Thank you 8-bit Music Theory. Chords: Major or Minor, sometimes 5ths / 4ths. I don't think in terms of 9ths / 13ths - but it's where the bass note is in relation to the chord inversion. Dissonance is intended - never accidental. Composition driven by how it feels. Close spacing of intervals derived from hardware limitations - but I still use this technique as it compartmentalizes instrument specific frequencies over the harmonic spectrum - everything has its' place. I try not to over-think it.

@howard_blast

5 жыл бұрын

No way. Is this the real David Wise?

@TECmono

5 жыл бұрын

@@howard_blast yes.

@insanecaine

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you David. You are doing what I dream of doing. I love ambient music, and I'm going to make ambient music just for the love of it. Thanks for what you do. You're a hero.

@matty.r23

4 жыл бұрын

I aspire to make music as well as you, big fan!

@PeterBatemon

4 жыл бұрын

So cool to see you here! I work in game audio now because of Aquatic Ambiance, so thank you.

"Use smooth voice leading." *Donkey Kong vocalizes* very smooth voice

@MartinBergnerGuitar

5 жыл бұрын

i was searching for this comment

@tysonasaurus6392

5 жыл бұрын

They’re finally here, our DK crew

@gpoop23

5 жыл бұрын

C O C O N U T C R E A M P I E

@ParasiteQueen1

4 жыл бұрын

LOL

@letimo6721

4 жыл бұрын

@@tysonasaurus6392 DK Country, 2 and 3 are undeniable in the group of the best games ever! :)

the aquatic ambiance theme gave me some seriously surreal dreams as a child

@F-Andre

5 жыл бұрын

baack then, video game music was soo emotional :) sometimes we played just games for the music ;D

@billtoo5659

5 жыл бұрын

thats the reason i love videogame music:)

@madwax4771

5 жыл бұрын

I still listen to it when I want to relax.

@tysonasaurus6392

5 жыл бұрын

Good music to get high to

@JamesKent1987

5 жыл бұрын

My name used to be Donkey Kong, but then I took an arrow to the knee. Now they call me Diddy.

"A lot of rules can be broken" he said while glitching Mario Kart 64.

@QXZ

5 жыл бұрын

"Where we're going, we won't need roads" ::uses a chord voicing with a minor ninth in it::

David Wise was a wise man indeed.

@supermachocarpaccio1199

6 жыл бұрын

Still is.

@dambotg89

6 жыл бұрын

Carpaccio Yeah

@johneygd

5 жыл бұрын

I remember how proud i was for owning donkeykong country 1 & 2 17 years ago. I remember how the nintendo service told me that the snes could do ‘’CD quality’’ audio, i was astonished about that.

@gnomulous5544

5 жыл бұрын

Favorite VG composer

High quality, worth-more-than-money-can-buy musical analyses on beautiful video game music pieces. *_WONDERFUL!_*

1:17 Oh boy, there was a hidden cave? Now I have to get out my old Nintendo again - Thanks for that :/

@whichwayistheocean

5 жыл бұрын

Alrota Music hahaha yeah I was watching the gameplay too

@Nestortight

5 жыл бұрын

rofl I said the same thing. I never knew that cave was there

@MasDouc

5 жыл бұрын

When I was a kid Blockbuster was running a game competition for DKC2 and everyone was blown away by all the tricks this little kid knew. I was taking out people 10 years older than me. I won the competition and got a bunch of marvel trading cards.

After school today I saw this in my sub box and was watching it. My friend was next to me, and at 2:58 he asked me with the most confused voice “wait, WHAT did he just say?”

@doooouge1136

5 жыл бұрын

ya he lost me there too

@ace-smith

5 жыл бұрын

yknow it's just one of those vamps

@santoriomaker69

3 жыл бұрын

@@doooouge1136 "Cm9 Abmaj7(#11) vamp" just means that this *fancy chord* and *another fancy chord* can be *a musical thing that repeats throughout the whole track that sounds REALLY good* (vamp).

