Austin Wintory's Themes are Simple, but Sophisticated
Summary
TLDREste video explora cómo Austin Wintory, un compositor de música para videojuegos de renombre, crea temas principales que son sencillos pero profundos, capaces de soportar una amplia variedad de tratamientos musicales sin perder su identidad. Se analiza cómo su enfoque innovador en texturas orquestales y el uso de instrumentos poco comunes, junto con su delicado mezcla de instrumentos en vivo y electrónicos, contribuyen a crear una experiencia musical única que se integra perfectamente con el juego. El video también destaca cómo estos temas se desarrollan a lo largo de las partituras de los juegos, proporcionando un ejemplo con Journey, donde el tema principal se transforma y se adapta a diferentes situaciones emocionales, demostrando la habilidad de Wintory para escribir temas que no solo encajan en el tono del juego, sino que también contribuyen significativamente a la identidad del juego.
Takeaways
- 🎵 Austin Wintory es reconocido por su habilidad para integrar inteligentemente su música en el mundo de los videojuegos, creando experiencias musicales únicas que apoyan el juego de manera inigualable.
- 🎶 Su enfoque innovador en texturas orquestales e instrumentos musicales poco comunes, crea paletas sonoras únicas que son esenciales para definir el mundo y el estilo de un juego.
- 🔄 La mezcla de instrumentos en vivo y electrónicos de Wintory se funde en ondas de sonido ambiental que envuelven al jugador, sumergiéndolo en la experiencia del juego.
- 🎵 Las temáticas principales de Wintory son sencillas pero sólidas, con melodías naturales que se adaptan a una gran variedad de tratamientos musicales sin perder su identidad.
- 🎶 La mayoría de las temáticas de Wintory están en clave menor, comenzando con un acorde de tonica menor y una melodía que define claramente la clave menor.
- ⏳ Las estructuras melodicas de sus temáticas suelen ser similares, con una frase inicial simple seguida de una segunda frase que desarrolla la idea inicial y se extiende más.
- 🎶 A pesar de la simplicidad de sus temas, Wintory introduce disonancias interesantes que crean momentos emocionales en la música.
- 🔄 En la banda sonora de 'Journey', Wintory demuestra cómo un tema principal puede ser transformado y variado a lo largo del juego, adaptándose a diferentes situaciones y emociones.
- 🎵 La capacidad de Wintory para escribir temas que se desarrollan y se reincorporan en diferentes partes de la banda sonora es una de las razones por las que sus composiciones son tan efectivas.
- 🏆 La habilidad de Wintory para crear temas que no solo se ajustan al tono del juego sino que también contribuyen significativamente a la identidad del juego, lo posiciona como uno de los compositores líderes en la música de videojuegos modernos.
Q & A
¿Quién es Austin Wintory y qué hace que su música sea única en los videojuegos?
-Austin Wintory es un compositor de primer nivel que se destaca por su capacidad para integrar inteligentemente su música en el mundo de los videojuegos, creando experiencias musicales únicas que apoyan perfectamente el juego y son imposibles de replicar en un soundtrack independiente.
¿Cómo implementa Austin Wintory su música en los videojuegos de manera dinámica?
-Austin Wintory utiliza una combinación de texturas orquestales innovadoras y instrumentos musicales poco comunes para crear paletas sonoras únicas, y mezcla delicadamente instrumentos en vivo con electrónicos para crear ondas de sonido ambiental que envuelven al jugador.
¿Cuál es la importancia de un tema principal en la música de un videojuego según el guion del video?
-Un tema principal es fundamental para la música de un videojuego, ya que actúa como el núcleo alrededor del cual se desarrollan otras piezas musicales, similar a cómo la jugabilidad básica es crucial para el éxito del juego.
¿Por qué los temas de Austin Wintory son considerados sólidos y naturales a pesar de su simplicidad?
-Los temas de Wintory son sólidos y naturales porque, a pesar de su estructura simple y clara, se enfocan en detalles finos que capturan perfectamente el ambiente del juego y se mantienen identificables a través de una gran variedad de tratamientos musicales.
¿Cuál es la clave principal que utiliza Austin Wintory al comienzo de sus temas principales?
-Austin Wintory inicia la mayoría de sus temas principales con una acorde menor tonica, lo que establece rápidamente la tonalidad y es una prioridad en su enfoque temático.
¿Cómo describe el guion la estructura melodica típica de los temas de Austin Wintory?
