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7:09 I beat the entire game not knowing that you don't actually have to start over. (it's infuriating when you learn you wasted hours because of your unknowingness) If, when you lose all your lives, you press start and A simultaneously, you only go back to the beginning of the world.
Tbh, i don't get the statement from the beginning. I never was angry because i heard this melody, i am always angry on myself, because it was my mistake. The melody even eased that feeling. :/ I never heared anyone saying, that this sound makes them angry. If i played it, most laugh even. O.o is that an american thing? Or just you and some people? I don't get that....why focust the frustration of a jungle, that sounds so cartoony?
@@SONGOKU02 I don't get angry at the sound, but it does kill you inside. It's like someone telling you, 'Sorry, you just lost all your progress.' Even though you can restart from the beginning of the world if you know how; which is not made obvious.
Nice video . I don't understand it all but I understand more than I did.. Question have you Ever picked apart the different versions of The Funeral March .. The classic form, the Hollywood version and the Undertaker's Version from WWE. The tune it Haunting an beautiful and powerful. I has a very tight on me.
One thing that wasn't mentioned is that the Db major is the tritone substitution of G major, making the gameover sound STILL a perfect cadence (technically)! Which is pretty wild imo
We were having a little discussion about that elsewhere in the comments. My first thought was tritone sub as well, but the melody complicates that analysis by having a Bb, which undermines a potential implied dominant sound.
@@Kosmokratoncould it not be the Neapolitan chord? The Db is the flattened second and the Ab makes the triad from it? If I'm not mistaken it's often used as an alternative to the 4 minor chord?
@@joeobyrne9348you’re right. Most tritone subs have the flat 7th to get the same tritone as a regular old dominant 5 chord, so really, although there’s a D flat in the bass, it has the same effect as a minor 4 chord.
@joeobyrne9348 the Neopolitan 6th's root is the same the tritone substitution of the V of any key. Yes, the Neo. 6th chord is often played in first inversion, and not as a dominant chord, and is used before the V in the classical canon, but Db is the tritone sub of G, aka bII in C major. I don't think of tritone subs as being a tritone away from the dominant chord, it is much simpler to visualize, for me, as bII of the key or the chord (or key) you are going to. Technical shmechnical, bII is the g.o.a.t.
@Arycke Sure, you can think of it as the flat 2, but if it doesn't have the dominant, it's not really a tritone sub, it's more like modal mixture; tritone sub isn't just about the root, it's also about the function. I'd say the Neopolitan understanding makes sense. Edit: the dominant could be implied, but with the melody it doesn't sound quite right to me, as previously mentioned.
As someone that isn't very fluent in music theory, I love how you're able to teach in a way that anyone with little to no prerequisite knowledge can understand.
It’s good enough that it busted through my ADHD inertia on learning the very very basics. FSR I often find I engage better with a topic if I first see some of the complexity in application that’s possible, which all the very basics just doesn’t cover. It’s kind of ironic because I’ve been playing over 20 years! But it was all about playing others’ compositions in a group - not understanding and analysing the WHY. So some of this theory stuff had me going “so that’s why I always do that” lol
as someone that is higher than averagely fluent in music theory, I hate music theory and think teaching it to anyone with no prerequisite knowledge is a massive mistake and only hinders one’s unique musical capabilities.
@@mapowey I fail to understand how learning music theory can hinder musical capability, can you give any examples of things you have learnt that you wish you hadn't? I've been teaching music for a decade and it's literally only ever helped students to improve. At worst it's been of no use and they haven't used it, knowledge is never a bad thing.
@@Mejoree113 I've met people who felt that learning (or teaching) theory meant learning "rules to follow." Which, while obviously crap, is exactly how my two years of theory requirements were taught in college in the late 90s. The composition students learned tools, the theory classes taught rules and limitations... to what Bach did. 😕 That said, to your point, it doesn't HAVE to be limiting, and shouldn't be limiting... but man, not every theory teacher got that message.
There's a reason why the "lost a life" tune resolves so happily: it's actually a leitmotif from the main overworld theme, and is in fact the last musical phrase of the whole theme before it repeats. This adds to its feeling of "finality".
This is actually a good example of the techniques video game composers used back in the day to fit complex harmony into old game tunes. The removal and prioritization of chord notes explained at 2:40 was pretty much a necessity due to the limitations of console hardware. The NES could only play 3 notes at once (without using up precious memory for samples).
God bless Konji Kondo for putting his passion into this tunes. I’m absolutely certain that the care and skill expressed in the nuance of his music had a huge formative impact on the way I hear things. Every time I look at the stuff that has been in my life since I was a kid, there’s some level of complexity that if removed would change everything but feels so natural that it feels almost diatonic, for lack of a better phrase
It always felt to me it just forces an ending to the music. No matter where you are in the song of the level, it will fit. The 2 note upbeat feels like it's just to quickly end whatever melody was going on and make space for the actual end melody. It's quite brilliant and very fun to tease people with when they ask to play the mario theme. The moment they look away or seem to lose interest you can instantly play the game over theme 😆
I always loved how the original "Lose a Life" and "Game Over" themes have carried through the later games. Like even in Super Mario Galaxy, the entire orchestra comes to a halt just for this simple little tune to play out to sharply shift the tone.
HOLY TRITONE! Charles, the editing on this video is PHENOMENAL! you've just leveled up the game!! Please keep doing what you do and thank you so much for providing us with your content! Much love!
Too many graphics and transitions compared to his earlier stuff IMO. I find it a lot more distracting, but that's just me. Maybe most people prefer this style.
Explaining the concept of diatonic chords, seventh chords a tritone, leading tones, a perfect cadence, a minor plagal cadence and modes (like the Lydian mode) all by using the „Nintendo death cadence“ is another example of the pure genius of Charles Cornell! Keep it coming!
