Locrian in “Destroyed Skyworld” in Kid Icarus Uprising might technically have an evil feel to it, but it sounds *beautiful* and that Pit is there on a *mission* to save someone who would seem too far gone to anyone else. The Locrian isn’t just signifying the problem but also the drive.
As a metal composer, I love Locrian. I call it the "question mark" mode. I love to use it to alter a riff, make it weird for a bridge or something, or to play weird licks during solos.
The most well known example of Locrian being used in metal is the main riff of Metallica's "Seek and Destroy", which has an almost badass supervillain kinda vibe to it, or at least it does to me
While I think it'spossible to analyse the Zelda example within a locrian framework I think it might be slightly more accurate to label it as using the iwato scale from traditional Japanese music. Pentatonic scale similar in makeup to the locrian but without the third or sixh degrees;which is an exact match for that example. Love the videos; always stop by to enjoy the latest one.
Well this is pretty cool, if anything it's an example of analyzing music from completely different cultures with western theory, which is possible but utimately kinda wrong. If this Iwato scale as you said has no third degree, then it is fundamentally "unusable" in western theory as the third is always present in any western scale and indicates wether a scale/chord is major or minor.
@@dalluc theory can be borrowed from all cultures true but analyzing it from a western framework as you are saying would be hard but not impossible. Wouldn’t go with traditional theory models no
I love learning about modes. Looking forward to the Lydian bit. (Is there any chance a video could feature tips on modulating from one mode to another?)
I definitely want to hear Lydian examples in gaming. It was enlightening to hear Locrian examples, especially after being painted out on tracks I've heard before and not realising it was in this mode. Now I definitely want to hear Lydian. And then maybe some Ionian scale🌚
@@MoonDisast Off the top of my head I believe both Lost woods and Song of Healing from Ocarina of Time and Majora's mask are both in Lydian. Classic stuff right there
As a person who doesn't understand a lot of these concepts, I'd love to see videos on the other scales. This video served well to show what modes stereotypically sound like, as well as to show how their sound can be played around with to effect a different feel in these pieces, and while I don't understand everything in these videos, they are still possible to follow along with.
@@Pascal-eu2oe chords are basically just playing 2+ notes at the same time, technically any combination is allowed but music theory helps you use ones that don't sound like a kid pressing every key on a piano at once. 8bit has a bunch of older video to cover the basics, which are less able use videogame music to showcase things as a cord is pretty fundamental to playing an instrument. (They are real fun as a saxophone player where you need a friend to play the other note for you) But the less fundamental theory is excellently showcase by his basic premise of using videogame music, which is much more familiar than classical music, and generally is simpler and in context really shows how the music choice complements the vibe the game devs are going for. (His chromatic notes video was pretty intuitive without needing a bunch of other knowledge)
@@Pascal-eu2oe Chords can feel more tense or less tense. When you go from a chord that feels more tense to a chord that feels less tense, it feels like a resolution (of the tension). Basically 85% of music theory is just that one sentence, and classifying chords to see how it works. The notation and organizational structure can get complicated, but the idea is simple. Think of Beethoven's 5th with *da da da DUMMMM* as a very extreme example. Locrian mode is unpopular because it's defined by a set of chord movements which are high in tension. There's nothing in the mode that resolves that tension nicely, and if you allow the tension to resolve, it's because you've accidentally gotten out of Locrian mode and (usually) into some functional major or minor key with a different root note than what you intended. Staying in Locrian means never doing a traditional resolution and just letting the tension hover there in the music. Most people really like the resolution, it's extremely satisfying, so a mode that eschews it entirely doesn't fit well in a lot of situations. It's only useful if your goal is to inspire a sense of dissatisfaction, of tension that never goes away, of stress.
They're good videos. Just keep in mind that every mode is just a different position in your major key, whatever that key may be. The general whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half will be found somewhere in each mode, Locrian being the seventh position, starting the mode at a B note will keep ya in the key of C. But w/ that said, you can use the mode both for the key you are in, but when getting more advanced these things can also be used for key changes/alterations, though Locrian would be a rather intense alteration as is demonstrated in the vid w/ this well chosen song from Doom. Though we write out of major, that's just how music is designed, there are keys outside of the major key, of course, the minor key with its flat 3rd note being the primary example of this. Note that 7 and m7 key will always knock ya back a step to 2 steps in circles respectively, ex. Dm7 is C, G7 is C, likewise Fm7 would be Eb as well as Bb7 would be Eb - the keys not the chords, just to make that clear. Almost botched and reversed the flats, sorry, it's correct now, lol, always good to reread. Music's such a trip. Some keys will make use of more than the standard seven, such as a simple chromatic adding an F# and C# into the C key to help as emphasis notes or any other version of the chromatic, in other words any notes added in to the standdard key for emphasis (Hendrix and many other blues aficionados did a lot of this), and some keys will make use of less notes, like our five note pentatonic scales which sacrifice two notes from the major - less notes of course making for more harmony and less dissonance between the notes. All of them will have different positions/modes, as well - though with chromatics a lot of what is added in are emphasis notes, not to be used as starting points. I tell ya, I don't think I've ever written a song to where I've set out knowing more than the rudimentary basics of what I was doing while creating it. Always do what sounds good to start. Knowing how to apply the theory will help to know where to go during creation and then will help to put everything together and make sense of everything once created, tying up any loose ends and adding in any other pieces that could help the main progression. Again, always do what sounds good to start. As time goes by and more is learned the progressions will get better, and old songs can always be added to.
Really happy to see the Oracle games talked about here; I've always thought their soundtrack is criminally underrated. And yes, the food made from fugu blowfish (specifically their pickled ovaries) is real.
While I love the uniqueness of the Samasa desert music, I think it really does sound spooky. Which is why it is so unexpected in a (non-spooky) desert environment.
It also doesnt actually taste that good. Most people describe it as being an incredibly mild flavor, so much so that they typically use a type of spicy sauce to go with it.
The toxin actually comes from shellfish being digested in the fugu's digestive tract, so farmed fugu aren't fed shellfish which means no toxin, perfectly safe fish meat
I was just listening to final fantasy VI's soundtrack this morning while on my run, and was wondering to myself what kinda chords that song used. Fortuitous.
@@TraxtasyMedia Nope. It's not, neither as far as rhythm or selection of tones goes. DRI's Hooked's opening riff is way closer. The only thing Master of Puppets and E1M1 have in common are a pedal tone and a descending progression of tones (E1M1) or chords (MoP).
When I first learned about the modes, I went through a phase where I made a bunch of pieces in Locrian. It's definitely underrated. Although since then I've grown a taste for Phrygian and especially Phrygian dominant (Phrygian but with a major third), and started experimenting with a bunch of different scales outside the modes of major.
Phrygian, Phrygian dominant and double harmonic major are great. Personally, I think Neapolitan minor and the "mirage scale" are even cooler, at least for improvisation. The latter is just perfect! I stumbled upon it by going "what if I combine Phrygian, Phrygian dominant and double harmonic minor?" haha, looked it up and learned about its strange recent history (it was apparently the only scale not listed on Ian Ring's site, and thus someone named it "mirage scale"). Still, at least I almost always end up going with just Phrygian, Phrygian dominant or double harmonic major (or Phrygian dominant with added major 7th) even if the idea began from something "even cooler". Anyway, Locrian is fun, and imho its usual vibe is "liminal" kinda like liminal spaces; at the same time relaxing but also somehow unsettling. It's like it embodies a feeling of nostalgia for something that never happened/existed, or that was unnervingly different from the memories... or a deja vu type of feeling. Also kinda bittersweet in a way. Locrian dominant, though... uhhh... I'm interested in it, but haven't found any use for it yet. (Sorry for rambling.)