David Wise's stuff is always the best

@peytondoesthings

4 жыл бұрын

He”s above you.

@helix2331

2 жыл бұрын

even better when you realize THAT HE DID SOMETHING THAT WAS ACTUALLY ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE ON THE SUPER NINTENDO the waveforms don't like constant drones, BUT HE DID IT ANYWAY at least that's my understanding

You touched on something that has always grabbed my attention when it comes to compositions, something that I call "contextual justification" because I have no other name for it. I'm wondering if it has a name. For example, when trying to figure out a chord while learning a piano piece, sometimes you'll get the chord right, but it will sound wrong. Chords with "forbidden" or ugly intervals that, on their own, are quite unpleasant to listen to. However, when the surrounding music gives each of the notes in the chord a "justification" for being there, it suddenly sounds pleasant and harmonious, constants being a simple example of how this can be achieved. Does this concept have an official music theory name?

@8bitMusicTheory

6 жыл бұрын

Hmmm. If it does have a name I'm not sure what it is. Contextual Justification sounds good to me!

@calebrobertson5041

6 жыл бұрын

PiercingSight dont know of a specific term but another one you could use is relative meaning.

@goldenrhinogrey

6 жыл бұрын

I think I know what you mean, crunchy, tense jazz chords which - played in isolation, sound harsh and unusable. But in context, can sound like "home" or "longing". It feels like it has a lot to do with voice leading - probably not the term you're looking for, but it must be about how the leading tone and inner voices build *toward* something crunchy/"ugly" - they "prepare" you for the sound. And when you finally reach it, it's justified and feels right, as you say.

@s.lajoie9961

6 жыл бұрын

Contextual Justification. If it's not the official name, it should be!

@cryptooooooooo

6 жыл бұрын

yeah I agree here. Either voice leading can make the ugly intervals sound good in context by adding tension or being in close proximity to a note in the previous chord, or sometimes reinforcing the crunchy note can make it feel nice. As adam neely would say, repetition legitimizes.

THICC chord extensions

@GBsdclf01

5 жыл бұрын

Gotta lay that harmony on THICC

That B-flat Add2 voicing is straight out of the Steely Dan playbook. It's most prominent (with more colors at times) on Peg from Aja. It's one of my favorite kind chords to play, too!

@pringelsthegamefreak

6 жыл бұрын

jaxvon that's awesome

those ledger lines tho

@ace-smith

5 жыл бұрын

Nobody: David Wise: __ __ __ __ __ _ •

That may have been the most jarring choice for outro music after a video about ambient music!

I have a strange feeling you love David Wise's ambient music. Not sure why.

@mxeyithyylu

5 жыл бұрын

who doesn't?

@Starlightbooper

4 жыл бұрын

How can you not be sure why?, just listen to the donkey kong country soundtracks and come back after that..

@typhlosionisbest

4 жыл бұрын

@@Starlightbooper It was likely sarcasm. "I have a strange feeling, I'm not sure why" is the base of their comment. They're just poking a bit of fun at how he speaks about David wise a lot.

That was a very good explanation. You would not believe how hard it can be to explain constants some orchestra players. I make use of this in all of my music, as I love the way different chords illuminate the main melodic pattern. It's like life progressing, with the circumstances changing.

I think covering the great soundtrack behind this series was very "Wise" of you. And I love how keep everything simple and don't get caught up in all the complicated "(Jungle) Hijinks" of music theory. You K. Rool man!

@InvisiblesilenceA

6 жыл бұрын

Aha. Have a like for the puns.

@FindingIcarus

6 жыл бұрын

The puns are strong with this one.

@hyperpowerfulform5132

6 жыл бұрын

You get a like for the way you worked in the title of Jungle Hijinks alone.

@Kyrbi0

6 жыл бұрын

*this* was "uncomplicated"?? I loved it, don't get me wrong, but holy cow it was information-dense...