1:41 I've *LITERALLY* been taking guitar lessons since 1993, and even before that I was playing violin in elementary school... and this is THE FIRST TIME I've ever heard someone explain triads like this. I can't tell you how that just blew my mind right now because of how much sense it makes. THANK YOU.
Dang, your teacher should’ve asked if you were schooled on music theory and, if not, given you a brief rundown. Would’ve made the learning process easier. Hopefully it makes your FURTHER learning easier!
That sweet spot between happy and sad(major and minor) is bittersweet. Like the emotion of leaving an old home for a new one, or finishing a good book, or watching a kid you cared for grow up.
I didn’t have memory card for GameCube as a kid so if I game over’d in Super Mario Sunshine, I would lose all progress and have to restart from the beginning. Hearing that jingle made me cry and runaway every time, ESPECIALLY with the clown horns added in at the end. Traumatizing
Holy moly I can’t imagine playing with no memory card. Imagine getting a game over during the final boss with Bowser right before saving Peach with no memory card, and being mocked by those ominous red letters and clown horns before you’re taken ALL the way back to the beginning…
Charles, your production quality is completely off the charts - nevermind your tremendous musical insight. I wanted to pursue doing this kind of analysis video in my native language (german) because I think that german YT is completely lacking this. But I always look to you and Adan Neely and think to myself 'If I even try doing something this great, I am only making a fool of myself.' Thank you for inspiring so many people and for trying to make the perfect video every time!
Honestly so long as your reach doesn’t exceed your grasp, I bet you’d have more to teach than you think! Even basic stuff like a new angle on the circle of fifths or basic tension/resolution can help a lot of people. It’s obviously tempting to compare oneself to lifelong theory experts and feel far worse, I do much the same, but that’s just the middle dip of the Dunning-Kruger curve :)
Also, don't get discouraged if your first videos aren't great, it's going to take some understanding and patience to get to the level of video that you want so just go for it and have fun!
This man is my favorite piano teacher. I've had only mean piano teachers in my life and that discouraged me from pursuing it, I got pretty good at it too. And watching this man soothes me in so many ways
I love how two of you, namely yourself and 8bmt, uploaded/published two RUclips videos about music in Super Mario Bros on the same day. This video is the "game over" theme, while 8bmt's video is the "underground caverns" theme.
There is actually a name for the bII chord, or a Db chord over a C major tonality. It’s called the Neapolitan chord, and can actually be substituted for a regular ii chord as a pre-dominant harmony that leads toward V7. It’s often used in minor keys, but can can also be used in major keys, including as a piece of modal mixture. After all, F minor, the mode from which the minor iv is borrowed, a Db chord can be made with those notes.
I think the Db chord is just a neapolitan chord, meaning the 2nd grade in the minor scale with a lower fundamental. Very common in classical music, only it's usually inverted
Thanks for explaining with such brilliance and humour why there is such a huge dent in my son's desk! As an aside, his high school jazz band played music from Undertale (Toby Fox) - it was fantastic with no smashing of desks.
I'd love to see a video of you looking at the music of the Kingdom Hearts series, and Yoko Shimomura's composition styles! In particular, I recommend songs like Dearly Beloved, Another Side (battle version), Vector To The Heavens, and looking at how the leitmotifs in character themes get referenced in other character themes
As someone who is much "older" I never really got into playing the game, so I never had the adrenaline association with the ending chords that you, as a seven-year-old, might have had. So for me they evoke different motions, from "Oh crap" to remorseful sorrow. A good example of this is the famous piece Bolero by Ravel. It was said that if you played the piece, you could tell who saw what movie first by their expressions, whether it was the movie "10" or the movie "Apocalypse Now." Totally different reactions from two sets of people.
I like how the game over theme still has a hint of hope to it, since if you know the continue code, you can get right back into the action at the world where you died.
"The Mario dying sound is so aggravating because of how happy it is" That reminds me of how Brentalfloss added lyrics to Megan Man 3's Game Over because it sounds too happy to be a Megan Man 3.
So the music that plays at the END of your life is quite similar to the actual “amen” plagal cadence that is sung at the END of many hymns. Pretty clever! Thanks for this enlightening trip down memory lane.
I'm a Lutheran and the old Lutheran Hymnal from 1941 had the hymns always ended with 🎶"AAAAA-meeeeenn"🎶 Not sure if every hymn ended with the amen part.
I once figured out that both notes in a tritone can function alternatively as a 3rd & 7th, and then spent the next 5 minutes just rocking through the 4 chords: the 2 inferred by the tritone and the chords that it wants to lead to. In the example of a G7, B and F want to take you to C, but they also want to take you F#, in which case, the F would technically be E#. It was just such a revelatory moment for me, I wanted to do something with it, to make it go somewhere, but I couldn't, and settled for just being mystified by the sound and the "never-ending cadence," if you will.
I love how you explore pieces of music like this that a lot of people would disregard because they are from games or a cartoons. The video that first drew me in was the Transformers theme. I think I can hear when something is cool or unique, but I don’t know enough about music theory and things like that to know the why behind it, so these videos are fascinating. Keep up the great work!
@graywulf19 I’ve never played it, not even an 80s kid, but I’ve seen it on the Goldbergs. 😂 Murray: why is the dog laughing at me? Adam: (laughs) because you’re terrible! (One of my favorite end scenes 😄) That show is literally why I know so much about the 80s. 😄
Okay, I need to do some math here... I'm 43, and have been dying in Mario since I was 7...36 years of hearing these chords, stuck in my head, losing sleep. I always knew there was something special about it. Thank you. This fascinates me, as a budding songwriter, and long-time guitarist!😂❤
You have the incredible ability to explain music in a simple and awesome way. I learn or reflect on something in every single video. Congrats and keep the awesome work!
