I’d love to see more theories from Celeste, without Lena Raine the game would be a lot less fun plus it’s the only thing which keeps the player sane after failing again and again.
Gusto Formula it’s not that people get frustrated with the game, because 90% of my deaths were my fault. It’s mostly just getting frustrated at myself for making tiny mistakes and struggling to fix them.
Gusto Formula it’s okay to be frustrated at this game. cool if you weren’t, but it’s okay if you were, and it’s not meant to be directed at the game. the gameplay and story are meant to be married through the game’s difficulty. madeline suffers from depression and anxiety, and although these illnesses take many forms, one such is a frustration with oneself for the constant inability to complete a task, paired with self-deprivation and self-doubt. why is this game designed to be hard? it’s the game trying to help you experience that same feeling. you die for the 100th, 1000th, or maybe even the 10000th time, and at least some of us will grow frustrated with ourselves. “I’ve done that right before!” “why do I keep missing this?” and “dumb/stupid me, just do this right!” all are common thoughts as these deaths pair up. some people are fortunate enough to not have experience with chronic or severe acute depression/anxiety, but the game is able to use it’s difficulty to at least stir similar reactions, allowing you to further relate to madeline as a person
@@SillyMakesVids A style of level design meant to introduce a game mechanic. Mario uses it a lot to introduce the gimmick of each new world. Start with a tutorial - a safe way to play around with the mechanic. Then you send the player through a real challenge to prove that they understand it. Then you add a twist - often combining it with a previous mechanic or making you find a new use for it. It ends with a conclusion where you can show off your skills - in Mario, this is generally the run for the flagpole at the end.
I read in an interview that Lena Raine thought the story really resonated with her, and I think emotional resonances are universal and "simple". Like, the game is about climbing a mountain and overcoming depression. The music supports all that without getting in the way.
I agree. these emotional resonances are so universal and simple that they allow people to relate to the story in a wide, wide variety of ways. The popular idea seems to be that Madeline is overcoming body dysmorphia, but the story leaves whatever the "issue" is so vague that any number of issues could work in context. This makes the story incredibly relatable, because of course everyone has some kind of issue. It could be depression, it could be body dysmorphia, it could be literally any personal problem a person can have. The music, the gameplay, the visual art, everything works in tandem with the emotional journey so beautifully.
@@JohnJohnson-yi6jg I think the lead dev has said initially Madeline wasn't even trans, and the dev herself (Maddy) wasn't out as a woman at the time until the Farewell Chapter was made. But the resulting game kind of came about from that initial phase of struggling with your inner self and trying to overcome those monsters inside. I think that's awesome how this piece of art became a reflection of Maddy in a lot of ways, and ends on an optimistic note that even the people who made it found their inner peace and became who they wanted to be. I think this proves that the world needs people with these stories of inner struggles and depression and dysmorphia of any kind need to survive and get their art out there. Celeste is quite the masterpiece of representing the human condition through gameplay, story, and music.
As a trans woman, I never really felt like there was a subtle way of representing the struggles we go through, Celeste really gave me a comfortable feeling knowing that theres a game this meaningful to people who dont even have the same problems as me. I really felt a sense of belonging in this game because I connected with Madeline in knowing "This character went through all of these struggles that I have and came out stronger than before" it also taught me to stop trying to push away or forget about my gender dysphoria, and instead to let it be, even if it tries to barge into my life, eventually it will start to fade. It wont completely fade but maybe enough to live more of my life in ways I havent seen it before. It also made me cry tears of joy, something i havent done in ages. It felt different and freeing, so if anyone reads this, next time you feel like crying tears of any kind of positivity dont hold it back, it feels incredible.
The thing I love about Celeste's soundtrack is that it takes a certain theme, and builds upon it for the rest of the level, building tension, and giving a sense of progression to the player.
Just like the core mechanics, which always gets introduced at the beginning of a level and it will be explored and built up throughout the level(a-side), then summit, b-side and c-side. It's really cool how the music undergoes the same procedure.
The changes in resurrections when the space blocks activate and again when Badeline starts chasing you are two of my most memorable moments in Celeste. Hearing you break that(and more) down is just the best.
One of my favorite changes is the chase sequence at the end of Chapter 3, such amazing energy in the drums had my blood pumping. Such a good soundtrack through and through.
Same, and I dashed through the dream block in unadverted synchronization with the music (which I thought was made to start with that dash) and it was a feeling I cannot describe
Lena Raine is absolutely my favourite composer of all time. This was such a good analysis! The passionate music student inside me is excited. Do wish you name-dropped her though.
@@The_Howler yes, it is. She also made the music for Chicory and helped make the music for deltarune among other projects as well. She's easily my favorite artist currently active the videogame industry. I say that because Koji Kondo is the goat but he's not really active anymore and does more supervising now.
when you watch these technical youtube channels a lot, even though they don't explain their jargon, you eventually understand it. Go to the comments of a video from... idk, PBS Spacetime. So many people are confused. I've watched them for nearly a quarter of my life, so I don't find it as hard to follow along anymore. Well, not to say I don't still get confused sometimes. They like to say "watch this other video first, because this video heavily relies on this other topic." They have chains of vids like that, and I get bored trying to find the first one i'm supposed to watch. ...What a tangent, sorry But yeah. I think it might be sort of similar to how babies learn languages. The meaning of words aren't explained, but they still manage to just... absorb it. 🤷
@@lolsadboi3895 It's been a year since you posted but I just want to say that you make a solid point, thank you for reminding me that understanding these might just be a process of "absorbing".
ive never played the game, and honestly i should. the game looks great, the ost sounds great. this video will probably finally make me pull the trigger
Is there anyone else who can't get enough of "Scattered and Lost?" The way new instruments are added every time you put away a new color of books, and that freaking boss sequence! Probably the main reason why Celestial Resort is my favorite level by far
I was too busy racking up 1400+ on my skull counter for Chapter 3 to pay attention. I'm going back through for the Crystal Hearts, though, and I might be able to stop and listen.
