Music Theory: Mining Melancholy | Donkey Kong Country 2
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- Опубликовано: 7 мар 2022
- A look inside the music theory of DKC2's Mining Melancholy.
Viewer rewards include getting your name in the credits, sheet music library, and vgm soundtrack of the week: / alexyard
Written with: ardklaw
/ ardenklawitter
/ ardklaw
Clips
0:12
Genesis Photograph by Andrew Bossi
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
0:40
Stomp Performance (Brooms) by Stomp / RUclips user WorldMusic
Stomp Live - Part 1 - Brooms
• Stomp Live - Part 1 -...
0:47
Stomp Performance (Newspapers) by Stomp / RUclips user Beatgene
Stomp - Newspapers
• Stomp - newspapers
0:48
Stomp Performance (Kitchen Sinks) by Stomp / RUclips user Jorge Arturo Lona
Stomp Live Part 5 Dishwashers are crazy1
• Stomp Live Part 5 ...
0:50
Stomp Performance (Trash Can Lids) by Stomp / RUclips user StompLondon
STOMP London | Dustbin Lids
• STOMP London | Dustbin...
1:35
Super Mario Bros. 2 Gameplay by RUclips user NoRespawnStudios
Let's Play Super Mario Bros 2 SNES - #1: And so it begins!
• Let's Play Super Mario...
2:58
Muted Bass Palm Mute by RUclips user Daric Bennett’s Bass Lessons
HOW TO PROPERLY PALM MUTE | Bass Guitar Lessons
• HOW TO PROPERLY PALM M...
3:03
Muted Bass Sponge Method by RUclips user Thomann's Guitars & Basses
How to play like James Jamerson | Motown, Marvin Gaye, Funk Brothers | Thomann
• How to play like James...
7:35 & 8:42
David Wise Interview by Rare Ltd.
Rare Revealed: Battletoads - Behind the Music
• Rare Revealed: Battlet...
7:52
Electric Bass Synthesizer Demo by RUclips user Oscar Javierre
Original Roland TB-303 demo
• Original Roland TB-303...
8:02
Bubsy Gameplay by RUclips user NintendoComplete
Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind (SNES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
• Bubsy in Claws Encount...
9:41
Clip from “The Hangover” by Legendary Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures
9:50 & 12:57
Donkey Kong Country 2 Footage by RUclips user xRavenXP
[Longplay] SNES - Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest [102%] (4K, 60FPS)
• [Longplay] SNES - Donk...
11:22
“Workin’ in a Coal Mine” by Devo / RUclips user ClassicVideos80s
Devo - Working In The Coal Mine (1981 on Countdown)
• Devo - Working In The...
12:07
Donkey Kong Country 2 (GBA) Footage by RUclips user Thane Gaming
Donkey Kong Country 2 GBA Longplay
• Donkey Kong Country 2 ...
13:21
French Donkey Kong Country 2 Footage by RUclips user Hooper
Donkey Kong Country 2 - LET'S PLAY FR
• Donkey Kong Country 2 ...
Audio
0:01 & 1:11 & 1:51 & 2:43 & 6:37 & 8:42
Mining Melancholy, Donkey Kong Country 2
Composer: David Wise
1:36
Character Select, Super Mario Bros. 2
Composer: Koji Kondo
1:42
Overworld Theme, Super Mario Bros. 2
Composer: Koji Kondo
2:32
Simian Segue, Donkey Kong Country
Composer: Eveline Fischer
6:22
Ice Cap Act 1, Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Composer: Brad Buxer
8:02
Hill Stream Blues, Bubsy (SNES)
Composer: Matthew Berardo
8:10
Twine Tally, Bubsy (SNES)
Composer: Matthew Berardo
9:04 & 9:25
In the Air Tonight (Arrangement)
Original Composer: Phil Collins, Arrangement: ardklaw
9:14
Bayou Boogie, Donkey Kong Country 2
Composer: David Wise
12:07
Mining Melancholy, Donkey Kong Country 2 (GBA)
Original Composer: David Wise
12:41
In A Snow-Bound Land, Donkey Kong Country 2
Composer: David Wise 
Игры
Thank you very much Alex for your generous words - appreciated.
