you for your choice to do this! (This is exactly where 8-bit Music Theory has gone wrong for me, though I love him anyway - he's talking over my head.) Liked, subbed. Also you are hot.
I love how the melody during Ganondorf's Transformation 13:24 is like a corrupt version of the King Hyrule Theme.
I love theorizing about Zelda so much, but having no knowledge of music I feel like I'm missing out on so much! I just think "oh, that's the ganondorf theme" or "oh, zelda's lullaby"..
Thank you for sharing with us what you can see.
I never caught virtually any of these references despite playing almost every Zelda game and listening to the music often. Incredible!!
That final ending scene in OoT never fails to make me tear up a little whenever I replay it lol. I love and respect the research you do for these videos, man. Keep up the great work!
Thanks so much! Hey I know you, you were in the video (Thank you to my Patrons) 😁🙏🏼🎉🎊
This is Glitterberri levels of dedication (with all that implies). Random internet nobody here so take this for what it's worth, but you had a cut every threeish seconds and it almost encroached on the enjoyability of the video. Obviously the content of the video was beyond my ability to praise adequately, the work you put into these videos is impressive and certainly pays off. Thank you.
Thank you so much! Fewer video cuts would certainly make my life easier editing 😅 I try really hard to make it as additively engaging as possible. But maybe a few fewer cuts would actually help. My wife told me in one of my first videos that it made her dizzy because I cut so many times in such a small span. 😬 Maybe B roll footage instead of so many cuts. Always refining and improving. And you're not a random internet nobody, you're a valuable ZMT viewer whose input will always be considered 🙏🏼 Have an amazing day.
@@ZeldaMusicTheory LOVE the video and I'm excited to see more of your channel, just sub'd today! I wanted to thank you for taking this feedback seriously, as something I experience (I am autistic) with rapid cuts in video is visual overstimulation. It would be a lot easier for me to process information with a little less frequent cuts as well, so just sharing my two cents in case it's helpful. :) I also recognize that shortform content has increased the prevalence of rapid changes in visual media overall, so I understand it is a balance!
Finally a new video! 🎉❤
Edit: Oh speaking of Urbosa: her theme is a derivation of the Twilight Princess Sanctuary theme!
I knew that hyrule castle and the main theme shared the same chord progression, but holy heck they use the bII chord so many times lol
Awesome video
I even cut 2-3 examples of that chord progression (2 memories, Grooseland, Vah Rudania). And a lot of bII in other Zelda games. Just too much for one video lol.
Honestly I'm just trusting you with these connections, I can't really hear the similarity of these. This video was so interesting, thank you so much! Keep up the good work!
Fascinating how the strings of music tie the whole series together. Yiu have helped connect the dots of Zelda joy across three decades.
This is why I have a lot of appreciation for BOTW and TOTK. Like Torvus Bog Subterranean and Tallon Overworld. BOTW and TOTK have taken previous Zelda music and reworking it.
Genuinely one of the best videos I think you’ve ever made, and that’s saying something.
You really gave me goosebumps at some moments.
Your channel was exactly what I needed! A channel focused on Zelda music theory! Thank you so much and keep up with this amazing work!
Never fails to drop an absolute masterpiece of a video each time. Keep up the great work man, I look forward to each upload.
Zelda music is a huge motivation for me as a novice piano player, and your videos are such a treasure trove as I learn music theory. Thank you 🙏❤
Dude, you are AMAZING! I love your videos so much. Your musical insight is awesome. Much love❤❤❤
Kass is best bird boy, and I'm glad he's getting his due!
As someone who’s never played OoT but has played BotW, in that scene with Navi the chords definitely made me feel like it was the “evil” chord coming to an end. It’s so beautiful that it’s used when the champions help against the boss fight when their purpose is fulfilled, and for Zelda who is destined to defeat Calamity Ganon.
sooooo cool this video gave me goosebumps over and over i've really been itching for a good zelda music theory video and this one has really done it for me!! thanks for creating such a cool video
Love the videos man! Not a music theorist myself but love Zelda music and playing the piano. I catch quite a lot of references but your videos make me realize just how much I miss, and it’s incredible. Keep up the great work!
