Go Ichinose did a lot of work on Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, which is my favorite game soundtrack of all time. Hearing his style in the GSC arrangements of Kanto themes in early 8bit style warms my heart
Your commentary is wonderful but for some reason I'm more focused on how delighted I am to see a video game music youtuber watching another vgm youtuber's channel. Like it makes sense, but seeing interaction between internet folks I follow like this is really cool to me for some reason Also, Forward is awesome. Do more please.
Yeah I just saw you fellas asking how it was going and uh I had to drop out after 2 years cuz money got REALLY tight and my scholarships didn't cover it 🫤
i just realized ... they demolish a graveyard to build a radio tower in lavender town >.> and the music tells us that's a good thing. power of music man .. that's dark shit.
Thank you for explaining WHY Lavender Town’s theme is so creepy! I love the way that you didn’t do any creepypasta or fanfiction crap, you just explained why, musically at least, this theme invokes dread and discomfort within people
YES. The change in tone of Lavender Town is one of the reasons I'm still total gen2 trash. IT WENT FROM EERIE TO SWEET AND PLEASANT, implying that the restless spirits from before have calmed down and everything's OK. It was such a relief for me as a kid that I went from "omg, gotta go through lavender town again, I'd better get on the bike so i can hear bike music instead of the creepy Haunted Town Music" to "lemme get off my bike when I pass through Lavender Town, so I can hear the happy calm version of the music again." I was actually disappointed in Let's Go! when Nintendo didn't do the key change after you put Cubone's mother to rest, as it would have further added to the emotional impact, IMO. And unlike the GB originals, there would have been plenty of room on the Switch cartridge to do this.
To be fair, RBY didn't choose it either. Don't forget that the radio tower hasn't been built yet, so even after you put the ghost of Marowak to rest you still have the melancholy of the tombs that remain. It makes sense to keep the old theme until they replace the cemetery with the radio tower. That said, I also really love the Gen2 arrangement.
Wow, I agree with this so much. As a kid I was very scared of Lavender town (absolutely did everything i could to not hear the music), but it wasnt so bad in Gen 2 and it was only a decade later that I was able to put that into words.
The GSC soundtrack doesn't get enough credit for its arrangements of the Kanto themes. Props for giving them the spotlight, especially for pointing out _why_ the changes to themes like Lavender Town, Vermilion City, and Viridian Forest were made! What do you think about HGSS and its own takes on the themes, by the way?
I remember watching the credits on my first play of gold, feeling so accomplished and on top of the world, seeing that name and chuckling, thinking it was pronounced "itchy nose". Who knew he was the one responsible for the nostalgic tears that come bitterly to my eyes finishing that same game 20 years later. Damn, the guy composed my childhood.
Whoa hey nice, a youtube vid about video games that contains actual real analysis instead of regurgitating what everyone learned in a "did u know" vid like 7 years ago. Thanks, solid work.
Aww I was hoping you'd analyze his incredible arrangements for the Kanto battle themes! Awesome analysis, though, hearing the themes side by side really helped me to appreciate just how wildly different the arrangements are
No wonder we feel nostalgic about these games.. The music is a stroke of genius, and it creates such an adventurous, yet melancholic vibe which I think most of us associate our childhood with. God bless the masters at Game Freak for enriching all of our lives!
At the end of your videos, I always feel a little disappointed. 15 minutes isn't enough! I want to hear you keep talking. Seriously, I grew up with these games, and music theory became one of my favorite things to look at back in high school. You present in such a wonderful way, simple, but not dumbed down so more experienced people can get things out of it. The sheet music examples are always super helpful for understanding the examples, and unlike so many other music theory channels you actually seem to understand what you're talking about and how to apply it. As soon as I stop being a broke music major I'll start throwing money towards your Patreon. Thank you for these videos :)
This video is so awesome. From both a nostalgic and musical perspective, this is everything I’d want in a video and then some. I’d listen to you talk about these comparisons all day honestly.
Brassydoots The RCM (Royal Conservatory of Music) has a lot of good theory and ear training stuff on their website, if you're into that sort of thing ^^
I'm pretty sure no one talks about this but I LOVE how the music in gym battles slowly and steadily morphs into much more serious and badass music as you and your pokemon get closer to battling the champion(and maybe red) to show your progress from fighting your first gym leader to fighting your last....
Ichinose is my favorite pokemon composer/arranger and one of my favorite musical minds in games, up there with Koji Kondo/Shoji Meguro/David Wise. Loved how you broke it down like this
First off, I love this channel so much! As a budding music theory nerd and an avid lover of video game music (esp. Nintendo) I can't get enough of your analyses of these classic tunes. I have to say that I am especially fond of the videos regarding Pokemon music; not only because these games were such a huge part of my childhood, but also because it helps to remind me that simple chord progressions doesn't mean boring music. Thanks for the great videos and keep up the awesome work!
This puts into words a lot of things I've already loved about Ichinose's work. He has to be my favorite composer from Game Freak, whether it be his arrangements, or his original works. He's creative, has a heck of a lot of fun with revitalizing old tracks, and as you said- has a sense of humor about it! Seeing that laid out and explained was an amazing experience- Great video! I'd love to see you similarly cover Firered & Leafgreen, where he redid the Kanto themes again, in a wholly different style.
Hey, 8-bit Music Theory, great video as always! I think there's a minor mistake with the sheet music around the 8:00 mark; I'm pretty sure those half-notes in bar 6 are not F#'s, they're E's. I've been playing that tune on the piano since I was like 10, I should know haha :D Also notice how distinctly different bar 6 and bar 10 sound. There's most definitely a difference, bar 6 is a lot more calm and at rest, bar 10 has tension. And one more thing: This is admittetly very subjective, but I'd analyse that tune as being in e minor as opposed to C major with #4 / Lydian, simply because e sounds like the tonic to me. Sure, the high ostinato keeps stressing those c's, but it just feels more e minor-y to me personally.
