Time for something out of the ordinary again.

This week, my feature will be nothing less than bit music, turned into classical music, and then added some electric guitars.

Yes. Really.



Sen Nen Gensou Sato

by TAMusic



So, why do I like this mess? The answer is rather simple, however weird it might seem for something like this to be likeable.

Bit music generally has very distinct melodies which are easy to follow, and also catchy. This means that building from this is building from a solid foundation. You can see this in other places as well; Zelda music has spawned tons of cool remixes in other genres; the Tetris tune has been heard absolutely everywhere.

So, turn this strong but simple foundation into one of the most refined types of music there is; with violins, piano, and the whole schablang, and you have something quite extraordinary.

Before we go on to why the modern pieces work, I'd like to explain the song in itself a little further.

The original song comes from a Japanese indie game, which is designed to be hard. And you all know how crazy those people are with their games, having seen youtube videos of them owning the hell out of snake, or tetris, or starcraft, or what the hell not. They're insane. This game is designed for them. Even playing on normal, you'll be hard pressed to make it through the game in your first 50 attempts. (Without continues.)

What is the point of discussing a game, when we're talking about music, you ask? Well that, my friend, is just what I am going to explain. Being so hard, the game also induces panic and stress into whoever plays it, if they take it the least bit seriously. And the person who made the game also composed the music to be equally gripping. That music will make your nerves crack. Some will experience the music as too much, since it's bit music and therefore not very kind on the ears, but when someone took it, and turned it into classic-style music, it became incredibly powerful. I would argue that it rivals movie soundtracks from the all powerful hollywood itself.

That said, we'll get back to the "rocky" part of the score.

So there are two things very non-classical in the piece; drums (as in a regular rock set of drums) and electric guitar. And however strange, this works. It works because it is in harmony with the feel of the music; the drive, the stress.

So what we have is a well defined melody, refined with the use of classic music devices, and then augmented by modern tools.

This little piece of indie music will get me on the edge of my seat in exactly the same way as any of Hans Zimmer's famous scores, and will have me humming along with the melody, at that.