"Musical Main Characters" in Tears of the Kingdom
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 มิ.ย. 2023
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Like many, I've lately been absorbed in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and I wanted to make a video about a strong orchestration decision that glues the soundtrack together, and helps it stand out within the Zelda franchise! Not to worry if you haven't tried the game, or if you're only just starting: this video is spoiler-free!
Thanks to Samuel (@Un1cornHuntrSam) for the Automatic Blender Terrain Generator geometry nodes, which came in very handy with visuals in this video.
"Bassoon And Pipe Organ" (skfb.ly/6TToF) by pizzabrian is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (creativecommons.org/licenses/b....
"Flute" (skfb.ly/6WMMX) by Antonio Waletzki is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (creativecommons.org/licenses/b....
Public domain sounds from Freesound.org
{ ? I ♥ } - เกม
I'd offer there's one more main character instrument in BOTW/TOTK, and that's the erhu. It's functionally exclusive to the dragons of Hyrule, making them instantly distinct and separate from the rest of the world. It's a magical experience hearing it for the first time.
I suspect the erhu is too spoilery to discuss at any length, but I had the same thought
I feel like the theme could’ve done with an extension though, it can get a bit repetitive when you’re riding a dragon across their flight path for 10 minutes
it was pretty prevalent in BOTW, so the three spring dragons are still around to discuss!
But also the spoiler reasons.
Thank you!!! also MAJOR spoilers below
So like they use erhu with the first three notes zelda’s lullaby at the end of trailer two, piano at trailer three and it’s such genius, like it’s perfect foreshadowing to how zelda a) turns into the dragon but b) how she’s still somewhere in this world.
oh my god the erhu in the memories (if you know the ones, you know) makes me cry every time i see them, pretty much exclusively bc of the music
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the depths when talking about the saxophone! Whenever you dive into a chasm there’s this blaring, descending note that really stood out to me the first time I worked up the courage to go down there. It’s a really neat transition from the looser sky-island notes to this dense, heavy, and mildly intimidating wall of sound that really neatly mirrors and connects the two regions.
To get the full experience, I sometimes launch myself from a Skytower all the way to a nearby chasm and fall down. The saxophone SHINES on those 30-45 seconds.
It's a good thing not to mention if you're trying to avoid spoilers, though!
That one note always stands out to me every time I jump down a chasm, and I often mimic it - it just sets the mood for how the depths are so well so quickly
Those read more as brass instruments to me, like trombones or something? It's definitely not alto sax, it's too low for that one in particular, and the slow fall off the note is hard to do smoothly on anything but a trombone.
bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
The instant panic i felt at at 5:20 the moment that note was played, was equally suprising, horrifying and impressive. Really shows what good musical design (maybe some trauma) can add to a memorable experience!
i got chills and i FELT my brain react and focus lol
@@KuroShiiiro EXACTLY instant fight or flight
Calm down.
shut up cornball
DUDE SAMEEE
The Hylian emblem hidden on the bell of the saxophone at 9:40 is a nice touch, and i really liked the piano ultra-hand gags
Wake up babe, new Scruffy video dropped!
I'm up
I was going to type this *EXACT* comment when I seen he posted 😂
Oh boy oh boy! 👀🍿
I'm up!
Fellow goose!
seeing link with a bassoon made my day, we need more bassoon representation
Ah a fellow bassoonist. What would you say is your most challenging piece to play.
I have a friend who plays bassoon and it allowed me to discover this incredible instrument
I too hope to see more... bassoon. (I'll see myself out)
not a bassoonist, but just wanted to mention that i still remember playing march to the scaffold in hs bc of the Rad Bassoon Solo. good shit
@@shadycactus6146 you want a good bassoon solo. Try playing the bassoon solo from mvmt 2 of Scheherazade by Nikola Rimsky-Korsakov. It's a real game changer.
7:32 I love the little detail of gloom being cleansed from the triforce piece, just like what happens when you're blessed in a shrine
so many funny references to game mechanics throughout. the only one i didnt see was probably ascend.