Yep you're correct about the wrong note. Sadly 8-BMT seems to have at least one transcription mistake in many of his videos... I also feel that Lavender piece is in E minor moreso than C Lydian, but I think we can say that it's just freaking abstract lol.
omg thank you, I was going to say the same thing. I too have been playing this piece on piano for years and years and I have always thought of it as being in E minor. I can't hear it as C lydian no matter how hard I try. I had a strong negative reaction when he said "The bottom voice asserts that we're in the key of C.." like what? How? Just because E D C are in the C scale and because the ostinato's first note is C? Tonality isn't determined by what the first note is. IMO it is clearly and unambiguously going i -> VII -> VI in E minor. It asserts we're in E minor. If anything, it originally being in E minor would have added much MORE interest to the fact that the updated version is very clearly in C major. My two cents.
@@8bitMusicTheory I also found a little mistake on 11:05, bars 8 and 9. "Bassline" on the second half of bar 8 is actually F# E A E, not A E A E. Same way, first half of bar 9 is actually F# E A E. I've sent you a message on Patreon slightly related to this :) Thanks for your work!
The Vermillion City arrangement in Gold and Silver was probably not the first time I ever actively noticed the soundtrack in a game, but as a kid playing the game, it was the first time I really had an emotional reaction to a game's music. Of course I didn't know why, but hearing a familiar song in a new way, coming back home but also hearing how much it, and I, had changed, impacted me in a way that stuck with me, from childhood to adulthood. And now, finally, I understand why I felt that way.
I can't tell you how happy I am that you made this video. I always loved the original chiptunes/soundtrack of Gen 2 and it's spin on the Kanto themes. Thank you this is amazing!
DPCM was used for sampling, and neither the Gameboy or the Gameboy Color had this, the third channel was a custom Waveform channel. EDIT: (This is really just a correction of the first script error, the term Wave channel was used for the rest of the video.)
Retro Game Mechanics Explained has a in-depth look at the Game Boy sound channels. And he used to explain... Pokemon cries! th-cam.com/video/gDLpbFXnpeY/w-d-xo.html
Also, the NES has a triangle wave and a DPCM channel instead of a single user defined waveform channel of the GameBoy. The first one was used as the baseline usually, while the latter one wasn't commonly used due to the size requirements of the samples to make it work.
If we're going to be really pedantic, the four byte freewave channel is still by definition a PCM channel, but it cannot receive uploaded samples like the NES DPCM channel.
@@Consolethinks Also, for pedantry's sake, the triangle was also commonly used for a kickdrum effect, at least once people worked out how to use it. Think Megaman.
Boy, I love Pokémon music so much. With Gold and Silver being my favourites it warms my heart that you gave more love to the second generation of Pokémon.
I've always loved all of the newer takes of the old melodies that GSC did. I come back to this video every few months; this is genuinely one of my favorite videos on youtube. Really awesome analysis.
As a musician i LOVE YOUR VIDEOS, i feel like you break it down so nicely that even people without a background understand it,and people with a background appreciate these great OST's even more
I love how in HeartGold and SoulSilver they give us just a bit more depth by using the new instrument bank that they had developed for Gen IV but also an item to let us reflect on the original versions of the songs. It was so touching!!
I would have preferred if the item had been available from the start of the game so that you can have it throughout, instead of when the game is basically over.
I'm impressed by how many different samples the music in Earthbound has compared to other SNES games - practically a different set of instruments every track. No other game I can think of on that system has that much variety. It'd be cool to use that as a jumping off point to discuss instrumentation in retro video games, and how composers made use of limited choices.
This was a beautiful video which might serve real educational purposes even if you haven't played pokemon. You just condensed about 4 years of composing from 2 different individuals and contextualized it in a real developed story/character/ambient context. A graceful piece of analysis which should be shown in composition classes so they can see the effects. It's like the soundtrack moved with the game's story naturally. Congrats.
Great video. I think it could only be made better by bringing some Pokemon Pinball into it. Lavender Town RBY does feel like a wounded town, while GSC makes it feel like it's on the mend and ready to stand up any day.
Klefki is honestly one of the most creative fairy type Pokémon at this point, all the others are mainly just "Pixie 23" or some variation on the magical pink thing theme
You could potentially make a separate video several times the length of this one going over the Kanto battle tracks. The way they recycle the same recognizable melodic ideas while adding twists and turns at every fraction of a second is just a marvel to anyone who played the first generation to death and then moved on to Gold and Silver. GSC's Kanto Wild Pokemon tune is one of my favourites in the entire series for this reason.
XylitoI I agree! And even though HGSS soundtrack doesn't get too much attention, I love how they borrowed even more melodies from the first games, tying it even more with the Gen 1
I love your channel, all your videos are so insightful, thought-out, and well put together. Truthfully I grasp maybe half of what you talk about on each episode but keep coming back for more. Your passion is infectious
Thank you for explaining why I feel the way I feel about video game music in a way that I barely understand but somehow makes perfect sense! It's amazing how you can separately hear the 3 different tracks on the GB music when looking at the notes. I appreciate this quite a bit.
this is my favorite youtube channel hands down thank you for providing excellent, thoughtful content that lies exactly in the niche of my two favorite things (video games and music theory)!!!!
Your newer vids demonstrate tonal ideas with facility! The paired back examples of chord progressions for example allow me to better enjoy actively listening to full arrangements. I’m gonna bump up my patreon support. Thanks 8-Bit.
Listening to the gen 2 Lavender Town music with the context you give it here made me cry. You really get the sense that all the spirits are at peace. And Vermilion City sounds like coming home.
The way you break down video game music is absolutely brilliant! I'm always enthralled with the emotional and logical explanations you provide for each composition, even though I don't know how to read music. However, as a visual artist I incorporate a similar style of decision making with my paintings and designs when it comes to pattern, contrast, and harmony of elements. Hearing you highlight the artistic choices made by various composers actually expands my own thinking about how to best capture the tone or mood I want in a piece. Great work and thanks for bettering my own creativity!