@@t1ff4nyall3nThe first time I played, I died an insane amount of times but loved the music all the while. It's a nice soundtrack. 3B is my second fav of the B sides, right after 5B.
@@magiciansarcana So, I stopped playing about a month after that comment. I got back into the game last month, and by George have I improved. I have beaten 1-8, A and B sides, as well as 1-6 C sides, with less than half the amount of deaths. I love Resurrections (Chapter 2 A side) and Black Midnight (Chapter 2 B/C sides) the most.
@@t1ff4nyall3n Chapter three is an insane difficulty spike, I agree. But when you do go back, it's SO FUN when you feel the improvement. Never even got to the C sides but I'm not in a rush with them tbh. I play for my own enjoyment and on 80% game speed, I'm bad at games and I'm not a masochist. Also, for some reason the chapter two soundtrack never really was my fav. It's solid, I get why ppl like it, I'm just more into stuff like 3Bs soundtrack that gets me hyped every time I hear it 🤷🏻♀️ For the more serious and slower tracks, Fear of the Unknown from Farewell is probably my favorite.
7th AngelAD Clearly, the piano riff filled in for the static A Minor part of this broad compositional idea by arpeggiating an A Minor triad and running down from the fourth to the root. So, you know, exactly what was probably on the tips of all of our tongues.
@@danulas Portal has an excellent soundtrack! Portal 1 has this awesome ambient/drone music. Portal 2, on the other hand, has some super varied synths that perfectly match the feeling of each room, with some throwback to the original game. I really urge you to check out both game's soundtracks
I've been waiting over a year for a Celeste video from you! Lena Raine was a genius on this soundtrack and it's easily in my top 5. The use of theme throughout blows me away and has made me consider a lot about composition that I didn't before. Thanks for making this!
I really like how Badeline's instrument (the sharp synth) gets to play Madeline's melody in the final movement of Reach for the Summit. It's so incredibly sweet, and really drives home how the two finally get along and accept each other.
If you want more music from Lena Raine, she recently put out an album full of tracks for a new game in development, Chicory. Supper Woods is an absolute jam!!
That general advice you gave at the end about maintaining the same patterns throughout a piece really opened up my eyes to why I really like a lot of my favorite music. This exact same phenomenon of completely changing the “feel”/“tone”/“emotion” of a piece while barely modifying the melody (mostly tempo/key changes only) is also employed as a fundamental feature in works such as The Winner Takes It All by ABBA and At The Speed of Light by Dimrain47-the two of which are very different in genre but they both apply the same type of “augmentation/diminution” strategy, and so I regard them both as extremely high-quality and well-crafted music.
i named my character "madelaine" bc that's how i thought her name was spelled/pronounced when i first heard about the game (why? idk). i saw the game give "madeline" as the default name and i was like eh "madelaine" is better. and then i learn that that pronunciation is supposed to be spelled "madeleine" smh...
"the major 7th over the tonic a minor chord immediately instills a sense of anxiety in the listener" This probably was because the doppelgänger for the main character was supposed to represent her anxiety taking a physical form, showing how real it feels for the character.
Yes, the music is beautifully written. Her music establishes a definition of this era of music, bringing it one step closer to perfection. -sincerely Uel
Sounds really similar to the chord progression, tempo, and mood of the 28 Days Later OST. Especially when the synths come in with that piano circa 5:46.
The "lament bass" that this piece uses is a very common technique, and lots of pieces employ it. You'll find loads and loads of examples if you start looking. The important part is *how* the piece uses it.
I loved this aspect of Celeste's OST and only really noticed it when I went to other levels and discovered that they didn't feel "familiar" to me, which is when I really sat down and started listening to it on youtube since I didn't have to care about jumping and dashing around. The third composition idea I mostly heard minor and I'd say that the idea is the minor one but it shifts into major for key moments, like when Madeline fuses with Badeline for the 2nd dash.
Great analysis but I’d like for this to be reposted with the composer’s name in the video and in the description. Credit matters and it feels strange that Lena Raine isn’t mentioned at all.
For real... a 16 minute video scripted, recorded, edited, and posted with no mention of Lena Raine. In any context credit to the composer is necessary... it’s like breaking down the theory of Beethoven’s 5th without mentioning Beethoven’s name at all. In this context Lena is also the performing artist.
And to add insult to injury, when I clicked on this video I had originally assumed Celeste was the name of a composer, not a game. And I saw comments talking about Lena Raine and thought that was the title of the song :)
The way you describe the different part of the track in relation to its context is really great for people who might not have already played the game, good job man I love this game and its soundtrack.
That bit at 7:06 is the same piano bit as the chorus of the main theme from “Grabbed by the Ghoulies” an ol Rare classic from the OG Xbox days. Thanks for reminding me of that, & great video all around
I love music and grew up learning classical piano. I love 8 bit and video game music, and want to compose that type of music at some point. I am so gladthis channel exists!!!
About fucking time that this soundtrack gets more attention. You could probably make a whole series out of it, with the B-side remixes, and the newly released Farewell album, where Lena Raine even has a blog post about the themes used.