@Bankai2169

6 жыл бұрын

Khryberos if you think about it too much, then you'll be in (Torchlight) Trouble. He broke down David Wise's ambiance into 4 simple steps. If you just focus on the steps, and use the transcriptions as guidelines, it won't look like such a (forest) Frenzy

I know almost nothing about music theory and I still watched this video

This is one of your best videos yet :D

@mcmatt11

6 жыл бұрын

agreed, dkc 4 lyfe

@YTIsTakingOverMyLife

6 жыл бұрын

Totally agree! I almost felt hypnotized after watching this

@joaoimai

6 жыл бұрын

Damn, makes me wanna save if for a special moment. Hahahah DK is love. As its soundtrack.

@ismireghal68

6 жыл бұрын

I agree maybe the best because the topic has never really been touched upon before!

Been waiting for this! Thank you. Was worth the wait!

As a self-taught musician who's still learning the ropes and loving every minute of it, I don't understand the technical elements behind much of what this video is conveying. But, I do appreciate it very much and I've watched it twice trying to glean as much out of it as I may. I prefer more aggressive music such as EPIC, cinematic, and orchestral compositions, but I have recently come to love ambient music like that which is spacey, cosmic, and creates the sense that one is journeying through space and time. Learning more about chord progressions -- making them smoother and less jarring -- is what you've explained in great detail and exactly what I've needed. Thanks!

i always geek out when i see there's a new vid by you, and i'm never disappointed. insightful work, as always!

I have no idea what im watching but its so well explained, I can't look away

This video is so amazing and really brings together so much of what I like about really well crafted ambient music. Thank you, thank you, thank you for making videos that go deep like this!

Dude your videos are the best..... blending my two favorite passions..... well done!

One of the best analytic video I've seen on the master of ambient, Sir Wise! Hope to watch some more of your great content.

I could watch this video all day everyday! Your analysis and subsequent explanations are amazing.

Donkey Kong Country 2 has the best music of any game, I think. There's never a bad spot. Never a misstep. It's just heaven level to level.

awesome video!!! really appreciate having the sheet music on screen, and especially the discussion of the stacked intervals. different way of thinking about harmony than i have in the past, very cool!!

This has to be my favourite channel HANDS DOWN! Thank you for the great content, there’s nothing better than music and video games :)

I feel like dynamics are really important for getting a really nice soothing ambient sound. You can see the arpeggiated parts or even the chords having various dynamics, crescendos, etc.

Thanks for this! I have been a long admirer of David Wise's work so it is great to see it analysed like this. Not only that but I have been wanting to write an ambient music album for a while and honestly I have picked up some great tips from this video! Thank you so much!

Incredible video, very insightful! Looking forward to more like this from you.

This is by far my favorite channel of recent. Great stuff!

Man! What'a channel. Just discovered it yesterday and I am freaking out on how awesome your analysis are. A big hug from Brazil

It’s really nice. First time i stumble upon the channel and it helped me understand music theory a little more. I may patron you my dude

Your tutorial came to me via algorithm and it got it right. Superb content packed 11 minutes. Thank you. I'm gonna check out your other tuts now.

Dudeeee your channel is so good! I'm learning so much, thank you!

Possibly my favourite video of yours yet. Great stuff.

man, i'm so glad you covered this!!) i was looking for this topic among your videos yesterday when i saw that Disasterpeace video because one of the tracks there sounded almost exactly like Aquatic Ambience and here you are - making a video out of that too! I'm learning so much from watching these, so thank you!)

Love these videos! Has really helped me out in my AP Music theory class. Thanks for making these and i wish you the best of success in the future ^.^

This has helped me to understand some of the stuff that I love about the music I write. Absolutely invaluable

I just started writing some ambient chiptune pieces of my own and this video is a godsend. Great advice and a lot to think about!

@josephking1019

6 жыл бұрын

Mortistar

It feels like you're reading my mind sometimes. I was just planning on getting into ambient music and I had nowhere to start, and now you've given me everything I need to start exploring the genre! Thank you!

