Video Game Pianist

Let's identify and examine the compositional techniques used in the Miss Utah 2013 Viral Video Theme! Please refer to the following video and the sheet music!

The theme uses a repeating harmonic progression that is somewhat hypnotic. The chords are b minor i, f# m7 v6/5, GM bVI, and F#M V. The bass goes down by step and forms a tetrachord.

The melody has many ups and downs in its contour. It starts on f# and goes down to b and d, then goes up to d and f#, down to d, up to e, down to c# and a, up to d, and so on. With the melody having many ups and downs, the theme is similar to other quiz music.

For example, the Jeopardy Theme starts on C, then goes up to F, then goes down to C and F, up to C and F, and down to C.

One of the "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" themes starts on c, goes up to e-flat, goes down to d, goes up to e-flat, and then goes down to c. By the way, if one connects the notes on a staff as if connecting the dots, a letter "M" is formed. The "M" could stand for "millions" or "millionaire." Perhaps this theme is a musical crytograph.

The Miss Utah 2013 Viral Video theme is in b dorian. The dorian mode has a calming effect and promotes well-being.

Piano Master Class:

I play the Official PlayStation Used Game Instructional Video Theme!

Let's identify and examine the compositional techniques used in the Official PlayStation Used Game Instructional Video Theme! Please refer to the following video and sheet music!

The opening chord is a C minor seventh chord in first inversion with an added fourth. The added fourth partially negates the sad emotions associated with the minor mode. The seventh suggests a laidback feeling.

There is a surprise when the mode changes from minor to major when the strings start playing a harmonic progression. The harmonic progression is a minor vi7, F Major IV Sus9, C Major I Sus9, and G Major V Sus4. This progression can be looped ad finitum, since G Major can logically go to a minor, and a minor is the first chord of the progression.

The progression goes by once and returns to a minor. In the video I extended the progression to further establish a peaceful mood. The chords do not occur at every quarter note. Instead, the 7/8 meter adds a gentle swaying feeling to the rhythm. The pattern is 3 + 4 and 3 + 5.

Let's identify and examine the compositional techniques Masuda-san uses in the Pokémon Red/Blue Intro Theme to successfully enhance the gameplay and visuals! Please refer to the following video and sheet music.

Masuda-san creates a opening trumpet fanfare that grabs the attention of the listener. Trumpets are associated with the military and battles. The rousing fanfare hints at upcoming Pokémon battles! The length of the track is not too long in order to conserve disk space and urge the player to begin the game!

The valiant and cantabile fanfare begins on the root note, then goes up to the third and then the fifth. As a result, a G major chord is outlined. The next note is a third higher and peakes at an exuberant F. Then there is a chromatic descending line which expresses happiness. The use of the dorian mode makes the theme sound not aggressive but spirited.

In the B section, the B-flat to F descending perfect fourth in B-flat major is reminiscent of the same interval in the Legend of Zelda Overworld Theme.

I play Sting - Fields of Gold [Coins] with a Super Mario influence!

Let's identify and examine the compositional elements in Fields of Gold! The b minor ninth chord contributes a peaceful feeling. With the coin, power-up, and 1-up sound effects, Super Mario enjoys the landscape where no goombas can bother him. Previously in the Super Mario Bros. games it seemed that the whole world was out to get Super Mario. He perservered, overcame the goombas, koopa troopas, lakitus, Bowser, and rescued Princess Peach! Now he is taking a vacation in the fields of gold and enjoying his coin collecting hobby!

The use of the IV-V-I cadence contributes to a feeling of familiarity and normality. There are no Beethovenian chord progressions to shock the listener. Rather, the opposite occurs, and the use of a "normal" harmonic progression is most likely intentional. The IV-V-I progression is like an ostinato. The fields of barley all contain good barley without any surprising weeds growing in the fields!

Let's identify and examine the compositoinal techniques Garry Schyman uses in "Cohen's Masterpiece" to enhance the gameplay and visuals. Please refer to the following audio track and sheet music.