Thanks for doing Celeste man, I love this game and soundtrack so much. You really make some great shit. I just wanna say I love and appreciate the amount of effort you put into all of it, so seeing a Celeste video from you in my feed made my day. Keep up the great work man
You’ve done it again! Wonderful breakdown of Lena Raine’s work and what makes this composition so compelling. I am overjoyed you focused on this level specifically as I have highlighted it when addressing human vs. self conflict in the context of teaching middle school humanities classes. Thank you for this!
I dont understand anything about music theory or music in general, I just enjoy music but.. watching these kind of videos where people thoroughly analyze something makes me appreciate, the person behind the creation of that something, a lot more. Great videos!
I'm really glad you made a video on resurrections. I watch a lot of your videos, and my musical knowledge is often a bit too low to understand everything but I still enjoy them a lot, but this time it was different. I LOVE Celeste's soundtrack, and resurrections is probably my favorite of the OST, I'm trying to play it on the piano. I really enjoyed getting more knowledge over the track, this made a lot of sense. Thank you very much !
if I had the money id get on your pattern right away, but as a very poor university composition student I appreciate everything you do and you're one of the best teachers I've got! Albeit only on RUclips, keep up the great work man! You helped me a lot with a recent project, indirectly cause your videos are just so well done and easy to understand. If you don't have a name for your community yet I vote for 8-Bit University. Have a great day and thanks once again!
Dude, pedal + descending chromatic notes ALWAYS get me going creatively when I can't think of anything. Sometimes I'll actually end up ditching some of those chromatic notes, but I always find some kind of cool relationship between chords this way. It's not always a bass pedal, and sometimes it's 2-4 consistent notes instead of 1, but it just creates such an amazing tension. It's indeed absolutely crazy how many different compositions can be based off this exact thing, a serious staple of my style.
Is "pedal" the theoric name for the consistent note/chord over the whole track? I have been looking for that term for a while now cause i also use it a lot
@@elmostachojuanoh Yeah I think pedal point is the proper term, one of my favorite things to do. Sometimes I have to watch out not to eliminate all motion in my track haha, but even having 2-3 can sound great, especially when you later change them to notes that set the same progression apart. I often use them as an opportunity for weird sound design that doesn't sound good when you change notes. This can be due to timbre that's dissonant unless in a specific context, but also arises with fm synths that operate based on absolute pitches rather than ones relative to chosen note, or with tonal delay etc. etc.
Of course you can resample those fm synths and tonal delays etc., but those kinda sounds often suffer from the first problem I described anyway, lot's of Dubstep basses etc. have this property where only some intervals work
I would love more videos on this masterpiece of a game. In particular, I would love an in depth explanation of the final chapter of the story when you're climbing up the entire mountain again, and how the soundtrack is just so exciting and exhilarating.
Oh my god, I JUST realized while listening closely to the difference between the first version of the Old Place-theme and the second, where the piano enters, how the mood switch aligns perfectly with Madeline's anxiety. Version 1: Ominous. Everything is weird and you know nothing about it. You are not sure if you want to look deeper, but you go on anyway. The tunes going up make it sound curious, but it's a frightened version of curious. Version 2: You realize, that this uncertainty is the same fear and anxiousness that is with you literally every single day. It's STILL frightening, but the slow piano going down also sounds a lot like "Yeah, same old." Madeline is unsure about what will happen, but she also is sick of being unsure and afraid. It perfectly sums up anxiety. You are afraid and on alert so much, that at some point you are also pissed off about it and bored by it, while you still can't stop being tense. I love this game so much.
The leitmotif progression of the songs as you go through the levels is what elevates this OST/game to such a masterpiece. Even though the B-side music is great, the fact it doesnt progress/isnt linked to gameplay really makes it much less rich than the regular songs.
So I'm not like a music expert, so I was listening to the intro tune for this channel and I randomly recognized it as a ii V I chord progression and I'm like super happy about that... it's always been kind of difficult for me to comprehend it, but now I get it. Thanks ^_^
I've seen your videos highlighting motif use in various video game series, and I think it'd be interesting to see either the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team or Explorers soundtracks analyzed. There's a lot of great motif and leitmotif use throughout the games (specifically Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky). Thanks for making fantastic content, it's great to see deep dives into the amazing music from some of my favourite games!
I've been waiting for you to do a video on Celeste for a year and a half now and when I saw it in my feed I was so excited! I absolutely adore this game and especially the music in it. Lena Raine did an exemplary job on the soundtrack and I truly hope you can do more videos on it in the future. I'd love to see a video on the new music that came with the DLC, specifically the songs Farwell or Fear of the Unknown.
I've found your channel just recently, and I simply want to tell you that you're doing an amazing job. Not only do you combine two of my favourite hobbies, Video games and music, you do it in such a funny, interesting and visually perfect way, that i just can't stop bingewatching your videos. Keep up! By the way, I would love to see more videos about Dark Souls/Bloodborne on this channel, like an analysis of the theme of the first hunter from Bloodborne. Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 have some of the best video game scores there are, imo.
I've been waiting for this for so long, thank you sooo much! I'm surprised at how much of this I actually knew myself just from messing around trying to play those synth arpeggios on a guitar, what with add9s and descending bass. Although, I completely missed the maj7th at start, which sounds killer. Lena Raine's mastery of motifs shines throughout this soundtrack and Resurrections is one of my favourites, simply because of the Muse-like harmony it has
13:42 slight nuance, no it doenst the music only changes to "awake" after madeline wakes up from the dream - the section shown in the video has a slightly dulled down version of the chase part.
It really is an amazingly constructed soundtrack. The game itself is great but the soundtrack absolutely had me by the balls, from the title screen right until counting down to the final flag at the summit. Great breakdown of the theory as always dude. Thanks for the video.