It's also interesting how they subtly changed the game over theme in the version for Super Mario All Stars. An extra part comes in when it goes to the IV chord, adding the major seventh to that, then it goes down a half step to add a ninth to the bII chord. And of course those notes are also the major and minor thirds to the key of C. Combined with the tempo slowing down a bit towards the end, it definitely gives it even more of a finalised, game over sort of sound.
I know next to nothing about music theory and yet I was absolutely captivated by this ENTIRE video with complete focus and learnt so much from this alone. Absolutely fascinating and brilliantly explained in a way that is understandable but also specific and technical language that describes each aspect in such eloquence and detail. Fantastic. Also, I think this shows how much respect musicians have for the creators of music. It’s also fascinating (and humbling) to notice how much thought went into the writing of the music for the Mario themes, just brilliant attention to detail that most of the world won’t ever be able to fully appreciate until seeing something like this. Just brilliant.
It may be late in the spooky season, but the vibe of Over the Garden Wall is just autumnal in spirit. Would definitely be cool if you checked out some of those songs to review.
Reminds me of the 'Shave and a Haircut, 2 Bob' tune. Always thought my reaction was _because_ it played when I died in Mario, interesting to find out that it was _trying_ to do that. Love the way you explain things, I'm a 50-year old musician and felt like, as far as composition was concerned, I was getting stuck in a major/minor rut, watching your breakdowns of music has helped me remember that sometimes those 'weird' combinations are what make a tune unique.
Hey Charles, you should take a look at the score for the amazing TV show Tales From The Loop. The show is based on an adult picture book by Simon Stahlenhag, but the music is really simple yet a beautiful score
I loved the original Super Mario Bros music 🎶 deeply BUT Mario Bros 2 & 3 had the dopest music that anyone from that Era will immediately recognize it when heard. Thanks for the nostalgic breakdown of this classic game 🎮
This is a great exercise in context. You can land at the same destination, but two different journeys completely transform the mood you carry on arrival.
I love this because are helping understand why I’ve loved these pieces so much. And you’re helping me put names to other progressions that I’ve seen repeated (namely the minor plagal cadence - I have spotted that in songs and have developed pieces myself that use that, but didn’t even know it had a name). Thanks!
I am EXACTLY the same with how much I love the minor IV resolving to I, so glad to hear someone else out there that loves that beautiful sad/happy progression as much as I do!
I learned during the pandemic about the money chord, it's the minor IV add 6, before resolving to I , I heard Claude Debussy used that often, it's very dramatic instead of the V resolving to I The minor IV add 6 is also the same as the minor II b5 add 7
I remember singing a piece that had 8 parts (SSAATTBB), and we were singing a very heavy, minor section. It was very easy when that section started moving towards resolution and started to release - when the A2s sang the first major third. We were all excited, of course, because how often do altos get a moment like that! 😆
Interesting, I studied for years in a tonal language only (because conservatory things), and we would have called that a napolitan second (I'm translating it directly from Spanish, so that could be wrong). It's exactly the same chord in the context of C major, but it would be in the first inversion and it has a subdominant function, so it would resolve in the dominant.
I really appreciate this video. I have a hard time keeping straight the starting note of different modes. You did a really good job teaching that in this video. I know you did a video a while back showing the different modes, but I would love to see a new version that helps show the modes by what note gets changed as well as which starting note each modes uses would be really helpful. I always struggle in figuring out which mode I am going to use and the order of the chords for making my music.
I have 3 adult children in my house and they all turned red and started to find things to throw at me as this video started. Thanks for explaining the workings of these simple cadences.
I love your passion for music. I have some knowledge (of major, minor, and seventh chords... that's it really), and it's really nice to see childhood music being analysed in this way. Easily worth a sub.
Great content as always, Charles. I taught myself to play piano learning music from Super Mario Bros. so, this video really hits home. It's cool to revisit it years later to really understand why I found it so compelling. Thank you, Koji Kondo!
I have the same thing with super mario sunshine, when you run out of lives, it does the exact same jingle except it keeps going and finishes the melody, and it's the most INFURIATING thing when you forgot how many lives you had and you hear it resolve
I remember Grant Kirkhope (american composer who worked on a mario game back in 2017) said he actually wrote the game over theme incorrectly the first time, was corrected by overseers and was sent the sheet music of this theme from Nintendo. I wonder if the mistake he made was assuming the Db major was f minor like you pointed out here? Interesting video, I never put much thought into these short jingles at all!
Super interesting & educational video. Youre able to explain musical concepts in a way that makes them easy to understand. I very much enjoyed this one. Cheers!
Charles, there is a piece called sleep that is a choir piece with a vevo video for it sung by voces8. Id love if you went through the piece dissecting everything bc some of the harmonies and chords are so unexpected but glorious. Its masterful work and i think you would love it. It is by Eric Whitacre incase you need more specificity.
Thank you for explaining the basics of music theory so that anyone can enjoy it. I always love your videos but sometimes don’t have the prerequisite-knowledge, which you gave in this video.
I really liked this video! Always love when you pick up unexpected things to analyze. As for the Fmin VS DbMaj7, I would say the DbMaj7 sounds darker to my ear. If I had to guess why, I’d say it’s because you’re introducing a chord with more notes outside of the key. The F-Fmin introduces one out of key note (Ab) while DbMaj7 introduces two (Db and Ab). That and you would probably be borrowing the chord from the parallel Phrygian key which is darker than the the parallel minor key implied by just the Fmin. Just my thoughts though!