-Los temas de Wintory comienzan con una frase simple pero reconocible, generalmente de dos compases, que se repite en la tercera medida. Luego continúa con una segunda frase que desarrolla la idea inicial y termina sin un final claro, lo que facilita su conexión con nuevos materiales.
¿Cómo utiliza Austin Wintory las notas disonantes en sus temas para crear momentos emocionales?
-Austin Wintory introduce notas disonantes de manera deliberada en sus temas para crear puntos culminantes emocionales, como se muestra en los ejemplos de los temas de 'The Banner Saga' y 'Assassin's Creed Syndicate'.
¿Cómo se adapta el tema principal de 'Journey' a diferentes situaciones del juego según el análisis del video?
-El tema principal de 'Journey' se adapta a diferentes situaciones del juego cambiando suenidos y ritmos, como se muestra en las secciones del juego donde el personaje evita monstruos voladores y en la final épica del juego.
¿Qué aspectos de la música de Austin Wintory se exploran en el video que no se cubren en otros materiales disponibles en YouTube?
-El video se centra específicamente en cómo Austin Wintory escribe un tema principal, en lugar de explorar su enfoque innovador en la implementación dinámica de la música en los videojuegos o sus ideas de orquestación, que ya son temas tratados en otros materiales en línea.
¿Por qué es importante la flexibilidad de un tema principal en la música de videojuegos según el guion del video?
-La flexibilidad de un tema principal es crucial porque permite que el compositor reincorpore y desarrolle el tema a lo largo de la banda sonora del juego, lo que enriquece la experiencia del jugador y contribuye a la identidad del juego.
Outlines
🎵 Introducción a la música de Austin Wintory
Este párrafo presenta a Austin Wintory como un compositor de música para videojuegos de clase mundial, destacando su habilidad para integrar inteligentemente la música en el mundo del juego y crear experiencias musicales únicas. Se menciona que su enfoque innovador en texturas orquestales y el uso de instrumentos musicales poco comunes aportan un paladar sonoro único, al igual que la combinación de instrumentos en vivo y electrónicos. Sin embargo, el vídeo se centrará en cómo Wintory crea un tema principal y cómo este apoya una amplia variedad de tratamientos musicales sin perder su identidad.
🎶 Análisis de los temas principales de Austin Wintory
Se describe cómo los temas principales de Wintory comienzan con un acorde menor y una melodía que define claramente la tonalidad menor. Los temas tienen una estructura similar, con una frase inicial simple y reconocible que se repite en la tercera barra, seguido de una segunda frase que desarrolla la idea inicial. Esta estructura inusual, con la segunda frase mucho más larga que la primera, atrapa a los oyentes y les permite experimentar la música de una manera más profunda. Además, se menciona que estos temas son simples pero no simplistas, y que su atención a los detalles captura perfectamente el ambiente de cada juego.
🎵 Detalles y desarrollo de los temas de Wintory
Este párrafo explora cómo Wintory utiliza detalles musicales para hacer que cada tema se distinga uno de otro, a pesar de las similitudes. Por ejemplo, el tema de Journey se basa en una escala menor natural y se interpreta libremente, lo que captura la sensación de soledad del juego. En contraste, el tema de ABZÛ utiliza la moda doriana y un sintetizador para evocar una atmósfera más mística y enigmática. El tema de The Banner Saga, por otro lado, utiliza una sección de viento para transmitir la dureza de la aventura, con acordes abiertos y clusters disonantes que reflejan el tono sombrío del juego.
🎶 Variaciones y desarrollo del tema principal en Journey
Se analiza cómo Wintory reincorpora el tema principal de Journey en diferentes partes de la banda sonora del juego, mostrando cómo el tema se transforma y se desarrolla a lo largo del juego. Desde versiones más oscuras y siniestros para escenas de peligro hasta arreglos orquestales emocionantes para momentos culminantes, Wintory demuestra una habilidad excepcional para adaptar un tema simple para expresar una amplia gama de emociones y situaciones dentro del juego.
👏 Conclusiones y agradecimientos
El vídeo concluye destacando la capacidad de Wintory para escribir temas que no solo se ajustan al tono del juego, sino que también contribuyen significativamente a la identidad del juego. Se agradece a los patrocinadores por solicitar un vídeo sobre Journey y la música de Wintory, y se invita a los espectadores a seguir al presentador en sus redes sociales o a unirse a su comunidad en Patreon.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Austin Wintory
💡Música dinámica
💡Instrumentos musicales
💡Tema principal
💡Estructura melodica
💡Tono menor
💡Dissonancia
💡Desarrollo temático
💡Identidad del juego
💡Artesanía
Highlights
Austin Wintery is renowned for his dynamic integration of music into video game worlds.