Now I'm curious about the music in the original Luigi's Mansion. Granted the primary instrument was Luigi humming in terror. (Which is probably a choice worth making a video about; selecting an instrument for a piece)
@@em_the_bee yes, although it /is/ conforming to a scale (the chromatic scale) -- the typical 8 tone scales (major, minor, and the other 5 diatonic modes) are just the most common in western music, but a scale is any sequence of notes ordered by pitch (ie always ascending/descending, not a mix like A-C-B-D.). The major (ionian) scale is defined by the intervals "tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone", so the tonic (first note) is whatever you pick, the second is first note + one tone, third is second note + one tone, fourth is the third note + semitone, and so on up to the octave (5 tones + 2 semitones = 12 semitones = an octave in 12 tone systems). The natural minor scale (aeolian) and the other 5 modes (dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, locrian) are all the same pattern, but starting at a different point in the sequence -- eg natural minor starts on the 6th note of the major, so instead of "tone, tone, semitone, ...", it's "tone, semitone [last two intervals of major scale], tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone [first 5 intervals of major scale, since it loops back around]". Chromatic scale is just "semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone". There are theoretically 2^11 = 2048 different scales in 12 tone systems that repeat at the octave, as there are 11 notes between the tonic and the octave, for each of those 11 notes there are two choices -- it can either be included or not -- but in practice, scales tend to have at most 3 semitones between notes that are more or less equally distributed throughout the octave, which limits possibilities. Scales don't even /have/ to repeat at the octave, although it's obviously very useful if they do.
I'd love to see a video on the Dorian mode and how its tonal vagueness can allow it to be used to express all kinds of emotions (heroism/triumph, curiosity, sadness, etc).
A couple other video game songs that use locrian mode: Gazing at Sirius from Fire Emblem Three Houses Nocturne of Shadow from Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Multitudes of Colors from Murasama: The Demon Blade House of Tricky Ninjas from Paper Mario The Origami King Flooded Basement theme from Sweet Home Also I agree, Locrian is not ugly or unusable, it's just not culturally as pervasive as the other modes so people's ears aren't trained to understand how it moves and functions. The more you experiment around with it the more it reveals its unique color to you. I would encourage all musicians to try writing something in Locrian.
7:00 snaps on 2 and 4 is so engrained in me, I heard the bass as starting on 2 ( (1) 2 +3 __, etc ), and was confused when you said the snaps were on 1 and 3 until I went back and relistened. It took me about four times to hear it the way I did originally after being primed that the snaps were on 1 and 3
Same, back when I first started watching 8-Bit here a few years ago I had trouble getting past the first ten seconds-and while I’m not particularly good at it I do comprehend generally what he’s talking about now! Keep at it, you can do it!
I can't remember the exact name of it, but there's some table for mapping the scale numbering visually into a circle. I think vox used it on their breakdown of giant steps. might help with some of this stuff
It's kind of blowing my mind right now that the Locrian feels so spooky and dissonant, but it's the major scale of that ii note is the same set of notes and sounds bright and happy. The fact that shifting your tonal center down half a step COMPLETELY alters the feeling of the music is absolutely wild. Can you think of any examples of a song that changes from like a C major to a B Locrian or the other way?
Great examples, thanks! I always think that the problem with the Locrian mode isn’t that it’s necessarily so “dark” or “evil”, so much that it’s root chord is unstable, so it’s hard to sound like you’re staying IN Locrian. The way that I’ve found to get around it is by playing a shell voicing for the root chord, so that there’s no flat 5th in the chord, while keeping a repetitive bassline that does use the flat 5th. If you add some dissonant extensions to any other chords, you can still feel like the root chord is home, while maintaining a Locrian feel with the bassline and melodic elements.
it just depends how you play it and what you play it on. MODES are just INTERVALS IDENTIFICATION KEEP IT SIMPLE.....DONT MAKE it COMPLICATED BASIC TRIADS are just every other note ( you dont have to always do that..it's just a GUIDE) Example...Im on my guitar...It the KEY of D MAJOR/B min C# locrian Im simply going finger the C# note as my ROOT. Open D note...Open G note.. D note..open high E note. Then play Open A B then C# ( on the A string) Im FINGER PICKING it... I guess you call it C# dim add b2/b9. it's just the b3 ( E note) is stacked in the second octave Then Im simply going to finger the G F# E...descending ( in the lower octave)..in a nutshell NOTE on the LOW E string.. While I'm just finger the D note ( on B string) against open D G E Then the E note on the on the D string.. In a nut shell C# dim triad add 9 Then Im simply going hammer the the LOW G note on the ( low E string) the tritone or b5 of C# with my MIDDLE finger It sounds PRETTY. The C# is my ROOT NOTE C# LOCRIAN...those are the INTERVALS. There's OTHER SCALES with MODES in them too. Lydian = IONIAN #4 There's also Lyd #2 Lyd b3 Lyd #6 Lyd b7 Lyd #5 Lyd #2 , b7 or ( mix #2, #4) Lyd #5 #6 Lyd #2, #5 Lyd #2, #6 or Mix = IONIAN b7 Mix #2 Mix #4 Mix b2 Mix b6 Mix #2, #4 Mix b2, b6.......some people term this INTERVAL as PHRYGIAN DOMINANT Mix b2, #4 Those are just some EXAMPLES There's MORE different scales with MODES within them too. if you play those NOTES in a LINER manner...they'll all create different SOUNDS. Alot of people WILL use that as a GUIDE to distinguished those SOUNDS. If you learn them via INTERVALS identifications mix #2, #4.. aka HUNGARIAN MAJOR scale You could stack different CHORDS using this mode 1, 3, 5...... MAJOR 1, #2, 5 Min ( #2 is enharmonic/SAME as b3) 1, 3, 5 b7 dominant 1, #2, 5, b7 min 7 1, #2, #4 dim 1 #2, #4 b7 half dim 1, #2, #4 6 full dim 1 3, b7 #9....is how the HENDRIX is play on the GUITAR in theory ..it's just 1, 3, 5, b7, #9...The #2 is stack in the second octave ...that is all.
@@markusmiekk-oja3717 You could simply stack a sus4 chord, Example In the Key of A MAJOR/F#min ( on the guitar) G# sus4 ...Barr at the 4th fret ( Locrian) A sus9 at the NUT..............( IONIAN) Then...Hammer the F note on the D string with my PINKY Then Hammer the F note on the LOW E string. Without making it too complicated... Lets just say I borrowed from the A MAJOR BeBop scale. It's A MAJOR with #5/b6....OPTION/PASSING note. to play the F Maj7 add#11 chord. ( the 5th is suspened) I have to WRITE it like that ...to justify playing that maj7 of F.. NOT so much for me...( I'll play whatever I damn please) It just so OTHER MUSICIANs can COMPREHEND it. It's a scale with 8 notes so I could say it's loc 4, bb7....ADD Maj7 ( MODE) to give a point of REFERENCE. Aanways....I CREATED the mix #2 or ION #6 scale...or LOCRIAN maj7 It's MY INVENTION I also created melodic min b5 ( mix b2, #4) Then C# min triad against open B/E ( C# min add b13) Phrygian E7 at the NUT Mixolyian ( hammer the G# note low E pinky if I want) A MAJOR ....barr 5th FRET repeat.....starting from the G# sus4 chord ( Locrian)
PLEASE DO ALL THE MODES THIS VIDEO WAS SO COOL AND USEFUL FRUCJING SERIOUSLY!!!! We love a king who can challenge our perceptions and get us to think of locrian as a viable resource and not just ‘useless and evil’ THANK YOU
A fellow music RUclipsr and I actually challenged ourselves to make a Locrian-scale-only composition to prove just that : Locrian ≠ spooky ! Remixer Darken's one is "Mode 7" on his channel, while mine is nammed ''Lacrima'' on my channel
I will NEVER get tired of hearing you talk about modes. I love hearing about the seldom spoken tips and tricks composers use to make incredible music, and combining that with video games, my favourite form of entertainment ever?? Count me IN.
Old video and I doubt you'll see this but an amazing example of the Locrian mode that is 100% locrian and not a form of a japanese iwato scale (like your Zelda last example here) is The Pursuer's theme from Dark Souls 2! Worth checking out, whole track riffs on the C locrian scale AND constantly uses the diminished I chord as its root (Cm7b5, which is the diminished 7th of the mode) without any fear.
I just recently finished watching a music theory video on how almost no 'non videogame' song uses true Locrian except for Bjork's Army of Me and oh boy is that Locrian bassline awesome. In the same way as doom has that awesome Locrian guitar line
It's definitely rare for sure, I happen to have found it in a movie soundtrack that I'll be posting a video analyzing soon. It was a pleasant surprise coming across it
I guess the only "non videogame" genre where locrian is common is metal. In fact the E1M1 theme from Doom (1993) is actually based on the main riff from Metallica's Master of Puppets (1986).
