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Aix and Pains - Theme for a Not-so-imaginary Adventure Game Show
https://on.soundcloud.com/X4bEMJvdYAm4dyI212
There’s a Napoleonic fortress off the West Coast of France that was the location for the long-running adventure game show Fort Boyard. On a trip to the Île d’Aix, the boat circled the fortress while playing the show’s dramatic theme tune. I was inspired to create my own version.
A hybrid workflow between iPad and desktop featuring SWAM brass and woodwinds, Synthmaster and Halion strings, Arturia Augmented Mallets and Pigments bass, Klevgrand OneShot and Native-Instruments percussion with final mixing on Cubase.
The ascending counter-theme in the middle section is my attempt to use Shepard Tones. The significance of the tiger roars is a reference to the show - they guard the fort’s legendary treasure room.
The harp glissando into the key-changed recapitulation of the theme uses the harp from Beathawk’s Baroque Sound Expansion programmed from a Mozaic script I am developing.
Samples from freesound_collective and virtual_vibes.
Just a bit of fun.
Comments
This was a super fun listen! Love that aforementioned key change and just the general vibe and energy of this music.
‘Fun’ really is the word for that, nice work! The middle section gave me a 90’s console vibe there.
I knew there was something I loved about this piece of music but couldn't quite place my finger on it. This piece reminds me of mid-to-late 90s videogame music, especially from Nintendo's amazing library of 90s OSTs.
I thought the tiger roars were a motorbike Andy ☹️
I’m a big fan of the Harp in BH and you used it to great effect here.
Another very original and enjoyable track 👌
Thanks both for the listen and enthusiasm in your comments. I’m not (yet) a gamer but in my research on Shepard tones (the illusion of a continuously rising tone / scale) I did find an example of their use in Super Mario 64.
Also my use of an odd meter (5+5+7) is similar to the way Nintendo uses them to create a disorienting effect as found in Mario Kart 8 and Pikmin 4 (so Google tells me).
You guys have great ears and know your genres. I was just throwing in tricks from the Zimmer playbook to add tension. Really appreciate your feedback.
You definitely know your genres too, especially when it comes to breaking down Nintendo OSTs (original soundtracks)! That's phenomenal.
And then "Zimmer playbook"? Did you learn from Hans himself, or was it through intentional listening?
Great musical Saga, frenq
No worries Tony - you’re not the only one - without context you might have thought I was doing a ‘Leader of the Pack’ or ‘In the Summertime’ thing.
It was you that introduced me to the Beathawk harp when you used it in one of your pieces. Took me a while to track down which expansion it was in. The harp might be the oldest known musical instrument but I’m not sure what the logic was for putting it in the Baroque bundle.
Pleased you enjoyed the track. Note to self - people like fun stuff!
Thanks Jim but I can’t claim those skills. I did say it was Google that told me those OSTs used odd meters.
I heard about Shepard tones via modular synth interests and that lead to finding an article about Christopher Nolan films with Hans Zimmer soundtracks. If you search for ‘Zimmer odd meters’ you’ll find plenty of info.
Hadn’t really considered it but yes, saga is such an apt description! Thank you for the listen and comment.
Nice!
Google is definitely a musician's best friend when doing research on things. It's true that those OSTs use odd meters as does Hans Zimmer using the Shepard tone. I love listening to those Nintendo OSTs on the Nintendo Music app. (Yes, I'm a Nintendo gamer since I was young, lol. Got the Nintendo Online membership and a Switch 2.)
Really like the melody. Conveys a strong sense of urgency and uncertainty. I like how the underlying voices change key while the melody remains constant. Everything is very well orchestrated and supports the main theme perfectly.
Last night we watched a movie called “Now You See Me” about a group of magicians called The Four Horsemen. In magic there are usually two parts. The first is the “Pledge” where the magician carefully sets up the audience for a predictable outcome. The second part, the “Prestige”, is something short and completely unexpected and leaves the viewers thinking… what just happened?
This piece reminds me of the Pledge. At the very end, when the ocean waves appear, I’m imagining the Prestige. Something completely unexpected that makes me think… WTF!
Hope you are having a great weekend. We are celebrating The 250th anniversary of Independence Day. The day we rejected tyranny in favor of government by and for the people. Seemed like a good idea in 1776. Although, I think we may have strayed a bit since then. Oh well, overall I can’t complain. I might even smoke a joint before the fireworks. It’s legal where I live, and great source of revenue for politicians and their many good works. Wow… groovy colors, man!
Hi Paul (@paulieworld). Thanks for the listen and thought-provoking comments. Aside from illusions, I’ve read that the template you mention is good for all sorts of writing and it’s about building to the final act. My compositions don’t usually tell a story by first intent but this one does. I didn’t start with a plan - it evolved over the best part of a year. Perhaps I shouldn’t have started with a crashing wave spoiler nor introduced animal roars two-thirds through but one way or the other I seem to have delivered a surprise finish.
The chord changes in the middle section were influenced by Coltrane’s harmonic ideas of moving by descending major thirds (F, Db, A, F). The F minor theme takes on a dreamy major 7th tonality when the root changes to a Db. The ascending counter theme is based on the F minor harmonic scale tweaked to an A natural minor scale for the third change before returning to F minor harmonic to conclude that section. I think this out of the ordinary harmonic movement is behind the uncertainty you’ve picked up on.
There was coverage of your anniversary celebrations here (UK) particularly the heatwave. Pretty hot here too by our standards. Hope you’re keeping hydrated!