I love music and I love video games and I love analyzing and talking about music from video games
Watched 8-bit Music Theory? Tell other learners what you think below, or read the discussion around the channel.
14:2796K views · 4d ago · 14:27
Let's break down the first boss theme from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Topics: An Artist Must Be Picky About The Details · Harmonic Minor Sound · Dissonant Melodic Leaps · Tonic Pedal
9:48195K views · 1mo ago · 9:48
Why? I have my theories. My 8-bit Music Theories.
Topics: The VGM National Anthem · Melodic Rhythm · Chord Tone Structure · The Sentimental Bridge
10:4968K views · 1mo ago · 10:49
Guest: Silksong Music Breakdown
Let's pick apart the bizarre rhythms of the Lost Verdania theme.
Topics: Lost Verdania · 15/8 time signature · Bridge · Lore · Clover Dancers
1:24:49241K views · 2mo ago · 1:24:49
Let's take a look at arguably one of the most important video game soundtracks in history in excruciating detail.
Topics: PART 1: Main Theme · PART 2: Transforming the Theme · PART 3: The Sound Palette · PART 4: Bowser · PART 5: Jazz Vocabulary · PART 6: The Cast List Theme
1:50:203K views · 3mo ago · 1:50:20
Can a man get a little Wind Waker on a Wednesday?
2:06:122K views · 3mo ago · 2:06:12
FINALLY, a little bit of Wind Waker on a Wednesday
1:16:243K views · 4mo ago · 1:16:24
FINALLY, a little bit of Wind Waker on a Wednesday
17:2350K views · 4mo ago · 17:23
You must have a Bike Voucher to watch this video.
Topics: Pokémon Cycling Tier List · Red / Blue / Yellow · Gold / Silver / Crystal · Ruby / Sapphire / Emerald · Diamond / Pearl / Platinum · Black / White
15:5748K views · 5mo ago · 15:57
Star Fox 64's soundtrack deserves more attention, being the joint effort between two of my favourite composers of all time: Koji Kondo and Hajime Wakai. The score was written right in the middle Kondo's heyday, right between Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time, and was Hajime Wakai's first soundtrack credit with Nintendo. Let's explore the elements that make Star Fox sound like Star Fox.
Topics: Star Fox Music is Slept On · Heroic Determination · Sense of Danger - Chromatic Sliding · Sense of Danger - Phrygian Mode · Hajime Wakai's Disorienting Melodies · Kondo's Melodic Genius
1:46:513K views · 5mo ago · 1:46:51
FINALLY, a little bit of Wind Waker on a Wednesday
1:18:213K views · 5mo ago · 1:18:21
FINALLY, a little bit of Wind Waker on a Wednesday
1:14:04
14:5662K views · 5mo ago · 14:56
Oblique motion has some beautiful implications, both in the textbook counterpoint-based definition and in the broader idea of pitting a moving idea and a static idea against each other. In this video I break some of my favourite moments in Wind Waker's credits music down and look at some of the different ways it uses oblique motion.
Topics: Oblique Motion is Beautiful · Drones · Pedal Points · Counterpoint
1:01:343K views · 6mo ago · 1:01:34
Another Wednesday, another transcribing wnd waker music on wednesday. such is life
2:44:253K views · 6mo ago · 2:44:25
Another Wednesday, another transcribing wnd waker music on wednesday. such is life
14:1242K views · 6mo ago · 14:12
This is less music theory and more an interesting find. Enjoy an exploration into the circumstances around the creation of the soundtrack to Leading Company, a japan only business sim game with a shockingly hip soundtrack. Shoutout to Dac for showing me this gem.
Topics: ...is this jazz? · Strange Soundtrack Circumstance · Adapting Live Performance to Game Hardware · What even is jazz
39:443K views · 6mo ago · 39:44
Another Wednesday, another transcribing wnd waker music on wednesday. such is life
17:2770K views · 7mo ago · 17:27
The playfully named Konami Kukeiha Club, or Konami Square Wave Club, is the group of composers responsible for some of the most iconic video game music of the 90s. And some of the most 90s music in video games. Let's dig in.