The fish dish from the Simpons is definitely real. It's a pufferfish, called fugu in Japanese, and it has to be prepared by an especially licensed chef, so they don't include the toxic parts in the dish. Many people have died in the past due to the pufferfish's potent toxin.
I do want a video about each mode :) It would help a lot to understand why they exist and how to make good use of them. Looking forward for the next video!
There are a ton of videos about modes on RUclips but not really much and not enough videos about modes in video game OSTs. Thank you for this locrian examples. Please do other modes and scales if you can.
The modes are probably my favorite music theory subject! Like you said at the beginning, learning about the modes was an important gateway for me to learn a lot of music theory. To me the modes are like gateways to other worlds, whole realms of musical possibility hidden from our major/minor tonality paradigm. Then, when I learned later on that "the modes" are really just "the modes of the major scale," and that every other scale also has its own system of modes, I truly did feel like I'd found the keys to the musical multiverse.
yes please! all the modes!!!! great job in this video, having a complete set of modes in this format, where you have three diverse but solid breakdowns for each would be epic, and an amazing learning tool for people. ultimately, do what you want to do, and keep up the great videos!
This is the video I needed!!! I’ve always had trouble getting the Locrian mode to work because of the obvious unstable root chord, but this video really helped me understand how to utilize the mode to convey more “color” in my music! Thanks so much!!! :)
Love your analysis. I've been learning a ton. Please continue your mode videos. Really I'd be happy watching a video of you talk about whatever musical subject you like haha
@@LinkEX Dancing Dragon is definitely one of them, but I'm actually extremely fond of Snake's Remains. The haunting melody in that piece really fits the dungeon, even if it is only the second one.
I work with modes a lot and would love to hear more about them. It's actually funny that you did this one because I just took my first try at Locrian just last week, so this was extremely useful.
I've been thinking about this alot recently, how fun it is to see this video just released. I have a 1 year old boy and every night I sing him to sleep. Sometimes it takes him a long time to fall asleep and so I got bored of my repertoire of songs to sing, so to keep myself from getting bored, I started taking various lullabies, hymns and other songs I know and changing them to other modes on the fly. Locrian is probably the hardest, but with enough practice it has become almost second nature to me and is now my favorite mode to do this in as it completely changes the character of the music. It feels strange at first, but once you get used to it it becomes completely normal and sometimes I forget how the original sounds. And it's not spooky or sinister at all, but eeriely beautiful and otherworldly.
I honestly know next to nothing about music theory, but your videos are incredible to just sit and take in. I'd love to eventually see a deep dive into one of my absolute favorite retro video game soundtracks: ActRaiser for the SNES
Back in 2019-2020, I made a few compositions in Locrian, which surprised a lot of people since the common convention was always that it's not really a usable scale. To me it doesn't sound spooky but more dreary, like a rainy day, or mysterious, like a lost civilization or the more esoteric aspects of ancient Greece. When approaching it that way, it was surprisingly easy to work with. I noticed though within the past year or so the Locrian mode has become much more used than it was even just three years ago.
The Zelda's example is probably more like a miyako-bushi scale (都節音階 in Japanese), a common pentatonic scale in Japanese folk songs. It uses the A miyako-bushi : A-Bb-D-E-F-A.
Super Metroid's Hot Lava Area also uses Locrian mode. In that track, it sounds dark, but also does very good at capturing what most might a consider warm feeling.
That Final Fantasy song is delightfully eerie. The Locrian mode is definitely part of it, but that lo-fi string sound also plays a big role in the overall mood.
Just wanna say that I often come to RUclips when I'm feeling depressed and unmotivated to do anything but watching your videos make me so excited about music and help me to practice/transcribe/listen/engage with more music in any way. Very grateful for all your work!
Hi! I don't think I have ever commented on one of your videos before, but my husband and I enjoy watching them! My name is Susan. It's nice to meet you! I am not a jazz musician. I am a CNA, but my musical background is opera. ...I just wanted to say how much the Locrian scale sounds like a whole tone scale. I have been listening to ALW's Phantom of the Opera since I was in high school. I think, by far, that the most challenging part of the score to learn simply by ear, without seeing the written notes to play on a piano keyboard occurs in the Down Once More sequence. The orchestra gives Christine her starting pitch, and then she sings "Have you gorged yourself at last in your lust for blood? Am I now to be prey to your lust for flesh?" The combination of downward and upward notes sounds EXTREMELY Locrian! As well it should, considering she is asking the Phantom if he is about to rape her. The Phantom's music that he had written for his opera "Don Juan Triumphant!" is based on the whole tone scale. You might find it interesting to analyze ALW's score for especially the second act of POTO! Of course, the decision is completely up to you! But, the musician in you might really love it! Thanks for making your videos! We really enjoy them! Susan
This is excellent! especially your harmony analysis. I teach a course on modes, but I don't cover the Locrian mode (other than what the notes are), so this video is an excellent supplement to my course. I know my participants will enjoy your other mode videos to (as will I)! Thank you.
Awesome! Sometime ago I prepared a lecture on modes, for my masters degree teaching internship, and locrian sure was a hard one to find good examples of. Those examples show some great ways to explore this mode, both in more vertical and horizontal approaches, and I don’t think I’ve actually seen someone cover locrian as properly as you. I might add some of those examples to future versions of that class 👀
This is a great video! I've always wanted an analysis on this mode where the video just says, "This mode sucks." Even David Bennet Piano, who I watched videos of all the other modes from, glossed over the locrian mode. Thank you for making this video. P.S. After lydian, can you do phrigian, because that's my favorite of the modes.
I remember Adam Neely had a video with several guests talking about Locrian and one of them, SamuraiGuitarist, basically said "If you wanna write something in Locrian, I recommend you raise the 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 degrees, you'll end up with something you probably end up enjoying both writing and listening to more."
_"Even David Bennet Piano, who I watched videos of all the other modes from, glossed over the locrian mode"_ That's because there are basically no popular songs in Locrian. It's not because Locrian sucks, though. It simply isn't sound people are that used to, especially when most music people listen to is so centered around major and minor chords (diminished chords on their own are quite rare). I guess the best use of Locrian would be in riff-based music, where you don't really think in chords. This is actually why some metal riffs are essentially Locrian, or at least quite close to it (I think pure Locrian stuff is difficult to find, but riffs that use a mixture of Phrygian/Aeolian and Locrian aren't rare). I guess you could call the verse riff of Painkiller by Judas Priest Locrian. Then again, the vocals are pretty much centered around the perfect 5th over that riff, and the b5 is only used in the end as a power chord... So I guess I would still just call it Phrygian, and the b5 is simply common "metal chromaticism". If you want to stay in one Locrian scale and only use notes in it exclusively, then it kind of sucks, because there aren't many harmonic options. And this is also the reason why people tend to avoid it - people usually don't write songs as music theory exercises. They usually don't start from the idea that "I'm only allowed to use this specific collection of notes", which is why purely Locrian music is almost never written (outside of music theory exercises), and if there are Locrian parts in songs, those are only temporary, and often there's some harmonic movement that kind of "ruins" the Locrian sound, or the part also uses notes outside of the Locrian scale. The 5th is such an important note in the key (it's the most stable note after the tonic) that you kind of have to consciously avoid it to write anything truly Locrian. And this "conscious avoidance" kind of necessarily leads to "music theory exercise" approach to writing songs.
@@MaggaraMarine Well, David Bennet Piano has used a few video game examples in his video about the "royal road" chord progression, but I do agree with everything you said.
I would very much enjoy more videos from you about modes! They were something I always ignored in theory as a little kid because they were just something to memorise and were never explained - just some different scales I guess, but why? But watching your videos makes it very clear that they are wonderfully descriptive, and useful in evoking particular "colours" or atmospheres that I very much would have liked to have appreciated when I was younger. So, yes! Please!
I'd love to hear about all of the modes! I find them so interesting but super difficult to grasp sometimes, and your videos are very accessible. So please, more!
