In this video, I'm gonna talk about five ways
the composers for "Metroid Dread" created a dark
and sinister atmosphere for the game's soundtrack.
There's hours of music, so to keep it reasonable,
I'm gonna focus on just one track from early in the game,
"Artaria 2."
Let's start at the bottom, with the bass.
With the exception of only four bars,
the entire track is harmonically stuck on C.
(tense music)
We call this a tonic pedal.
Pedal tones are a great way to create a feeling
of being stuck,
and for building anticipation for something to happen.
But at some point, traditionally,
we eventually break out of that static pedal tone
and towards some sort of chord progression or a cadence.
Without any progression,
and without any cadence or harmonic journey,
we end up feeling just stuck in the same place
the entire time.
A lot of times I tell my students
that their music feels harmonically stuck,
especially if they just hang out on the tonic for too long.
If I was writing with the metaphor "dread" in mind,
I think stuck would be exactly what I'd want to go with,
and a tonic pedal is a great way to make you feel
like you aren't getting anywhere.
Another great way they create this feeling of uneasiness
is by constantly slipping between different modes.
The bassline occasionally rises to a D-flat,
which is the flat two degree of the scale,
and that comes from the Phrygian mode,
not our usual natural minor, or Aeolian.
(tense music continues)
The flat 2 makes it especially dark,
because even though that's a sound we've heard before,
we're still conditioned to expect
that natural second scale degree,
because we've heard it so many times before,
so flattening the 2 gives us this extra push of darkness.
Even more interesting is that the string part at 17 seconds
uses a mix of different modes.
At first, it feels like a regular minor
with the first four notes,
but then the D slips to a D-flat.
We also get a G-flat instead of the expected G,
which comes from maybe either the Locrian mode
or a diminished scale.
The flattened fifth is a very dark sound.
(foreboding music)
So it keeps slipping between that D and D-flat,
and we never settle into a specific mode.
And it's even harmonized a fourth below,
so the A is also slipping between A and A-flat.
We're not actually in C Phrygian,
because sometimes we have D-flat and A-flat,
but sometimes we have D natural and A natural.
A similar thing happens in the next section
with the synthesizer.
This time, it's between F and F-sharp.
(eerie electronic music)
Again, giving us this creepy, slippery feeling.
In advanced music theory,
it's definitely possible and common to change between modes,
but this is taking it to another level
where we are never in one place long enough
to feel oriented.
Another way we're disoriented
is the way that certain beats are accented.
We're told that beats one and three are the strongest
and most solid beats of a 4/4 meter,
but if you look at the string part,
you'll see that beat four of the first measure
and beat three and of the second measure,
are what are actually getting the strongest accents.
By emphasizing this syncopated rhythm that doesn't line up
with our strong beats in 4/4,
we have yet another element making us feel unsettled
and uncomfortable.
Next, let's look at this high-synth part
from the beginning of the track.
In general, when you're voicing a chord,
you're told that you should fill in the middle,
so that you don't have these wide gaps
between the upper and lower parts.
Following the harmonic series,
you generally want closer intervals at the top,
wider intervals at the bottom,
but overall, a full sound.
The reason is that a big gap between registers
can make the different lines feel isolated and disconnected,
as if they don't belong together.
But if your character is trapped on a strange planet,
alone and isolated is probably the right feeling to go for.
By using this extreme high register in the synth,
it's not only a mysterious sound,
but really helps make a cold and lonely vibe.
(mysterious music)
(mysterious music rises)
Speaking of the vibe,
the last thing I want to look at is the sound effects.
Except for the occasional woodwind pretending to be a bird,
sound effects are not something you're gonna run into
with Mozart or Beethoven,
and definitely not in a traditional music theory book.
But the sound effects in this track play a huge part
in establishing the mood and atmosphere of the level.
There are falling, sinking sounds
that give you a sick feeling in your stomach.
(sinister music)
There are low grumbles
that sound kind of like the roar of monsters.
(unsettling music)
And there are even pitched sounds,
like a prominent synth that feels like wet pipes,
which goes perfectly for being deep in a cave underground.
(mysterious music)
The effects are not a foreground element in this track,
but their contribution to the mood is significant.
If you like applying music theory to video game music,
check out this video where I talk about how music
from The Legend of Zelda series uses harmonic rhythm
to create different effects.
Thanks for watching, and I will see you in the next one.