Welcome to JRPG Music Theory!
Good afternoon!
Thank you for checking out my little corner of the internet. First thing's first: my name is Jacob Nava, and I love gaming.
Gaming was not my first love, mind you. Since the age of five, I have been noodling with any instrument I could get my hands on. This developed into me eventually going off to college to learn to write and arrange musical compositions. Now, college is be a stressful time for all who embark on the journey, and it is important to unwind once in a while. For me, video games were a means to do just that.
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| Image by: Dustin Bailey - PCGamer |
My (admittedly frequent) relaxation sessions on my bed or couch usually skewed toward story-heavy titles, such as the above-pictured Final Fantasy VI and other such stories of unlikely heroes/heroines banding together against a common threat. I eventually found myself gravitating toward, specifically, Japanese Roll-Playing Games (or JRPGs, for short).
Incidentally, I found myself engrossed in a genre that was well-known for its beautiful soundtracks. My music theory brain could not help but latch onto all the sonic concepts that I had been learning of in my college studies.
Now, I would invite you to learn of some of my favorite musical tropes, motifs, and expressions. We shall do this through the vehicle of gaming -- the very hobby that eased the woes of my endless arranging and composition assignments. We will learn of some of the most expressive composers in the JRPG scene, as well as the tools they use to craft their haunting, beautiful, exciting soundscapes.
You can expect this blog to contain relatively fundamental music theory with sound examples. This blogger assumes the reader has some experience (say, a third-grade recorder class) with music and how it works. If you know the Do Re Mi song from "The Sound of Music," you should be able to follow along!
Of course, feel free to leave any questions in the comments section. I shall do my best to clarify any nebulous language or confusing terminology used here.
Thanks again for checking out this blog! Stay tuned!
Music in gaming is a subject I adore, and I'm always up for learning about it. I'm curious if you're going to be focusing on retro JRPGs like FFVI, or if there's newer titles you have in mind. Do you play FFXIV? Soken, the main composer, does a fantastic job with the soundtrack and he loves a good leitmotif. I believe he also composed the music for FFXVI, although I haven't had the chance to play it myself yet. Looking forward to reading more!
ReplyDeleteI have something like 1400 hours on FFXIV, I think? I definitely enjoyed the music in some of the earlier expansions -- especially Shadowbringers.
DeleteI've admittedly studied older scores more so than newer ones, so I am not sure how contemporary my analyses shall get. We shall see!
I am intrigued! Some of my most memorable music memories come from video games. I hear a few notes from a video game, and it is an immediate nostalgic feeling that takes me back to my childhood of playing Nintendo and PlayStation games. I look forward to learning more in-depth about these music scores! Luckily, I do know the do-re-mi song so I should be in good shape. 😅
ReplyDeleteI'm thrilled to hear about your passion for music in gaming. I never thought about the work that goes into the soundtracks that go into the evolution of game soundtracks. I would definitely like to be updated on your insights. I hope you get a chance to play FFXVI soon and good luck.
ReplyDelete