I think the point you made about other chords within locrian feeling more resolved than the tonic is especially highlighted by that Doom example - I've never really thought about it, but I always heard that opening tonic as having vaguely dominant function (because it moves to iv). But looking at the broader structure, of course it's a tonic - it's just the start of the 12 bar blues, like so many of Bobby Prince's tracks!
Phrygian mode has always been my favorite, so cannot wait for that one. Frankly, just having vg music identified within modes is making me happy. Thanks for these videos!
I always enjoy your content. Modes are fun, but I am a musician and have played jazz plenty, so the geek-speak is appreciated. My two cents: keep going through the modes.
In case anyone is wondering like 8 Bit is, yes the poisonous fish dish does indeed exist. It's specifically made using a kind of pufferfish that has enough poison to kill 1000 people iirc (I'd have to double check that number) and is considered a delicacy. Most chefs need about 20+ years or so of experience to be legally qualified to prepare it for obvious reasons.
Nice video, 8-bit Music Theory! Would be interested in hearing about the other modes, especially the differences between aeolian and traditional minor.
Hey man. Long time fan, love the work you do. I definitely want to hear you talk about Lydian. I've heard people say so many different things about it, and many conflicting ideas on how to use it. If anyone could put this to rest for me it's this channel.
I'm so happy you remember and respect the Oracle soundtracks. Darm Ruins/ Lost Woods and Zelda's Awakening live rent-free in my earworm brain. The Skull Dungeon goes pretty hard too.
Nice video, most modes are covered in a wide variaty of yotube videos but locrian is mostly untouch. It's great to see some examples of it in action to recognise it's potencial.
Right in the middle of playing through Oracle of Seasons for the first time in many years. It's desolate but a little frantic which actually fits the gameplay of the desert more than the atmosphere.
It's not about the tools themselves, it's how you use them. Locrian is inherently dark, yes, but that doesn't mean it has to sound any worse than a typical ionian/aeolian diatonic piece. Fantastic examples and analysis!
@@benjaminshields9421 I would say it's inherently and objectively dissonant in several ways. Subjectively, most people percive that level of dissonance as as "dark".
definitely not sick of learning about the application of modes, and i honestly really like that there has been an uphill trend in teaching about them. i didn't know they existed until i got into music theory youtube in about 2019, and it would seem that too many people are either in the sae boat, or don't understand how they can be applied. there's way too much "here's what the modes are and how to learn them" and not enough "here's how to actually apply modes in your own compositions*. Jake from Signals Music Studio covers modes a lot, and even expresses something I've thought for a long time, that - while wrong in traditional theory to call them this - "modes can and should be given the chance to be treated as your "key".", and this approach opened a lot of doors to me for composition.
I would honestly love a series on the different modes! You have a great talent for making things interesting and digestible, and the modes are a topic I would like to learn more about.
10:24 - that is right! Pufferfish produces a dangerous tetrodotoxin, which is why it needs to be prepared in a very specific way to avoid bad outcomes.
Awesome video!🙌🏼 It's wild have much the colour/character of the piece is influenced by the modes, but at the same time how much play you have within a certain mode to change up the sound (using different tombres, styles, rhythms etc.)😄 Music truly is endless!🎵
Love hearing your takes on all of the modes, please keep them coming if you get time. I teach piano and like to reference your videos to some of my students who are advanced enough to be thinking about modes and scale degrees. Super valuable content, thank you!
This was very good man!! i would like to see *a list of videos* in your channel, talking only about modes, and examples too of course, that would be useful for my music stuff, thanks for this!
I think at Doom’s gate is a more adrenaline pumping action song than a chaotic evil song, it’s the decent into the chaotic evil, not the chaotic evil itself.
Yea, I think it’s almost too dissonant to sound “evil”. It just sounds “noisy”. The tune is driven more by its rhythm than its melody. It’s too repetitive really. To get a truly evil or spooky sound you need to have something a little melodic, but off. One way is to start a normal melody in what seems to be one key, but then linger on the wrong note or even go into a different key. It has to be more unpredictable. Also, floaty melodies are more spooky than chugging metal riffs to me. There’s something about resembling human voice that makes a sound more creepy to me. That requires more pure clean notes.
The ultimate piano composition that tests the boundaries would be a piece in Lochrian mode; that has a time signature that has a denominator that's between 2 common time signatures (e.g 4/3 with 4 dotted quarter notes making a measure, 4/6 with 4 dotted eighth notes making a measure, or16/12 making 16 dotted 16th notes making a measure).
Locrian in “Destroyed Skyworld” in Kid Icarus Uprising might technically have an evil feel to it, but it sounds *beautiful* and that Pit is there on a *mission* to save someone who would seem too far gone to anyone else. The Locrian isn’t just signifying the problem but also the drive.
Kid Icarus Uprising is a great game!
Goddamnit! My 3ds doesn't have enought memory for this BS right now!
As a metal composer, I love Locrian. I call it the "question mark" mode. I love to use it to alter a riff, make it weird for a bridge or something, or to play weird licks during solos.
That one Locrean riff/sequence in Lamb of God's "Vigil," oh my gosh!!! 😍😍😍
Sylosis's song Stained Humanity is pretty much written in locrian. It's a great metal song and really shows how metal of a mode it is.
The most well known example of Locrian being used in metal is the main riff of Metallica's "Seek and Destroy", which has an almost badass supervillain kinda vibe to it, or at least it does to me
I think it's like the Valley Girl of modes?
Amen my nugget. I like me some phryg dom
While I think it'spossible to analyse the Zelda example within a locrian framework I think it might be slightly more accurate to label it as using the iwato scale from traditional Japanese music. Pentatonic scale similar in makeup to the locrian but without the third or sixh degrees;which is an exact match for that example.
Love the videos; always stop by to enjoy the latest one.
Well this is pretty cool, if anything it's an example of analyzing music from completely different cultures with western theory, which is possible but utimately kinda wrong. If this Iwato scale as you said has no third degree, then it is fundamentally "unusable" in western theory as the third is always present in any western scale and indicates wether a scale/chord is major or minor.
@@dalluc theory can be borrowed from all cultures true but analyzing it from a western framework as you are saying would be hard but not impossible. Wouldn’t go with traditional theory models no
your pfp, isnt that the flag of anarcho-syndicalism?
@@DonHaka what the fuck are you talking about
@@DonHaka seems like it 2 me
I love learning about modes. Looking forward to the Lydian bit. (Is there any chance a video could feature tips on modulating from one mode to another?)
the persona video covers modulations between modes pretty well
@@maluse227 thanks for the tip :)
I definitely want to hear Lydian examples in gaming.
It was enlightening to hear Locrian examples, especially after being painted out on tracks I've heard before and not realising it was in this mode.
Now I definitely want to hear Lydian.
And then maybe some Ionian scale🌚
@@MoonDisast Off the top of my head I believe both Lost woods and Song of Healing from Ocarina of Time and Majora's mask are both in Lydian. Classic stuff right there
@@maluse227 Oh dang, I'll re-watch! Thanks!
As a person who doesn't understand a lot of these concepts, I'd love to see videos on the other scales. This video served well to show what modes stereotypically sound like, as well as to show how their sound can be played around with to effect a different feel in these pieces, and while I don't understand everything in these videos, they are still possible to follow along with.
Could you give some examples of what you don't understand? I'm curious.
@@FL4SHK Chords, resolution, pretty much most of the higher music theory stuff.
@@Pascal-eu2oe chords are basically just playing 2+ notes at the same time, technically any combination is allowed but music theory helps you use ones that don't sound like a kid pressing every key on a piano at once.
8bit has a bunch of older video to cover the basics, which are less able use videogame music to showcase things as a cord is pretty fundamental to playing an instrument. (They are real fun as a saxophone player where you need a friend to play the other note for you)
But the less fundamental theory is excellently showcase by his basic premise of using videogame music, which is much more familiar than classical music, and generally is simpler and in context really shows how the music choice complements the vibe the game devs are going for. (His chromatic notes video was pretty intuitive without needing a bunch of other knowledge)
@@Pascal-eu2oe Chords can feel more tense or less tense. When you go from a chord that feels more tense to a chord that feels less tense, it feels like a resolution (of the tension). Basically 85% of music theory is just that one sentence, and classifying chords to see how it works. The notation and organizational structure can get complicated, but the idea is simple. Think of Beethoven's 5th with *da da da DUMMMM* as a very extreme example.