Wintery's music is characterized by innovative orchestral textures and the use of uncommon instruments.
His themes are simple yet solid melodies that feel natural and support a variety of musical treatments.
Wintery's themes are all in a minor key, starting with the tonic minor chord.
The themes feature a slow tempo and rhythmic similarity, often based on quarter note movement.
A unique aspect of his themes is the longer second phrase that trails off without a clear finish.
Wintery's themes are simple but distinct, with fine details capturing the atmosphere of the game.
Journey's theme uses a natural minor scale and rubato rhythm to evoke solitude.
Abzu's theme highlights the Dorian mode and a synth pad to create a mystical aquatic tone.
Banner Saga's theme uses a brass ensemble to capture the roughness of a war-torn setting.
Wintery's themes often include dissonant notes that create thrilling moments.
The main theme of Journey is the only theme in the game's score, showcasing Wintery's ability to vary a single theme.
In Journey, the theme's variations reflect different emotional states and gameplay situations.
Wintery's themes demonstrate a balance of clarity, simplicity, depth, and flexibility.
The development of a main theme throughout a game's score is crucial for a cohesive musical experience.
Austin Wintery's themes contribute significantly to the identity of the games they accompany.
Transcripts
[Music]
there is
a lot that's been said here on youtube
about the work of austin
wintery hell there's enough info on
journey's soundtrack alone to fill a
college class
that's because wintery isn't just a
world-class composer he's a world class
game composer
the way he intelligently implements his
music dynamically into a game's world
creates a totally unique and satisfying
musical experience that perfectly
supports the game itself in a way that's
impossible to replicate on a standalone
soundtrack his innovative approach to
orchestral textures and
uncommon musical instruments create
unique sonic palettes that are just as
important to fleshing out the world and
style of a game as the setting or
art design his delicate mixing of live
instruments and electronics
merge into shifting waves of ambient
sound that envelope you as you play
drawing you into the experience of the
game i am not going to talk about any of
these things in this video there's a ton
of material up on youtube that explores
these elements of austin wintery's music
much of which featuring the man himself
and i'll drop a bunch of links in the
description below that you should really
check out if you're interested
what i want to focus on in this video is
how austin wintery writes a
main theme the ins and outs of how a
score is implemented dynamically into a
game or what crazy orchestration idea
defines its sound is super interesting
but these elements work by building off
a strong theme that can support it all
it's kind of like how a game can have
great graphics and some great ideas but
if the core gameplay doesn't
feel good to play the game doesn't work
wintery's themes are great because when
you strip away everything else to just
the bare bones there's nothing
flashy about them they're just simple
solid melodies but they feel somehow
totally natural and looking at them all
side by side you can really see
wintery's personality come through in
how they're written
and most importantly of all they can
support a huge variety of musical
treatments without losing their identity
as the main theme of a game
so let's get into how austin wintery
writes a main
theme
[Music]
first of all they're all in a minor key
each of these themes kicks off with the
tonic minor chord and a melody that very
clearly outlines the minor key we're in
almost always starting with a big fat
root or fifth on the downbeat of the
first measure
it sounds like establishing the key
quickly and clearly is a priority of
wintry's themes
[Music]
hearing them back to back like this i'm
sure there are a lot of similarities
that you could pick out
they each work with a relatively slow
tempo and the themes are all very
rhythmically similar based mostly on
quarter don't movement with some half
notes and eighth notes thrown in and
this dotted quarter to eighth note
rhythm seems to be kind of a
go-to of winteries for this kind of
thematic writing they also
all use a similar melodic structure that
i think is important
each starts off with a simple but
recognizable phrase usually two bars in
length
this moves into a second phrase that
begins the same way as the first meaning
that the first and third bars of the
theme are typically almost exactly the
same
this second phrase continues in a
different direction from the first
though
developing the initial idea by showing a
new direction that it could go in
what i think is unique about winter's
themes is that this second answering
figure usually continues seamlessly onto
a much longer phrase than the first
and then kind of trails off at the end
[Music]
[Music]
i think this choice of structure is
really interesting it's strong from a
compositional standpoint because it's
very easy for the listener to latch on
to the common elements that get repeated
from the first phrase to the second but
the lopsided nature of the second phrase
being so much longer than the first
pulls us into the music and then the
lack of a big clear finish makes it hard
to pull away
here see what i mean with abzu's main
theme to no
water we have this perfect call and
response thing where the two-bar phrase
at the start is answered by a phrase
that definitely could have worked if it
stopped at two bars long but it