Awesome video, so glad you made one about the chord like you hinted at! I love this kinda stuff
Glad to see your content back. I’ll never tire of these.
your effort, knowledge, and passion have no limits. thank you so much for this
Omg the "drummers aren't musicians" 😂
The nostalgia you evoke in these references is just unreal. I sit here like 😮 cause I remember the music of ALTTP and OoT like I just played them and the revelation of these references just makes me want to play BotW and TotK with the volume up. I feel like I missed so much. 😂 I have listened to the soundtracks in their entirety but it isn't the complete experience. To me THAT is what the chord is truly about. That intricate layer that evokes the senses for a specific region, character, and moment from game to game. Pure genius! Great video, Kevin!
Uh oh, new favorite channel alert 😄 What an awesome analysis and video!
Your videos are always awesome. Love the Zelda music and it is so much more important than people realize in the games.
you are a great addition to my journey of learning to play these songs on guitar. this inside gives my music way more authenticity
I absolutely love hearing more theories about Zelda music. I love music too, so it’s amazing to see someone like you using your talents to make sense of all the music in the Zelda games. That last part gave me chills
Great video, sorry I was late in commenting as I had been hoping for this one ever since you started the channel! You put a lot of work into finding all the references, it is mind boggling how many references there are to previous games. I still find it insane that BoTW theme backwards is ToTK’s theme, and Zelda’s lullaby backwards is Skyward Sword’s theme.
This is why I am subbed to you!! Another great banger!!
I was in shock when you brought up inside vah medoh. It’s one of my favorite tracks.
Edit: AGAIN WITH HYRULE CASTLE AND MEMORY. these are my favorite tracks. My only complaint is how short these themes are. 9:16
Kass will always be one of my favorite side characters for his music. Another banger video once again, Kevin!
The part about Ravel’s Bolero left me shooketh. Holy craaap.
Insane! The Ganondorf theme matching OOT is so obvious. I heard/realised it in your vid just before you revealed but not sure if I ever noticed while I was playing. So cool! Love your videos so much!
Hahaha I always give like 3-4 seconds for your brain to process before I slam in a reference. My hope is that viewers go, “Wait wait, isn’t that…” Reference hits “Yes!!!” 🤣
This video got crazier and crazier, great work!
Wow. Loved this video and share your passion for Zelda music
Incredible channel, love your stuff, keep it up!
This might be the most incredible, insightful Zelda music analysis video I've ever seen. Well done, superb job!
Thank you so much! I spent a LOT of time on it lol
I can tell! Every time I thought it was done, the flat 2 iceberg just kept getting deeper! I'd daresay the "bII" chord also qualifies for being called "the Zelda chord" at this point.
After thinking about it, I thought I've heard another example of this phenomenon in the final trailer for Tears of the Kingdom, at that moment when the game title appears. It definitely moves from the one chord up to the flat 2, but listening to the whole chord harmonically, I think it might technically be a minor 7 chord in first inversion. But it's still got that "bII" in the bass!
@@ianlarsen3920 Nice! It's all over the place. I had more Zelda examples I had to cut there were so many.
I never get tired of saying it, this channel is a gem. Thank u so much. I'm so happy that you're back
You should analyze xeno series too.
Yooooo! One of my favorite characters as well as one of my favorite themes. This video is going to be such a banger
Such a great video man. I love this kind of thing, even if some of the music theory goes over my head
I absolutely love your analysis…this makes me appreciate so much more the depth and beauty of the Legend of Zelda. Never fails to move me…and to inspire me to fight the darkness with light ⚔️😊
Aaaaa I love these videos so much! 😁🎶
Missed your video uploads buddy!!!
That temple of time riff gets me goosebumps every time 🤩🤩🤩
As a lifelong Zelda fan, and as someone who loves music and music theory, this channel was an absolute treasure to find. Thank you for making videos.
Welcome, you’ll fit right in. 😃
All of the ALTTP references are things I’ve been musing on for months now while replaying it after finishing TOTK - it gets used so frequently across the board!! My favorite game/soundtrack 🥰
17:35 leaving the root chord out at the end of the first piece, but letting it happen as the last chord in the work is a concept I got introduced to by Dream Theater. If you listen to their concept album Octavarium, you'll hear it happen. (They even call one part of a song Full Circle, iirc)
Great video! I thought I was good at catching these Easter eggs, but there are plenty here that I never knew about!
This is beautiful. Thank you for this video. THIS is The Legend of Zelda, and why i love it so much! The story that all of this music tells is the story that the Zelda series tells as a whole. Awesome job with this.
Also, was thay a MatPat reference at the end?
Yes 👏
I just love this guy‘s videos.