Thank you for this video, it is as super informative and enjoyable as usual. Better yet you gave me a much deeper appreciation for the soundtrack and their arrangements that hangs on my nostalgia. I can always hum these tunes off the top of my head but now I know the name of the man responsible. Bless these vids
At the age of 8, I played Red and got pretty scared by the Lavender Town theme. When Gold was released one year later, I hated the idea of going through the nightmare of Lavender Town once again. But I dared to not turn down the volume and entered the city. Hearing the first notes of the horrific melody, I thought "Yep, this is it. I'm gonna lie on the ground and cry." But then something stange happened. A pickup to the melody kicked in and all of the sudden I heared the most calming melody in the world. It was like a dark black and white nightmare dissolving into a bright and colorful image. The monsters turned into most heavenly creatures, caressing my deeply hurt soul, wiping off all scars from the past as if they never had existed. My earlier expactations were met. I lay on the ground. Crying. For the most beautiful transition I have ever witnessed in my life. It was such an extreme turning point. And although I am too one of those 150 only losers, the Lavender Town theme turned from my most hated theme in the games to my absolute and all time favorite.
I love that your voice it's very easy to hear and to understand what are you saying, sometimes youtubers are hard to listen when your mother language is not english. Thank you bud!
I've left this video realizing just how little I understand about what makes music--well--music. But despite my ignorance this was super fun to watch, thanks for posting!
This is one of my favorite videos on TH-cam. Something about hearing these familiar melodies evolve is so comforting. It's like, double nostalgia. The Vermilion City theme literally makes me tear up! How insane is that
It really is crazy how these almost objectively bad-sounding 8-bit square waves can have that kind of emotional impact through their context. Not only the context of the story and wonder and excitement of a video game, but also the context of being a kid when the whole world is amazing and mysterious, and not only that but also the context of being a kid entirely alone, having a complex experience entirely in your own head by interacting with a machine brought to you by an amorphous entity called "Nintendo" or "Sony". I think that's what brings out the tears ... being faced with the fact that you can't go back, that you can't recreate the magic that you felt playing video games by yourself as a kid, and also the realization that for so much of your childhood, you were actually all alone. That's definitely enough to make a person go glassy-eyed.
8-Bit, mate, your videos give me such a joy I never really get with any other creators. Thanks for all of the info and thank you so very much by doing it in such an impressively fun way. Love all you do for the muso community, cheers mate.
God, I think iv-I might be my favorite cadence ever. And yeah, you wanna hear both Ichinose and Masuda go nuts (in a good way) listen to the Sun and Moon soundtrack.
I just absolutely love how much passion goes into these. I've always loved music and this gives me a lot of insight into things I have never even thought about. Thank you for these!
DUDE!! I absolutely like your channel. For one, I'm a composer who aspires to make video game music and I've been playing video games since I was five on the NES. I like a lot of how you explain music theory through video games, as I am currently taking my first class in it this semester, especially the old school ones. I cannot say enough how much I appreciate this channel of yours, it's not just enjoyable but I'm learning so much too! I would like to see you do more of those music theory lessons. Also, I'm gonna buy your t-shirt and advertise you around my university!
I love your videos! Especially when you cover stuff like Pokémon because it is one of my all time favorite video game soundtracks and I love almost all the sequels music too! Please do more videos on Pokémon music I love getting to see it dissected and and analyzed it is so cool
Great analysis! If you ever want to supplement this video, there are some absolutely amazing changes to the Kanto battle themes, specifically with the gym leaders. The increased complexity on the same theme really lends itself well to the increased strength of these gym leaders compared to Red and Blue!
The rearrangement of Lavendar Town is my favorite The part leading up to the resolve of the chord feels so weightless yet heavy at the same time. Like you're dreading something, only to see its not as bad as you thought and you breath a sigh of relief. Thats the feeling it invokes in me. Sooo good
I can't tell you how happy I was to hear you speak about these games and tracks in particular. I always loved the gold and silver remix's for the exact reasons you pointed out. Absolute pleasure to watch. Thank you!
YES! I was really hoping you would tackle this topic. I would happily watch a second video on this that tackles the battle themes or even something that examines the remakes for ds would be amazing. Love your work, keep doing what you're doing
I'm half a decade late to the game here, but I've had your short video essay on my "Watch Later" YT playlist. Boy, am I thankful for your quality work. (Hard to believe 2019 was 5 years ago!) Several times in your video, I had a positively striking thought: You've put into accurate and precise verbiage that which I've intuitively believed for almost a quarter of a century! Please continue your focused, informed content creation. I've subscribed to your channel for now, but the most central takeaway for me is that your videos' legacies -- like those of the original games -- will have lasting effects for many people.
Wow, you put in words a feeling that I’ve always had regarding both takes on kanto’s music 2nd gen rendition brings this nostalgic yet joyful quality and I guess this is why I’ve always adored it. The original 1st gen music puts me in a complete different mood hahaha Thanks for this sweet analysis =]
The only reason the Lavender Town theme invokes dread in me is because I've been using it as an alarm clock for years. It's one of the only things I can't sleep through because of the pitch. The theme itself, while haunting, is strangely beautiful to me.
My favorite distinct change is the kanto gym leader (I may have done like twelve arrangements on musescore...) because the first time it's like whoa these guys are tough and powerful, then in Johto it's like "HA YOU THOUGHT WE WERE STRONG THEN. LOOK AT US NOW." And then even though the GSC version is like a minute long the HGSS version comes in and like finishes the theme with bits from the original with the Ab major section before going into the Ab minor and then using that to get back to the Eb minor section. Which the RBY did with B major and minor. Yeet your channel brings me so much happiness.
7:10 Actually, he used a tradicional japanese scale (I forgot it's name, sorry) in a very tradicional japanese way. It is very close to the lydian scale. I think it was very commom with kabuki theaters and some other artistic expressions. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
@@seansimonalle8896Yeah, it uses chromatic but not entirely. Lavender Town uses all the notes of this scale I'm talking about: C - C# - D - E - F# - G - B I didn't study this very deeply, this is very superficial knowledge, and I'm sure this is one scale among others.
I was about to comment that! I believe it was the Sakura scale or the Hirajoshi scale, I'm not sure. But it fits the narrative perfectly, the characters and the feeling of Lavender Town are pretty much traditional Japan.
Revisiting Kanto in G/S/C was definitely one of the happiest moments of my childhood. The first two generations perfectly reproduced the feeling (that I did not know at the time) of growing older and more mature, and becoming experient. In the first gen, you feel like you're setting off on a big adventure, and it feels like that adventure might change your life. In the second gen, you go back to Kanto after many years of wandering and becoming stronger, and you see these familiar places with a completely new set of eyes. The nostalgia hit me hard back then, and your video just helped me remember that. Thanks for your awesome work on these videos.