continues on to this huge
major seventh leap up to a held second
that eventually resolves down to the
root of the key
g
[Music]
banner saga's theme we will not be
forgotten stretches this structure out
the first four bars give a satisfying
question and answer type of phrase and
then the start of the following four
bars gives us that repetition of our
opening idea that ends in a different
way
this time it moves up into a higher
range than before before slowly drifting
down our tonic minor arpeggio to land on
the root e
[Music]
can you hear what i mean when i say
these themes tend to trail off at the
end
we never get a big finish instead these
themes nonchalantly slip down to the
tonic as if to say
oh yeah i guess i'm done this actually
works hugely in these themes favor when
it comes to using them throughout a
game's soundtrack as having kind of a
vague ending can make it easy to connect
these themes with new material that can
keep them going in whatever direction
you need them to go in
it's fair to say that all of these
themes are simple which is vital for a
good theme
a main theme is like a main character
you want something that
everybody can kind of relate to
everybody can kind of see themselves in
and you want it to be very clear who
they are and what they're after
what keeps these themes from being
simplistic is the attention put towards
the fine details of each theme that
capture perfectly the atmosphere of the
specific game they're written for
in the three examples we just checked
out even in spite of the similarities
each is made distinct from one another
through the details in wintry's approach
journey's theme is based purely off a
natural minor scale resolving up to the
tonic from the flat 7th as a core part
of its sound
throughout the game the melody is also
often played rubato
the rhythm being freely interpreted by a
solo instrumentalist
usually cello or bass flute
[Music]
[Music]
i think both the natural minor sound and
the rhythmic freedom of these
unaccompanied solo performances help
capture the feeling of quiet solitude
that the game is trying to evoke
abzu's main theme however evokes its
more mystical aquatic tone by
highlighting the dorian mode with this
raised six
e-natural in the key of g minor accented
heavily in both the melody and the
chords laid down by this warm synth pad
[Music]
underneath
the churning bubbling wateresque texture
provided by the seven harp ensemble
all instructed to play this giant
clustery group of notes out of time
together obviously does a lot to capture
the game's otherworldly energy
but along with that the dorian mode
gives a much brighter more enchanting
quality over the natural minor scale
that helps keep this theme distinct from
journeys
banner saga's theme returns to a natural
minor sound but with a completely
different approach from journey's theme
instead of focusing on a soloist with an
open rubato rhythm banner saga's we will
not be forgotten features a full brass
ensemble whereas journeys about making
your way through your adventure with
maybe one online stranger at your side
banner saga follows a huge band of
travelers making their way through the
desolate war-torn countryside
and orchestrating the theme for brass
ensemble captures the roughness of this
adventure perfectly
the tone of the theme matches the
hopeless and depressing tone of the game
itself and this is due in part to the
use of low clusters in the accompaniment
the theme starts and ends on open fifths
that's an e power chord for you guitar
players out there which sound great
played by brass and suit the war setting
of the game
in the middle of the theme more inner
voices are added in to flesh out the
harmony with
full chords but oftentimes these inner
voices will move around to make cluster
voicings by adding seconds to otherwise
standard triads
having semitone clashes and a chord
voiced in the lower range like this
sounds really dark
which is perfect for a game where you
have to watch your band of adventurers
starve to death
this brings us to another common element
of wintery's main themes
the inclusion of juicy notes in spite of
the simplicity of establishing a home
key and sticking tightly to it wintry
always finds places to insert some
serious dissonances that make for some
really thrilling moments in the theme
in bar 3 of banner saga's theme the horn
melody dips down to a g
that lands just a semitone above the top
note of the accompanying brass chord
giving us this
juicy half step clash
this clash is kept in this stripped-down
performance of juno and ivan's theme
an offshoot of the game's main theme by
wintry himself on piano during an
interview at the baftas
the fact that wintry was just knocking
out a simple version of the theme to
show the audience and he specifically
added in this semitone clash with the
melody
shows me how deliberate and important
this juicy note was
in his mind in erica's main theme know
thyself we again get a juicy moment in
the third bar of the theme
immediately after establishing the key
of g minor and our 3 4 waltz time
the solo cello melody steps up to an a
before plummeting down to an e flat
stabbing us in the gut with a jagged
tritone interval
[Music]
the theme continues on to be one of
wintery's most chromatic and
dissonant distinguishing itself from our
previous examples with its gothic horror
aesthetic but i love this moment for how
it jumps out at you right out of the
gate
right from the opening phrase this theme
lets you know that this game's music is
going to have an
edge assassin's creed syndicate's main
theme
bloodlines is scored for a trio of piano
violin and