I know nothing about music theory and couldn't understand half of what you said. But I get what you mean about the E-flat note during the conversation with Badeline. I always noticed this, that it just feels off, in a kind of surreal way. Gives us a teeny little hint that something bad is about to happen (which, in a video game, means something DIFFICULT is about to happen).
CURSE YOU RUclips! I didn't get any notification and the only reason I found out about your new video so soon is because I was coincidentally trying to get ideas for a college paper and was about to look up your superhero/Spiderman video to watch again.
I love this soundtrack. I always listen to First Steps, Dark Magic(the B tape version of Ressurrection) and I now have found the courage to add a 9 minutes track to my playlist. I have zero knowledge on music theory but these videos are really cool to watch.
I love chapter 2 of Celeste because: 1. The way the music just completely changes as soon as the mirror breaks. 2. The first 'boss fight' of the game. 3. The fact that it's all set in a dream and gives subtle hints that this is the case like the text on the sign getting jumbled, the stars looking like they are falling and the the person that calls Madeline has a blurred face.
I’d love to see more theories from Celeste, without Lena Raine the game would be a lot less fun plus it’s the only thing which keeps the player sane after failing again and again.
@@theroboman727 It's less the stress and more the frustration. It *does* get frustrating to die so many times over and over again.
@@mascotvt I died 3200 times in chapter 9 and barely felt frustrated. I just knew it was my fault pretty much every time.
Gusto Formula it’s not that people get frustrated with the game, because 90% of my deaths were my fault. It’s mostly just getting frustrated at myself for making tiny mistakes and struggling to fix them.
Gusto Formula it’s okay to be frustrated at this game. cool if you weren’t, but it’s okay if you were, and it’s not meant to be directed at the game. the gameplay and story are meant to be married through the game’s difficulty. madeline suffers from depression and anxiety, and although these illnesses take many forms, one such is a frustration with oneself for the constant inability to complete a task, paired with self-deprivation and self-doubt. why is this game designed to be hard? it’s the game trying to help you experience that same feeling. you die for the 100th, 1000th, or maybe even the 10000th time, and at least some of us will grow frustrated with ourselves. “I’ve done that right before!” “why do I keep missing this?” and “dumb/stupid me, just do this right!” all are common thoughts as these deaths pair up. some people are fortunate enough to not have experience with chronic or severe acute depression/anxiety, but the game is able to use it’s difficulty to at least stir similar reactions, allowing you to further relate to madeline as a person
@@ThePeaterBeater I only got frustrated at that god dang wind place, it was easier though in a replay of the game though
You've heard of four-step level design. Now get ready for four-step music design.
I've not heard of four-step level design.
@@SillyMakesVids A style of level design meant to introduce a game mechanic. Mario uses it a lot to introduce the gimmick of each new world.
Start with a tutorial - a safe way to play around with the mechanic. Then you send the player through a real challenge to prove that they understand it. Then you add a twist - often combining it with a previous mechanic or making you find a new use for it. It ends with a conclusion where you can show off your skills - in Mario, this is generally the run for the flagpole at the end.
@@benjaminlee985 Great explanation.
@@benjaminlee985 Ceave would be proud...
@@benjaminlee985 basically Mark Brown's guide to Super Mario Maker 2 : ruclips.net/video/Vwj3On5o58U/видео.html
I read in an interview that Lena Raine thought the story really resonated with her, and I think emotional resonances are universal and "simple". Like, the game is about climbing a mountain and overcoming depression. The music supports all that without getting in the way.
Yeah the music goes so well
I agree. these emotional resonances are so universal and simple that they allow people to relate to the story in a wide, wide variety of ways. The popular idea seems to be that Madeline is overcoming body dysmorphia, but the story leaves whatever the "issue" is so vague that any number of issues could work in context. This makes the story incredibly relatable, because of course everyone has some kind of issue. It could be depression, it could be body dysmorphia, it could be literally any personal problem a person can have. The music, the gameplay, the visual art, everything works in tandem with the emotional journey so beautifully.
@@JohnJohnson-yi6jg I think the lead dev has said initially Madeline wasn't even trans, and the dev herself (Maddy) wasn't out as a woman at the time until the Farewell Chapter was made. But the resulting game kind of came about from that initial phase of struggling with your inner self and trying to overcome those monsters inside. I think that's awesome how this piece of art became a reflection of Maddy in a lot of ways, and ends on an optimistic note that even the people who made it found their inner peace and became who they wanted to be.
I think this proves that the world needs people with these stories of inner struggles and depression and dysmorphia of any kind need to survive and get their art out there. Celeste is quite the masterpiece of representing the human condition through gameplay, story, and music.
As a trans woman, I never really felt like there was a subtle way of representing the struggles we go through, Celeste really gave me a comfortable feeling knowing that theres a game this meaningful to people who dont even have the same problems as me. I really felt a sense of belonging in this game because I connected with Madeline in knowing "This character went through all of these struggles that I have and came out stronger than before" it also taught me to stop trying to push away or forget about my gender dysphoria, and instead to let it be, even if it tries to barge into my life, eventually it will start to fade. It wont completely fade but maybe enough to live more of my life in ways I havent seen it before. It also made me cry tears of joy, something i havent done in ages. It felt different and freeing, so if anyone reads this, next time you feel like crying tears of any kind of positivity dont hold it back, it feels incredible.
nice pfp
The thing I love about Celeste's soundtrack is that it takes a certain theme, and builds upon it for the rest of the level, building tension, and giving a sense of progression to the player.