AUGH THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS VIDEO! Gen 2 will always be my favorite game, musically. But also just overall! The story, the colors, the characters...AGH! The music just ties everything together! I’m obsessed...glad to see someone else who knows music appreciates the score equally as much 😊
My favourite TH-cam Channel! Every time you release a new video I get so excited. Thank you so much for your hard work and extremely fun and informative content! :)
I have to say, I prefer Masuda's denser, simpler arrangements to Ichinose's jazzed-up recreations. The Masuda versions remind me of classical music, with lots of musical ideas inhabiting a relatively small range of chords within each piece, while Ichinose strikes closer to pop music with his offbeat rhythms and emphasis on chord transitions. They're both fantastic composers, though; Game Freak's soundtracks are generally very good and frequently underrated. It's not often that a TV show or movie based on a video game takes most of its music from the game itself. That's just how good the original Pokemon's OST was! P.S. Now I'm really looking forward to your take on Ruby/Sapphire.
Totally agree! I think that Masuda did an incredibile job by creating such an articulated and powerful soundtrack with the few tools he had to work with. Still, Ichinose did a beautiful reimagining of these iconic themes!
As a jazzhead, I’ve got to disagree. Especially when I look at the voice leading in these tracks because of technical limits. Super simple, but very harmoniously complex. Still though, both are a prime example of the best of GameBoy soundtracks.
That was intentional Masuda has said that Pokémon music is based on classical music since that was what got him into music and he based a lot of it on stuff from Bach and other artists
There were a lot of limitations with the hardware and the number of sounds it can create the gameboy had three sound channels so I studied a lot of three voiced compositions like those from Bach and try to figure out how you make that kind of music beach’s music sounds very beautiful without being complex These days people don’t think of Pokémon as scary creatures but in the original games we thought of them as monsters so I tried to make the music a bit scarier in places like forests and caves I felt that it fit the atmosphere better with viridian forest I wanted to separate the music that played in towns and on the typical routes I adjusted the programming to make the song loop in different places to create an eerie and mysterious sound Masuda 2014
Pokemon Gold will always be one of my favorite games of all time! The feeling of exploring Kanto after defeating the Pokemon league will never get old to me. Thank you for giving me another reason to love it even more :D
I'm watching this pretty much right outside my school's music department... XD Anyway, another awesome video! I've always loved how the Kanto themes were rearranged, so it's nice to see them get some love here. ^_^
Great video! I never got around to playing gen 2, i ended up skipping to gen 3 for some reason. This was very cool to me, especially since I never knew that the music was changed as such. Love it
I love your videos, I was eager to see your analysis on the wild and trainer themes on Kanto, since they are my favourite rearrangements in gold and silver, but this was majestic on it's own, many thanks
Go Ichinose did a lot of work on Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, which is my favorite game soundtrack of all time. Hearing his style in the GSC arrangements of Kanto themes in early 8bit style warms my heart
I like your stuff
But what about the HGSS versions of the GSC versions of the music in RBY?
Carlos knows where it’s at 👌
Your commentary is wonderful but for some reason I'm more focused on how delighted I am to see a video game music youtuber watching another vgm youtuber's channel. Like it makes sense, but seeing interaction between internet folks I follow like this is really cool to me for some reason
Also, Forward is awesome. Do more please.
4realllll
DPP has the best music in the entire series and I will fight you if you disagree
1:18 “Pewter City’s Theme is a perfect example” *cuts to Route 11*
big oof
lol
'bout to say, Silence Bridge is a hell of a trek away from Pewter.
And he does it again at 2:56 but this time it's Route 1!
Oof.
Viridian Forest is looking like Viridian Backyard
A year later, in the spring of 2020: The back yard is starting to feel like Viridian Forest
Corona :)
The days of 1.4 megabit cartridges...
looking like a viridian beatdown
HeartGold and SoulSilver fixed it back into a forest.
As a freshman in college, majoring in music, who loves video games, your channel is GREAT for helping understand some concepts.
It’s been 2 years how are things now?
Been 3 years, how’s it going?
4 years now, how are u doing?
Yeah I just saw you fellas asking how it was going and uh
I had to drop out after 2 years cuz money got REALLY tight and my scholarships didn't cover it 🫤
@@theoriginofsound3437 didn't expect it turn out to be like that...stay strong man
My boy ichinose looking like a snack
_-Ichigo*.-_
itchy nose
Stop speaking in ebonics thinking it makes you look cool or something. It's cringe.
@@jayqueue6784 my boy really was looking like a snack though
Jay Queue you make me cringe
I have no idea what you’re talking about but I do like pokemon music.
i just realized ... they demolish a graveyard to build a radio tower in lavender town >.> and the music tells us that's a good thing.
power of music man .. that's dark shit.
DeepFriedPotatoes
Most of the Graveyard is in Mr. Fuji's House.
To be fair that graveyard was haunted, probably a lot of people wanted to visit without getting possessed
Imagine not building that in Vermillion City
Thank you for explaining WHY Lavender Town’s theme is so creepy! I love the way that you didn’t do any creepypasta or fanfiction crap, you just explained why, musically at least, this theme invokes dread and discomfort within people
YES. The change in tone of Lavender Town is one of the reasons I'm still total gen2 trash. IT WENT FROM EERIE TO SWEET AND PLEASANT, implying that the restless spirits from before have calmed down and everything's OK. It was such a relief for me as a kid that I went from "omg, gotta go through lavender town again, I'd better get on the bike so i can hear bike music instead of the creepy Haunted Town Music" to "lemme get off my bike when I pass through Lavender Town, so I can hear the happy calm version of the music again."
I was actually disappointed in Let's Go! when Nintendo didn't do the key change after you put Cubone's mother to rest, as it would have further added to the emotional impact, IMO. And unlike the GB originals, there would have been plenty of room on the Switch cartridge to do this.