cello and the piece is structured as one
big crescendo that bounces the melody
between all three
instruments the piece keeps the lopsided
phrasing we talked about earlier with
the plummeting octave leap in the violin
in the first bar answered with a
plummeting fifth down in the cello in
the third
kicking off the longer wandering second
phrase that sees the violin walking up
to a great juicy note moment
this b-flat while it's technically the
third of a g minor chord which you
wouldn't think would be too dissonant it
clashes against the a
and e notes in the piano's right hand as
well as hitting a minor
9th interval above this a in the cello
the minor 9th is widely considered to be
the most dissonant interval between two
notes even ahead of the semitone and the
tritone
and this combines to create a stabbing
dissonance on this beat that gets
released when the violin walks up to the
much more palatable d
[Music]
i love little moments of crunch like
this adding a little jolt that propels
the music forward
these themes on their own have a lot
going for them but at the end of the day
a huge part of what makes a great main
theme is how well a composer can
reincorporate it into different parts of
the game's score
just like how we want to see a main
character change and grow over the
course of a story
we want to see the main theme develop as
we make our way through a soundtrack
wintery delivers this development in
spades in all of his scores but there's
no better example than
germany's soundtrack there is only one
theme in journey's entire score the
theme introduced by solo cello at the
very beginning of the game
and it gets twisted and varied upon in
several ways throughout the entire game
let's listen one more time to the theme
as we are introduced to it
[Music]
[Music]
in the tunnels underneath the city ruins
while you're skulking around trying to
avoid these flying snake monsters you
might hear
this figure
[Music]
the natural minor sound of the flat
seventh moving up to the root that we
talked about earlier
is gone replaced with a raised seventh
that in a minor key has a much more
sinister quality
the original leap down from the third to
the flat seven lands here instead on a
sixth giving us a tritone leap to end
off the figure in an unsettling way
wintry changed only two notes of the
theme each only by a semitone
but it gives the figure an entirely new
feeling
perfect for keeping you on your toes as
you try to evade these crepos
in contrast the game's climactic finale
is scored by the track apotheosis which
features the main theme stretched out
rhythmically into whole and half notes
in the viola with the space in between
each note filled in with energetic
triplet figures in the violins
so
it may seem like a subtle change but the
elongated rhythm gives what were
originally passing notes a ton
more weight this quick walk up from a to
c sharp that leaps up to f sharp in the
second phrase
now sees each note lending a new color
to the underlying chord the second over
this a major
the sharp fourth over this g and the
juicy
ninth over this e minor
[Music]
the track builds and builds as you soar
up to the mountain summit
getting close enough to the summit cues
a shift in the music into this climactic
section
the theme is played by the violins in a
super high register shifted up to start
on the third of the tonic b minor chord
d the contour of the line is maintained
making it clear that this is still the
main theme of the game
but basing the theme around the key's
relative major note d
gives it a much brighter more uplifting
feeling
[Music]
the second phrase of this variation of
the theme extends the leap up of a
fourth from the original into a fifth
soaring up to a high b this melodic apex
hits just as the harmony unexpectedly
shifts to the flat
ii chord c major giving us a c major
seven chord that totally knocks us on
our feet
[Music]
the flat 2 is a dissonant note to
emphasize even more so considering that
this is the first
note in the piece from outside the key
of b minor but the lush major 7
sound in the strings offsets that
dissonance into something
incredibly moving we've come a long way
from the moody cello solo in the desert
and this huge emotionally potent string
orchestra arrangement feels like a
culmination of the player's entire
journey up to this point
journey's main theme may seem simple but
to write one phrase that can support so
many different arrangements and emotions
from the lowest lows to the highest
highs takes an artistry and
craftsmanship that puts wintery a step
above his contemporaries in the modern
video game music space
in my humble opinion the careful balance
of clarity
simplicity depth flexibility not to
mention creating something that doesn't
just
fit the tone of the game but contributes
a large part of the game's identity
it's one of the hardest things in the
world to write a great theme and this
guy's just been knocking them out of the
park for over a decade now
if you haven't already checked out all
of the content austin wintry's put out
on his own channel you should
there are tons of scores to his pieces
and loads of interviews and talks where
he outlines his thought processes for
different sections of different scores
big thanks to patrons crispy
nick shadell and monique for requesting
a video on journey and or austin wintery
in general and thank you all for
watching
you can join these good people over on
my patreon here
or follow me on my twitter here thanks
again for watching and i'll see you all
next time
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
you
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