Studying Modes in Video Game Music (Noob Theory 7/10) - Pico-8 Music Tutorial #43

In this tutorial, I take three compositions from three video games, and extract some of the modes used to compose them. Hope you enjoy it… it’s definitely one of the most difficult videos I’ve had to produce!

Sonic the Hedgehog, 1-UP Stinger

This is a very simple, short example. If you assemble all of the notes in sequence from the root, you get A Mixolydian (which is the D Major scale, starting on the 5th note).

How do you know what the root is? Sometimes you can figure it out because it’s the first or last note played in a composition (in the bass). The easiest way to find the root though is to use your ears. It’s the note where everything feels stable and resolved. 

The only difference between the Mixolydian scale and the major/Ionian scale is the 7th note. 

• A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G-A (Mixolydian)
• A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G#-A (Ionian)

The distance between the 6th and 7th notes is one semitone (Mixolydian) and one whole tone (Ionian). They sound very similar, but the mixolydian will sound slightly warmer and bluesy. 

Two things to note: The final chord is A-C#-E. These are the 1st, 3rd and 5th degrees of the scale and are usually heard as being the most stable in relation to the root. The melody is also being harmonized using “diatonic 3rds”. Diatonic means “in the key or scale,” and ‘3rds’ refers to the intervals between notes.  I misspoke slightly in the video. In music terminology, the distance/interval between A-C# is a 3rd, but I say they’re “three notes apart,” which isn’t entirely correct.

Fortnite - Club Music

Harmonically, D is the root. If you assemble all of the notes in the first half of the composition you get D Dorian (C major scale starting on the 2nd degree). In the second half, B turns into A#.

• D-E-F-G-A-B-C (D Dorian)
• D-E-F-G-A#-B-C (D Aeolian)

This is a very basic example of ‘modal interchange’ – which basically means using a different scale, but keeping the same root. (Wiki link below)

Zelda: A Link to the Past – Triforce Chamber

This last example uses modes from the C major scale:

• C-D-E-F-G-A-B (C Ionian) (I)
• F-G-A-B-C-D-E (F Lydian) (IV)
• G-A-B-C-D-E-F (G Mixolydian) (V)

Unlike the first two examples, this composition uses modes of the major scale as compliments and embellishments of the home key. The chords built on the 1st, 4th and 5th degrees of the major scale are actually very integral to harmony and tonality. I don’t go into depth about them here, but if you’re writing your own compositions, I’d definitely recommend experimenting with these three modes/chords. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borrowed_chord