I find myself watching all of your videos twice a year. And i needed to come back here and just thank you. This video REALLY helped me write an ambient 2 chord vamp on a synth pad

This is awesome; so great that you also focus on the less conventional melodically-driven pieces, but also these terrific soundscapes and what makes them special. Still always get chills when I listen to Aquatic Ambiance.

This was very educating. I have subbed. I've never been able to read music or wrap my head around music theory until I've discovered your channel, and now I love to think about the reasoning behind compositions rather than just 'hearing' it. Gives a totally new perspective on enjoying music and the subtleties between different artists' styles.

you are such a good youtuber! love what you do so much man

Thank you so much for this video! It inspired a piece of music I just wrote tonight. Your channel has been so crucial to my development as a composer, I can't stress enough how lovely it is to have someone break down music analysis while presenting it so concisely and clearly with visual and aural aids. You're awesome and many of us are grateful for your content, keep it up!

It's not often that you find a video as good as this! Holy God I'm blown away!!!

Another incredible video. Amazing work, man!

Your analyses are great! Love this channel!

that's like 16-bit Music Theory :^ >

@LeVezz

5 жыл бұрын

Soy Milk Any music theory really , Listen Bach 8 bit , it seems like it's MADE for that ^^

@JonnyKaine

5 жыл бұрын

@@LeVezz makes sense. Bach wrote a lot of music for harpsichord which is a kind of "lo-fi" instrument in a way.

@LeVezz

5 жыл бұрын

Jonny Kaine I think the harpsichord is great craftmanship , with them 2 keyboards , multiple sets of strings , manual transposer. The modern piano is like a Massive tank beside , I'd still rather play harpsichords for the variety and richness of tones.

Your videos are the best! So easy to follow and implement. I'd gladly donate to your Patreon for more content like this!

This video is downright amazing. I hope I am able to apply something I learned. Will watch again and again!

Awesome explanations. Never seen such a good analysis of David Wise's work!

Thank you for covering DKC, one of my favorite series. And the attention Aquatic Ambiance and Stickerbrush Symphony are, I feel, especially deserved. These songs are truly magical, and the first time I heard them I was breathless.

Excellent video! Love the high-quality examples. David Wise really was a pioneer in video game music.

So interesting and helpful! I love your series :D

I've been in love with ambient music before I even knew what ambient music was. Excellent choice in tunes. DKC has always been dear to my heart from childhood. This video is so educational and and only rekindles my love for music. Thank you so much for making this and all your others, too.

Donkey Kong Country 2 is my favorite OST of all time by far. Formal training or not, David Wise's music is truly master class.

Awesome video. I LOVED DKC's ambient as a kid so seeing it broken down like this nearly brings a tear to my eye. 😂 Keep up the good work.

Love your intuitive analysis of the compositions...puts some structure and words to things I'm occasionally doing with improvisation and giving composition some more context...😌🎶🙏

YES! Like you, I eat up that inverted V voicing - that exact same voicing. God in heaven it's just so beautiful. As it happens, no single piece of music has influenced anything I write more than "Aquatic Ambience." I constantly find myself inverting V chords to avoid committing to a particular direction, and to make transitioning to a root iii sound like a "circle of fifths" maneuver. And whenever I use a pad sound - whether it's front and center, or cleverly in the background - just by instinct, I find myself using smooth voice leading for it. Nothing is better for grounding the whole piece. No matter what chaos I toss in elsewhere, even rhythmic chaos, the techniques I picked up from that freaking game provide an immovable center of gravity that makes everything make sense. Holy hell, I'm so glad this video exists. I only just found you, but...I had to smash that subscribe button. I HAD to!

Aquatic Ambience is one of the best tunes from video games because, you know the location it sounds best, a cruise.

Perfect timing! You always seem to know just what i'm looking for

im so glad i subscribed to this channel!! these tips are rly cool and useful

just came across your channel again. absolutely brilliant stuff.

Great analysis and content as usual man. Props!

I'm in love with your analyses.

Thank you! Your channel is amazing!!

