Cruise Elroy

I’m not very good at picking out time signatures, but it’s great reading about this kind of stuff when someone’s already done it. Lovin’ it.

The earliest systems you’ve gone with are the SNES and Genesis, and you said in the first post in the series that the earliest example you could find was in A Link to the Past, so I figured I’d mention an NES track that uses some irregular meter: the normal battle theme from Dragon Warrior IV. It starts off in 4/4, but at 0:31 it busts out a 9/8 9/8 13/8 7/8 7/8 pattern twice (a compatriot counted that one out for me, all credit to Another Soundscape).

It also happens to be my favorite battle theme from the whole series. I also recommended the upgraded sound versions, like the DS version.

by CHz on May 30, 2009 at 7:46 am #

Nice takeaway. Although I am not headed towards the musical aspect of games, I shall try to remember it. I’ll even keep an ear out from now on to spot pieces that use irregular meter sparingly to grab attention. Now that I think about it, I’ve probably been “hooked” by some of my game music favourites by this very same technique…

Also, welcome back!

by JPLC on May 31, 2009 at 11:22 pm #

This has been an interesting series of articles. For older stuff, the Metroid series has all sorts of gems. Here’s from the first game, from 1986.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBKWYGXnIU4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU8zoqD4h6o

One of my favorites, from Super Metroid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy1MZpv3L8U

And I can’t leave Metroid II aside:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldok3AqXuHk

The series seems to use mixed/irregular time signatures extensively to stress the alien nature of the worlds Samus is traversing, and it works remarkably well.

by agj on June 4, 2009 at 11:12 pm #

I love this segment! I’d been trying to figure out the time signiture for Ganondorf’s battle theme in Ocarina of Time. I’ve recently found a neat little level theme that has 13/8, I think:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WssAT3ODh3Q

It’s from the fantastic, oft forgotten, Super Mario RPG. It’s made by the same people who did Final Fantasy, although the music is a bit different. This RPG also has a battle theme which is in 4/4, although there’s some weird time signature in the third measure that always trips me up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yPsxiJOvIY&feature=related

Keep on keeping on!

by Larry B on June 9, 2009 at 10:54 pm #

BTW, I think that measure I was talking about in the previous post is a 5/8.

by Larry B on June 9, 2009 at 11:15 pm #

There’s a song from the original Contra on the NES with some pretty wacky meter stuff going on. Can’t quite wrap my head around it.

by Michael on June 27, 2009 at 12:35 pm #

Here are a few More:
The main theme of Myst 4: Revelations, Which starts in 4/4 (I think), but the main part is in 7/8:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-KzXCvKYZY&feature=related

The main theme of Gabriel Knight 1: Sins of the Fathers, also begins in 4/4, and then passes to 7/8, again to 4/4, and so on…:
http://www.gkmysteries.nfo.sk/midi/maintheme.mid

Also from Gabriel Knight 1, this one is from the Crash interrogation scene, and it’s in 7/4:
http://www.gkmysteries.nfo.sk/midi/crash.mid

And Here are a few from Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned:

Trailer music, in 6/8. It is a bit confusing because it is a little syncopated:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzlD4rjayGM

From the part where Grace is entering Chateau de Serras, in 7/8:
http://www.students.tut.fi/~judine/gk3/Grace‘s Ascension.mp3

And the most complicated one, the “Freemason Handshake” part, is alternating between 9/4 and 10/4 (you can say it’s in 19/4 if you really want).
The metric subdivision is: 3 2 2 3 2 2 2 2, 3 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2.
http://www.students.tut.fi/~judine/gk3/Freemasons‘ Handshake.mp3

by Navto on June 27, 2009 at 5:39 pm #

Sorry, the last two links don’t work. Check them out here:
http://www.students.tut.fi/~judine/gk3/music.html

(“Grace entering Chateau de Serres”, “Freemasons’ Handshake”)

by Navto on June 27, 2009 at 5:44 pm #

The “Bad Boss Boogie” theme from Donkey Kong Country has a few bars of 5/8 and 7/8.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGDWlJ6D6h8

The full sequence (not counting the 2/4 intro) is:
4/4 (3 bars)
5/8 (1 bar)
4/4 (3 bars)
5/8 (1 bar)
4/4 (3 bars)
5/8 (1 bar)
7/8 (1 bar)
4/4 (3 bars)
5/8 (1 bar)
4/4 (3 bars)
5/8 (1 bar)
4/4 (3 bars)
5/8 (1 bar)
7/8 (2 bars)
4/4 (3 bars)
5/8 (1 bar)
4/4 (3 bars)
5/8 (1 bar)
4/4 (3 bars)
5/8 (1 bar)
4/4 (3 bars)
5/8 (1 bar)
4/4 (4 bars)

