4 Tips for Composing Video Game Music

Meet VGM’s Dan Hulsman!

● Dan is the founder of Video Game Music Academy, a resource for aspiring video game music composers.

● VGM Academy provides everything from tips and tutorials on composition and technology to career advice.

● Dan gave us his thoughts on video game music composition, its challenges, and the knowledge and skill sets that will help you succeed as a video game music composer.

● Here are the 4 Tips we learned.

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1. Context is everything.

● Your composition should reflect the intended purpose of the music and fit well with the in-game sound effects.

● You could be composing a theme that will be looped during gameplay. If so, the music needs to be able to be played on repeat, without becoming annoying or distracting to the player!

● Keeping the purpose of the music in mind gives a useful starting point for the process of composition.

● It’s necessary to be able to adapt your method depending on the project; different approaches are required for different soundtracks.

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2. Basic music knowledge definitely helps.

● Understanding the technology used to write music is not enough – the compositions will not write themselves.

● The ability to play an instrument is an extremely valuable asset for composers. Composing music without playing an instrument is generally more difficult, and there will likely be a missing piece.

● In particular, it really helps to have a grasp of basic harmony and melody-writing.

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3. Melody is incredibly important.

● While the United States follows a production-based approach, Japan places emphasis on melody

● Many of the most famous and memorable themes and soundtracks from video games come from Japanese composers!

● Some excellent composers to listen to for melodic inspiration are Koji Kondo (the creator of the Super Mario Bros. theme), Nobuo Uematsu, and Yoko Shimoura.

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4. Listening skills go a long way.

● Try this: listen to your favourite composers and try to transcribe their music.

● This way, you can identify what melodic ideas appeal to you, and use them in your music.

● Understanding your compositional tendencies also keeps you from over-using ideas and can help you develop your approach!

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Summary

● Keep in mind who and what you’re composing for; this will help give direction to your creative process.

● A solid foundation of musical knowledge is an asset in composition.

● At the core of great video game music is a great melody. Look to Japanese composers for inspiration!

● Listening to others’ work and identifying the melodies and harmonic structures used will give you an excellent starting point for your own compositions.

Learn more: http://musl.ink/a25

Learn more: http://musl.ink/a25

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