I'd say that in a sense, Db is darker than F minor because Db is significantly more distant from c major (key signature-wise), thus making it a more striking and arresting transition. (distant = dark)
I would argue that what makes the "Lose a Life" tune illicit frustration is what precedes it: the immediate jumbled sound that plays when Mario gets hit when he's small, whenever he falls down a hole, or when he runs out of time... which is equally stressful. The "Lose a Life" sound signals that, no matter how much progress the player has made in Super Mario Bros., they still messed up and need to try again.
I would describe this as a tritone sub, especially since both the Cb in Db7 and the C in Fm are not played... leaves it a little ambiguous, which is kinda cool!
What started out simpler with definitions of I V chords suddenly went wayyyyy deeper with plagal cadences! This is why we ALL lived SMB. Also, the rage issues were not yours alone. :)
Holy sht, I've just finished watching another music-related channel's (8-bit Music Theory) analysis of the Mario's super-weird Underground Theme, and literally on the same day Charles drops this. I couldn't be happier today.
I learn chord progression and ways to resolve chords at a young age, like the standard V-I, IV-V-I, IV-I-IV-I, etc. and it was actually my most favorite thing about music theory. Sadly dropping music for so long has erased most of the memory. I hope you can make some videos about ways to resolve chords in the future.
7:09 Unless you were one of those people who knew that holding A & pressing Start on the title screen after Game Over would let you continue from that World’s first level.
I'd love to see you dive into the theme song from Star Trek Next Generation. I've thoroughly enjoyed everything of yours I've seen, especially the nostalgic stuff! Cheers!
Regarding which chord is darker, Fm or Db, this sort of quandary comes up all the time with modal exchange chords. For example, consider a half diminished chord. That should be the darkest possible chord in a major scale, because it’s the closest to a diminished chord you can get, it has the thirds smooshed to the left the most you can do. Yet if you consider a #4 half diminished chord, one o& the most common modal exchange chords, it has a bright sound, because in the context of you home scale, you’re brightening the fourth. E.g. in C, F A C E becomes F# A C E. In the example you asked about, Fmn and Db major Lydian are in the same key, but a Major Lydian chord has a brighter sound than an F minor chord, but depending upon how you voiced the F minor chord (this especially happens in F Aeolian), it could just sound like an Db major chord with the third in the bass, an inversion, so the answer could be, as to which is darker, it may depend upon how you voice the chord.
Wow my dude, this was cool, I always knew that Nintendo did some cool stuff with music, but I had no idea it went this far, through this I noticed how at the end of every Mario games credits when they end the song they tend to end on that more positive major note than that dissonance they create on the game over. Thanks for giving me something awesome to listen too. 👍 +1 subscribe
Just one day remaining to take advantage of the Jazz Piano Improv Vol. 1 launch sale!! $19 literally gets you the 200+ page ebook plus 40 downloadable backing tracks! jazzpianoimprov.com/
7:09 I beat the entire game not knowing that you don't actually have to start over. (it's infuriating when you learn you wasted hours because of your unknowingness) If, when you lose all your lives, you press start and A simultaneously, you only go back to the beginning of the world.
Why don’t you sell your own merchandise?
Tbh, i don't get the statement from the beginning. I never was angry because i heard this melody, i am always angry on myself, because it was my mistake. The melody even eased that feeling. :/ I never heared anyone saying, that this sound makes them angry. If i played it, most laugh even. O.o is that an american thing? Or just you and some people? I don't get that....why focust the frustration of a jungle, that sounds so cartoony?
@@SONGOKU02 I don't get angry at the sound, but it does kill you inside. It's like someone telling you, 'Sorry, you just lost all your progress.' Even though you can restart from the beginning of the world if you know how; which is not made obvious.
Nice video . I don't understand it all but I understand more than I did.. Question have you Ever picked apart the different versions of The Funeral March .. The classic form, the Hollywood version and the Undertaker's Version from WWE. The tune it Haunting an beautiful and powerful. I has a very tight on me.
One thing that wasn't mentioned is that the Db major is the tritone substitution of G major, making the gameover sound STILL a perfect cadence (technically)! Which is pretty wild imo
We were having a little discussion about that elsewhere in the comments. My first thought was tritone sub as well, but the melody complicates that analysis by having a Bb, which undermines a potential implied dominant sound.
@@Kosmokratoncould it not be the Neapolitan chord? The Db is the flattened second and the Ab makes the triad from it? If I'm not mistaken it's often used as an alternative to the 4 minor chord?
@@joeobyrne9348you’re right. Most tritone subs have the flat 7th to get the same tritone as a regular old dominant 5 chord, so really, although there’s a D flat in the bass, it has the same effect as a minor 4 chord.
@joeobyrne9348 the Neopolitan 6th's root is the same the tritone substitution of the V of any key. Yes, the Neo. 6th chord is often played in first inversion, and not as a dominant chord, and is used before the V in the classical canon, but Db is the tritone sub of G, aka bII in C major. I don't think of tritone subs as being a tritone away from the dominant chord, it is much simpler to visualize, for me, as bII of the key or the chord (or key) you are going to.
Technical shmechnical, bII is the g.o.a.t.
@Arycke Sure, you can think of it as the flat 2, but if it doesn't have the dominant, it's not really a tritone sub, it's more like modal mixture; tritone sub isn't just about the root, it's also about the function. I'd say the Neopolitan understanding makes sense.
Edit: the dominant could be implied, but with the melody it doesn't sound quite right to me, as previously mentioned.
As someone that isn't very fluent in music theory, I love how you're able to teach in a way that anyone with little to no prerequisite knowledge can understand.
It’s good enough that it busted through my ADHD inertia on learning the very very basics. FSR I often find I engage better with a topic if I first see some of the complexity in application that’s possible, which all the very basics just doesn’t cover.