To be fair, RBY didn't choose it either. Don't forget that the radio tower hasn't been built yet, so even after you put the ghost of Marowak to rest you still have the melancholy of the tombs that remain. It makes sense to keep the old theme until they replace the cemetery with the radio tower.
That said, I also really love the Gen2 arrangement.
Wow, I agree with this so much. As a kid I was very scared of Lavender town (absolutely did everything i could to not hear the music), but it wasnt so bad in Gen 2 and it was only a decade later that I was able to put that into words.
They do use the Gen 2 version of Lavender Town in the song Cubone’s Mother, which plays during the cutscene when Marowak’s spirit is freed
It would have been cool but don’t be that disappointed red&blue didn’t either
lavender town 2nd gen makes me cry when it goes to that breakdown 😩😂
The GSC soundtrack doesn't get enough credit for its arrangements of the Kanto themes. Props for giving them the spotlight, especially for pointing out _why_ the changes to themes like Lavender Town, Vermilion City, and Viridian Forest were made!
What do you think about HGSS and its own takes on the themes, by the way?
I remember watching the credits on my first play of gold, feeling so accomplished and on top of the world, seeing that name and chuckling, thinking it was pronounced "itchy nose". Who knew he was the one responsible for the nostalgic tears that come bitterly to my eyes finishing that same game 20 years later. Damn, the guy composed my childhood.
The Pallet town arrangement from Gold/Silver always makes me weepy. All of the Gen II Kanto music is so beautiful.
God, I love your videos
I, God, thank ye.
Whoa hey nice, a youtube vid about video games that contains actual real analysis instead of regurgitating what everyone learned in a "did u know" vid like 7 years ago. Thanks, solid work.
Aww I was hoping you'd analyze his incredible arrangements for the Kanto battle themes! Awesome analysis, though, hearing the themes side by side really helped me to appreciate just how wildly different the arrangements are
No wonder we feel nostalgic about these games.. The music is a stroke of genius, and it creates such an adventurous, yet melancholic vibe which I think most of us associate our childhood with. God bless the masters at Game Freak for enriching all of our lives!
At the end of your videos, I always feel a little disappointed.
15 minutes isn't enough! I want to hear you keep talking.
Seriously, I grew up with these games, and music theory became one of my favorite things to look at back in high school.
You present in such a wonderful way, simple, but not dumbed down so more experienced people can get things out of it. The sheet music examples are always super helpful for understanding the examples, and unlike so many other music theory channels you actually seem to understand what you're talking about and how to apply it.
As soon as I stop being a broke music major I'll start throwing money towards your Patreon.
Thank you for these videos :)
Radio Game Corner is a bop.
And I love Ice Cavern's composition.
Especially the Get Lucky mashup
RIP Siivagunner
Why the hell am I starting to see you everywhere I go
Ice Cave good
This video is so awesome. From both a nostalgic and musical perspective, this is everything I’d want in a video and then some. I’d listen to you talk about these comparisons all day honestly.
Brassydoots The RCM (Royal Conservatory of Music) has a lot of good theory and ear training stuff on their website, if you're into that sort of thing ^^
TheMenasaur thanks for the suggestion, I’ll have to check it out!
I'm pretty sure no one talks about this but I LOVE how the music in gym battles slowly and steadily morphs into much more serious and badass music as you and your pokemon get closer to battling the champion(and maybe red) to show your progress from fighting your first gym leader to fighting your last....
Love these videos man. They have definitely helped my music writing in general
Ichinose is my favorite pokemon composer/arranger and one of my favorite musical minds in games, up there with Koji Kondo/Shoji Meguro/David Wise. Loved how you broke it down like this
It's crazy how distinctive Ichinose's style is. I was like "this sounds exactly like Pokemon Pinball" and sure enough it was the same composer.
I just love when this happens.
Yes, a new upload! And I was just about to poop!! Today is turning out pretty well
One of life's simple pleasures.
First off, I love this channel so much! As a budding music theory nerd and an avid lover of video game music (esp. Nintendo) I can't get enough of your analyses of these classic tunes. I have to say that I am especially fond of the videos regarding Pokemon music; not only because these games were such a huge part of my childhood, but also because it helps to remind me that simple chord progressions doesn't mean boring music. Thanks for the great videos and keep up the awesome work!
This puts into words a lot of things I've already loved about Ichinose's work. He has to be my favorite composer from Game Freak, whether it be his arrangements, or his original works. He's creative, has a heck of a lot of fun with revitalizing old tracks, and as you said- has a sense of humor about it! Seeing that laid out and explained was an amazing experience- Great video! I'd love to see you similarly cover Firered & Leafgreen, where he redid the Kanto themes again, in a wholly different style.
Hey, 8-bit Music Theory, great video as always! I think there's a minor mistake with the sheet music around the 8:00 mark; I'm pretty sure those half-notes in bar 6 are not F#'s, they're E's. I've been playing that tune on the piano since I was like 10, I should know haha :D
Also notice how distinctly different bar 6 and bar 10 sound. There's most definitely a difference, bar 6 is a lot more calm and at rest, bar 10 has tension.
And one more thing: This is admittetly very subjective, but I'd analyse that tune as being in e minor as opposed to C major with #4 / Lydian, simply because e sounds like the tonic to me. Sure, the high ostinato keeps stressing those c's, but it just feels more e minor-y to me personally.
Yep you're correct about the wrong note. Sadly 8-BMT seems to have at least one transcription mistake in many of his videos...
I also feel that Lavender piece is in E minor moreso than C Lydian, but I think we can say that it's just freaking abstract lol.
I can't believe I didn't catch that!! You're completely right, thanks for the heads up!
@@8bitMusicTheory No worries, happens to the best of us!
omg thank you, I was going to say the same thing. I too have been playing this piece on piano for years and years and I have always thought of it as being in E minor. I can't hear it as C lydian no matter how hard I try. I had a strong negative reaction when he said "The bottom voice asserts that we're in the key of C.." like what? How? Just because E D C are in the C scale and because the ostinato's first note is C? Tonality isn't determined by what the first note is. IMO it is clearly and unambiguously going i -> VII -> VI in E minor. It asserts we're in E minor. If anything, it originally being in E minor would have added much MORE interest to the fact that the updated version is very clearly in C major. My two cents.