The composers’ point of view.
Stomp was an inspiration, as were the Drummers of Burundi and of course the legend: Phil Collins
I like dynamic details:
The percussion temporarily uses 5 channels in isolation to introduce the character of the sound.
And as I introduce more instruments, the subtle details disappear, but you can’t ( as a listener ) un-hear the bits that have now been dropped out, to make way for the new instruments.
This is still a good mixing tip: Loose the details in the mix so that the main instrument can shine. And bring the details back to enhance if played in isolation.
As for choosing chords or scales:
It’s all feel: It’s what feels good. It’s never over thought.
The chord progression is directly descended from the opening chord sequence of the jungle theme in DKC1, adapted to fit with the rhythm and idea for the melody.
The chord sequence being dictated by the best use of the instrument, single sample range.
As for the 2nd chord sequence:
Again - it worked with my idea for the melody. And the scale works with both major and minor keys and is a familiar scale for playing the guitar.
The Bass Line
22 Resampled single cycle saw waves, fixed resonance - different cutoffs. Used for bass lines, sweeps, synth arps - uses very little memory - sounds good for the SNES
Arpeggios in this piece are influenced by David Wolinski - who used these kind of arps in many of his amazing records, especially with the band Rufus.
To conclude - listen lots to everything that sounds good, be inspired - but never over-think your composition.
DW
This is absolutely gold. So cool of you to share this insight 🙂
This is like watching a Beethoven's Sonata analysis and then you find the composer on the commentary section S2
David, your masterpiece has made another gamer and drummer cry after all these years.. Thank You very much! ❤️
ruclips.net/video/3zdZNnjVrfg/видео.html This remix of Super Bell Hill is really good and I think has references in it (I heard Mario 3 overworked and Mario land's first level theme)
Alex Yard, slightly off-topic, but are you going to cover Doomsday Zone?
("Mining Melancholy" is one of the only tracks missing from the official OST CD)
_I'll never forgive the Japanese!_
(said CD was actually published by Nintendo of America)
_I'll forgive the Japanese!_
5:42 That was perfect, you bastard
_I know you did that on purpose._
I've never thought of Donkey Kong Country 1&2 music structured as Rock n' Roll. Maybe that's why I love them so much.
Its also structered as ambient music alot of the music has a sort of ambient theme and i would defenitly consider mining melancholy an early example of beat focused ambient music
Most game music up to at least PS1/N64 was composed based on Rock song structures.
Love the video, but as a French speaker, I must say the word you mention also has a meaning in a musical sense. In English it is known as a lament. I think a better translation would be Kannon's Lament, which I think fits the level and music a bit better. He and his crew sing the lament to ease their broken spirits as they toil in the mines.
I was expecting Aquatic Ambience but now I guess there's another atmospheric track for me to listen to.
I love Forest Interlude.
5:43 I like how you timed up that jump attack with the music
Here's a fun fact: the SNES is actually capable of frequency modulation _between two sound channels._ That is, it can modulate the sound playing out of one channel by the sound on a second channel. It's one sound for the cost of two, but it can produce some truly interesting effects. For instance, this is how the wind sound effect in Final Fantasy 3/6 was made to sound so unique!
Damn I didn't know that. That's similar to FM synthesis in a way
@@LukeSly91 that *is* FM synthesis, isn't it?
@@phlubblebubble lol I think you're right
I love how you relate the songs composition to the actual gameplay. Very artistic and satisfying to hear.
Love this theme, especially all the percussion used. It's really amazing how David Wise used all these instruments to get such a full sound despite only using 8 channels.
I just realized a couple years ago that the overworld theme of DKC1 was written by Eveline Fischer,. As her work on DKC3 showed, the upright bass is like her signature instrument (in one of the common photos of her online, there's actually one behind her).