It’s kind of ironic because I’ve been playing over 20 years! But it was all about playing others’ compositions in a group - not understanding and analysing the WHY. So some of this theory stuff had me going “so that’s why I always do that” lol
as someone that is higher than averagely fluent in music theory, I hate music theory and think teaching it to anyone with no prerequisite knowledge is a massive mistake and only hinders one’s unique musical capabilities.
@@mapowey I fail to understand how learning music theory can hinder musical capability, can you give any examples of things you have learnt that you wish you hadn't? I've been teaching music for a decade and it's literally only ever helped students to improve. At worst it's been of no use and they haven't used it, knowledge is never a bad thing.
@@Mejoree113 I've met people who felt that learning (or teaching) theory meant learning "rules to follow." Which, while obviously crap, is exactly how my two years of theory requirements were taught in college in the late 90s. The composition students learned tools, the theory classes taught rules and limitations... to what Bach did. 😕
That said, to your point, it doesn't HAVE to be limiting, and shouldn't be limiting... but man, not every theory teacher got that message.
@@DustinKreidler This is exactly the thing, and well put, it's not theory or knowledge that is limiting, but simply bad teachers.
The added 'bicycle horn honk' from Mario Sunshine really grinds the salt into the wound
that was the one thing that got me upset in Sunshine >:'(
In mario 64 you just die with a not-so-friendly animation if you think about it, like drowning
Even to this day, Sunshine’s Losing a Life and Game Over themes sound extra harsh and mocking because of those bicycle horns.
This explains so much about my feelings on that damn game over theme lmfao. So fun until you're ACTUALLY PLAYING
There's a reason why the "lost a life" tune resolves so happily: it's actually a leitmotif from the main overworld theme, and is in fact the last musical phrase of the whole theme before it repeats. This adds to its feeling of "finality".
This is actually a good example of the techniques video game composers used back in the day to fit complex harmony into old game tunes. The removal and prioritization of chord notes explained at 2:40 was pretty much a necessity due to the limitations of console hardware. The NES could only play 3 notes at once (without using up precious memory for samples).
Humanity gets quite a lot of milage out of 3 notes at a time! :D
unless you're Neil Baldwin
Musicians: Dying in Mario is a great lesson in resolving chords
Gamers: Dying in Mario is a great lesson in resolve
Mario: Mario is a great
Actual Mario: WHAAAAaaaaaa...😢
thanks for this comment; made me smile today :)
Giana... Hey let's tell that my sis', maybe we can do something with all that data.
Luigi: Mario?
Bowser: Dy Mario
God bless Konji Kondo for putting his passion into this tunes. I’m absolutely certain that the care and skill expressed in the nuance of his music had a huge formative impact on the way I hear things. Every time I look at the stuff that has been in my life since I was a kid, there’s some level of complexity that if removed would change everything but feels so natural that it feels almost diatonic, for lack of a better phrase
It always felt to me it just forces an ending to the music. No matter where you are in the song of the level, it will fit. The 2 note upbeat feels like it's just to quickly end whatever melody was going on and make space for the actual end melody. It's quite brilliant and very fun to tease people with when they ask to play the mario theme. The moment they look away or seem to lose interest you can instantly play the game over theme 😆
the death sting really is just an excerpt from the theme with a slight rhythm variation
your feelings are irrational
I always loved how the original "Lose a Life" and "Game Over" themes have carried through the later games. Like even in Super Mario Galaxy, the entire orchestra comes to a halt just for this simple little tune to play out to sharply shift the tone.
Galaxy 2 was my first Mario game. That’s a beautiful way of describing how uncanny getting a game over in that game felt
your feelings were irrational
I listened to this and broke my phone, luckily I kept coming back to this video for more
HOLY TRITONE! Charles, the editing on this video is PHENOMENAL! you've just leveled up the game!! Please keep doing what you do and thank you so much for providing us with your content! Much love!
holy tritone
Too many graphics and transitions compared to his earlier stuff IMO. I find it a lot more distracting, but that's just me. Maybe most people prefer this style.
Explaining the concept of diatonic chords, seventh chords a tritone, leading tones, a perfect cadence, a minor plagal cadence and modes (like the Lydian mode) all by using the „Nintendo death cadence“ is another example of the pure genius of Charles Cornell! Keep it coming!
1:41 I've *LITERALLY* been taking guitar lessons since 1993, and even before that I was playing violin in elementary school... and this is THE FIRST TIME I've ever heard someone explain triads like this. I can't tell you how that just blew my mind right now because of how much sense it makes. THANK YOU.
Dang, your teacher should’ve asked if you were schooled on music theory and, if not, given you a brief rundown. Would’ve made the learning process easier. Hopefully it makes your FURTHER learning easier!
That sweet spot between happy and sad(major and minor) is bittersweet. Like the emotion of leaving an old home for a new one, or finishing a good book, or watching a kid you cared for grow up.
I think this works so well because it basically tells the player “you’re finished” almost encouraging them to just give up
i love how much effort you put into your videos, really proud to see how far you've come!
I didn’t have memory card for GameCube as a kid so if I game over’d in Super Mario Sunshine, I would lose all progress and have to restart from the beginning. Hearing that jingle made me cry and runaway every time, ESPECIALLY with the clown horns added in at the end. Traumatizing
Holy moly I can’t imagine playing with no memory card. Imagine getting a game over during the final boss with Bowser right before saving Peach with no memory card, and being mocked by those ominous red letters and clown horns before you’re taken ALL the way back to the beginning…
@@leilathomas2536 tbh I never really made it past Bianco Hills lol the secret stages destroyed me lol
I really like how the final death song has a sense of melancholy resolution with the final chord
Charles, your production quality is completely off the charts - nevermind your tremendous musical insight. I wanted to pursue doing this kind of analysis video in my native language (german) because I think that german YT is completely lacking this. But I always look to you and Adan Neely and think to myself 'If I even try doing something this great, I am only making a fool of myself.' Thank you for inspiring so many people and for trying to make the perfect video every time!