@@8bitMusicTheory I also found a little mistake on 11:05, bars 8 and 9. "Bassline" on the second half of bar 8 is actually F# E A E, not A E A E. Same way, first half of bar 9 is actually F# E A E. I've sent you a message on Patreon slightly related to this :) Thanks for your work!
The Vermillion City arrangement in Gold and Silver was probably not the first time I ever actively noticed the soundtrack in a game, but as a kid playing the game, it was the first time I really had an emotional reaction to a game's music. Of course I didn't know why, but hearing a familiar song in a new way, coming back home but also hearing how much it, and I, had changed, impacted me in a way that stuck with me, from childhood to adulthood. And now, finally, I understand why I felt that way.
I can't tell you how happy I am that you made this video. I always loved the original chiptunes/soundtrack of Gen 2 and it's spin on the Kanto themes. Thank you this is amazing!
DPCM was used for sampling, and neither the Gameboy or the Gameboy Color had this, the third channel was a custom Waveform channel.
EDIT: (This is really just a correction of the first script error, the term Wave channel was used for the rest of the video.)
Retro Game Mechanics Explained has a in-depth look at the Game Boy sound channels. And he used to explain... Pokemon cries!
th-cam.com/video/gDLpbFXnpeY/w-d-xo.html
Also, the NES has a triangle wave and a DPCM channel instead of a single user defined waveform channel of the GameBoy. The first one was used as the baseline usually, while the latter one wasn't commonly used due to the size requirements of the samples to make it work.
If we're going to be really pedantic, the four byte freewave channel is still by definition a PCM channel, but it cannot receive uploaded samples like the NES DPCM channel.
@@Consolethinks Also, for pedantry's sake, the triangle was also commonly used for a kickdrum effect, at least once people worked out how to use it. Think Megaman.
Neither the GB nor the GBC have a "DPCM" channel...
Boy, I love Pokémon music so much. With Gold and Silver being my favourites it warms my heart that you gave more love to the second generation of Pokémon.
I've always loved all of the newer takes of the old melodies that GSC did. I come back to this video every few months; this is genuinely one of my favorite videos on youtube. Really awesome analysis.
As a musician i LOVE YOUR VIDEOS, i feel like you break it down so nicely that even people without a background understand it,and people with a background appreciate these great OST's even more
I love how in HeartGold and SoulSilver they give us just a bit more depth by using the new instrument bank that they had developed for Gen IV but also an item to let us reflect on the original versions of the songs. It was so touching!!
I would have preferred if the item had been available from the start of the game so that you can have it throughout, instead of when the game is basically over.
Pewter City revisited theme is by far my favourite gameboy theme, I'm glad you covered it on this video !
I'm impressed by how many different samples the music in Earthbound has compared to other SNES games - practically a different set of instruments every track. No other game I can think of on that system has that much variety. It'd be cool to use that as a jumping off point to discuss instrumentation in retro video games, and how composers made use of limited choices.
This was a beautiful video which might serve real educational purposes even if you haven't played pokemon. You just condensed about 4 years of composing from 2 different individuals and contextualized it in a real developed story/character/ambient context. A graceful piece of analysis which should be shown in composition classes so they can see the effects. It's like the soundtrack moved with the game's story naturally. Congrats.
Great video. I think it could only be made better by bringing some Pokemon Pinball into it.
Lavender Town RBY does feel like a wounded town, while GSC makes it feel like it's on the mend and ready to stand up any day.
you apologize to my boy klefki right this instant young man
Violet N. Damn Klefki always stealing my keys- 8Bit Music Theory
#justice4klefki
Not until they lay off my boi Garbodor
Once I received a Klefki named "Burglars BFF" via Wonder Trade. I also received a Klefki named "Scrote". Take from that what you will.
Klefki is honestly one of the most creative fairy type Pokémon at this point, all the others are mainly just "Pixie 23" or some variation on the magical pink thing theme
THE CHROMATIC LEADING DIMINISHED CHORDS ARE SO CHARMING AND LOVELY HOOWWW
You could potentially make a separate video several times the length of this one going over the Kanto battle tracks. The way they recycle the same recognizable melodic ideas while adding twists and turns at every fraction of a second is just a marvel to anyone who played the first generation to death and then moved on to Gold and Silver. GSC's Kanto Wild Pokemon tune is one of my favourites in the entire series for this reason.
XylitoI I agree! And even though HGSS soundtrack doesn't get too much attention, I love how they borrowed even more melodies from the first games, tying it even more with the Gen 1
Always love a Pokémon Gold/Silver video; those games have so much going on design-wise and make for such a rich topic of discussion.
I love your channel, all your videos are so insightful, thought-out, and well put together. Truthfully I grasp maybe half of what you talk about on each episode but keep coming back for more. Your passion is infectious
I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, but I love your channel, especially when you talk about games I love. Thank you and keep it up!
Adaptation with new harmony and style was genius
What a nice surprise waking up to one of your videos. Thanks, bud. The Viridian Forest Theme in Gold is a beautiful track. Glad you took a look at it!
Thank you for explaining why I feel the way I feel about video game music in a way that I barely understand but somehow makes perfect sense! It's amazing how you can separately hear the 3 different tracks on the GB music when looking at the notes. I appreciate this quite a bit.
this is my favorite youtube channel hands down thank you for providing excellent, thoughtful content that lies exactly in the niche of my two favorite things (video games and music theory)!!!!
Your newer vids demonstrate tonal ideas with facility! The paired back examples of chord progressions for example allow me to better enjoy actively listening to full arrangements. I’m gonna bump up my patreon support. Thanks 8-Bit.
Wow, I always knew I loved the rearrangements in Gen 2, but I never knew why. Thank you so much for this!
Listening to the gen 2 Lavender Town music with the context you give it here made me cry. You really get the sense that all the spirits are at peace. And Vermilion City sounds like coming home.
The way you break down video game music is absolutely brilliant! I'm always enthralled with the emotional and logical explanations you provide for each composition, even though I don't know how to read music. However, as a visual artist I incorporate a similar style of decision making with my paintings and designs when it comes to pattern, contrast, and harmony of elements. Hearing you highlight the artistic choices made by various composers actually expands my own thinking about how to best capture the tone or mood I want in a piece. Great work and thanks for bettering my own creativity!