But yeah, thank you so much for making a video about this!! Wise is a musical genius IMO because he thinks outside the box, his Donkey Kong work incorporates atmosphere directly into every theme (i.e. the rhythmic banging of hammers, screams, crickets, etc)
My little brother always liked this song but I never got the appeal. This kind of videos help me to get a new perspective and appreciation on these songs.
Fantastic video dude.
I know very little about music theory but I always love watching these and nodding to myself, pretending I understand more than I do
David Wise is such a great composer, he also did a great job with the OST of the arcade Battletoads game.
Battletoads arcade it's a Gem, a beautyfull forgotten Gem. A very rude gameplay and a fantastic OST.
The downright Magical Rhythm in is song nearly Unparalleled the drums is never enough just hit something in a pattern and hear what happens that's what comes to mind with such a creative folly-based song that isn't just SFX
I've been waiting for this amazing video for a long time, yes!!! Alex Yard + David Wise = Legendary. God bless you
It IS Mining Melancholy/Kannon's Klaim! YES!!! This is another of my absolute all time favorite tracks alongside Dire Dire Docks! It's like you're reading my mind to find my favorites and doing theory on them!
I'm so happy, this has made my day. Thank you so much Alex Yard & Knuckles!
This one of the most creative and thoughtfully made RUclips videos I’ve ever seen. Your clever use of the game’s sprites and graphics to visually compliment what’s going on musically was both amusing and fantastic!
YES BRUH THIS IS LIKE MY FAVORITE SOMG FROM DKC2
Another banger video as usual. I especially like hearing how the limitations of the hardware were worked around. There's a reason these songs, old as they are, left such an impression on us: the passion the composers put into creating them.
Yayy! So excited to watch this! (IT WAS GREAT!!!)
Same!
That drum sound reminds me of the Goldeneye sonar-like sound that the movie and game composer both used.
Love this song!! The DKC series’ soundtrack evokes a lot of emotion to me and it’s just so nostalgic…. David Wise never fails to deliver goosebumps…
Please do more of DKC series soundtrack!!
Awesome video as always!!
4:12 it kinda has a Streets of Rage vibe!
Your Music Theory could as well be named Music Therapy... What an amazing experience! Thanks for extending your universe to SNES!
When I was a kid I never gave much thought to this particular piece of music beyond “this is really good mine music.” I appreciate analyses like this that explain why and how it’s really good.
13:05
On the stream, I hoped for Hot Head Bop, so it's cool that it was refrenced in the video! Great video, I like how you've moved to other games aside from just Sonic 3 (the Sonic 3 videos were great as well).
Clicked on this with the quickness!!!
DKC2 ranks high as one of my all time favorite Video Game OSTs.
Oh when you said you were gonna tackle a DKC2 track I was hoping it'd be this one. DKC2 has such an amazing soundtrack (I like it so much I got a bootleg of it on vinyl) and Mining Melancholy is probably my favorite track. That drum beat is so catchy.
The composer David Wise is a modern age legend!
Your videos are astonishingly insightful and detailed -- not to mention expertly written and edited for visuals. Truly a gem of content.
Having never played this game, this was a super interesting breakdown of a song I'd only heard as background music in videos every now and then. Might have to find a way to play this for myself and experience the song in its full glory. Another great video Alex Yard!
Excellent analysis and editing!
Alex, I just wanna say: THANK YOU SO MUCH for this video!
I was 9 when i first played DCK2, and Mining Melancholy always felt special to me, and still is. To this day, MM accompanys me when i need to concentrate, relax, or just dream away a little. Everytime i find a cover or a restoration, i am exited to listen in.
I do not have a clue about music theory, but your analysis confirmed MM beeing special and helped me to understand why, at least a little.
Also, David Wise, - the man himself! - gave insights in the Top comment, and i cannot express the hype!
This video made my day, my week, and probably more.
Thanks man :)
Thank you so much. Awesome that you had such a connection to this song even back then. It's awesome that the quality of a track like this is universal and not dated at all. David Wise is something special.
