Chords for Breath of the Wild Soundtrack Analysis PART 1 of 4: Hyrule Field Theme

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[Bb] It's not unusual to see a newly released game attempt to stand in the shadows of its
predecessors, but it is exceedingly rare to see one of these games meet its forerunners
shoulder to shoulder, especially when the shadows they cast are as long as you could
find anywhere in video games.
I think it's fair to say that Breath of the Wild is a masterpiece of modern gaming,
and I don't say that lightly.
It's a game that's not afraid to cast away parts of its series tradition, and in
doing so, it has preserved the core of what makes Zelda great better than most other games
in the series.
Whether or not you think it deserves the praise it's been getting, you can't deny that
Breath of the Wild is a landmark title in the Zelda franchise.
For better or worse, the series will now forever be divided into before Breath of the Wild
and after Breath of the Wild.
In this video, I'm going to talk about the music of Breath of the Wild and how it perfectly
reflects the game's bold new direction for the series as well as its obvious respect
for its legacy.
First things first, what's new about this soundtrack?
Well, as it turns out, quite a lot.
In my first ever YouTube video, I looked at the overworld themes of each console's Zelda
game up until that point and talked about what made them sound like Zelda music, and
how the changes in each theme reflected the personality of the game it belonged to.
Let's continue that trend by looking at Breath of the Wild's Hyrule Field theme.
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_ This theme has been controversial to say the least, with people accusing it of sounding
like random notes on a piano, someone just played piano for the first time, and god awful.
And no, it is not an exciting, bombastic, or even particularly adventurous piece of
music, but what it lacks in energy it makes up for in mood, and the subtlety and craft
on display are nothing short of impressive.
While it may seem like random notes at first, the song actually takes us through a complete
musical journey, leading me to believe that the composition process was very deliberate.
The first two notes immediately put us in the key of E-flat.
_ _ [Eb] _ It's admittedly kind of [F] a fragile perception of the key, as there's no harmony to speak
of, but this 2-1 melodic figure is a very common way of melodically defining a key center.
Notice how throughout these opening few phrases, we keep coming back to a B-flat, this being
the fifth in the key of E-flat, keeps the music from resolving, and keeps your ear
looking forward to what's coming next.
Each successive phrase gradually builds in intensity up until this point, where we slow
things back down as we're introduced to a key element of all the other overworld themes
and, I'd say, Zelda music in general, mode mixture, specifically the b7.
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_ _ _ _ _ The b7 chord, borrowed from the key's parallel minor scale, is present in almost every other
Zelda overworld theme, and is commonly used in fantasy music to create a heroic or adventurous mood.
In this case, though, it adds a somberness to the music that wasn't there before.
We've moved from our comfortable homeworld to an otherworld, and this is why I say the
composition was deliberate.
It's creating a story, an abstract one to be sure, but one that's definitely there.
The next few phrases outline a D-flat 7 chord before we get this leap down from D-flat to
E-flat, mirroring the very beginning of the piece.
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_ _ [Eb] This fourth is harmonically ambiguous.
We've just been dabbling around in E-flat minor, but the piece has already been established
to us in E-flat major, and with no third to speak of, these notes could imply either.
I believe this ambiguity between major and minor is at the heart of what makes Zelda
music sound like Zelda music, and this interval to me absolutely captures the essence of the series.
The climax of the piece comes next, with this big, bright B-flat over E-flat chord putting
us back in our major tonality without giving us that defining third.
_ [Bb] _ _ _ _ _ [Eb] This is by far the lowest note we've heard thus far, which makes it stand out all the more.
Now we get the resolution, a final struggle so to speak, as we return back to our homeworld
of E-flat major.
The D-flat 7 chord we'd been dancing around returns with a vengeance, with this harsh
rolldown of a D-flat 13 chord and ominously low bass [Abm] note.
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_ _ _ [Abm] In the end though, we finally get [Db] our unambiguous major tonality as the last three notes [Abm] outline
an E-flat major 7, third and all.
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[D] _ _ _ This piece so perfectly captures the spirit of the game.
Gone are the descending major chords, the strong orchestral melodies, and the galloping rhythms.
This piece is simple, subtle, and perfectly suited to roaming around the ruins [Dm] of an ancient,
once noble [F] kingdom.
I've heard people [Eb] say that this game feels like the real Zelda story, and that all the
previous games were just like legends that you'd hear in Breath of the Wild's world.
I'd have to say listening to this piece, I feel the same way.
_ _ _ Thank you guys so much for watching part one of my four-part series on Breath of the Wild's soundtrack.
[Bb] If you want to know when the next three parts are gonna come out, you can subscribe to the
channel, and if you don't want to know when these videos come out, you can still subscribe,
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Thank you guys so much for watching, and I'll see you again very soon.
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