Due to the graphic content and the young demographic that views this channel, I decided against including the game play video. Instead, here is a picture of the game setting (PG-rated): in B-flat minor. In the third movement there is the famous lugubrious B-flat minor funeral march:

Schyman creates tension by emphasizing the dominant pitch of F. He uses F as a pedal note in the bass, and the right hand plays melodic figures centered around F. The melodic figures represent sighs. The F is resolved at measure 4 when the thick chordal passage begins at a forte dynamic. It's like Chopin Etude Op. 10 No. 12 where the beginning starts on the dominant and resolves to the tonic right before the start of the melody proper.

Let's identify and examine the compositional techniques Grant Kirkhope uses in Banjo-Kazooie - Gruntilda's Lair to enhance the gameplay and visuals! Please refer to the following video and sheet music.

Kirkhope incorporates the C-E-flat-D-E-flat-D-C motive from "Teddy Bears' Picnic" into Gruntilda's Lair. This motive complements the Banjo-Kazooie motive of C-G-A-G. The interval directions mirror each other. For instance, C goes down to G, up to A, down to G for the Banjo-Kazooie motive. For the "Teddy Bears' Picnic" motive, C goes up to E-flat, down to D, up to E-flat, down to D, and down to C.

However, the motives contrast in character. The C-G-A-G motive seems more laidback and humorous, while the C-E-flat-D-E-flat-D-C is more sinister and menacing. Kirkhope ingeniously uses motives with similar intervals to have some relation with each other, yet they express contrasting emotions.

I play the Keyboard Cat Theme!

View the original Keyboard Cat video here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J---aiyznGQ

Let's identify and examine the compositional techniques Keyboard Cat uses to successfully play the piano! The Keyboard Cat only uses root chords in the first piece! He is limited to playing one note at a time with each paw. He overcomes his limitation by playing the root, third, and fifth of each chord and thus gives the impression of playing the entire chord. He plays the "G" last note with his telekinesthetic powers while his paws are in midair. He profoundly ends the piece on the dominant.

He has good technique and can probably play "Three Blind Mice" blindfolded.

In the second piece, Keyboard Cat is playing a jazz bassline! He is truly a jazz cat. He sticks out his tongue at all the other jazz pianists, and plans to become the best stride piano player in the world.

Video Game Pianist official site: http://www.videogamepianist.com

I play the "Dramatic Look" Theme. The theme is an excerpt from music composed by John Morris for the movie "Young Frankenstein." Also, special thanks to Mozart, Rachmaninov, and Paganini!

View the "Dramatic Look" video here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Kyi0WNg40

Let's identify the elements that make the "Dramatic Look" theme dramatic! There are only three chords, but there is a lot of meaning in those three chords! There seems to be an intended V to I cadence that is thwarted by the sudden modal change from major to minor. The implied V to I cadence is implied with the G# leading tone in the second chord.

The listener expects the G# to resolve upwards to the A and for the third chord to be A major or minor. However, instead the G# shockingly reverses direction and resolves downards to e minor! It turns out that the G# in the E major chord was only an upwards chromatic neighbor tone to e minor! In this context, the chord progression seems to be IV to I! A IV to I progression usually signifies peace and is known as the "a-men" cadence. However, in this instance the IV to I cadence sounds anything but peaceful.

Let's identify and examine the compositional techniques Grant Kirkhope uses in Banjo-Kazooie - Click-Clock Wood - Summer to successfully enhance the gameplay and visuals! Please refer to the following video and Banjo-Kazooie - Click-Clock Wood - Summer sheet music.

Kirkhope transforms the C-G-A-G motive from the Intro theme into a lilting waltz. The rich harmonies and full chords represent a very warm summer. In the game audio, the trombone plays glissandi in the bass. The glissandi can represent a sort of lazy walk one would take during a hot summer day.

If each measure is felt as one pulse, the tempo is an andante tempo or a regular walking tempo. An andante tempo for a waltz is out of the ordinary. Usually waltzes that are in a major key are faster and livelier. For example, the Chopin Minute Waltz and Grande Waltz Brilliante in E-flat Major are very lively. In Click-Clock Wood - Summer, the andante feeling further heightens the warm weather. It is as if one is not able to dance so quickly due to the heat.

Interspersed between the long notes in the melody are sounds of buzzing bees.