Locrian mode is unpopular because it's defined by a set of chord movements which are high in tension. There's nothing in the mode that resolves that tension nicely, and if you allow the tension to resolve, it's because you've accidentally gotten out of Locrian mode and (usually) into some functional major or minor key with a different root note than what you intended. Staying in Locrian means never doing a traditional resolution and just letting the tension hover there in the music. Most people really like the resolution, it's extremely satisfying, so a mode that eschews it entirely doesn't fit well in a lot of situations. It's only useful if your goal is to inspire a sense of dissatisfaction, of tension that never goes away, of stress.
They're good videos. Just keep in mind that every mode is just a different position in your major key, whatever that key may be. The general whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half will be found somewhere in each mode, Locrian being the seventh position, starting the mode at a B note will keep ya in the key of C.
But w/ that said, you can use the mode both for the key you are in, but when getting more advanced these things can also be used for key changes/alterations, though Locrian would be a rather intense alteration as is demonstrated in the vid w/ this well chosen song from Doom. Though we write out of major, that's just how music is designed, there are keys outside of the major key, of course, the minor key with its flat 3rd note being the primary example of this. Note that 7 and m7 key will always knock ya back a step to 2 steps in circles respectively, ex. Dm7 is C, G7 is C, likewise Fm7 would be Eb as well as Bb7 would be Eb - the keys not the chords, just to make that clear. Almost botched and reversed the flats, sorry, it's correct now, lol, always good to reread. Music's such a trip.
Some keys will make use of more than the standard seven, such as a simple chromatic adding an F# and C# into the C key to help as emphasis notes or any other version of the chromatic, in other words any notes added in to the standdard key for emphasis (Hendrix and many other blues aficionados did a lot of this), and some keys will make use of less notes, like our five note pentatonic scales which sacrifice two notes from the major - less notes of course making for more harmony and less dissonance between the notes. All of them will have different positions/modes, as well - though with chromatics a lot of what is added in are emphasis notes, not to be used as starting points.
I tell ya, I don't think I've ever written a song to where I've set out knowing more than the rudimentary basics of what I was doing while creating it. Always do what sounds good to start. Knowing how to apply the theory will help to know where to go during creation and then will help to put everything together and make sense of everything once created, tying up any loose ends and adding in any other pieces that could help the main progression. Again, always do what sounds good to start. As time goes by and more is learned the progressions will get better, and old songs can always be added to.
Really happy to see the Oracle games talked about here; I've always thought their soundtrack is criminally underrated. And yes, the food made from fugu blowfish (specifically their pickled ovaries) is real.
There's a cool Hitman 2016 mission where you can sushi-assassinate a target. Very epic.
While I love the uniqueness of the Samasa desert music, I think it really does sound spooky. Which is why it is so unexpected in a (non-spooky) desert environment.
@Richard Gurney for me it's Skull Dungeon. That's a jam.
i agree, tarm ruins is the most underrated zelda track ever, its gorgeous. and dancing dragon dungeon is a bop.
@@terdragontra8900 I really like the Oracles Finale piece. It actually uses counterpoint.
10:23 It is real, it's called the Fugu fish. My question is, how many times did they have to try until they figured out the correct way to prepare it?
It also doesnt actually taste that good. Most people describe it as being an incredibly mild flavor, so much so that they typically use a type of spicy sauce to go with it.
Pufferfish
The toxin actually comes from shellfish being digested in the fugu's digestive tract, so farmed fugu aren't fed shellfish which means no toxin, perfectly safe fish meat
secret origin of the kamikaze
Death Doom's music has kind of like a blues structure. A diminished blues sounds pretty amazing
I was just listening to final fantasy VI's soundtrack this morning while on my run, and was wondering to myself what kinda chords that song used. Fortuitous.
As a huge DOOM fan, I’m thrilled to see coverage of E1M1 on the channel! I’d love to see what you could do with more songs from those games!
12 bar blues renditions of metal riffs 🥴
it's a Master of Puppets cover from Metallica :D
I wonder if the use of footage from E1M2 is an intentional attempt to trigger long-time doom fans :)
@@TraxtasyMedia Nope. It's not, neither as far as rhythm or selection of tones goes. DRI's Hooked's opening riff is way closer. The only thing Master of Puppets and E1M1 have in common are a pedal tone and a descending progression of tones (E1M1) or chords (MoP).
@@markusmiekk-oja3717 who knows? :D
When I first learned about the modes, I went through a phase where I made a bunch of pieces in Locrian. It's definitely underrated. Although since then I've grown a taste for Phrygian and especially Phrygian dominant (Phrygian but with a major third), and started experimenting with a bunch of different scales outside the modes of major.
I'm a big mixolydian fan myself
Ah, a fellow Phrygian appreciator. God I love the Phrygians. My best song is in Phrygian Dominant (though it sure doesn't sound like it!)
Phrygian Dominant is just one alteration away from Double Harmonic and Mixolydian flat 6. Those three are probably my favorite scales!
I used to be a Phrygian fan, but now I am a combining Phrygian dominant and mixolydian enjoyer, try it, it's so cool
Phrygian, Phrygian dominant and double harmonic major are great. Personally, I think Neapolitan minor and the "mirage scale" are even cooler, at least for improvisation. The latter is just perfect! I stumbled upon it by going "what if I combine Phrygian, Phrygian dominant and double harmonic minor?" haha, looked it up and learned about its strange recent history (it was apparently the only scale not listed on Ian Ring's site, and thus someone named it "mirage scale").
Still, at least I almost always end up going with just Phrygian, Phrygian dominant or double harmonic major (or Phrygian dominant with added major 7th) even if the idea began from something "even cooler".
Anyway, Locrian is fun, and imho its usual vibe is "liminal" kinda like liminal spaces; at the same time relaxing but also somehow unsettling. It's like it embodies a feeling of nostalgia for something that never happened/existed, or that was unnervingly different from the memories... or a deja vu type of feeling. Also kinda bittersweet in a way.
Locrian dominant, though... uhhh... I'm interested in it, but haven't found any use for it yet.
(Sorry for rambling.)
I get the feeling Locrian can do the "safe but tense" stuff that thrives in horror game safe rooms. Isn't the cathedral theme from ALTTP in Locrian?
Now I'm curious about the music in the original Luigi's Mansion. Granted the primary instrument was Luigi humming in terror. (Which is probably a choice worth making a video about; selecting an instrument for a piece)
I think it's just in harmonic minor - it's just the bassline descending chromatically
@@AxleCarp by "chromatically" you mean it goes down one semitone at a time, not necessarily conforming to a scale? Music noob here sorry xD
@@em_the_bee yes, although it /is/ conforming to a scale (the chromatic scale) -- the typical 8 tone scales (major, minor, and the other 5 diatonic modes) are just the most common in western music, but a scale is any sequence of notes ordered by pitch (ie always ascending/descending, not a mix like A-C-B-D.). The major (ionian) scale is defined by the intervals "tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone", so the tonic (first note) is whatever you pick, the second is first note + one tone, third is second note + one tone, fourth is the third note + semitone, and so on up to the octave (5 tones + 2 semitones = 12 semitones = an octave in 12 tone systems). The natural minor scale (aeolian) and the other 5 modes (dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, locrian) are all the same pattern, but starting at a different point in the sequence -- eg natural minor starts on the 6th note of the major, so instead of "tone, tone, semitone, ...", it's "tone, semitone [last two intervals of major scale], tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone [first 5 intervals of major scale, since it loops back around]". Chromatic scale is just "semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone, semitone". There are theoretically 2^11 = 2048 different scales in 12 tone systems that repeat at the octave, as there are 11 notes between the tonic and the octave, for each of those 11 notes there are two choices -- it can either be included or not -- but in practice, scales tend to have at most 3 semitones between notes that are more or less equally distributed throughout the octave, which limits possibilities. Scales don't even /have/ to repeat at the octave, although it's obviously very useful if they do.