You should just make a go of it. Do you best, and be inspired! You might just find your own voice and audience with hard work. Best of luck.
You can do it!
Go for it! You'd be helping out music fans who want to practice German at the same time! Viel Glück!
Honestly so long as your reach doesn’t exceed your grasp, I bet you’d have more to teach than you think! Even basic stuff like a new angle on the circle of fifths or basic tension/resolution can help a lot of people.
It’s obviously tempting to compare oneself to lifelong theory experts and feel far worse, I do much the same, but that’s just the middle dip of the Dunning-Kruger curve :)
Also, don't get discouraged if your first videos aren't great, it's going to take some understanding and patience to get to the level of video that you want so just go for it and have fun!
This man is my favorite piano teacher. I've had only mean piano teachers in my life and that discouraged me from pursuing it, I got pretty good at it too. And watching this man soothes me in so many ways
I love how two of you, namely yourself and 8bmt, uploaded/published two RUclips videos about music in Super Mario Bros on the same day. This video is the "game over" theme, while 8bmt's video is the "underground caverns" theme.
There is actually a name for the bII chord, or a Db chord over a C major tonality. It’s called the Neapolitan chord, and can actually be substituted for a regular ii chord as a pre-dominant harmony that leads toward V7. It’s often used in minor keys, but can can also be used in major keys, including as a piece of modal mixture. After all, F minor, the mode from which the minor iv is borrowed, a Db chord can be made with those notes.
I think the Db chord is just a neapolitan chord, meaning the 2nd grade in the minor scale with a lower fundamental. Very common in classical music, only it's usually inverted
Thanks for explaining with such brilliance and humour why there is such a huge dent in my son's desk! As an aside, his high school jazz band played music from Undertale (Toby Fox) - it was fantastic with no smashing of desks.
I'd love to see a video of you looking at the music of the Kingdom Hearts series, and Yoko Shimomura's composition styles!
In particular, I recommend songs like Dearly Beloved, Another Side (battle version), Vector To The Heavens, and looking at how the leitmotifs in character themes get referenced in other character themes
Great suggestion - I love The Consouls' jazz covers of Kingdom Hearts music
As someone who is much "older" I never really got into playing the game, so I never had the adrenaline association with the ending chords that you, as a seven-year-old, might have had. So for me they evoke different motions, from "Oh crap" to remorseful sorrow. A good example of this is the famous piece Bolero by Ravel. It was said that if you played the piece, you could tell who saw what movie first by their expressions, whether it was the movie "10" or the movie "Apocalypse Now." Totally different reactions from two sets of people.
Me, I've heard several dozen performances of Bolero (I love the piece) and have never seen either movie...
This is the best brief explanation I've seen. Something for both the beginner and the non-beginner. Love your channel (and Nebula too)
Just gotta say I'm loving your new format with the mini music theory lessons inserted in. I'm learning a lot more this way, so thank you Charles!
I like how the game over theme still has a hint of hope to it, since if you know the continue code, you can get right back into the action at the world where you died.
"The Mario dying sound is so aggravating because of how happy it is" That reminds me of how Brentalfloss added lyrics to Megan Man 3's Game Over because it sounds too happy to be a Megan Man 3.
Please make a video about Toto 🥰 A band you wouldn't place in Jazz, but actually, many many Jazz chords hidden in their Rock, it's amazing!!
So the music that plays at the END of your life is quite similar to the actual “amen” plagal cadence that is sung at the END of many hymns. Pretty clever! Thanks for this enlightening trip down memory lane.
I'm a Lutheran and the old Lutheran Hymnal from 1941 had the hymns always ended with 🎶"AAAAA-meeeeenn"🎶 Not sure if every hymn ended with the amen part.
I once figured out that both notes in a tritone can function alternatively as a 3rd & 7th, and then spent the next 5 minutes just rocking through the 4 chords: the 2 inferred by the tritone and the chords that it wants to lead to. In the example of a G7, B and F want to take you to C, but they also want to take you F#, in which case, the F would technically be E#. It was just such a revelatory moment for me, I wanted to do something with it, to make it go somewhere, but I couldn't, and settled for just being mystified by the sound and the "never-ending cadence," if you will.
I love how you explore pieces of music like this that a lot of people would disregard because they are from games or a cartoons. The video that first drew me in was the Transformers theme. I think I can hear when something is cool or unique, but I don’t know enough about music theory and things like that to know the why behind it, so these videos are fascinating. Keep up the great work!
This is great, and as always I learned a lot, but the end of Mario wasn't as bad as that sadistic dog from Duck Hunt laughing at you when you failed.
THAT DOG!!! Lol.
@graywulf19 I’ve never played it, not even an 80s kid, but I’ve seen it on the Goldbergs. 😂
Murray: why is the dog laughing at me?
Adam: (laughs) because you’re terrible!
(One of my favorite end scenes 😄)
That show is literally why I know so much about the 80s. 😄
Goddamn, being schooled by Koji Kondo from 1985!
That's how you know the man is a musical genius. Thanks for breaking it down Charles!
Okay, I need to do some math here... I'm 43, and have been dying in Mario since I was 7...36 years of hearing these chords, stuck in my head, losing sleep. I always knew there was something special about it. Thank you. This fascinates me, as a budding songwriter, and long-time guitarist!😂❤
I've never felt so happy to be so undereducated in all my life!