I love how they use a saxophone when you are in the sky. And when you enter the depths they use much lower instruments like tuba and susaphone. I especially love that chord that plays when you enter a chasm.
really random, but if you know the band avenged sevenfold, that chord that plays entering chasms reminded me a lot of the main riff from their song, nobody
as an erhu player, its use in botw and totk is so cool to me. i think its an incredibly vocal instrument and great for leitmotifs/themes
not sure if you'll mention but excited to watch this vid!
edit: how did i never realise how much sax there is! love the quiet tones on the sky islands so much
That’s the main instrument in the dragons’ themes, yeah? It’s one of my favorite instruments in the soundtrack for that exact reason - hearing the tinkly piano start, and then the strings kick in, it’s evokes such a feeling of reverent awe in the dragons
I adore the erhu in the soundtrack as well, but the little snippet in the main theme had me craving more than was in the game haha. I know using it sparingly lends it more of an emotional impact, but it sounds so good, I want more!
So I’m not the only one who expected an erhu to be one of the three main characters!
SPOILER FOR THR GAME
Also, if you watch the second trailer, the erhu is playing Zelda's lullaby! It's so cool seeing how early Nintendo was hinting at that twist.
@@PogiAmiga_Sesshomaru the first two notes of Zelda’s lullaby are played by an erhu in another track, that second note held for a long time before trailing off into nothingness as if forgetful
After your BOTW video I paid more attention to the sound design in TOTK and noticed when you paraglide in the rain you can hear the raindrops pattering on the paraglider like an umbrella. It's nice noticing these things!
Gorons spinning in the rain also make a scattering splishy-splashy noise!
I just noticed that the other day! Instantly immersed me in Link's position, it was very cool
if you’re on a boat with fans on it, they make noise in the water !
Your little link drawing is fantastic. I love your art style so much 💜
right? especially 6:22. super cute
I was thinking more of at 1:04 where link is holding the bassoon cause as a fellow bassoonist that is pure ecstasy.
I do like the Hyrule is healing and the music reflects that. You . . . don't feel as alone in this game, even though the weight of the world is on you again
the soprano voice samples are godlike. They really give off that distinction of alien, otherworldly culture.. something refined yet foreign and almost heavenly. Like nothing I've ever experienced in games. I almost never skip the scenes where they play because they're so incredibly cool to hear.
Same. They're hands-down my favorite musical samples in the game.
RIGHT! they are beautiful and ethereal
i had an emotional moment when i first landed on the land of hyrule and realized the music hadn't just stopped when i'd landed. that i was being accompanied by... music! the audio queue of hyrule's growth and healing really got me.
getting the “hyrule kingdom” location marker gave me a chill
I love the sound of the “reversed” vocals that are sprinkled throughout this game. Especially the light of blessing theme that plays at the end of shrines
Scruffy doesn't post too often, but when he does, he always delivers.
I love this! I didn’t realize that more had been added to the ground theme but I felt it, it did feel less lonely and isolating.
*Spoilers*
One musical thing that I noticed was the erhu that represented the dragons in the first game was used to play the Zelda’s Lullaby motif in the second trailer, letting us know the big twist before the game even came out!
holy shit i can’t believe i didn’t realize that
I noticed that too. If you really think about it, its obvious. The erhu only plays for the dragons. Plus its Zelda's lullaby which surprisingly enough, plays when zelda is involved.
Its brilliant and simple at the same time. Music and sound design is infinitely impactful in so many ways, I love it!
I can't believe that flew over everyone's head. It's so obvious in hindsight
I was so pissed at myself when I first realized that. I had all the pieces to see what was going on, but I still didn’t catch it
@@delusion5867Flew over our heads like the Light Dragon 😔
When you first explained the idea of a musical main character, a single thought jumped to my mind:
Hoenn's trumpets.
If you're a Pokémon fan, and you hear the words "RSE soundtrack" or anything along those lines, your immediate reaction, I guarantee, is gonna be "trumpets". There are other instruments in the soundtrack, of course, especially in the remakes where they're not being held so tightly to the GBA soundfont limitations, but that midi horn is such a distinctly Hoenn sound, and every Pokémon fan knows it.
The brass entering the Depths will always be something that gives me chills every time.