Just like the core mechanics, which always gets introduced at the beginning of a level and it will be explored and built up throughout the level(a-side), then summit, b-side and c-side. It's really cool how the music undergoes the same procedure.
Especially noticeable in the soundtrack for golden ridge
@@chrisgarrett6305 Anxiety Winds and Golden Feathers
The changes in resurrections when the space blocks activate and again when Badeline starts chasing you are two of my most memorable moments in Celeste. Hearing you break that(and more) down is just the best.
the audio cue for the block transformation is outstanding
One of my favorite changes is the chase sequence at the end of Chapter 3, such amazing energy in the drums had my blood pumping. Such a good soundtrack through and through.
Same, and I dashed through the dream block in unadverted synchronization with the music (which I thought was made to start with that dash) and it was a feeling I cannot describe
"...while dodging the doppelgangers that are dogging you."
How long were you working on that line?
Try saying that three times trying to traverse to the top of the mountain
He wrote the entire video because he thought of that line
Just don't Google dogging
"minor Madeleine melody" too
Probs 15 seconds max
Lena Raine is absolutely my favourite composer of all time. This was such a good analysis! The passionate music student inside me is excited.
Do wish you name-dropped her though.
Yeah, it seems kind of unfair compared to all the other video game composers he mentions
Oh yeah, Isn't that the same person who made a music disc track for minecraft? She's good!
@@The_Howler yes, it is. She also made the music for Chicory and helped make the music for deltarune among other projects as well. She's easily my favorite artist currently active the videogame industry.
I say that because Koji Kondo is the goat but he's not really active anymore and does more supervising now.
I’m finally starting to understand all the musical jargon being used in these videos, thanks 8-Bit
when you watch these technical youtube channels a lot, even though they don't explain their jargon, you eventually understand it. Go to the comments of a video from... idk, PBS Spacetime. So many people are confused. I've watched them for nearly a quarter of my life, so I don't find it as hard to follow along anymore. Well, not to say I don't still get confused sometimes. They like to say "watch this other video first, because this video heavily relies on this other topic."
They have chains of vids like that, and I get bored trying to find the first one i'm supposed to watch. ...What a tangent, sorry
But yeah. I think it might be sort of similar to how babies learn languages. The meaning of words aren't explained, but they still manage to just... absorb it.
🤷
@@lolsadboi3895 You explained exactly how I learned music, like a language, just absorb it over time ツ
@@lolsadboi3895 It's been a year since you posted but I just want to say that you make a solid point, thank you for reminding me that understanding these might just be a process of "absorbing".
ive never played the game, and honestly i should. the game looks great, the ost sounds great. this video will probably finally make me pull the trigger
Do it. I was hesitant too, but it’s TOTALLY worth it. In my top ten games for sure
Celeste is the best platformer I've ever played.
EVERYONE deserves to experience this game
It's a _really_ solid platformer, the story is impactful and the characters adorable, and the soundtrack is incredible. Do it.
go for it, this game is much better the the sum of its parts, and as you heard in this video those parts are pretty good too
You don't have to do anything
Is there anyone else who can't get enough of "Scattered and Lost?" The way new instruments are added every time you put away a new color of books, and that freaking boss sequence! Probably the main reason why Celestial Resort is my favorite level by far
... it’s my least favourite :/
I was too busy racking up 1400+ on my skull counter for Chapter 3 to pay attention. I'm going back through for the Crystal Hearts, though, and I might be able to stop and listen.
@@t1ff4nyall3nThe first time I played, I died an insane amount of times but loved the music all the while. It's a nice soundtrack. 3B is my second fav of the B sides, right after 5B.
@@magiciansarcana So, I stopped playing about a month after that comment. I got back into the game last month, and by George have I improved. I have beaten 1-8, A and B sides, as well as 1-6 C sides, with less than half the amount of deaths. I love Resurrections (Chapter 2 A side) and Black Midnight (Chapter 2 B/C sides) the most.
@@t1ff4nyall3n Chapter three is an insane difficulty spike, I agree. But when you do go back, it's SO FUN when you feel the improvement. Never even got to the C sides but I'm not in a rush with them tbh. I play for my own enjoyment and on 80% game speed, I'm bad at games and I'm not a masochist. Also, for some reason the chapter two soundtrack never really was my fav. It's solid, I get why ppl like it, I'm just more into stuff like 3Bs soundtrack that gets me hyped every time I hear it 🤷🏻♀️ For the more serious and slower tracks, Fear of the Unknown from Farewell is probably my favorite.
Lena Raine is seriously in a league of her own. She absolutely killed it with this soundtrack.
"How Celeste takes a little"
Also Celeste: *chapter 9's difficulty and feels*
I haven't beat Chapter 9 yet because it's super difficult so no spoilers please, but the music is great.
@@Number_27 Holy shit the music at the end is golden
PSHHHH 2,000 deaths later and I can safely say EZ
Does chapter 9 have more story content? Or is it just more challenges?
@@ryuail Imagine a super long level thats harder than all the C-sides but also has plot
I don’t know what he’s saying but I liked it.
I think he spoke English...I think.
7th AngelAD Clearly, the piano riff filled in for the static A Minor part of this broad compositional idea by arpeggiating an A Minor triad and running down from the fourth to the root.
So, you know, exactly what was probably on the tips of all of our tongues.
I don't know what your comment means, but I don't like it.
why?
Ok that's it I'm gonna finally play this game
You better, it’s an amazing game
You better tell us what you thought.
One of us! One of us!
How'd you like it?
@@PillowWillow007 it's fantastic. Got it free on epic I'm not quite past the hotel
Celeste is a masterpiece and the score is a huge part of it.
Are there masterpieces of games that have bad music?