Thank you for this video, it is as super informative and enjoyable as usual. Better yet you gave me a much deeper appreciation for the soundtrack and their arrangements that hangs on my nostalgia. I can always hum these tunes off the top of my head but now I know the name of the man responsible.
Bless these vids
At the age of 8, I played Red and got pretty scared by the Lavender Town theme. When Gold was released one year later, I hated the idea of going through the nightmare of Lavender Town once again. But I dared to not turn down the volume and entered the city. Hearing the first notes of the horrific melody, I thought "Yep, this is it. I'm gonna lie on the ground and cry." But then something stange happened. A pickup to the melody kicked in and all of the sudden I heared the most calming melody in the world. It was like a dark black and white nightmare dissolving into a bright and colorful image. The monsters turned into most heavenly creatures, caressing my deeply hurt soul, wiping off all scars from the past as if they never had existed.
My earlier expactations were met. I lay on the ground. Crying. For the most beautiful transition I have ever witnessed in my life. It was such an extreme turning point. And although I am too one of those 150 only losers, the Lavender Town theme turned from my most hated theme in the games to my absolute and all time favorite.
I love that your voice it's very easy to hear and to understand what are you saying, sometimes youtubers are hard to listen when your mother language is not english.
Thank you bud!
I've left this video realizing just how little I understand about what makes music--well--music. But despite my ignorance this was super fun to watch, thanks for posting!
This is one of my favorite videos on TH-cam. Something about hearing these familiar melodies evolve is so comforting. It's like, double nostalgia. The Vermilion City theme literally makes me tear up! How insane is that
It really is crazy how these almost objectively bad-sounding 8-bit square waves can have that kind of emotional impact through their context. Not only the context of the story and wonder and excitement of a video game, but also the context of being a kid when the whole world is amazing and mysterious, and not only that but also the context of being a kid entirely alone, having a complex experience entirely in your own head by interacting with a machine brought to you by an amorphous entity called "Nintendo" or "Sony". I think that's what brings out the tears ... being faced with the fact that you can't go back, that you can't recreate the magic that you felt playing video games by yourself as a kid, and also the realization that for so much of your childhood, you were actually all alone. That's definitely enough to make a person go glassy-eyed.
8-Bit, mate, your videos give me such a joy I never really get with any other creators. Thanks for all of the info and thank you so very much by doing it in such an impressively fun way.
Love all you do for the muso community, cheers mate.
God, I think iv-I might be my favorite cadence ever.
And yeah, you wanna hear both Ichinose and Masuda go nuts (in a good way) listen to the Sun and Moon soundtrack.
I just absolutely love how much passion goes into these. I've always loved music and this gives me a lot of insight into things I have never even thought about. Thank you for these!
DUDE!! I absolutely like your channel. For one, I'm a composer who
aspires to make video game music and I've been playing video games since
I was five on the NES. I like a lot of how you explain music theory
through video games, as I am currently taking my first class in it this
semester, especially the old school ones. I cannot say enough how much I
appreciate this channel of yours, it's not just enjoyable but I'm
learning so much too! I would like to see you do more of those music
theory lessons. Also, I'm gonna buy your t-shirt and advertise you around my university!
I love your videos! Especially when you cover stuff like Pokémon because it is one of my all time favorite video game soundtracks and I love almost all the sequels music too! Please do more videos on Pokémon music I love getting to see it dissected and and analyzed it is so cool
You should do the music from pokemon mystery dungeon! (Red rescue team & explorers of sky)
I want nothing more in my life, honestly.
LoaftyOfficial yESS
The music in those games are SEVERELY underrated.
red team does an amazing job of mixing 8-bit sounds with more modern gba sounds (and is a little foreshadowing of undertale imo)
LoaftyOfficial I wonder if blue and red rescue team have different music since they’re on different consoles, but they’re the same game
Great analysis! If you ever want to supplement this video, there are some absolutely amazing changes to the Kanto battle themes, specifically with the gym leaders. The increased complexity on the same theme really lends itself well to the increased strength of these gym leaders compared to Red and Blue!
This made me so happy, thank you. I throughly enjoyed this analysis. It’s like I can hear these familiar tunes with new ears.
This soundtrack is so close to my heart and I'm so glad I've got more insight, thank you! (I've also arranged most of it on my channel)
The rearrangement of Lavendar Town is my favorite
The part leading up to the resolve of the chord feels so weightless yet heavy at the same time. Like you're dreading something, only to see its not as bad as you thought and you breath a sigh of relief. Thats the feeling it invokes in me.
Sooo good
I can't tell you how happy I was to hear you speak about these games and tracks in particular. I always loved the gold and silver remix's for the exact reasons you pointed out. Absolute pleasure to watch. Thank you!
I'm so happy to see another Pokémon video. Thanks for the knowledge! Always a fan.
YES! I was really hoping you would tackle this topic. I would happily watch a second video on this that tackles the battle themes or even something that examines the remakes for ds would be amazing. Love your work, keep doing what you're doing
I'm half a decade late to the game here, but I've had your short video essay on my "Watch Later" YT playlist. Boy, am I thankful for your quality work. (Hard to believe 2019 was 5 years ago!)
Several times in your video, I had a positively striking thought: You've put into accurate and precise verbiage that which I've intuitively believed for almost a quarter of a century!
Please continue your focused, informed content creation. I've subscribed to your channel for now, but the most central takeaway for me is that your videos' legacies -- like those of the original games -- will have lasting effects for many people.
This was awesome!! I've always appreciated the redone kanto themes, especially the viridian and lavender reworkings. Great work!
One of the best videos I’ve ever seen. Great explanation of the theory behind these composers and their limited means. Can’t wait to see more from ya.
Please do an analysis on Animal Crossing's music sometime.
Omg he really should.
YES! Original GameCube had the best songs!
yes! he should :)
Yes please.