As a saxophonist, I really appreciate TOTK’s inclusion of the instrument in its music. Oftentimes the saxophone gets overlooked when it comes to scoring in a classical setting.
oh my goodness, the visuals in this one are next-level! you've truly outdone yourself here.
so many great puns and visual gags, but always on theme with the script as to not be distracting. That's a very thin line to walk but this video does it well.
Absolute fantastic video, with stunning visuals. The only thing I am kind of sad about, is the lack of mention of the Erhu. Like the sax, it has a very distinct and recognizable sound. It was in the previous title for the dragon theme, but I noticed it especially in the highly emotional scenes, for example, at the end of the first trailer.
Scruffy's deliberately avoiding spoilers but I feel like he could have taked about it in a satisfying way without, well, you know.
worth noting imo is that it is also present in botw’s main theme, albeit much more sparingly than in totk’s. but yeah i was hoping he’d mention it too, it’s my favorite instrument
@@RokonShimo giving that Erhu is used in the trailer I don't think mentioning it would give much spoiler.
I always find it truly incredible how you can perfectly describe the unconscious feelings and emotions that we as the player don't even realize the music and sound design are guiding us to feel. It's honestly amazing how music can put us all on the same wavelength like that.
5:30
As soon as that first note hit my eyes widened and I immediately drew in a sharp breath.
The PTSD is real.
The reverse sounds in shrines / the prologue were some of my favorite sounds in the whole game
And then Ehru and Trumpet could probably be called side characters, with them representing Dragons and Hyrule itself respectively! As well, and this is mainly a botw thing, look to the Tarrey Town soundtrack and how it evolved. As characters from various villages moved in, their musical characters from the various villages melodies moved in as well (ex. Trombone with the Gorons). God I love adaptive music so much
Steel drum best side musical character (Lurelin Village ftw)
An honourable mention is when you've jumped from a high place, skydive and safely land. The way the piano just releases in a flutter of notes feels like the wind spreading out from under you as you land. 10/10
This is a fantastic video! Can't say I disagree with any of it. To add to it, I'd say that there's actually a fourth musical character worth consideration, albeit not one that you could effectively cover in a non-spoiler context: the erhu. For those farther into the story, the significance and prominence of the distinctive Chinese string instrument lends a lot of thematic weight to certain scenes and scenarios, and the exclusivity of the context in which its used makes it instantly clear what the meaning is the moment you do hear it. So, while it doesn't feature heavily in the soundtrack in terms of overall playtime, its sheer impact when deployed makes it more than worthy to be mentioned along with the three brought up here, IMO.
The erhu at the end of *that* cutscene was SO impactful - especially because the thematic link to the instrument had been established since back in BOTW. After watching it I had to sit and take it in for a good 5 minutes 😂
5:20 yeah so i fully expected to hear this note, yet when i heard it i jumped in my seat in surprise and terror by how it sounded exactly like the start of that *one* track
Your analysis of music is always amazing and a joy to listen too, I'm no music person myself but man, it's always such an interesting and entertaining watch with your vids :D
I feel that learning in depth about certain subjects despite maybe not pursuing the hobbies or careers themselves is still important. I think it allows us a better understanding and appreciation for art and the people who make it.
Something that I haven't seen mentioned (I assume because potential spoilers) about the soundtrack is the use of "clapping". One of the story's main themes are "hands" and "holding hands", and they utilise the sound when Link joins hands throughout the story (E.g. When Link is taken by the hand by the sages for their avatars, the "clap" sound plays alongside it). The sound is also heard in the game's main theme as well, further emphasising it. I've found it super intriguing.
Spoilers for memory #14 below!
Since you talk about the intro sequence in 6:12, I figured it was worth mentioning one of my favorite usages of this 'musical main character' in the whole game: the end of memory 14, where Rauru sacrifices himself to seal Ganondorf. The way that classic, heroic Overworld leitmotif fades into the very same reverse choir you heard at the beginning of the game... absolutely spine-chilling. It really adds to the weight of the scene in a way that's difficult to describe.
It almost feels like that's the moment where you realize what's actually at stake, and the amount of faith everyone has put in Link's success.
As a sax player (specifically alto) it made me so happy to hear the alto in the trailers. It was just incredible
wow! you talking about the little flute tidbits in totk accompanying the saxophone to show how link isn’t alone compared to the first game actually blew my mind HAHA your analysis videos really are entertaining to watch, especially coming from another musician’s standpoint. Amazing content man!!!!