Love your content!
In every divine beast song there is morse code for SOS
Huh, I just wanted to relax watching a video in bed before sleeping. I ended up getting chills, crying, and thinking about things I'm going to tell my therapist on wednesday. Dude, I have a degree in art and studied a little bit of music, but I can NEVER understand the Bs and Gs and stuff. But while you were talking about those things I just FELT everything. I'm very sensible and emotional about zelda, and zelda's music always sound so cohesive to me, everything seems so much like a unity, that sometimes (even knowing where the song is from) they all feel the """"same"""". Now I understand why. This franchise never cease to amaze me.
Wow thank you for that experience. Great video!!
1. Spotted for anime fans : 15:17 is the bridge's chords lick in One Piece's first opening theme. A perfect fit for an awakening hero's theme it seems ;)
2. Link is 90% of the time Hyrule's only hope of getting up from defeat and despair. He is portrayed as a humanized tool : benevolent, all-purposes and selfless. He appears when a community of average people can't provide. He is the one that can break society etiquete to save it from itself. Then, when the world starts turning around again, he disapears in peace, not asking for much.
3. For all the above thank you. I love your interpretation. Keep digging and showing us the hidden jewels you find. :)
I love this channel so much
You're the Jacob Collier of Zelda music. 😂 I'm in awe of your talent! Thanks for helping us hear the hidden things in Zelda music.
All i will say is that Koji Kondo and anyone else who worked on the music for the Zelda series were absolute geniuses
So basically the zelda formula tends to be gripping exactly because it makes games about grief, loss, and a spiritual restoration from states of dispair
YEEEEES ive been WAITING for this one!!! >:3333
Love your videos, bro. I really need a video fully dedicated entirely to BOTW Hyrule Castle.
That’s not a bad idea, there are so many references and things going on.
Fun Fact : Ganons four chord theme is also at the tail end of the doctor who theme variation and represents the danger and mystery of the time vortex. :)
What a great topic! Great graphics; illustration of the chords is great, it’s like a lecturer pointing on a whiteboard
Haha that's the goal! Make it easy to continue watching. Music theory can be so dry. I want to make sure every viewer can kinda "get it." But it's pretty time consuming. Maybe 60 hours of editing on this one. That's like more than I played TOTK 😬
16:09 it could also be a reference to the end of Boléro's B theme, which ends with a IV, bIII, bII, I run
16:03 The "III, bII, I" progression was also made reference during the ending of Skyward Sword.
And just like Ocarina of Time, it plays when you leave the Master Sword at its pedestal.
It's called Beginning's End Theme, just listen at 0:43 (in the same key as well):
th-cam.com/video/D5Qbxh8gp3E/w-d-xo.html
Oh nice. Yeah the last 4 chords in that theme are I major, then II Dom 7 in 3rd inversion (Which those two chords alone are what makes up the first 4 bars of Zelda's Lullaby...) then the bII, back to I. Nice.
The song that plays when the champions fire their Divine Beasts at Calamity Ganon is the same that plays when the moon is destroyed in Majora's Mask or at least, the start of it. Just something I'd thought you would like.
I can't take credit for this. It was actually Zeltik who figured this out.
Yeah, I’m undecided on that one. There is some validity to it, but not 100% sure if it was intentional. And that’s the exact type of thing I always want to know, so ty for sharing it.
I think there's a few more connections here with Link to the Past, not just in the Ganon fight, but the end credits, and the opening intro music during the story cutscene
I love this, I’m all for these details
I don't think I've ever subscribed to a creator so fast and that's coming from a drummer. 😂 You've beautifully combined two of my favorite things, Zelda and music theory, in a really interesting and compelling way. I might even forgive you for saying I'm not a musician... maybe.
Hahaha sorry about that! You guys get too much criticism. Then we all need you to gig 😂
10:59 and thats my cue to leave, so I'll try to boost the video for the algorithm by commenting
The crazy thing is the rito village theme was taken from wind waker yet still fits the motif!
BoTW is a deceptively dark and moody game. Everything ties together to make Hyrule feel like a large-scale graveyard, and every monument is a tombstone of their creators / dwellers. As someone with no musical experience I LOVE seeing how it integrates with that mood. Great video.
