My name is , and I somewhat recently started a [weekly tutorial series]( designed to help you improve your video game music and add interest to your compositions! In each video I transcribe a famous or memorable piece of video game music and explain what makes certain elements effective. I know how lots of you out there in the development world wear multiple hats as solo. If you make your own music but are a little lost on some theory, orchestration, or other tactics, my series is here to help you overcome those obstacles.
The above hyperlink goes to the playlist created so far. It’s all taught through notation, but I do my best to make it clear even if you don’t have a solid grasp on music theory. I know musically inclined people have various ways of “doing” music (through DAWs, just for fun/by ear acoustically, etc.), but hopefully things are clear. The reason behind this is that music is music at its core, before DAWs or Middleware was even invented. It’s best to start with the traditional roots!
I will post each new video in this thread. Please reach out if you have any questions, comments, or feedback. I’d love to hear from you and get your input as I continue this series! Heck, I’d love to hear from you just to see what’s up and what games you’re working on!
My latest video is up! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year! This one focuses on the concept of “Motivic Unity.”
While using a single motive solely within a specific track is a great way for compositional organization, having motives return throughout other tracks in an entire soundtrack goes a long way in impacting your audience! Through Grant “Banjo-Kazooie” soundtrack, I demonstrate the idea of motivic unity. His music is magnificent in demonstrating this, and I hope you find ways to incorporate your own motives throughout your whole game’s OST!
Let me know if you have any questions or want to look into for any of your personal music needs! I’m offering a New Year discount for new students from now until February 1st, 2017!
This video discusses the concept of “contrary motion” in its simplest form, particularly involving the melody and the bass. While contrary motion covers many aspects of music, it’s best to discuss one use at a time; I’ll talk about it more in detail in a subsequent video! I demonstrate its effectiveness at cadences through my transcription of “Rosalina’s Observatory” from Super Mario Galaxy, composed by Koji Kondo.
If you’re interested in for any of your personal music needs, I’m offering a New Year discount for new students from now until February 1st, 2017!
@Decoymove: Thank you! I hope that they’re helpful to you ^^
My latest video has arrived!
This video continues my discussion on Contrary Motion, except this time extending beyond just final cadences. I demonstrate its use through my transcription of “To Zanarkand” from Final Fantasy X. Effective counterpoint (AKA “contrapuntal motion” is establishing independence between musical voices, and contrary motion is a key player in doing so!
Let me know if you have any questions or want to look into private lessons for any of your personal music needs!
Episode 30 of “Small Change, Massive Difference” has arrived! I discuss the benefits of parallel motion (it isn’t always a bad thing in the 21st century!) in my latest tutorial video. The track transcribed is “Ganon’s Tower” from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, composed by Koji Kondo!
While not “Small Change, Massive Difference,” I make a tangential series called “Orchestration Station.” I just released a new episode for that, so I will post it here!
This entry is similar to my “Passing the Baton” video for strings, but when it comes to winds, its effect has different benefits and uses! It continues my discussion on Breathing, as well, as that has importance to the topic at hand today! Through an excerpt of Bedrich Smetana’s “The Moldau,” I demonstrate how to “pass the baton” to continue a single woodwind color.
Thank you for your time, and I hope this helps with any woodwind writing concerns you may have had!
In another life, I’d probably be a bassoonist. Woodwinds are my favorite instrumental family, and the bassoon takes the cake! From its technical capacity, its range, as well as its specific and well-known characteristics, writing for the bassoon opens up a world of possibilities for your music. Through Concerto for Bassoon in Bb, as well as my own piece, “The Odd Folk and the Man of Joy,” I instruct some benefits and notation tips on writing for the bassoon.
Have an awesome week, and stay tuned for my next video.
This entry is all about Oblique Motion, which is fabulous at designating the moving voice, as well as providing a sense of serenity since the music isn’t quite as active. Koji Kondo’s “Song of Healing,” from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is a great example of how effective Oblique Motion can be!
