Hey guys!
In this video we're going to talk about how to write a B theme,
and we're going to use the main theme from Final Fantasy as our guide.
A lot of people come to me and they say "I know how to come up with ideas. I know how
to write my main theme. But then I get stuck. I don't know what to do next."
So that's what we're going to talk about today. Let's go.
So the whole point of even having a B theme is to extend the length of your track, to
have some sort of contrast with your A material, and to give it a more interesting shape overall.
I think before we talk about the music, it makes sense to hear it so let's listen through one time.
So the first thing you want to ask is where do you get your ideas from.
A lot of people think that a B theme needs to be some sort of
brand new melody, something completely different.
When they hear the word "contrast" they think that means opposite,
but really it just means a development, a variation, some sort of change.
I like to think of the melody of a B theme as kind of like the little brother to the A theme.
They may not be exactly alike, but you could pick them out of a crowd.
So what I always like to do when coming up with ideas for my B theme
is go back to my opening two bars, see what motives are in there that I could play with,
that I could develop, and that I could use more of.
So in this case if we go back to the opening theme that Bb to A
really gets my ear as something interesting and something that maybe we could play with.
And then if we go and look at the B theme what we actually have is [music].
I don't think that's a coincidence that we have that long held out note in a second.
Yeah it's stretched out from a half note to a whole note.
The overall idea I think is still there.
So we have that.
Now if you look at that right there, that G-F#-G. That to me looks a lot like that F-E-F
Becomes [music].
So the B theme is getting inspiration from the A theme with this bit right here
and with this other lick right here.
The closer related you can get your A theme and B theme to be I think the better.
So he's got his basic motif material, then how does he decide what to do with it?
Something I think is really interesting about how the A theme and B theme are
actually structured differently is kind of this balance of power.
If you look at the first four bar phrase of the A theme it's very
active in the beginning and then it rests in the last bar.
In the B theme we have the opposite effect.
It's very stable in the first two bars and then it becomes very active towards the end.
I think this is really effective in setting up a contrast when we arrive at the B theme,
and driving us forward both through the B theme and then driving us back into the A.
So harmonically I think the most obvious thing is that it starts on a Bb chord.
We're in the key of F, so that's the IV chord.
It's very common to start your B theme on subdominant harmony because it works.
It feels like motion, it feels like we've moved forward into a new space.
So moving to the IV chord, it's kind of cliche, but it's also dependable.
I don't think you should shy away from doing it.
And then in bar 11 we get this Eb major chord which is the bVII of the key, and it's the first
time in the piece that we have a non-diatonic chord that's not a secondary dominant.
So we really are starting to explore further away harmonically.
He uses the bVII, and then later he even uses the bIII
and the bVI, which are the three main major chords that you can borrow from other modes.
Part of the reason why they work so well in this piece is because of this idea of
major chords from outside the key sounding more major.
So while we might have these F-Bb-F feel, you know, perfectly happy,
very good, but then when we get that Eb it feels very bold and very strong.
And the Ab, also heroic and big.
Back to home.
And again with another Bb will feel kind of plain in comparison.
It's like "OK yeah it's a major chord," but not compared to that bold Ab Eb.
So those harmonies are a great way in a big royal Final Fantasy theme to get a major sound
and still explore some more interesting harmonies.
Arguably the most important part of this theme is measure 16.
It's that half cadence on the C7 chord which is going to lead us back to A.
In a lot of ways the whole point of the B theme is to get us back to the A
and to make it very satisfying.
So you really do want a pretty strong half cadence.
Make us want that A theme to come back and then
when the A theme does come back it should feel like a heroic return.
And it's pretty easy to do you have that V chord.
If you look at the melody we have this following scale.
And the tension is obviously set up to want us to go back home to the F.
So by setting up the tension,
making the return to a very satisfying, you end up with a more satisfying B section.
The way this is structured is pretty simple.
We have that falling second motive that we talked about, which is by a more active statement.
And then that entire thing is moved up just a step.
Rhythmic variations.
It gets turned from a rising scale to a falling scale.
But it's also really effective.
It works.
So to go over the reasons this is such an effective B theme:
He starts on subdominant harmony.
Gets his motivic material from his main theme.
It's a very simple structure; just a four bar phrase and then sequenced up.
And then he ends it on that half cadence,
which really sets up the tension for the return of the A.
So I hope this has been useful for you and that
you can see that writing a B theme is actually not that complicated a thing.
If you have a strong A theme then you're already well set
up to write that B theme that will bring you back to the A.
I'm not saying that the B theme is not important, but the A theme is more important.
And hopefully that actually lightens the burden for you when you're trying to come up with it.
When you realize that it's supposed to be kind of a contrasting
step aside moment of tension before we return to your main material.
Please leave a comment.
Let me know what you think.
Don't forget to like and subscribe and I'll see you in the next one!