@@807D14M0ND5 Portal has almost no music and I consider that game a masterpiece.
@@danulas Good call! Hadn't thought of that
@@danulas Portal has an excellent soundtrack!
Portal 1 has this awesome ambient/drone music.
Portal 2, on the other hand, has some super varied synths that perfectly match the feeling of each room, with some throwback to the original game.
I really urge you to check out both game's soundtracks
@@danulas Although Neotokyo isn't played anymore, but its soundtrack is just an amazing take on Cyberpunk. And it's "free".
I've been waiting over a year for a Celeste video from you! Lena Raine was a genius on this soundtrack and it's easily in my top 5. The use of theme throughout blows me away and has made me consider a lot about composition that I didn't before. Thanks for making this!
Seriously though, how do you make so much variety with so little tools and not make any of it feel obvious or lazy?!
I'm curious what your other top 4 soundtracks are
I really like how Badeline's instrument (the sharp synth) gets to play Madeline's melody in the final movement of Reach for the Summit. It's so incredibly sweet, and really drives home how the two finally get along and accept each other.
If you want more music from Lena Raine, she recently put out an album full of tracks for a new game in development, Chicory. Supper Woods is an absolute jam!!
That general advice you gave at the end about maintaining the same patterns throughout a piece really opened up my eyes to why I really like a lot of my favorite music. This exact same phenomenon of completely changing the “feel”/“tone”/“emotion” of a piece while barely modifying the melody (mostly tempo/key changes only) is also employed as a fundamental feature in works such as The Winner Takes It All by ABBA and At The Speed of Light by Dimrain47-the two of which are very different in genre but they both apply the same type of “augmentation/diminution” strategy, and so I regard them both as extremely high-quality and well-crafted music.
I knew Celeste's soundtrack was good but I didn't think you'd be able to make such a long video based off of only ONE of the songs!
it's more than good
I was just hoping that you drop the composer's name, I think that's important.
Aside from that, great job !
Lena raine
He did mention the composer (Lena Raine) a few times in the video I'm pretty sure
Summit's OST's intro still gives me goosebumps in anticipation of "the climb". So good
I named madeline "adrian" in my first playthrough so badeline would be... *ahem*
*b a d r i a n*
Any name that starts with "A" can be replaced with bad lol
@@sorrychangedmyusername3594 Well, "Ad", anyway
What did rian do
Damn.. Badrian..
i named my character "madelaine" bc that's how i thought her name was spelled/pronounced when i first heard about the game (why? idk). i saw the game give "madeline" as the default name and i was like eh "madelaine" is better. and then i learn that that pronunciation is supposed to be spelled "madeleine" smh...
Thank you, man. I am playing Celeste and the tune for 2nd stage is completely captivating.
This breakdown fills my heart with joy
"the major 7th over the tonic a minor chord immediately instills a sense of anxiety in the listener"
This probably was because the doppelgänger for the main character was supposed to represent her anxiety taking a physical form, showing how real it feels for the character.
I don't think that's just a probably lol
@@jebstuart3162 Oh, it's DEFINITELY not just a probably.
This piece was the reason I bought a digital piano a few months back and I practice every day now :)
Watching an analysis when you know how to play the song is a whole 'nother experience o.o.
Lena did amazing work and Celeste is a masterpiece of composition, there, I said it.
Why would you say something so widely accepted yet so mundane
Yes, the music is beautifully written. Her music establishes a definition of this era of music, bringing it one step closer to perfection. -sincerely Uel
Sounds really similar to the chord progression, tempo, and mood of the 28 Days Later OST.
Especially when the synths come in with that piano circa 5:46.
Sure is, almost exactly.
See: ruclips.net/video/ST2H8FWDvEA/видео.html
The "lament bass" that this piece uses is a very common technique, and lots of pieces employ it. You'll find loads and loads of examples if you start looking. The important part is *how* the piece uses it.
Augmentation and Diminution are something my friend does a lot. Now I finally have a name for it. Thanks! 👍
I'm so glad you finally did this game, it has one of my favorite indie soundtracks of all time, which was made even better with Chapter 9
I love Celestes music, especially resurrections. I could already kind of tell what things were but it's nice to hae it spelled out...
I loved this aspect of Celeste's OST and only really noticed it when I went to other levels and discovered that they didn't feel "familiar" to me, which is when I really sat down and started listening to it on youtube since I didn't have to care about jumping and dashing around.
The third composition idea I mostly heard minor and I'd say that the idea is the minor one but it shifts into major for key moments, like when Madeline fuses with Badeline for the 2nd dash.
I gotta say, this 'music' thing looks pretty cool
Yeah it's pretty neat
Indeed, it certainly is rather dope.
Agreed, it's rather pretty.
Certainly, it's quite great.
Surely, it's kind of cool.
And that is why this is my favorite of all the ost of this game
Yes finally, I have been waiting for you to cover Celeste! We need more!
I'm so glad you did this video, Resurrections is my favorite song in the soundtrack and seeing it broken down like this in a video is amazing
Thank you for stating the ideas at the end that helps a lot.
Great analysis but I’d like for this to be reposted with the composer’s name in the video and in the description. Credit matters and it feels strange that Lena Raine isn’t mentioned at all.
She reportedly has become tired of being associated with the game. That could be why she's not referenced in this video.
She's in the description now tho
@@reillywalker195 Really? How so? It seems she receives nothing but praise for her work on Celeste's Soundtrack
@@reillywalker195 I feel like this is bs
@@dizzyhungry The pinned tweet on her Twitter is about her work on Celeste and celebrating the 3rd anniversary, so yeah.