SUCH a great video!
You have the incredible ability to explain music in a simple and awesome way. I learn or reflect on something in every single video. Congrats and keep the awesome work!
Hi, just ordered the Jazz Piano Improve Vol. 1. Can't wait to get into my music again.
It's also interesting how they subtly changed the game over theme in the version for Super Mario All Stars. An extra part comes in when it goes to the IV chord, adding the major seventh to that, then it goes down a half step to add a ninth to the bII chord. And of course those notes are also the major and minor thirds to the key of C. Combined with the tempo slowing down a bit towards the end, it definitely gives it even more of a finalised, game over sort of sound.
I know next to nothing about music theory and yet I was absolutely captivated by this ENTIRE video with complete focus and learnt so much from this alone. Absolutely fascinating and brilliantly explained in a way that is understandable but also specific and technical language that describes each aspect in such eloquence and detail. Fantastic.
Also, I think this shows how much respect musicians have for the creators of music. It’s also fascinating (and humbling) to notice how much thought went into the writing of the music for the Mario themes, just brilliant attention to detail that most of the world won’t ever be able to fully appreciate until seeing something like this. Just brilliant.
Loved the detailed analysis! This music brings tears as it transports me to my childhood..every note l, every chord reminds me of those days.
It may be late in the spooky season, but the vibe of Over the Garden Wall is just autumnal in spirit. Would definitely be cool if you checked out some of those songs to review.
Yessss
I see them dynamic scene changes and crisp as heck closeups!
Our dear Charles has upped his game, same goofyness, superior quality in every bite
Reminds me of the 'Shave and a Haircut, 2 Bob' tune. Always thought my reaction was _because_ it played when I died in Mario, interesting to find out that it was _trying_ to do that.
Love the way you explain things, I'm a 50-year old musician and felt like, as far as composition was concerned, I was getting stuck in a major/minor rut, watching your breakdowns of music has helped me remember that sometimes those 'weird' combinations are what make a tune unique.
Wow, your production quality just jumped up a notch - I'm here for it and love it! Great to see! great video!
Loving this style of videos with multiple sets and shots!!
Its funny how both Charles and 8-Bit Music Theory uploaded a mario brothers video on the same day
Hey Charles, you should take a look at the score for the amazing TV show Tales From The Loop. The show is based on an adult picture book by Simon Stahlenhag, but the music is really simple yet a beautiful score
Anger is a secondary emotion.
I loved the original Super Mario Bros music 🎶 deeply BUT Mario Bros 2 & 3 had the dopest music that anyone from that Era will immediately recognize it when heard. Thanks for the nostalgic breakdown of this classic game 🎮
This is a great exercise in context. You can land at the same destination, but two different journeys completely transform the mood you carry on arrival.
Me and my brother had a Nintendo. That music is embedded in my brain. Thanks for sharing.
I love this music teacher so much! 😭
I love this because are helping understand why I’ve loved these pieces so much. And you’re helping me put names to other progressions that I’ve seen repeated (namely the minor plagal cadence - I have spotted that in songs and have developed pieces myself that use that, but didn’t even know it had a name). Thanks!
I am EXACTLY the same with how much I love the minor IV resolving to I, so glad to hear someone else out there that loves that beautiful sad/happy progression as much as I do!
I learned during the pandemic about the money chord, it's the minor IV add 6, before resolving to I , I heard Claude Debussy used that often, it's very dramatic instead of the V resolving to I
The minor IV add 6 is also the same as the minor II b5 add 7
This is a great video! Easy to understand, entertaining and good info. Gets me at the nostalgic game and music levels.
I remember singing a piece that had 8 parts (SSAATTBB), and we were singing a very heavy, minor section. It was very easy when that section started moving towards resolution and started to release - when the A2s sang the first major third. We were all excited, of course, because how often do altos get a moment like that! 😆
Interesting, I studied for years in a tonal language only (because conservatory things), and we would have called that a napolitan second (I'm translating it directly from Spanish, so that could be wrong). It's exactly the same chord in the context of C major, but it would be in the first inversion and it has a subdominant function, so it would resolve in the dominant.
First thing that came to my mind, too
I really appreciate this video. I have a hard time keeping straight the starting note of different modes. You did a really good job teaching that in this video. I know you did a video a while back showing the different modes, but I would love to see a new version that helps show the modes by what note gets changed as well as which starting note each modes uses would be really helpful. I always struggle in figuring out which mode I am going to use and the order of the chords for making my music.
Great video man. That chord you mentioned (the bII) could also be called the Neapolitan chord, right?
I have 3 adult children in my house and they all turned red and started to find things to throw at me as this video started. Thanks for explaining the workings of these simple cadences.
I was today years old when I learned that "game over" starts out as the main theme.
I love your passion for music. I have some knowledge (of major, minor, and seventh chords... that's it really), and it's really nice to see childhood music being analysed in this way. Easily worth a sub.
This is cool! My son (now am adult) loves Mario games, and when he was younger, he used to hum the little tunes from the games.
Great content as always, Charles. I taught myself to play piano learning music from Super Mario Bros. so, this video really hits home. It's cool to revisit it years later to really understand why I found it so compelling. Thank you, Koji Kondo!
I have the same thing with super mario sunshine, when you run out of lives, it does the exact same jingle except it keeps going and finishes the melody, and it's the most INFURIATING thing when you forgot how many lives you had and you hear it resolve
Thank you for seamlessly integrating musical technical terms and how/why our viscerally emotional responses are triggered per composer design!
I remember Grant Kirkhope (american composer who worked on a mario game back in 2017) said he actually wrote the game over theme incorrectly the first time, was corrected by overseers and was sent the sheet music of this theme from Nintendo.