That outro animation gave me a lot of joy. I just LOVE the little camera jolt and glider sound when you reach that spot in the air where you just want to hang, that was super cool.
Scruffy: As you can see with the gentleness of the alto sax...
Depths music: HOOOOOOM
I love how you zelda-fied the “what I love” jingle! Keeping the ascending motion with the same chord, yet still making it so much more spacious and floaty. Plus an instant example of your point about musical main characters with the oboe standing out!
My god... the presentation on this video was so inspired. This is one of my favorite channels by far
I’m still so impressed with how menacing the piano made every scene with Ganandorf in. You don’t typically associate piano with power like that but they really nailed making you feel every demon king related note deep in your bones
You can't just play a single note and expect people to back off in fear whilst their worst nightmare are being awok...
Scruffy : 5:23
FANTASTIC video. Beautifully produced, well researched, and the Guardian soundtrack jumpscare is the icing on the cake :)
As a bassoonist, I'm always beyond thrilled to hear one. Criminally underrated instrument with such a gorgeous sound. I'm still charmed to bits by the use of it in the Link's Awakening remake
You put in words how I feel and felt playing Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The name of this is "Poetry". Thank you, this video is beautiful.
I really love that they used the Erhu as well. I need more games to use it. Such a beautiful instrument and sound
Every time a new Scruffy music education video pops up, my brain gets FLOODED with serotonin - thank you for these!! 😁
I just love this channel. You always make your videos with so much love and care that my eyes watered. It's like a channel that would only exist in heaven. You put in self-made drawings, musical anecdotes and allusions from the medium you're talking about. Please never stop, making those videos. They are beautiful and unique.
Your videos are literal works of art. I get the feeling that I understand everything so easily and effortlessly. The attention to detail is astonishing. The little bits of music sprinkled throughout whenever something appears on screen, or when you explain something really tie it together. This is absolutely how educational-style videos should be done!
yes! the man draws everything from scratch, animates everything from scratch, composes everything from scratch. it's mind-boggling amounts of effort and he is sooooooooo talented.
I can't put it into words how happy this video makes me. For one, because it's so well said. But also because I wanna give myself a pat on the back for also thinking about "character development" when it comes to the music.
And I gotta admit, I only noticed the saxophone on the tower unlocking sequences. But now that you pointed out, yeah the diving and sky island music is also just so good.
Your videos get better every release! So many little moments throughout the video make it clear that this was made with passion. ❤ Especially loved Link on sax at 9:13.
You gotta be so proud of yourself for that wind waker floating sea animation
I love how eloquently you're able to talk about how effectively totk used its different instrumentation throughout its score. Instrumentation choices are a little thing that I really don't see a lot of music-theory-adjacent channels talk too much about, and it was so interesting how you compared totk's soundscape with botw through its instrumental "main characters". Really great points about the piano having a transparent quality to it too--I'd never heard it expressed this way before, and it makes a lot of sense. Fantastic video; I loved listening to this
"Similar to how the previous game introduced reversed piano as the influence of calamity ganon."
That makes me realize why whilst playing TotK, I never head that weird reversed piano note wandering around the world, which was something that stood out to me in BotW. Really cool little thing I didn't notice.
Man, always love seeing one of these for a game I’ve been playing, not just for the musical insights that deepen my understanding of the music/game, but for the increasingly breathtaking visuals.
The observations, the visual presentation along with a consistent style and just everything about this video is exactly why i subscribed right away from the invisible audio design video. I absolutely love these!
I dont know why, but the depths drop noise and the sky island landing to surface sound are just so satisfying. I get so happy when i hear both because they are just so cool
Another interesting and fantastic demonstration of instrumentation in TOTK is the dungeon music. The way the dungeons operate (trying to be spoiler free), as you progress more towards every boss, the dungeons add layers, or new motifs as a progression towards the climax of the dungeon, raising in intensity. The Fire Temple does a great job of this, I think you should take a look! I would love to see a video on it!