If you’re interested in private lessons for any of your personal music needs, my calendar is open for the Summer months! (June/July/August)
It’d be great to work with each and every one of my viewers!
Writing for the woodwinds can be tricky. Today’s video clarifies some common “unknowns” about the primary four woodwind instruments. What’s their range? How about their dynamic curve? What do they generally sound like and accomplish in these ranges? There’s no transcription, but I hope this brief overview helps you even in the slightest the next time you’re composing for these instruments.
My latest video game development music tutorial is all about what makes Wild West music sound like Wild West music. There are a ton of common denominators, and Koji Kondo’s “Hidden Village” music from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess has many of them combined!
Quite a few folks have contacted me about private lessons for their musical needs over the past few weeks. As of now, my calendar is open for the Summer months! (June/July/August). Let me know if you’re interested!
Interesting stuff, thanks a lot! Instant subscribe.
If I’m a bit time poor and half-arseingly creating temporary music for a game prototype based in space (so is mostly ambient and droney) which of your videos would I find most useful? I plan to get through all of your videos eventually as I find music theory interesting but it’s a bit hard to find the time to diligently learn all of this stuff (hence the request to point me in the most immediately useful direction).
Super interesting stuff man! Having a blast. Reason I am writing here rather than just watching, is because my game is Musically Related. So I was wondering if you (Or anyone else) would be interesting in having their songs featured in the game? All I need is the wav file of the music and a midi track (the bit that the player plays) or the music sheet and I can arrange the midi track. And also the song info and a cover album too!
I will let you know either later today or sometime tomorrow on which videos to watch. If you’re doing ambient and droney, I have a couple that could benefit you.
That sounds awesome! I’ll shoot you an email / message soon. That sounds like a very interesting concept, and I’d love to be involved! Thank you for the offer and the enjoyment of this series!
Good morning, and Happy April! https://youtube./watch?v=Kq2nyyKWxzM
This video is all about reharmonizing your themes. Whether it’s a major change in harmony, or simply restructuring the harmony you’ve already established, reharmonization is a fantastic way at creating variety within your track. I demonstrate through Koji Kondo’s “Song of Time” from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It’s a straightforward melody, and I felt it a perfect example as to approaching reharmonization!
My private lessons are still open for the summer months. Let me know if you’re interested! It’s been a blast so far with my newest students, so do consider!
Hey @ChrisWillacy! So here’s a couple of videos that can help you out.
1.)
This is an earlier one discussing a Pedal Point, but it’s a concept that helps out in ambient music immensely. This presents it in a highly rhythmic, high-energy style. But, the concept still applies for slower, ambient drones.
2.)
Starting at episode #008 through #011, I discuss various musical modes. So, if you have a melody over your ambient drone, incorporating some modes (AKA ‘alterations’ to otherwise straight forward key signatures; explained in #008) will go a very long way for keeping your melodies unique and interesting.
I hope these help you! They’re great starting points for your style of music
Hey everybody! My latest Orchestration Station video is here! While not Small Change, Massive Difference, it’s a tangential series that goes hand-in-hand with that video series.
This video discusses the technique of “Orchestral Unison.” While it might sound straightforward - or even limited - there are workarounds to certain complications you might run into. Through an excerpt of Beethoven’s 9th symphony, I discuss how to approach a moment of orchestral unison to effectively emphasize a musical line!
Thank you for your time, and never hesitate to reach out regarding private lessons! They’re a blast, and I’ll be working with some new students this upcoming week.
My final video in the series is all about melodic trajectory (or direction). Through Jeremy Soule’s “Nerevar Rising” from The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, I discuss how the rise and fall of your melody can greatly impact its effectiveness. This video marks the 1-year anniversary of starting the series, as well!
From this point forward, I’ll be focusing my attention on Orchestration Station on a bi-weekly basis, as my are on the alternate days! However, if you have any questions regarding game music that hasn’t been covered in this series, by all means let me know, as I’m continually taking students for the future.
Thanks for watching everyone! Hopefully you can make it through all 35 episodes!
thank you!