I wonder if the mistake he made was assuming the Db major was f minor like you pointed out here?
Interesting video, I never put much thought into these short jingles at all!
Super interesting & educational video. Youre able to explain musical concepts in a way that makes them easy to understand. I very much enjoyed this one. Cheers!
Charles, there is a piece called sleep that is a choir piece with a vevo video for it sung by voces8. Id love if you went through the piece dissecting everything bc some of the harmonies and chords are so unexpected but glorious. Its masterful work and i think you would love it. It is by Eric Whitacre incase you need more specificity.
Great vid and very interesting!! 😃 you explained the lydian mode better than my music class did 😆 I know chords and keys but they lost me on modes.
Spyro needs HUGS
@@Margen67 ohhhhkaaaaaayyyyyyy…
(Why do I always get the most random comments like this?)
@@Margen67 the actual dragon or me specifically?
@@DoofenSpyroDragon16the dragon
@@Margen67 true. He also needs a fourth game. Poor dragon ain’t getting any love lately. (Sorry I misunderstood your comment lol)
Thank you for explaining the basics of music theory so that anyone can enjoy it. I always love your videos but sometimes don’t have the prerequisite-knowledge, which you gave in this video.
I really liked this video! Always love when you pick up unexpected things to analyze.
As for the Fmin VS DbMaj7, I would say the DbMaj7 sounds darker to my ear. If I had to guess why, I’d say it’s because you’re introducing a chord with more notes outside of the key. The F-Fmin introduces one out of key note (Ab) while DbMaj7 introduces two (Db and Ab). That and you would probably be borrowing the chord from the parallel Phrygian key which is darker than the the parallel minor key implied by just the Fmin. Just my thoughts though!
I totally agree. Though also Db anything just sounds moodier to my ear, but that might just be the synthesthesia talking!
I'd say that in a sense, Db is darker than F minor because Db is significantly more distant from c major (key signature-wise), thus making it a more striking and arresting transition. (distant = dark)
I would argue that what makes the "Lose a Life" tune illicit frustration is what precedes it: the immediate jumbled sound that plays when Mario gets hit when he's small, whenever he falls down a hole, or when he runs out of time... which is equally stressful. The "Lose a Life" sound signals that, no matter how much progress the player has made in Super Mario Bros., they still messed up and need to try again.
Can we talk about why the 'Sonic is drowning' theme(s) is/are so damn anxiety inducing?
The game over theme in Zelda BoTW and ToTK is depressing instead of irritating.
All I could hear for a lot of this was "putting a spin on ophelia" by egg. Very good twist using that same darker progression.
You should make a video about michael bubles christmas album PLEASE!!!❤
Omg yes! Do it Charles!
YES!!!
Yeah, even tho it's probably under copyright laws, but Charles has been reacting to other copyrighted music as well
Because it also makes me irrationally angry? 😂
Do it charles
I would describe this as a tritone sub, especially since both the Cb in Db7 and the C in Fm are not played... leaves it a little ambiguous, which is kinda cool!
What started out simpler with definitions of I V chords suddenly went wayyyyy deeper with plagal cadences! This is why we ALL lived SMB.
Also, the rage issues were not yours alone. :)
I always interpreted it as a Db7, so its a tritone substitution for the V (G7)
Holy sht, I've just finished watching another music-related channel's (8-bit Music Theory) analysis of the Mario's super-weird Underground Theme, and literally on the same day Charles drops this. I couldn't be happier today.
This breakdown is brilliant. Music is absolutely fascinating.
11:27 This is my favorite line of the video, that is a true music nerd gamer right there (that’s a compliment by the way).
Thank you for this video! 😀🌺
I learn chord progression and ways to resolve chords at a young age, like the standard V-I, IV-V-I, IV-I-IV-I, etc. and it was actually my most favorite thing about music theory. Sadly dropping music for so long has erased most of the memory. I hope you can make some videos about ways to resolve chords in the future.
"The Stupid Mushroom"
It's a Goombah.
I like your funny words, music man.
me, as someone who watched Blues Clues and has a degree in music theory: The 3rd! The 3rd! It’s the note that makes it minor or major!
You’re a terrific teacher
7:09 Unless you were one of those people who knew that holding A & pressing Start on the title screen after Game Over would let you continue from that World’s first level.
I'd love to see you dive into the theme song from Star Trek Next Generation. I've thoroughly enjoyed everything of yours I've seen, especially the nostalgic stuff! Cheers!
Regarding which chord is darker, Fm or Db, this sort of quandary comes up all the time with modal exchange chords. For example, consider a half diminished chord. That should be the darkest possible chord in a major scale, because it’s the closest to a diminished chord you can get, it has the thirds smooshed to the left the most you can do. Yet if you consider a #4 half diminished chord, one o& the most common modal exchange chords, it has a bright sound, because in the context of you home scale, you’re brightening the fourth. E.g. in C, F A C E becomes F# A C E. In the example you asked about, Fmn and Db major Lydian are in the same key, but a Major Lydian chord has a brighter sound than an F minor chord, but depending upon how you voiced the F minor chord (this especially happens in F Aeolian), it could just sound like an Db major chord with the third in the bass, an inversion, so the answer could be, as to which is darker, it may depend upon how you voice the chord.
I never have the slightest clue to what you're talking about but I love your videos!
How the "lose a life" shows how it mocks you or tells you "too bad" when you lose in music.
Wow my dude, this was cool, I always knew that Nintendo did some cool stuff with music, but I had no idea it went this far, through this I noticed how at the end of every Mario games credits when they end the song they tend to end on that more positive major note than that dissonance they create on the game over. Thanks for giving me something awesome to listen too. 👍 +1 subscribe
It never had that effect on me. I always liked the lick.