Topics: Konami Kukeiha Club · Tresillo Rhythm · Scotch Snaps · Wild Basslines · Harmonize the Melody in 4ths · Filled-in-4-over-3
1:11:48
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1:56:40
18:49106K views · 7mo ago · 18:49
In which I document my process trying to cram the Super Mario Bros. theme into a rhythm changes progression.
Topics: Harmonizing a Melody · Mario as Rhythm Changes · How to Analyze a Melody · Big Band Harmonization · Shoehorning · Final Product
2:14:56
15:0591K views · 7mo ago · 15:05
The switch Pokémon games don't really have surf themes so they're not on the list. Argue in the comments below
Topics: SURF THEME TIER LIST · Red & Blue · Gold & Silver · Ruby & Sapphire · Remakes · Diamond & Pearl
1:30:59
1:28:41
1:40:314K views · 8mo ago · 1:40:31
The third of many transcription streams where I try and transcribe the entire Wind Waker soundtrack
13:1838K views · 8mo ago · 13:18
Bastion's soundtrack has Wild West energy with a somber tinge, and no part of the soundtrack better exemplifies this vibe than Zulf and Zia's themes.
Topics: Bastion · Zulf's Theme · Zia's Theme · Ending Theme
1:57:075K views · 8mo ago · 1:57:07
The second of many transcription streams where I try and transcribe the entire Wind Waker soundtrack
1:21:197K views · 8mo ago · 1:21:19
The first of many transcription streams where I try and transcribe the entire Wind Waker soundtrack
12:0739K views · 9mo ago · 12:07
'The Great Sea is Cursed', from the Wind Waker soundtrack, takes the inviting, adventurous great sea theme we all know and love and creepifies it. Tritones, clashing harmonies, and references to past themes come in to transform the heroic into the horrifying.
Topics: The Great Sea is Cursed · Iconic Cello Ostinato · Tritone-ifying the Melody · Creepy 4ths · Ganondorf's Theme
16:4771K views · 9mo ago · 16:47
Let's take a brief tour through the Silksong soundtrack and then take a deep dive into the Grand Silkmother boss fight theme.
Topics: The Dies Irae · Appearances in Silksong's Soundtrack · Grand Silkmother Boss Theme
17:4933K views · 9mo ago · 17:49
It's easy to get lost in the weeds with musical analysis and forget the most important part job of a piece of music: to emotionally impact the listener. With my newest album of video game jazz I put a lot of thought into creating specific moments in each piece that would do just that, and in this video I go through a few of them to show the strategies I used to do so.
Topics: I have a new album out · Bring Back an Old Melody in a New Way · Isolate an Emotionally Potent Part · Use Contrast to Emphasize What Works · Artists use the tools they have · Check Description for Album Links vvv
🎵 Mentioned music: BANDCAMP · Spotify · Apple Music
1:40:367K views · 10mo ago · 1:40:36
My music channel: @shymanmusic BANDCAMP Apple Music
🎵 Mentioned music: BANDCAMP · Spotify · Apple Music · GET GOOD
16:3858K views · 10mo ago · 16:38
One of the most evocative pieces in the Final Fantasy repertoire, To Zanarkand from Final Fantasy X, showcases Nobuo Uematsu's sophisticated writing. The piece manages to be emotionally potent without being musically complex, so let's dive in with a detailed analysis to try and figure out how it does that.
Topics: Advanced =/= Sophisticated · Main Theme · Development Section · Artists use the tools they have
21:05150K views · 11mo ago · 21:05
The Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 soundtrack is one of the most elegantly composed game scores I've heard in a long time, with different themes and motifs woven throughout the soundtrack in a way that's not at all in your face but offers layers and layers of extra depth and meaning when you start to dig into it.
Topics: Spoiler Free Intro · Themes Written as Songs · Continuer à T'aimer theme · Battle Against Renoir · Une Vie à T'aimer · Lyrical Analysis
17:30108K views · 11mo ago · 17:30
The Cogwork Dancers boss fight is one of my favourite moments of Hollow Knight: Silksong, a perfect way to break up the game with a new kind of fight and one that uses music to its fullest effect in making an impactful moment.