@@voskresenie- oh yeah, I learned all that already in these 8 months, but thanks anyways
I'd love to see a video on the Dorian mode and how its tonal vagueness can allow it to be used to express all kinds of emotions (heroism/triumph, curiosity, sadness, etc).
A couple other video game songs that use locrian mode:
Gazing at Sirius from Fire Emblem Three Houses
Nocturne of Shadow from Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time
Multitudes of Colors from Murasama: The Demon Blade
House of Tricky Ninjas from Paper Mario The Origami King
Flooded Basement theme from Sweet Home
Also I agree, Locrian is not ugly or unusable, it's just not culturally as pervasive as the other modes so people's ears aren't trained to understand how it moves and functions. The more you experiment around with it the more it reveals its unique color to you. I would encourage all musicians to try writing something in Locrian.
Thank you ! I always thought Locrian was unusable. Thanks for showing us some brillant examples of this scale.
Another locrian example I really enjoy is the track "Elven Mist" from RuneScape. It really embraces that mode and the half-diminished tonic chord.
I’d love it if you could talk about the Dorian scale, it’s my favorite mode!
😏😏
7:00
snaps on 2 and 4 is so engrained in me, I heard the bass as starting on 2 ( (1) 2 +3 __, etc ), and was confused when you said the snaps were on 1 and 3 until I went back and relistened. It took me about four times to hear it the way I did originally after being primed that the snaps were on 1 and 3
...one of these days, I *swear* I will comprehend at least **one thing** from music theory!!
Same, back when I first started watching 8-Bit here a few years ago I had trouble getting past the first ten seconds-and while I’m not particularly good at it I do comprehend generally what he’s talking about now! Keep at it, you can do it!
I can't remember the exact name of it, but there's some table for mapping the scale numbering visually into a circle. I think vox used it on their breakdown of giant steps. might help with some of this stuff
You probably just need the right teacher. I thought the same as you did, but let me tell you, it's actually far easier than you think.
@@j377yb33n circle of fifths I think it is
@@redpepper74 that was the one in the vox video about giant steps, yeah.
Thank you for making this video. I've been saying Locrian can be both beautiful and usable for years despite its bad rep.
It's kind of blowing my mind right now that the Locrian feels so spooky and dissonant, but it's the major scale of that ii note is the same set of notes and sounds bright and happy. The fact that shifting your tonal center down half a step COMPLETELY alters the feeling of the music is absolutely wild. Can you think of any examples of a song that changes from like a C major to a B Locrian or the other way?
Great examples, thanks! I always think that the problem with the Locrian mode isn’t that it’s necessarily so “dark” or “evil”, so much that it’s root chord is unstable, so it’s hard to sound like you’re staying IN Locrian. The way that I’ve found to get around it is by playing a shell voicing for the root chord, so that there’s no flat 5th in the chord, while keeping a repetitive bassline that does use the flat 5th. If you add some dissonant extensions to any other chords, you can still feel like the root chord is home, while maintaining a Locrian feel with the bassline and melodic elements.
yeah the root-m3-m7 is a good root chord in locrian
it just depends how you play it and what you play it on.
MODES are just INTERVALS IDENTIFICATION
KEEP IT SIMPLE.....DONT MAKE it COMPLICATED
BASIC TRIADS are just every other note
( you dont have to always do that..it's just a GUIDE)
Example...Im on my guitar...It the KEY of D MAJOR/B min
C# locrian
Im simply going finger the C# note as my ROOT.
Open D note...Open G note.. D note..open high E note.
Then play Open A B then C# ( on the A string)
Im FINGER PICKING it...
I guess you call it C# dim add b2/b9.
it's just the b3 ( E note) is stacked in the second octave
Then Im simply going to finger the
G F# E...descending ( in the lower octave)..in a nutshell NOTE on the LOW E string..
While I'm just finger the D note ( on B string) against open D G E
Then the E note on the on the D string..
In a nut shell C# dim triad add 9
Then Im simply going hammer the the LOW G note on the ( low E string) the tritone or b5 of C# with my MIDDLE finger
It sounds PRETTY. The C# is my ROOT NOTE
C# LOCRIAN...those are the INTERVALS.
There's OTHER SCALES with MODES in them too.
Lydian = IONIAN #4
There's also
Lyd #2
Lyd b3
Lyd #6
Lyd b7
Lyd #5
Lyd #2 , b7 or ( mix #2, #4)
Lyd #5 #6
Lyd #2, #5
Lyd #2, #6
or
Mix = IONIAN b7
Mix #2
Mix #4
Mix b2
Mix b6
Mix #2, #4
Mix b2, b6.......some people term this INTERVAL as PHRYGIAN DOMINANT
Mix b2, #4
Those are just some EXAMPLES
There's MORE different scales with MODES within them too.
if you play those NOTES in a LINER manner...they'll all create different SOUNDS.
Alot of people WILL use that as a GUIDE to distinguished those SOUNDS.
If you learn them via INTERVALS identifications
mix #2, #4.. aka HUNGARIAN MAJOR scale
You could stack different CHORDS using this mode
1, 3, 5...... MAJOR
1, #2, 5 Min ( #2 is enharmonic/SAME as b3)
1, 3, 5 b7 dominant
1, #2, 5, b7 min 7
1, #2, #4 dim
1 #2, #4 b7 half dim
1, #2, #4 6 full dim
1 3, b7 #9....is how the HENDRIX is play on the GUITAR
in theory ..it's just 1, 3, 5, b7, #9...The #2 is stack in the second octave ...that is all.
Using a 7sus4no5-chord is also a strategy that can work. Even then, tho', the b5 can be a bit jarring against the 4
@@markusmiekk-oja3717 You could simply stack a sus4 chord,
Example In the Key of A MAJOR/F#min ( on the guitar)
G# sus4 ...Barr at the 4th fret ( Locrian)
A sus9 at the NUT..............( IONIAN)
Then...Hammer the F note on the D string with my PINKY
Then Hammer the F note on the LOW E string.
Without making it too complicated...
Lets just say I borrowed from the A MAJOR BeBop scale.
It's A MAJOR with #5/b6....OPTION/PASSING note.
to play the F Maj7 add#11 chord. ( the 5th is suspened)
I have to WRITE it like that ...to justify playing that maj7 of F..
NOT so much for me...( I'll play whatever I damn please)
It just so OTHER MUSICIANs can COMPREHEND it.
It's a scale with 8 notes
so I could say it's loc 4, bb7....ADD Maj7 ( MODE)
to give a point of REFERENCE.
Aanways....I CREATED the mix #2 or ION #6 scale...or LOCRIAN maj7
It's MY INVENTION
I also created melodic min b5 ( mix b2, #4)
Then C# min triad against open B/E ( C# min add b13) Phrygian
E7 at the NUT Mixolyian ( hammer the G# note low E pinky if I want)
A MAJOR ....barr 5th FRET
repeat.....starting from the G# sus4 chord ( Locrian)
PLEASE DO ALL THE MODES THIS VIDEO WAS SO COOL AND USEFUL FRUCJING SERIOUSLY!!!! We love a king who can challenge our perceptions and get us to think of locrian as a viable resource and not just ‘useless and evil’ THANK YOU
A fellow music RUclipsr and I actually challenged ourselves to make a Locrian-scale-only composition to prove just that : Locrian ≠ spooky !
Remixer Darken's one is "Mode 7" on his channel, while mine is nammed ''Lacrima'' on my channel
It’s a mode, not a scale
@@HieronymousLex A mode is a type of scale. Why the semantics
I will NEVER get tired of hearing you talk about modes. I love hearing about the seldom spoken tips and tricks composers use to make incredible music, and combining that with video games, my favourite form of entertainment ever?? Count me IN.
Old video and I doubt you'll see this but an amazing example of the Locrian mode that is 100% locrian and not a form of a japanese iwato scale (like your Zelda last example here) is The Pursuer's theme from Dark Souls 2! Worth checking out, whole track riffs on the C locrian scale AND constantly uses the diminished I chord as its root (Cm7b5, which is the diminished 7th of the mode) without any fear.