Also, another point to the main characters and transitioning of instruments, the woodwinds up in the sky transitioning to piano on the ground, and then you hear brass for the first time going into the depths, specifically the massive trombone glissando, it's immaculate how every "depth" almost has its own orchestration.
Scruffy, you are one of the youtubers that whenever I see a new video is posted, I drop everything to sit down and watch it. Another amazing video with outstanding visuals and fascinating insights!
Your editing is phenomenal man, I love watching those videos where you break down music in games. And yes, that 5:20 definitely felt traumatic LOL
I don't exactly get music theory or anything of the sort, but your videos help to explain concepts or details while having on-theme visuals. It's very entertaining and- I had another word, but it's left me now. Keep up the good work.
one of the only channels I will always keep my bell on, amazing lessons on game design and other very interesting and valuable audio aspects, thanks a lot for these videos! they are incredibly well made ^^
As an alto saxophone player myself I'm SO glad the devs made use of the saxophone so much; was afraid it'd just be that one epic part of the trailer 'n that'd be it. A lot of people tend to see a saxophone as just a "jazz instrument", whilst it can be so much more than that. Hell I studied it in a classical way myself instead of going down the jazz route, not that anything's wrong w that either of course lol.
Awesome video as always c:
i’m a jazz saxophonist, but nothing gets me more pissed then some asshole saying “sax doesn’t belong in the orchestra”, or something along those lines
@@Enderrock424 I get ya lol. Hell I used to play in a harmony orchestra myself even :P Like me proving those people wrong lmao
@@F0KZ yeah i’ve fought to play in a lot of classical orchestras, almost always alone as the only sax player. At the end the director ALWAYS says “you know i’m glad we added a saxophone”
something i really enjoy about playing totk is the little seconds of piano that play whenever you land on the ground after being in the sky.. like it's welcoming you back down :)
As an alto sax player, I LOVE that you can hear the clacking of the keys in the background 🥲
An absolute Banger from Scruffy, as always. I absolutely love hearing the soundtrack as I’m stumbling around Hyrule, and seeing as there’s more story to this game than BOTW, it makes so much sense why I am hearing purpose in my music :)
This is one of my favorite series on youtube. I LOVE the analysis and delivery.
Thank you for the video, this was amazing to watch. I'm not a musician, so when listening to all the songs from TOTK I can't really pick apart instruments aside from "that is some kind of percussion, that's a wind instrument" kind of analysis. But I love seeing all of the little things I notice or observe being explained, and pointing out how they apply in other areas of the sound track!
I hope you're proud of your work and you have a lovely week!
5:20 holy crap, I am surprised at how effective that is. I havent heard that particular composition in a long while, and still the timbre, tone and attack of that note is just unmistakeable! 😮
Man, this is probably my favorite little series of any TH-camr. I’m not even a music nut but the way these videos are presented and the passion behind the production being palpable leaves such a sweet taste and makes these incredibly entertaining. Need more!!!
Amazing video as always. Your humor, storytelling and visuals are always top notch.
Jesus that 1st note on the piano actually gave me a slight jumpscare because of how strong the imagery of the scenario with the intensity of the piano is on this part. Love Botw for giving me a main character and one of the best flight or fight moments of my life.
Man, this was such a great script. The way you described everything was so easy to understand, as someone who just casually plays zelda, I appreciate you giving these subtleties so much attention. Honestly, you're just expanding my love for my favorite games!
why does scruffy put so much effort into his videos like he doesn't have to always make them this good
he is a one-man band. he can draw, is an incredible communicator, composer, storyteller,...he can basically do everything. it's a very special thing when someone possessed all that skillset, to this level of aptitude.
The visuals of your videos are always a treat !
Thats just crazy how the first note of the guardian theme has locked itself into everyones minds, just goes to show how well they did on the sound and enemy design. The gloom hands theme could never
A small musical detail I love is a flute added to the looping battle theme that plays the staccato melody that the choir sings in the opening scenes
Dang your editing had gotten so good as of late it’s so impressive yet subtle and clean
The drawings along with the video are incredible!
I'd like to give this video the highest compliment I can possibly muster of,
I planned on putting this video on as nice background noise while I was reading some new material, and within seconds of the video I was so fully enthralled by the content and the editing, I couldn't look away for a second.