This is my favorite vid of yours so far!
The natural miner scale :)
Also love the 303 in there
Edit: he was also inspired by vangelis which the synth vocals in this song remind me of
This video has been worth the wait! Great work as always!
This is such a well made video. I love how you explain your interpretation of all the emotions that the theme tries to portray.
I really dig the miner scale, feels appropriate. 😂
Love this track from DKC 2. My favorite game of all time. Great video, and very interesting / insightful breakdown of the song. You got it from every angle. Fantastic work. I’m glad this popped up in my recommended.
I enjoy these videos very much. Thank you.
Your channel ain't gonna stay this obscure for long. As usual, amazing detailed stuff. Thank you for the work you do!
Great video! Really loved the addition of showing how muted bass works, as well as offering some insight into how SNES hardware produces music.
My god, your videos should have 10x more the views. You are amazing exposing the theory behind it and the feeling about it. Simply perfect! :D
You know, it's funny that you mentioned David wise and Phil Collins in the same breath. About 10 or 12 years ago, someone made a mashup between in the air tonight and the songs that you mentioned from this game. It's almost uncanny how well those pieces fit together, and you really nailed it on the head when you examined the both of them.
Awesome video, man. Incredibly entertaining and insightful. You are really talented!
I grew up with Nintendo and not Sega as a kid, so I always appreciate when you find time for these Nintendo classics. Fantastic content and editing as always!
First video of yours I stumbled across & immediately fell in love with the content . sub'd
Another awesome music theory video once again!
One of my favourite game OSTs of all time.
Dave wise did an excellent job on its composition and arrangement. Thank you for the video, I love to learn more about music theory.
Very well made. I subscribed
Fantastic video, as per usual! Never heard of this song before this video but man is it awesome. Absolutely love the VI-VII-v-i progression.
The way you connect the music with associated psychological states and the level's context is incredible and masterfully done. Proud to subscribe!
11:48 In interpreted this as the foreman yelling "back to work, back to work!" as they're slacking off singing about a better future
this is very well edited
Your content is great Alex, loving the venture into non sonic games.
Alex hitting us with another masterpiece of a video. I cannot express how much of a godsend this channel is. I play the flute, but I have little knowledge of how music is written--which might actually be a point TOWARD the videos for me, since I learn something new about music whenever I new video comes out. I could type here for hours trying to articulate just what makes these so good, but I gotta go listen to Mining Melancholy now.
Just realized I watched your dire dire docks video months ago. Guess I found you again! Love your content. Sub for sure. The DKC2 OST is my go-to for focus music. Always keeps my foot tapping. Would love to see a similar video for the Spyro OST!
Great as always! Just one thing I couldn't help but notice because I was really looking forward to it as you got near the end....
I was surprised you left out was what made the final chorus so special/iconic (at least in my eyes) - where the bumblebee enemies you encounter in the game sing along with the song.
When playing this game brand new as a kid that gave me an instant emotional attachment to the song due to those I had done battle with years before in part one lending their voices to make what was otherwise an already great song that much better.
It would have been a nice touch to speak about that but it's all good, I'm glad you went for a song such as this vs the cliché but revered stickerbrush symphony, which I'm sure will be touched upon in the future!
Hope we see more dkc music theories cause they're great as always.
The part that sounds like the lick is the reason why this song got stuck in my head and became one of my favorite DKC2 songs. I'm surprised Alex didn't mention the similarities. Aquatic Ambiance is another great one, something about it made me tear up a little bit. Anyway, this video helped me appreciate the song even more and helped me notice things about the song that I didn't realize before. Great video!
I am SO ready for Alex to do DKC music. Please consider doing some tracks from DKC3 as well! Eveline's contributions were just as incredible.
Happy you're examining the excellent music from this game. I'd recommend Lockjaw's Saga or Forest Interlude as other potential candidates from this title.
I already loved this song, but now, whole other level of appreciation, thank you!
I love your music theory videos. Would love to see more Nintendo. Cheers!