Wait wait wait, I’ve only gotten to the part about the champion themes, but seriously, is this why I’d started thinking they all sound similar/cohesive? Like, they all had their own sound and flair, but there was something tying them together I could never place. Was this it? That’s awesome! 😄
Alright. You earned a sub with this one
This just proves that Koji Kondo is the GOAT
Kass is secretly the main character.
I always got hung up when I was little that the star fox 64 credits and OOT credits sounded so similar.
the progression of the wild
Seriously impressive! With so much phrygian I can see why Zelda music has got so great metal covers. You really made a lot of connections between games.
Urbosa's theme is hidden in vah naboris, maybe the others have their themes hidden too? Given how different the divine beasts themes are, it was really surprising to see they all share a triad chord progression at a moment. Also, since Ganon is oriental like, it would makes sense a bII is part of his theme, not just because it's threatening. I'm not sure but Hyrule's castle intro is actually similar to Ganon's theme first three chords no?🤔the theme you showed in the video I mean.
I am not sure about Ganon and King Hyrule... let me know specific timestamps and I'll check it out 👍🏼
@@ZeldaMusicTheory in a link to the past, really just the intro. It's a bit similar to the boss defeated fanfare from ocarina of time for example. Interesting but you surely already know, a part of hyrule's castle theme is in Lorule. I read the C section Melody is similar to "Labyrinth" from Zelda one too but it seems more like a coincidence.
Also, I said it sounded similar last but actually it wasn't, just the instrument. Though, in boss defeated from spirit tracks, there's the victory motif you mentionned in the video I think. Or maybe it's the arpeggio.
@@omniscientomnipresent5500 So the King Hyrule theme has a lot of b2 and raised 7, lots of similarities. The intro in ALTP is also double stacked fourths, which is a total Ganon thing. So yes there are similarities.
For example go listen to "Death Mt" from ALTTP. Super similar.
Kevin: “Have you guys stopped to consider how dark this game is..?”
Me: YES 😭 That’s why I got depressed during my second playthrough because this game is the best one I’ve played and if not that then it’s my favorite. I basically went through the stages of grief with this game, getting close to the champions just to be reminded that they’re gone, along with everyone else, if not to the war, then to time. It’s one of the most depressing games I know of, let alone played, but one of the most amazing.
This needs to get more views. An actual revelation lol
I know you are more Zelda, but have you played Metroid Dread? There are a lot of familiar tunes in that soundtrack.
In the music when you fight the Experiment, 1 minute in, you hear “Tension before a Core X” from Metroid Fusion.
I tried branching out into Final Fantasy and Halo early on to try to find references, but in reality I haven't played many of those games including Metroid. So I can't quite do what I do with Zelda. In movies I can do a lot more because you get all the themes in the same movie. For example in Frozen they use the same themes in a LOT of different ways, and there's a lot of symbolism behind that.
This isn't really connected to this video, but I was watching Frozen 2 today and the song "show yourself" gave me the vibes of the tears of the kingdom soundtrack, specifically the trailer music after the "we rely on your knight part". I'm not sure if it's the chords, or the way the music builds, or perhaps the voices. Frozen 2 seems to take song elements from earlier in the movie and brings them to a grander scale with key changes. I feel that Tears of the Kingdom does the same with Breath of the Wild music. Maybe I'm absolutely insane, but I wonder if it's something worth looking into? Or maybe it's just a big coincidence in my ears. Keep up the great work!
Lol Frozen 2 might be the movie I have watched more than any other the past 12 months (I have a 2 year old girl lol). And the music is phenomenal. The same way I have cool musical things noted for Zelda Music videos I have similar thoughts for Frozen 2. But I don't think many on this channel would prefer that to Zelda 🤣 But LOTS of things to notice in that soundtrack. My favorite moment is when Elsa conquers the water spirit and rides the horse to Atoholan and the way the music builds up to that moment. Incredible. But lots of other things, even some that hint at the plot revealed later.
@@ZeldaMusicTheory aww thanks for the reply. You're probably right, it might be a weird topic for this channel, but I love how you share the same appreciation for it. And thank you for confirming I'm not gone crazy😂
I think it means evil will always return, but every conquering of it matters.
This is awesome.
Me 🤯 you always find hidden gems in the music btw Zelda music is amazing ❤❤❤
great vid!
From the Thumbnail I just assumed you were Charles Cornell. Pleasantly surprised to find this channel!
🤣
Bro you have a super power for zelda referneces. You have my respect!
I am fully convinced that everyone who has ever made nusic for the Zelda games are total geniuses!