Abstract Note YES
Wow, you put in words a feeling that I’ve always had regarding both takes on kanto’s music
2nd gen rendition brings this nostalgic yet joyful quality and I guess this is why I’ve always adored it. The original 1st gen music puts me in a complete different mood hahaha
Thanks for this sweet analysis =]
The only reason the Lavender Town theme invokes dread in me is because I've been using it as an alarm clock for years. It's one of the only things I can't sleep through because of the pitch. The theme itself, while haunting, is strangely beautiful to me.
My favorite distinct change is the kanto gym leader (I may have done like twelve arrangements on musescore...) because the first time it's like whoa these guys are tough and powerful, then in Johto it's like "HA YOU THOUGHT WE WERE STRONG THEN. LOOK AT US NOW." And then even though the GSC version is like a minute long the HGSS version comes in and like finishes the theme with bits from the original with the Ab major section before going into the Ab minor and then using that to get back to the Eb minor section. Which the RBY did with B major and minor. Yeet your channel brings me so much happiness.
Never play the series, but this is totally beautiful touch!
Nice Video! Thank You!
This is one of my favorite videos I’ve ever watched.
7:10 Actually, he used a tradicional japanese scale (I forgot it's name, sorry) in a very tradicional japanese way. It is very close to the lydian scale. I think it was very commom with kabuki theaters and some other artistic expressions. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
I believe that traditional Japanese uses Chromatic, but I might be wrong
@@seansimonalle8896Yeah, it uses chromatic but not entirely. Lavender Town uses all the notes of this scale I'm talking about:
C - C# - D - E - F# - G - B
I didn't study this very deeply, this is very superficial knowledge, and I'm sure this is one scale among others.
Try playing sakura sakura then you got another japanese scale
I was about to comment that! I believe it was the Sakura scale or the Hirajoshi scale, I'm not sure. But it fits the narrative perfectly, the characters and the feeling of Lavender Town are pretty much traditional Japan.
The Japanese scale is 1, 2, 4, 5 and b6. However he uses a 7th in the music so I guess it could be a variation on it
Can't get enough of your Pokemon videos. Thanks again for making this channel
Revisiting Kanto in G/S/C was definitely one of the happiest moments of my childhood. The first two generations perfectly reproduced the feeling (that I did not know at the time) of growing older and more mature, and becoming experient. In the first gen, you feel like you're setting off on a big adventure, and it feels like that adventure might change your life. In the second gen, you go back to Kanto after many years of wandering and becoming stronger, and you see these familiar places with a completely new set of eyes. The nostalgia hit me hard back then, and your video just helped me remember that. Thanks for your awesome work on these videos.
I love your videos. I love your music analysis. I love listening to you talk.
AUGH THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS VIDEO! Gen 2 will always be my favorite game, musically. But also just overall! The story, the colors, the characters...AGH! The music just ties everything together! I’m obsessed...glad to see someone else who knows music appreciates the score equally as much 😊
My favourite TH-cam Channel! Every time you release a new video I get so excited. Thank you so much for your hard work and extremely fun and informative content! :)
I have to say, I prefer Masuda's denser, simpler arrangements to Ichinose's jazzed-up recreations. The Masuda versions remind me of classical music, with lots of musical ideas inhabiting a relatively small range of chords within each piece, while Ichinose strikes closer to pop music with his offbeat rhythms and emphasis on chord transitions. They're both fantastic composers, though; Game Freak's soundtracks are generally very good and frequently underrated.
It's not often that a TV show or movie based on a video game takes most of its music from the game itself. That's just how good the original Pokemon's OST was!
P.S. Now I'm really looking forward to your take on Ruby/Sapphire.
Totally agree! I think that Masuda did an incredibile job by creating such an articulated and powerful soundtrack with the few tools he had to work with. Still, Ichinose did a beautiful reimagining of these iconic themes!
As a jazzhead, I’ve got to disagree. Especially when I look at the voice leading in these tracks because of technical limits. Super simple, but very harmoniously complex. Still though, both are a prime example of the best of GameBoy soundtracks.
Is "denser" a word? I always thought it was 'more dense'
O_o
That was intentional Masuda has said that Pokémon music is based on classical music since that was what got him into music and he based a lot of it on stuff from Bach and other artists
There were a lot of limitations with the hardware and the number of sounds it can create the gameboy had three sound channels so I studied a lot of three voiced compositions like those from Bach and try to figure out how you make that kind of music beach’s music sounds very beautiful without being complex
These days people don’t think of Pokémon as scary creatures but in the original games we thought of them as monsters so I tried to make the music a bit scarier in places like forests and caves I felt that it fit the atmosphere better with viridian forest I wanted to separate the music that played in towns and on the typical routes I adjusted the programming to make the song loop in different places to create an eerie and mysterious sound
Masuda 2014
Great video as always! It's always so satisfying to see the fascinating science that is music theory applied to video game music!
You’re the best, dude! Love all the content but Pokémon has a special place in my heart
Pokemon Gold will always be one of my favorite games of all time! The feeling of exploring Kanto after defeating the Pokemon league will never get old to me. Thank you for giving me another reason to love it even more :D
The Vermillion re arrangement reminds me of a welcome home party.
Makes sense tbh, you are back in Kanto, another character, another game but the same old city and the same old gyms
I'm watching this pretty much right outside my school's music department... XD
Anyway, another awesome video! I've always loved how the Kanto themes were rearranged, so it's nice to see them get some love here. ^_^
Absolutely fantastic analysis. I finally have an explanation for what makes the music of GSC so great.
U always make me love music that i didnt nessecarily like through your analysis of its music theory
Great video! I never got around to playing gen 2, i ended up skipping to gen 3 for some reason. This was very cool to me, especially since I never knew that the music was changed as such. Love it
many of my favourite pokémon tracks have been composed by Go Ichinose, thank you so much for explaining these tracks !
I always felt like Lavender Town's change in Gold and Silver reflected a bit of play on the pokeflute tune too
I'm looking forward to your panels and meeting you at VGM CON!
The Gen 1 Gym music always got me so excited. I still look it up sometimes.
Thank you for this. 1st Gen and 2nd Gen will always hold a part of my childhood. Your video captures an essence that I knew, but didn't understand.
I love your videos, I was eager to see your analysis on the wild and trainer themes on Kanto, since they are my favourite rearrangements in gold and silver, but this was majestic on it's own, many thanks