Learn Musical Form from Octopath Traveler
Video Overview & Insights
The Small Ternary is a fantastic musical form for composers of game music and short works to know.
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The Small Ternary starts with an A section, usually in Sentence or Period form or a hybrid. The A section can end with a half cadence or an authentic cadence.
Isn't Clearbrook in ABCD form? On the second repeat of each melody the instrumentation is different.
It's followed by a contrasting B section, usually in a different harmonic space (either a modulation or just starting on a different chord). The B section is motivically similar to the A, so although it is "contrasting", the contrast is not too strong.
The B section ends with a half cadence to prepare for the return of the A, usually in the home ket. In the case of video game music this can go on to be an endless loop.
Oh wow it's impressive how common this composition paradigm is.
All 8 themes in this video come from Yasunori Nishiki's beautiful score to the game Octopath Traveler.
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This is wonderful… it ties all my music theory together with visual examples, and I’m able to follow the music. Thank you. 😀🥳🎶🎼🎵
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This is awesome oh my god
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Thank you for putting this up on YT
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GReat video as always (:
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I have a doubt in the 1st song (primrose the dancer) in 32 and 33 bar if it is perfect cadence it should be 5 -1 so Am to Dm , but it's Bb and Dm , I don't understand why Bb , could you please explain me .
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Thanks for your great content, I found out that many of the character theme are just AB form with loop though. For exmaple the Tressa one just repeat from the begining instead of having an A at the end.
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Amazingly useful video!! And holy moly, thats is ONE pretty soundtrack there. Never heard of Octopath Traveler..
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I can't differentiate the a,b,c parts of the ABAC, AABC formats in the song sections.
Are parts A/B/C longer than one or two measures? I'm very confused and I can't find explanations that help me with this.
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There are lot of modulations happening in this!
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Where I get my background music (awesome for YouTubers).
May I ask what software is used to have this glorious sounding playback?
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Nice! I was looking for a good form for vgm
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Oh somehow I missed out on this video. This is super helpful though!
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thank you for this analysis Ryan <3
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i loved this video ! i could have watched this go on for another 30 mins. Great for figuring out where the borrowed chords come from
#musicalform #videogamemusic #octopathtraveler
0:00 Primrose, the Dancer
What is going on in the last line of the B section in Therion, The Thief? I can't place the Eb or A in a context that makes sense other than it sounds good. The start of the B section makes sense in the Relative key of G for 2 bars, then the starting 4 Chord of C can give us the dm and am easy. But the Eb is throwing me, especially since we end on a cadence to D...
1:05 Cyrus, the Scholar
1:38 Therion, the Thief
Wonderfully instructional video: hit me with more of these, please?:)
2:38 Olberic, the Warrior
3:54 Clearbrook, by the Pristine Waters
this is my favorite video ever
5:36 A Settlement in the Red Bluffs
6:48 Ophilia, the Cleric
4:14 don’t half cadences always need to end on a V chord? Why isn’t it the case with this instance?
8:24 Tressa, the Merchant
This looks like important information, but I don't understand some of the lingo since I'm self taught. Would it be possible for you to do an educational video on the topic?
More User Perspectives
At 7:18 when you say it modulates to Bb, isn´t it Gm or at least Eolian? F functions as a bVII and so on? Even later we have a D7 - Gm cadence. Just to clarify, cause I saw you name bVII - Im an authentic cadence too earlier in this video, do you think those can be considered that too? Like Authentic modal cadences or something?
@zoundbiestudio4021these compositions are absolutly beautiful
@jeanpierrecarpentierHi, I heard from you that when you are composing you like to write those charts with the chords and the melody first and then do everything else, now, I am a beginner so I haven't practiced a lot of harmony even tho I know the basics and I can be creative but do you think I should write charts like this too? Or just 4 part harmony to learn voice leading better first? Or I should write chords like this and practice 4 part harmony separately? So from a pedagogical point of view is good to compose like this if I am not really good at 4 part harmony and voice leading?
@ZackBecaThis content is always amazing! Thank you!
I have a quick question that maybe is really silly but I am a newbie and I'm still trying to figure out these things:
At 00:52 - Cm - Gm - Em7(b5) - A
Where are those last two chords from?
I guess that the half diminished has the same notes as the Gm with an E natural added and the A is from a V - i (A to Dm) unresolved cadence? Are these movements used often?
I found this video. After years of playing Octopath. I did know it uses some technics that are like VGM of the 90's. But now. I can learn to do that on my own. Just by seeing what is going on. Another love letter to this game and it's OST. Thank you. This is really great content.
@RoinaehCurrently playing octopath. The game hooked me because of the music. Great analysis! The composers are truly geniuses
@NahuelPavanoThis was so incredibly helpful, thank you!
@braethebrave1569I love the video. However, I have a question though. During "Cyrus, The Scholar", one of the notes that popped up on screen said "(Note: this is a Small Ternary form within a larger form)". What exactly is that larger form?
@DubbaLubbaBThis is enlightening ! Just diving into your videos, it's a delight : thanks so much for sharing your knowledge ;)
@anled.compositionThanks! Great format.
@pabloangelzarateperez7400Can you make a video about tritone sub and types? Like Vsub , secondary dominant sub , you can hear it in Zelda , Mario
@ArtemTarkovskyi7:34 II-V-I joined the chat , I heard same thing in One's summer day by Joe Hisaishi
@ArtemTarkovskyiThank you!❤️🔥
@ArtemTarkovskyiBrilliant. Finally the favorite topic I wanted to explore more. Thank you Mr Ryan Leach.
@ishagshafeeg🎹 how to tell as story as a composer https://youtu.be/kGCztkhPcRU
🎼 Period Form: Learn this BASIC STRUCTURE from 9 Mario Themes https://youtu.be/34gSQTW2vuU