Man, i don't know how the heck you manage to make a video on a game as soon as i finish it but please never stop
How did you make this video without naming the composer even once? Not even in the description 🤦♂️
Hey wait, yeah, that's a bizarre omission, considering he frequently names the composer on most all of his other videos too.
Nicolás Alvarez especially because Lena Raine put so much of herself into the soundtrack. One of the best video game soundtracks in years.
Nicolás Alvarez Agreed, crediting is necessary here.
For real... a 16 minute video scripted, recorded, edited, and posted with no mention of Lena Raine. In any context credit to the composer is necessary... it’s like breaking down the theory of Beethoven’s 5th without mentioning Beethoven’s name at all. In this context Lena is also the performing artist.
And to add insult to injury, when I clicked on this video I had originally assumed Celeste was the name of a composer, not a game. And I saw comments talking about Lena Raine and thought that was the title of the song :)
Celeste is an amazing experience through and through, and the music is deinitely an intregal part of what makes it work. Beautiful masterpiece.
The way you describe the different part of the track in relation to its context is really great for people who might not have already played the game, good job man I love this game and its soundtrack.
That bit at 7:06 is the same piano bit as the chorus of the main theme from “Grabbed by the Ghoulies” an ol Rare classic from the OG Xbox days. Thanks for reminding me of that, & great video all around
I love music and grew up learning classical piano. I love 8 bit and video game music, and want to compose that type of music at some point. I am so gladthis channel exists!!!
About fucking time that this soundtrack gets more attention. You could probably make a whole series out of it, with the B-side remixes, and the newly released Farewell album, where Lena Raine even has a blog post about the themes used.
I'm not a technical musician. Heck, I'm a percussionist. But seeing any of your videos in my feed just makes me want to learn more about music again
Thanks for doing Celeste man, I love this game and soundtrack so much. You really make some great shit. I just wanna say I love and appreciate the amount of effort you put into all of it, so seeing a Celeste video from you in my feed made my day. Keep up the great work man
It's amazing how many more details you can hear in the harmony or the bass when you're simultaneously watching the note sheets.
I'd love to see you break down a song like "For Whom The Knell Tolls" from Crypt of the Necrodancer.
I've been waiting for you to cover this Games music, it is some of my favorite of all time.
Your content is always amazing and just what any video game professional musician could ever ask for, and for that... THANK YOU!!
You’ve done it again! Wonderful breakdown of Lena Raine’s work and what makes this composition so compelling. I am overjoyed you focused on this level specifically as I have highlighted it when addressing human vs. self conflict in the context of teaching middle school humanities classes. Thank you for this!
I dont understand anything about music theory or music in general, I just enjoy music but.. watching these kind of videos where people thoroughly analyze something makes me appreciate, the person behind the creation of that something, a lot more. Great videos!
yesss, i've been wanting you to make a video on celeste for so long
Been way too long since I’ve watched one of these videos it feels so good to learn and understand how these compositions are made
I'm really glad you made a video on resurrections. I watch a lot of your videos, and my musical knowledge is often a bit too low to understand everything but I still enjoy them a lot, but this time it was different. I LOVE Celeste's soundtrack, and resurrections is probably my favorite of the OST, I'm trying to play it on the piano. I really enjoyed getting more knowledge over the track, this made a lot of sense. Thank you very much !
if I had the money id get on your pattern right away, but as a very poor university composition student I appreciate everything you do and you're one of the best teachers I've got! Albeit only on RUclips, keep up the great work man! You helped me a lot with a recent project, indirectly cause your videos are just so well done and easy to understand. If you don't have a name for your community yet I vote for 8-Bit University. Have a great day and thanks once again!
AHHHHH YOU FINALLY MADE A VIDEO ON MY FAVORITE PLATFORMER
Dude, pedal + descending chromatic notes ALWAYS get me going creatively when I can't think of anything. Sometimes I'll actually end up ditching some of those chromatic notes, but I always find some kind of cool relationship between chords this way. It's not always a bass pedal, and sometimes it's 2-4 consistent notes instead of 1, but it just creates such an amazing tension. It's indeed absolutely crazy how many different compositions can be based off this exact thing, a serious staple of my style.
Is "pedal" the theoric name for the consistent note/chord over the whole track? I have been looking for that term for a while now cause i also use it a lot
@@elmostachojuanoh Yeah I think pedal point is the proper term, one of my favorite things to do. Sometimes I have to watch out not to eliminate all motion in my track haha, but even having 2-3 can sound great, especially when you later change them to notes that set the same progression apart.
I often use them as an opportunity for weird sound design that doesn't sound good when you change notes. This can be due to timbre that's dissonant unless in a specific context, but also arises with fm synths that operate based on absolute pitches rather than ones relative to chosen note, or with tonal delay etc. etc.
Of course you can resample those fm synths and tonal delays etc., but those kinda sounds often suffer from the first problem I described anyway, lot's of Dubstep basses etc. have this property where only some intervals work
celeste is seriously the best gaming soundtrack of all time, i have yet to find another soundtrack so heartfelt and so in tune with the game
I would love more videos on this masterpiece of a game. In particular, I would love an in depth explanation of the final chapter of the story when you're climbing up the entire mountain again, and how the soundtrack is just so exciting and exhilarating.
Wonderfully pleasing video! If you make another Celeste one, I shall have to subject myself to the chills yet again.
Oh my god, I JUST realized while listening closely to the difference between the first version of the Old Place-theme and the second, where the piano enters, how the mood switch aligns perfectly with Madeline's anxiety.