I just want to say that I really appreciate what you do. Your attention and description of music theory invigorates my attention towards scoring, especially in some of my favorite video games. I admit my knowledge of chords beyond 7ths is very minimal, so I always feel like I learn something when I watch one of your videos. Keep doing this kind of stuff please. It really makes a difference in some peoples lives, more than you may imagine.

Oh wow I had no idea you did a video on dk country 2! Awesome! I really love the ethereal atmosphere created by these tracks which is so contrasting to the rest of the soundtrack (which is sublime btw).

Great video as always, David Wise is AMAZING

I learned so much about music theory in your videos, so i improved the style of my own soundtracks for my game. I am very thankfully!

This channel is simply amazing, thank you very much.

Instantly subscribed Where has this channel been all my life?

The DKC games are some of my childhood favorites. Or at least the first one is. I actually sadly never played 2 or 3 until much more recently but I love them all. But the original holds a special place in my heart nostalgia-wise, and the music probably has a lot to do with that. David Wise is, frankly, a musical genius. If I had to say one other song from the games that came to mind as relevant to this video would be In a Snow-Bound Land from DKC2. Kinda sad that one didn't come up, but still a really well-made video that explains things really well, even to my admittedly basic understanding of music theory and composition! ...Though one counterpoint I might find interesting to explore is the other level themes in the games, because... I can't describe it and it's probably really dumb, but even the other songs with more strong direction and progression instead of just the ambient chord progressions still have a really strong sense of these composition tips behind them too somewhat. Like, they still have that ambient style even if they're more focused and have full resolution and progression. And it'd be cool to see what makes them work that way.

This is really a brilliant discussion. I'm not aware of many formalised resources which establish 'rules' for this genre, but in one short video, you've done just that. Bravo!

Amazing analysis! Aquatic Ambience is the only on that triggered my memory from the game. Love those flute sounds. Loved the breakdown

Great vid. David Wise is awesome.

One of my new fav channels 👌🏽

Great video yet again!

10/10 video homie, perfect analysis and explanations, good video earned a sub

Tip #1 1:46 Tip #2 3:29 Tip #3 5:59 Tip #4 7:22 Thanks so much for this review it's awesome!!!

Thank you so much for this video! I needed to have a rewatch ^_^

Nice. Featured my top 3 songs from this series! Then again, I really like ambient music. Now I just understand why a little better!

Just an amazing video. Thank YOU!

Yes! This is what I needed, Thank you!!

I don't think I've ever had ambient music and its basic principles explained to me so well. Thank you!

Love David Wise and your efforts!

all great, I especially love the last tip ! thanks :)

I want to continue thumbs upping this forever, if I could, please. Wise's three example tunes in this video are my all time favorites!

I love this channel. Thank you for making it exist. 💙💚💛🧡💜💖❤

These tips are awesome! So useful. I love musical devices like so.

One of the best channels on YT!!

I always get the feeling that people think that, under any circumstances, avoid a natural fourth and major third in the same chord. Especially when I was studying Jazz I got that feeling. However, I actually really like the sound of an add11-chord, IF the fourth is placed underneath the third, creating a major seventh interval instead. It isn't that often heard, but I think it's a unique and really tasteful sound. I thought of this when you mentioned the "forbidden 11th", it feels like people tend to overlook the possibility of an other voicing in that case. :) In any case, as you mentioned, in the right context, taboo intervals can very much sound great too.

@crono303

6 жыл бұрын

Herbie Hancock will use that sound at times (the sus chord with 3 above the 4). It really is a cool chord.

@Mathieew

6 жыл бұрын

William Doran Yes I suppose that's a better name for it! The chord really brings out the major tonality.

@thischannelhasnocontent8629

6 жыл бұрын

I've always thought that if chords with tritones in them (like dominant 7ths and diminished chords) can sound good, then literally any other interval can sound good given the proper contextualization.

I love this channel!

i loved it!! i LOVE AQUATIC AMBIENCE and i love how u broke it down. brilliant!

such a great theory video with awesome music - thank you!