Topics: Cogwork Dancers · Phase 1 · Phase 2 · Phase 3 · Phase 4 :( · Christopher Larkin rules
14:3834K views · 11mo ago · 14:38
I take a look at the main theme for Kirby Air Riders, "Starlit Journey", and break down why it feels so full of joy.
Topics: Starlit Journey · Verse · Chorus · Bridge · Final Choruses · I love music
19:5269K views · 1y ago · 19:52
This one turned into more of an exploration of why people like funk and jazz rather than a deep dive on the Marvel vs Capcom 2 soundtrack, but hopefully it's interesting enough!
Topics: Funk/Jazz vs Rock · Syncopated Rhythm · B A S S · Solos
15:57134K views · 1y ago · 15:57
Masashi Hamauzu's music is so rich and stylish and colourful. In analyzing some of it, I came across a sound that he seems to gravitate toward that I call the 'Sus Chord Slash Chord'. Let's break down what it is and how to use it!
Topics: Who's Hamauzu? · Sus Chord Slash Chords · Minor 11 Sound · Maj13 sound · Maj7#11 sound · First inversion Maj2 sound
12:1486K views · 1y ago · 12:14
My bottom actually is not very bony and I don't appreciate the implicati- oh, that's the name of the town? Right on, right on.
Topics: Bone Bottom vs Dirtmouth · The sad, sad b6 · Consistent Chord Structure · The B Section · Sacrificing the Key for the Chord Structure · Dirtmouth's emotional approach
1:20:226K views · 1y ago · 1:20:22
From the comments on my last video it's clear that Steam Gardens was snubbed in my top 5 Kondo One-offs video. Let's fix that.
17:2294K views · 1y ago · 17:22
Koji Kondo is rightfully acclaimed as the biggest name in video game music thanks to his legendary soundtracks for the early Mario and Zelda games. I don't think he gets enough credit for the music that he's written since taking a supervisor role on Nintendo's soundtracks. Kondo contributes at least one piece of music to each new Mario and Zelda instalment, and in this video I go through my top 5 favourite Koji Kondo One-Offs!
Topics: Koji Kondo is the man · Number 5 · Number 4 · Number 3 · Number 2 · Number 1!!
17:4552K views · 1y ago · 17:45
'Sea Breeze' from Dragon Quest IV, known on the game soundtrack as 'Expanding the Map', is an absolutely gorgeous orchestral piece that was crammed on to the NES soundchip. Hearing the full orchestral realization of legendary composer Koichi Sugiyama's vision, it's clear how much inspiration he drew from the style of Claude Debussy in its composition.
Topics: Sea Breeze feels like magic · NES Version · Orchestral Version · Orchestral Introduction · Comparing Textural Differences
🎵 Mentioned music: album
▶️ Mentioned videos: Orchestral version of Sea Breeze featured
20:2897K views · 1y ago · 20:28
Mario Kart World's soundtrack somehow exceeded even my unforgivingly high expectations, and I just had to make a video going over the game's take on Rainbow Road. An adaptive, multi-movement musical work that manages to bring the giant sprawling open world game to a satisfying conclusion, this truly might be the best Rainbow Road yet.
Topics: Rainbow Road · Track Approach · Lap 1 · Lap 2 · Lap 3 · Lap 4
🎵 Mentioned music: album
1:14:05
16:4761K views · 1y ago · 16:47
HUGE THANKS TO PATRON ISABEL MARTINEZ FOR THE SUGGESTION! Jingles are an essential part of video game audio, and some of the most memorable and widely known pieces of video game music are these tiny musical fragments. A great jingle needs to get an idea across quickly and unambiguously, which usually translates to some very dramatic musical ideas.
Topics: Video Game Jingles · Good news / Bad news · Chromatic Motion: Anticipation vs Anxiety · Surprising Resolutions · Reinforcing the Game's World
🎵 Mentioned music: album
13:4245K views · 1y ago · 13:42
Let's dive into Revali's gorgeous theme from Breath of the Wild and break down what it says about Revali's character, how it relates to the other Rito music in the game, and most of all, what makes it sound like it belongs in a Ghibli movie.
Topics: Revali's Theme · Gentle Opening Melody · Lush Colourful Bridge · Referencing Rito Village · Climactic Ending Melody
🎵 Mentioned music: album
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