Version 1: Ominous. Everything is weird and you know nothing about it. You are not sure if you want to look deeper, but you go on anyway. The tunes going up make it sound curious, but it's a frightened version of curious.
Version 2: You realize, that this uncertainty is the same fear and anxiousness that is with you literally every single day. It's STILL frightening, but the slow piano going down also sounds a lot like "Yeah, same old." Madeline is unsure about what will happen, but she also is sick of being unsure and afraid.
It perfectly sums up anxiety. You are afraid and on alert so much, that at some point you are also pissed off about it and bored by it, while you still can't stop being tense.
I love this game so much.
Finally someone made a video on Lena's music! It's genius!
Awesome video! Been waiting for someone to analyze Celeste's music. Please do more!
The leitmotif progression of the songs as you go through the levels is what elevates this OST/game to such a masterpiece. Even though the B-side music is great, the fact it doesnt progress/isnt linked to gameplay really makes it much less rich than the regular songs.
I’m currently learning this song in the piano. Great video!
I love this soundtrack as a whole and yet I can tell you individually my favourite two or three notes in it
I've been waiting to complete celeste to watch this video and boy, both were great
It was my favorite chapter and music is clearly a great work ! Thanks for this video !!
When the piano accompaniment comes in I really get a 28 Days Later, John Murphy - In The House kind of vibe. Very cool!
So I'm not like a music expert, so I was listening to the intro tune for this channel and I randomly recognized it as a ii V I chord progression and I'm like super happy about that... it's always been kind of difficult for me to comprehend it, but now I get it. Thanks ^_^
I've seen your videos highlighting motif use in various video game series, and I think it'd be interesting to see either the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team or Explorers soundtracks analyzed. There's a lot of great motif and leitmotif use throughout the games (specifically Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky).
Thanks for making fantastic content, it's great to see deep dives into the amazing music from some of my favourite games!
Great video! Lena Raine is such a skilled composer...
I've been waiting for you to do a video on Celeste for a year and a half now and when I saw it in my feed I was so excited! I absolutely adore this game and especially the music in it. Lena Raine did an exemplary job on the soundtrack and I truly hope you can do more videos on it in the future. I'd love to see a video on the new music that came with the DLC, specifically the songs Farwell or Fear of the Unknown.
never played the game but ive been listening to this song for a few months now and this video basically explained why i love it so much, gg lena
Such a great analysis, I am really impressed! Thank you for your work
Haha perfect! I'm just about to finish the last chapter! I'll watch this first thing after! ^_^
I've found your channel just recently, and I simply want to tell you that you're doing an amazing job. Not only do you combine two of my favourite hobbies, Video games and music, you do it in such a funny, interesting and visually perfect way, that i just can't stop bingewatching your videos. Keep up!
By the way, I would love to see more videos about Dark Souls/Bloodborne on this channel, like an analysis of the theme of the first hunter from Bloodborne. Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 have some of the best video game scores there are, imo.
Love Celeste, love the soundtrack, what a great analysis! ❤️🎧
I finally got around to playing the game, so I finally came back here. Glad to see it’s about probably my favorite song in the game :)
You are amazing, awesome video!!! Keep the incredible work! Hello from Brazil
Now that I've done the game I can watch this video. And I love it, thank you for the knowledge!
I've been waiting for this for so long, thank you sooo much! I'm surprised at how much of this I actually knew myself just from messing around trying to play those synth arpeggios on a guitar, what with add9s and descending bass. Although, I completely missed the maj7th at start, which sounds killer. Lena Raine's mastery of motifs shines throughout this soundtrack and Resurrections is one of my favourites, simply because of the Muse-like harmony it has
13:42 slight nuance, no it doenst
the music only changes to "awake" after madeline wakes up from the dream - the section shown in the video has a slightly dulled down version of the chase part.
It really is an amazingly constructed soundtrack. The game itself is great but the soundtrack absolutely had me by the balls, from the title screen right until counting down to the final flag at the summit. Great breakdown of the theory as always dude. Thanks for the video.
I know nothing about music theory and couldn't understand half of what you said. But I get what you mean about the E-flat note during the conversation with Badeline. I always noticed this, that it just feels off, in a kind of surreal way. Gives us a teeny little hint that something bad is about to happen (which, in a video game, means something DIFFICULT is about to happen).
Ahhh such an amazing video. I actually go to Berklee so I'll definitely be seeing that big band!!
NICE WORK DUDE
love you as always
CURSE YOU RUclips! I didn't get any notification and the only reason I found out about your new video so soon is because I was coincidentally trying to get ideas for a college paper and was about to look up your superhero/Spiderman video to watch again.
I was just about to beg you to do a Celeste video. Thank you so much for this!
This really helps explain why the music works so well, I'd love to see something on the chapter 9 music!
Nooo, I thought he was gonna talk about the follow up piece 'Awake'
I want more celeste on this channel ...
I love this soundtrack. I always listen to First Steps, Dark Magic(the B tape version of Ressurrection) and I now have found the courage to add a 9 minutes track to my playlist. I have zero knowledge on music theory but these videos are really cool to watch.
I love chapter 2 of Celeste because:
1. The way the music just completely changes as soon as the mirror breaks.
2. The first 'boss fight' of the game.
3. The fact that it's all set in a dream and gives subtle hints that this is the case like the text on the sign getting jumbled, the stars looking like they are falling and the the person that calls Madeline has a blurred face.
This is easily the most captivating channel about a topic in which I know nothing
I've been waiting for this episode for literal years!!!
Really appreciate this. Recently I have been trying to learn how to write music and this helps a lot!
This song is probably the most enjoyable piece of game music I've heard in the last decade. Incredible soundtrack, Lena Raine