This editing is amazing
Amazing analysis, I love this song since I was a child and I learned a lot thanks to your video.
OMG I watched all (or almost all) of your Sonic music theory videos and I was thinking...man, I wish there was something like this for the DKC music!
Keep the DKC coming! My top picks would be Aquatic Ambience from DKC and Stickerbrush Symphony from DKC2!
DKC is probably the only other action platformer franchise I consider to have as strong musical impact into my memories as Sonic has. I certainly hope you cover more of DKC1-3 in the future as you did Sonic. Thanks.
When he was approached by the two founders at Rare the same company that produces the DK franchise David Wise did alot. Mining Melancholy introduced me to playing Donkey Kong Country while I was a teenager. The famous changes and sound percussions were also used in Killer Instinct.
Listening up to this piece growing up, I never really thought of it as an oppressive march of hopelessness and unfortunate fate, as you suggest, but rather as a testament to how you can still find funk, rhythm and life even in the most clockwork places and the most monotonous of routines. Got a similar feeling also in Mario RPG's Smithy's Factory (whose theme was very oppressive, but I still felt an upbeat funk from the music), and Sonic 2's Metropolis Zone (which had more 80s funk and synth-pop going but beneath that it did remind me a lot of Mining Melancholy). Regardless of what feeling we ultimately get from the song, it's awesome to see you break down the chords, rhythm, and composition so expertly - helps me understand why I'm feeling what I'm feeling. Thanks as always for your great videos!
The mix of emotion is so good its very upbeat and catchy but it defenitly has a very high touch of melancholy and saddnes eslecially since there is deliberatly no conclusion
I will always imagine the choir sample as the wasps buzzing, since you encounter them in the level around the time the humming starts
I love this.Subed instantly! plese have more DKC123 vids!
When David Wise comments, you know you’ve done a PHENOMENAL job of breaking down a classic.
I’ll always love this game and the music included in it.
Thanks so much!!
I always loved this song. Even playing DKC 1-3 as a kid, this song always stuck with me, even more so than the underwater theme. It's nice to see someone else loves it equally as much as I do.
Even though I love all of your Sonic related stuff, I think this one is my absolute favorite. As a huge fan of David Wise and the DKC games, I would absolutely love to see more videos on the series. So many good songs in that trilogy, both by Wise and Eveline Novakovic.
Great video.
I listened to this song for decades. That's how good it is.
this is the most underrated series on youtube
This video is pure gold ☺
The first time I got to Landon’s Klein I was hooked on this song! This and the music in hot head hop are my favorites.
[8:15]
"Well! Are you still playing this thing"
-Bubsy Bobcat
The DKC soundtracks have aged so well, compression and all :D
I always thought of the humming part as the zingers singing along as their level was before.
Great analysis and just a wonderful choice. I'll keep watching your content no matter the game. Could be even modern stuff, if you're interestet in any.
Growing up, I always envisioned the chorus being the sad buzzing of the Zingers (the bee enemies), lamenting the loss of their Queen who you defeated in the first game. Idk why, it just always sounded like buzzing to me. Without her, their hive is slowly dying. Sure King Zing Sting is doing what he can, but the writing is on the wall and their species is slowing dying, so all they can do is "sing" into the night.
New video let's goo!
Beautiful
The 4th hook thrower joke was hilarious my friend
poggers, one of my favorite tracks of this whole game
These videos are fantastic! It would be great to see a rundown of some final fantasy music! Final fantasy 7 had an amazing score!
This is amazing! Please do one for Stickerbush Symphony!
What a video!
Your videos are so amazing! Thank you so much for your work!
I would love to see a video on the music from Yoshi's Island
I love Yoshi's Island!
and Yoshi's Wooly World
love how the klang is replacated of the strike of a pick ax.
Wish I found this video earlier. This is great.
David Wise is my absolute favorite composer. This video was so interesting!
This was one of my mother's favorite themes in the game. Though I recall Funky's Theme.
I knew I wasn't crazy when I heard a Phil Collins like style to the drum track.