Also, Snowy Mountain from Sonic Adventure seems to have what sounds to me like an irregular time signature.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1L45HDc68c
From 1:21 to 1:40, it goes:
5/4 (3 bars)
3/4 (2 bars)
5/4 (2 bars)
3/4 (6 bars)

Also

by TheUltimateKoopa on June 30, 2009 at 5:10 pm #

In 4/4, but has the Holst Mars theme very clearly quoted:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1bitZ9e4lY&feature=related

Super mario galaxy battle music. Makes me want to get the game!

by Larry B on June 30, 2009 at 7:40 pm #

That’s not Battle music, that’s the music to Battlerock and Dreadnought Galaxies. They’re stages not battles. Also speaking of SMG music, the Speedy/Daredevil Comet music has a bit of 5/4 in it.

by TheUltimateKoopa on June 30, 2009 at 8:07 pm #

by Dan Bruno on July 14, 2009 at 8:30 pm #

In addition to Navto I would like to mention Robert Holmes’ “Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers” theme. It’s a remarkable piece of game music. I recently did a “remake” of the theme and came across the slight problem of converting it to an entire 4/4 track because a 7/8 is really difficult to “convert” to a dance-tune. :-) I just love this track, to bad Robert didn’t do much more into the gaming music.

(Both my 7/8 and 4/4 remakes are to be found on SoundCloud.)

by Omnidextrous on July 19, 2009 at 8:45 am #

I don’t mind of you “steal” my suggestions :D
It’s probably the smallest and probably un-noticeable example of irregular time signatures in a Mario game (or perhaps any game), but there is a single bar, in the ‘Athletic theme’ from SMB3 that has an extra beat. Also, you may have noticed (or not) that both the Speedy/Daredevil Comet themes and Bowser’s Galaxy Reactor themes in Super Mario Galaxy have some bars of 5/4 in them. There’s also a tune from Goldneye 007 (the N64 game) that is entirely in 5/4 (it’s called Unsquare Water Dance on the USF rips)

by TheUltimateKoopa on July 19, 2009 at 3:05 pm #

Can I ask? What do you use to make the scores?

by TheUltimateKoopa on July 26, 2009 at 4:23 pm #

by Dan Bruno on July 26, 2009 at 4:58 pm #

I used to use that a long long time ago. In 2001, to be exact, the same year Sibelius 2 was released. The latest I believe is version 6 released on May 19, 2009. It’s hard to believe the first ever version was released in 1993.

by TheUltimateKoopa on July 28, 2009 at 5:15 pm #

I’ve been listening some old Nintendo games’ soundtracks, and I found this:
Yoshi’s Story – Final Battle part 2 — the entire piece is 5/8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlCbDmDdZh0

Does any one know of any Mario game tunes that has irregular time signatures?
Also, I’d love to see your transcription of the Weapons Factory theme from Super Mario RPG. 13/8.

by TheUltimateKoopa on July 28, 2009 at 9:38 pm #

When are we gonna see more transcriptions or even a part 4?

by TheUltimateKoopa on August 4, 2009 at 7:35 pm #

Oh did I mention that “Bowser’s Galaxy Reactor” from Super Mario Galaxy is mostly in 4/4 but has a few bars of 5/4 followed by a few bars of 3/4 (or is it 6/4?)

by TheUltimateKoopa on August 15, 2009 at 6:22 am #

This is a fantastic article! I’m a rock musician and love the 70′s prog scene such as kansas, styx, yes, where these meters create odd melodies and rhythmic beauty. Taking liberties as a musician but making it sound like hard driving rock n’ roll the whole while. Nice to see the composers in video games using this too. Beautiful stuff.

by Tom on August 17, 2009 at 7:36 pm #

Just found another “irregular” music piece while searching for a nice old Commodore 64 song to cover.

“Kentilla” is a masterpiece from the famous Rob Hubbard, written for the game with the same title. The entire 13 minute piece is in 6/8. :-)

by Omnidextrous on August 28, 2009 at 7:08 pm #

Also the VS Shake King music from Wario Land: Shake It!/The Shake Dimension has some weird stuff.

by TheUltimateKoopa on August 30, 2009 at 10:40 am #

Dan,

Don’t forget that Holst’s “Mars, The Bringer of War” was first borrowed by Koji Kondo in the ship music from Super Mario Bros. 3!