I just recently finished watching a music theory video on how almost no 'non videogame' song uses true Locrian except for Bjork's Army of Me and oh boy is that Locrian bassline awesome. In the same way as doom has that awesome Locrian guitar line
It's definitely rare for sure, I happen to have found it in a movie soundtrack that I'll be posting a video analyzing soon. It was a pleasant surprise coming across it
John Kirkpatrick's song "Dust to Dust" is the best example of a song in Locrian imo.
@@Booskop. I agree, and if only it included the 6th to have the complete scale
I guess the only "non videogame" genre where locrian is common is metal. In fact the E1M1 theme from Doom (1993) is actually based on the main riff from Metallica's Master of Puppets (1986).
E1M1 always sounded more like "No Remorse" to me.
Samasa Desert is one of my favorite tracks from the Oracle games, right up there with Tarm Ruins. Glad to know a bit more about it now!
The fish dish from the Simpons is definitely real. It's a pufferfish, called fugu in Japanese, and it has to be prepared by an especially licensed chef, so they don't include the toxic parts in the dish. Many people have died in the past due to the pufferfish's potent toxin.
Stuff like that is why I'm perfectly happy just having pizza
I do want a video about each mode :) It would help a lot to understand why they exist and how to make good use of them.
Looking forward for the next video!
Modes really escaped me in music theory but gosh they’re so juicy. I’m glad they exist 😂
There are a ton of videos about modes on RUclips but not really much and not enough videos about modes in video game OSTs. Thank you for this locrian examples. Please do other modes and scales if you can.
The modes are probably my favorite music theory subject! Like you said at the beginning, learning about the modes was an important gateway for me to learn a lot of music theory. To me the modes are like gateways to other worlds, whole realms of musical possibility hidden from our major/minor tonality paradigm. Then, when I learned later on that "the modes" are really just "the modes of the major scale," and that every other scale also has its own system of modes, I truly did feel like I'd found the keys to the musical multiverse.
My man Nosk’s theme sneaking in at the beginning there
"At Doom's Gate" is like a Locrian 12 bar blues progression
this is my favorite episode you have done so far!
The fish you mentioned is real. It's popular in Japan where it's called Fugu.
yes please! all the modes!!!! great job in this video, having a complete set of modes in this format, where you have three diverse but solid breakdowns for each would be epic, and an amazing learning tool for people. ultimately, do what you want to do, and keep up the great videos!
Yes, please discuss the Phrygian mode! It's my favorite and I would love to hear examples of it in games.
This is the video I needed!!! I’ve always had trouble getting the Locrian mode to work because of the obvious unstable root chord, but this video really helped me understand how to utilize the mode to convey more “color” in my music! Thanks so much!!! :)
I'd be more than happy to hear more about modes.
Heck, I'd even take another video on the Locrian mode with more examples
Love your analysis. I've been learning a ton. Please continue your mode videos. Really I'd be happy watching a video of you talk about whatever musical subject you like haha
The Samasa Desert theme from OOS has got to be one of my favorite themes from the Oracle games. It's just so good.
As for Oracle of Seasons, I'm guessing either Tarm Ruins or Dancing Dragon Dungeon are your favorites?
@@LinkEX Dancing Dragon is definitely one of them, but I'm actually extremely fond of Snake's Remains. The haunting melody in that piece really fits the dungeon, even if it is only the second one.
I work with modes a lot and would love to hear more about them. It's actually funny that you did this one because I just took my first try at Locrian just last week, so this was extremely useful.
I've been thinking about this alot recently, how fun it is to see this video just released.
I have a 1 year old boy and every night I sing him to sleep. Sometimes it takes him a long time to fall asleep and so I got bored of my repertoire of songs to sing, so to keep myself from getting bored, I started taking various lullabies, hymns and other songs I know and changing them to other modes on the fly. Locrian is probably the hardest, but with enough practice it has become almost second nature to me and is now my favorite mode to do this in as it completely changes the character of the music. It feels strange at first, but once you get used to it it becomes completely normal and sometimes I forget how the original sounds. And it's not spooky or sinister at all, but eeriely beautiful and otherworldly.
I'd love to hear from you about ALL the other modes! Please make a series out of it!!!
I just wanna say, I love the modes. They're one of my favorite aspects of music theory.
The Oracle games have a ton of fantastic tunes, at least to an untrained ear like mine. Happy to see them mentioned here!
I would LOVE to learn more about modes!
I honestly know next to nothing about music theory, but your videos are incredible to just sit and take in.
I'd love to eventually see a deep dive into one of my absolute favorite retro video game soundtracks: ActRaiser for the SNES
I enjoy your talking about modes, and I like the format you use here; explain the mode and then give some examples from different sources. 👍
Back in 2019-2020, I made a few compositions in Locrian, which surprised a lot of people since the common convention was always that it's not really a usable scale. To me it doesn't sound spooky but more dreary, like a rainy day, or mysterious, like a lost civilization or the more esoteric aspects of ancient Greece. When approaching it that way, it was surprisingly easy to work with. I noticed though within the past year or so the Locrian mode has become much more used than it was even just three years ago.
Locrian scale is my favorite, so underrated, some of the coolest tunes of all time have been made with it and people still say it's useless u_u
The Zelda's example is probably more like a miyako-bushi scale (都節音階 in Japanese), a common pentatonic scale in Japanese folk songs. It uses the A miyako-bushi : A-Bb-D-E-F-A.
As a synth player and composer, this is amazingly helpful for arpeggiators and progressions!
Thank you for using Oracle Of Seasons. I knew no one that played this back then.
Super Metroid's Hot Lava Area also uses Locrian mode. In that track, it sounds dark, but also does very good at capturing what most might a consider warm feeling.
That Final Fantasy song is delightfully eerie. The Locrian mode is definitely part of it, but that lo-fi string sound also plays a big role in the overall mood.
Just wanna say that I often come to RUclips when I'm feeling depressed and unmotivated to do anything but watching your videos make me so excited about music and help me to practice/transcribe/listen/engage with more music in any way. Very grateful for all your work!
Hi! I don't think I have ever commented on one of your videos before, but my husband and I enjoy watching them! My name is Susan. It's nice to meet you! I am not a jazz musician. I am a CNA, but my musical background is opera. ...I just wanted to say how much the Locrian scale sounds like a whole tone scale. I have been listening to ALW's Phantom of the Opera since I was in high school. I think, by far, that the most challenging part of the score to learn simply by ear, without seeing the written notes to play on a piano keyboard occurs in the Down Once More sequence. The orchestra gives Christine her starting pitch, and then she sings "Have you gorged yourself at last in your lust for blood? Am I now to be prey to your lust for flesh?" The combination of downward and upward notes sounds EXTREMELY Locrian! As well it should, considering she is asking the Phantom if he is about to rape her. The Phantom's music that he had written for his opera "Don Juan Triumphant!" is based on the whole tone scale. You might find it interesting to analyze ALW's score for especially the second act of POTO! Of course, the decision is completely up to you! But, the musician in you might really love it! Thanks for making your videos! We really enjoy them! Susan
This is excellent! especially your harmony analysis. I teach a course on modes, but I don't cover the Locrian mode (other than what the notes are), so this video is an excellent supplement to my course. I know my participants will enjoy your other mode videos to (as will I)! Thank you.
Awesome! Sometime ago I prepared a lecture on modes, for my masters degree teaching internship, and locrian sure was a hard one to find good examples of. Those examples show some great ways to explore this mode, both in more vertical and horizontal approaches, and I don’t think I’ve actually seen someone cover locrian as properly as you. I might add some of those examples to future versions of that class 👀
i don't know crap about basic music theory, but i like hearing your voice, i like video games, and i like learning, so it's a big win. +1 sub
This is a great video! I've always wanted an analysis on this mode where the video just says, "This mode sucks." Even David Bennet Piano, who I watched videos of all the other modes from, glossed over the locrian mode. Thank you for making this video.
P.S. After lydian, can you do phrigian, because that's my favorite of the modes.
I remember Adam Neely had a video with several guests talking about Locrian and one of them, SamuraiGuitarist, basically said "If you wanna write something in Locrian, I recommend you raise the 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 degrees, you'll end up with something you probably end up enjoying both writing and listening to more."
@@bmac4 Ah yes, turn it back into the major key.