I'd love to see a follow-up to this video that is able to cover some more late game content, musically! ... Namely, that very distinct French Horn wail, when you jump down a Chasm.
Another eyecandy and earcandy video. I've noticed these musical main characters myself, especially the reverse voices give me goosebumps, and it's so interesting to see a analysis about it.
Your videos are always so fantastic. Not only the content of them, but the presentation as well. You're an inspiration.
9:13
This isn't in the second trailer, it's the third. (I checked)
5:19
You, sir, have found a new way to make me panic
I’m really surprised you didn’t talk much about the depths that much. It’s an aspect that makes this game so unique, and the music down there is just so different. It’s one of my favorite parts.
9:12 can we all just take the time to apriciate the animation of link jamming out with a saxophone that scruffy has blessed us with!
The distinctive art style plus the unique little musical compositions you create in your videos are really what set you apart from other content creators in my opinion. Love these videos.
The production value of these videos are off the hook! The visuals are engaging and the script is thorough! Kudos, and thank you for this!
The way you've musically orchestrated this video, accentuating your ideas while still making incredibly beautiful music is something I've never really seen in other videos here. I just want to show appreciation for how much detail goes into that 😊
There's something about the production quality of these videos that is just so captivating. The simplistically clever visuals along with the custom music used in examples is so fascinating and well made. Also the 'well' joke was very funny.
At 5:22 I had this in the background and wasn't paying much attention but when you played that note I instantly turned my head. That's crazy
the animations in these videos are shocking beautiful
you really put a ton of effort into these and it absolutely shows
My favorite use of the reverse choir is when u fight colgera. There is a phase that harkens back to the molgera boss theme and as it’s wailing away, the reverse choir is accenting it, making the main molgera melody seem like the battle between link and his foe, and the choir the voice of the enemy. It was so well done and everytime im in the depths i seek out colgera!
In the spinoff game Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - a lot of those BotW solo piano parts were made into grand orchestral compositions containing them. Very fitting for the time before and leading up to the Calamity, when there was a different kind of hope.
I can’t put into words how well this video was put together from start to finish my god
Something that I'd like to add is the the sound when going into the depths. That sound, the large blare of a horn and the downturn of familiar notes is haunting and it hits my chest every time. It's not a main character but it's definitely got the bombastic nature of dread, similar to how I felt when encountering my first guardian. Falling into the depths with that crashing sound made it feel like I was entering a space I was never meant to be in, forbidden and locked away for a reason.
It hits even harder when the main characters meet up with this sound underneath the castle when going to seek Ganon. The closer you get the stronger it becomes, the looming chance of utter defeat and failure smacking you in the face to really emphasize this being your toughest challenge yet. And that deep bass tone that's exclusive to being spotted by enemies under the castle is unparalleled. It absolutely completed the ambience, all of it being a massive punctuation of dread and displacement.
I also loved how they did that for the village music. Going back to places that were once at peace and seeing how they'd been afflicted, hearing the muted tones of usually bright and vibrant music, especially in gerudo town still haunts me. For all that the musical main characters do to give life to the world, what hits me the hardest and sticks with me are absolutely the twisted and gnarled sounds of the villages, you can practically hear their despair and distress.
Oh my goodness, the visuals you've concocted are almost in an art class of their own. I especially enjoy how you blend game mechanics with what you're talking about, that "reverse choir" bit and the recall ability was really cool to me. It helps make these videos stand out, amazing work!
The description of the piano as sounding transparent is so perfect! Especially since both TOTK and BOTW soundtracks lean in a more ambient direction, the piano helps a lot of the tracks feel delicate and transient. I think about the night riding track a lot, and it feels perfect when paired with rain. Another great video, I'll patiently wait for the next one!!
The long awaited sequel to the "Invisible Sound Design in Breath of the Wild" video that I have been waiting for.
Your BOTW sound design analysis video is still one of the best-produced videos I have ever seen on TH-cam, and I rewatch it often. I'm very thankful you did one for TOTK. :)
I feel like I should be paying to watch this. Your videos are always so well-rounded, and your rich yet soft tone of voice is so well accompanied by your beautiful editing style. Thank you, Scruffy.
Dude! The animations in your video are … breathtaking, such an amazing job!