_"Even David Bennet Piano, who I watched videos of all the other modes from, glossed over the locrian mode"_
That's because there are basically no popular songs in Locrian.
It's not because Locrian sucks, though. It simply isn't sound people are that used to, especially when most music people listen to is so centered around major and minor chords (diminished chords on their own are quite rare). I guess the best use of Locrian would be in riff-based music, where you don't really think in chords. This is actually why some metal riffs are essentially Locrian, or at least quite close to it (I think pure Locrian stuff is difficult to find, but riffs that use a mixture of Phrygian/Aeolian and Locrian aren't rare). I guess you could call the verse riff of Painkiller by Judas Priest Locrian. Then again, the vocals are pretty much centered around the perfect 5th over that riff, and the b5 is only used in the end as a power chord... So I guess I would still just call it Phrygian, and the b5 is simply common "metal chromaticism".
If you want to stay in one Locrian scale and only use notes in it exclusively, then it kind of sucks, because there aren't many harmonic options. And this is also the reason why people tend to avoid it - people usually don't write songs as music theory exercises. They usually don't start from the idea that "I'm only allowed to use this specific collection of notes", which is why purely Locrian music is almost never written (outside of music theory exercises), and if there are Locrian parts in songs, those are only temporary, and often there's some harmonic movement that kind of "ruins" the Locrian sound, or the part also uses notes outside of the Locrian scale. The 5th is such an important note in the key (it's the most stable note after the tonic) that you kind of have to consciously avoid it to write anything truly Locrian. And this "conscious avoidance" kind of necessarily leads to "music theory exercise" approach to writing songs.
@@MaggaraMarine Well, David Bennet Piano has used a few video game examples in his video about the "royal road" chord progression, but I do agree with everything you said.
This is so awesome! It's great to see these modes used in practical and musical ways, separate from how they're taught in music school.
I would very much enjoy more videos from you about modes! They were something I always ignored in theory as a little kid because they were just something to memorise and were never explained - just some different scales I guess, but why? But watching your videos makes it very clear that they are wonderfully descriptive, and useful in evoking particular "colours" or atmospheres that I very much would have liked to have appreciated when I was younger. So, yes! Please!
I'd love to hear about all of the modes! I find them so interesting but super difficult to grasp sometimes, and your videos are very accessible. So please, more!
I think the point you made about other chords within locrian feeling more resolved than the tonic is especially highlighted by that Doom example - I've never really thought about it, but I always heard that opening tonic as having vaguely dominant function (because it moves to iv). But looking at the broader structure, of course it's a tonic - it's just the start of the 12 bar blues, like so many of Bobby Prince's tracks!
Phrygian mode has always been my favorite, so cannot wait for that one. Frankly, just having vg music identified within modes is making me happy. Thanks for these videos!
Everything you have to teach us is pure gold for me! Specially information about the modes! I love your videos 😊
I always enjoy your content. Modes are fun, but I am a musician and have played jazz plenty, so the geek-speak is appreciated. My two cents: keep going through the modes.
Please keep making videos on the modes, I love seeing how they are used in video games!
In case anyone is wondering like 8 Bit is, yes the poisonous fish dish does indeed exist. It's specifically made using a kind of pufferfish that has enough poison to kill 1000 people iirc (I'd have to double check that number) and is considered a delicacy. Most chefs need about 20+ years or so of experience to be legally qualified to prepare it for obvious reasons.
Came here for original DOOM.
Leaving after compliments on new doom.
Nice video, 8-bit Music Theory! Would be interested in hearing about the other modes, especially the differences between aeolian and traditional minor.
Hey man. Long time fan, love the work you do. I definitely want to hear you talk about Lydian. I've heard people say so many different things about it, and many conflicting ideas on how to use it. If anyone could put this to rest for me it's this channel.
I'm so happy you remember and respect the Oracle soundtracks. Darm Ruins/ Lost Woods and Zelda's Awakening live rent-free in my earworm brain. The Skull Dungeon goes pretty hard too.
Nice video, most modes are covered in a wide variaty of yotube videos but locrian is mostly untouch. It's great to see some examples of it in action to recognise it's potencial.
Right in the middle of playing through Oracle of Seasons for the first time in many years. It's desolate but a little frantic which actually fits the gameplay of the desert more than the atmosphere.
It's not about the tools themselves, it's how you use them. Locrian is inherently dark, yes, but that doesn't mean it has to sound any worse than a typical ionian/aeolian diatonic piece.
Fantastic examples and analysis!
oh hi emm bee sea
What makes it *inherently* dark?
@@benjaminshields9421 I would say it's inherently and objectively dissonant in several ways. Subjectively, most people percive that level of dissonance as as "dark".
I know nothing about music theory, but I think Locrian sounds more brooding and mysterious.
@@benjaminshields9421 I think it's because the low-set half-tone intervals bring the average pitch down.
Oh my word, yes! Please talk more about modes. I would absolutely love more!
when you played the sample arpeggio, i immediately thought of narshe! loved the video ty for grounding this weird one for me
thank you so much, want to learn all about different timbres and vibes from various scales. Really helpful!
modes are endlessly fascinating & inspiring imho. keep em comin!
One of the best videos about Locrian! That was rad!
Please do more videos on modes like this one! This was super helpful and informative!! :D
definitely not sick of learning about the application of modes, and i honestly really like that there has been an uphill trend in teaching about them. i didn't know they existed until i got into music theory youtube in about 2019, and it would seem that too many people are either in the sae boat, or don't understand how they can be applied. there's way too much "here's what the modes are and how to learn them" and not enough "here's how to actually apply modes in your own compositions*.
Jake from Signals Music Studio covers modes a lot, and even expresses something I've thought for a long time, that - while wrong in traditional theory to call them this - "modes can and should be given the chance to be treated as your "key".", and this approach opened a lot of doors to me for composition.
I am so so very pleased to see OMORI being shown here in the background! Would love to see something on its soundtrack some time ^^
I would honestly love a series on the different modes! You have a great talent for making things interesting and digestible, and the modes are a topic I would like to learn more about.
10:24 - that is right! Pufferfish produces a dangerous tetrodotoxin, which is why it needs to be prepared in a very specific way to avoid bad outcomes.
I'm always up for modes! especially seeing different flavors of the mode like you did in this video
Great video. I love learning more about modes and their practical use - modes are my favourite topic concerning music.
I can't hear "sus" without giggling internally. Among Us memes have broken me
Yep, anytime I try to explain music theory to someone who doesn't know a lot about it they're always like "SUS??? SUS AMONG US?!? 😱😱😱"
Awesome video!🙌🏼 It's wild have much the colour/character of the piece is influenced by the modes, but at the same time how much play you have within a certain mode to change up the sound (using different tombres, styles, rhythms etc.)😄
Music truly is endless!🎵
Love hearing your takes on all of the modes, please keep them coming if you get time.
I teach piano and like to reference your videos to some of my students who are advanced enough to be thinking about modes and scale degrees.
Super valuable content, thank you!
This was very good man!! i would like to see *a list of videos* in your channel, talking only about modes, and examples too of course, that would be useful for my music stuff, thanks for this!
I think at Doom’s gate is a more adrenaline pumping action song than a chaotic evil song, it’s the decent into the chaotic evil, not the chaotic evil itself.
Yea, I think it’s almost too dissonant to sound “evil”. It just sounds “noisy”. The tune is driven more by its rhythm than its melody. It’s too repetitive really.
To get a truly evil or spooky sound you need to have something a little melodic, but off. One way is to start a normal melody in what seems to be one key, but then linger on the wrong note or even go into a different key. It has to be more unpredictable.
Also, floaty melodies are more spooky than chugging metal riffs to me. There’s something about resembling human voice that makes a sound more creepy to me. That requires more pure clean notes.
Finally early to a 8 bit music theory masterpiece
Love hearing about the different modes. You can do all of em and I'll still listen
The ultimate piano composition that tests the boundaries would be a piece in Lochrian mode; that has a time signature that has a denominator that's between 2 common time signatures (e.g 4/3 with 4 dotted quarter notes making a measure, 4/6 with 4 dotted eighth notes making a measure, or16/12 making 16 dotted 16th notes making a measure).