I just wanted to say that I found this website today, and as a PhD student in music theory, I really appreciate all of your analyses. I’ll go back and read through all the archives. Keep up the good work.

by Mark C. on August 30, 2009 at 10:51 am #

Couple more songs to add to your list:

Death Egg zone from sonic 2 is in 12/4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZzwIpbA3Go

Smithy factory from mario RPG has alternating measures of 6/8 and 7/8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9WphMsc2f0

Bats from Conker’s Bad Fur Day is in 6/4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC8Tfw36iig

by B on September 11, 2009 at 4:10 pm #

Death Egg is actually in 3/4 which is not irregular.
Weapons Factory is 13/8 (it’s 7/8 6/8, not 6/8 7/8)
Bats is also just 3/4.

by TheUltimateKoopa on September 27, 2009 at 3:05 pm #

Death Egg is in 6/4.
Weapons factory, Yes, it adds up to 13/8
Bats is also clearly in 6/4. Listen to the bass. there’s a lot of emphasis on that first beat every measure.

by B on September 28, 2009 at 3:10 pm #

1. Regarding 3/4 vs. 6/4, that tends to be a compositional (and perceptual) preference, with both favoring an obvious triple meter – but it can likely go either way. In general, I tend to reserve 3/4 for a waltz feel and the rare 6/4 for a meter that doesn’t break down quite so easily or consistently (e.g. 6/4 can be 3/4 3/4 or, say, 4/4 2/4 at times. Composers tend to prefer the simpler meters that group into 2, 3, or 4, where possible. They’re easier to count, conduct, and follow.

2. I actually think of “Death Egg” as a slow 6/8 with emphasis on the two beats. This also aligns well with the melody that comes in later. But again, it’s just a preference (well provided it makes logical sense).

3. To B’s defense “alternating measures of 6/8 and 7/8″ isn’t wrong, as 7/8 followed by 6/8 followed by 7/8 (etc.) still fits the pattern, and it sounds like B wasn’t being specific about which was first.

4. I hear “Bats” as 3/4. Going back to my first point, this has the waltz feel. Sure, its measures can be “paired up”, but a measure in music isn’t expected to contain the entire phrase. 6/4 is more complicated than 3/4, which fits well here.

But to take a step back, please, let’s not start argue over the thread. There’s nothing wrong with disagreeing, but we could all be a little more respectful and polite about it.

by Rafi on September 28, 2009 at 6:33 pm #

A great analysis, and as a fellow musician, a thousand thanks for including the scores.

I do a bit of small-time composing, and one of the first things I ask myself about a piece when I sit down to write is, “what do I want the listener to feel at this moment?” Sounds have an amazingly ability to evoke emotions, and as a composer I will shamelessly pull any trick I can think of to manipulate the listener.

What emotions do irregular rhythms convey?

Irregular rhythms make us feel excited and unsettled. They make you feel like something unexpected is just about to happen; something is just about to come at you from around a corner, so to speak.

Irregular rhythms increase our level of alertness. They are energetic, and cause us to ramp up in expectation of action or fight/flight.

Irregular rhythms are often paired up with a melody line that has a short leap in interval followed by a glide back down, as in the sample from World of Warcraft. The line starts with a short eighth note that propels the melody up a third, followed by a six beats of a sustained glide back down. The irregular rhythm’s job is to energize that initial lift, then keep the attention going during the glide back.

Irregular rhythms do get tiresome if they are repeated too often. The brain memorizes the pattern, and lowers its attention level because the perceived threat never materializes. One solution is to have a very long pattern, such as the 29-bar Orc theme. I like to throw in an irregular rhythm during the bridge of an otherwise regular song, just when the listener thinks they know what to expect.

by Dave Marney on October 16, 2009 at 1:22 am #

I find it remarkable how much of the “feel” from a particular track is defined by the meter of the song.

I did a “remake” of the Gabriel Knight song for my mother who really loves this tune but didn’t like the quality and length of the original. In my remake I kept the original 7/8 parts and therefore also kept the somewhat mysterious feel of the song.

Later I decided to make another “remix” for my own enjoyment, re-scoring the 7/8 parts to regular 4/4. It gave a total different “feel” to the entire song.

(For those interested, both versions are in my “Game Music Set” on SoundCloud.com at http://soundcloud.com/omnidextrous/sets/game-music)

In the end I think I’ll be doing more irregular songs to regular 4/4, as long as fans don’t start to throw things at me. ;-)

by Omnidextrous on October 21, 2009 at 6:59 pm #

Well it’s been 5 months… any more?

by TheUltimateKoopa on November 24, 2009 at 10:31 pm #

Gee, it sure is boring around here… but seriously.

by TheUltimateKoopa on February 16, 2010 at 1:00 am #

This is a really cool list you’ve put together here (love the Flecktones connection, I’m a huge fan of theirs). Anyway, I don’t know if you listen to metal at all, but if you’ve never heard Meshuggah I would seriously check them out. They’re like mad scientists when it comes to complex rhythm. Even if metal isn’t your thing, I bet you’ll appreciate the rhythm aspect. :D

by HypergiantNoise on March 8, 2010 at 12:25 pm #

Well, I’m back. And I just wanted to share one example of unusual time signatures in a game that, once again, stars Mario characters.

Anyone ever played Game & Watch Gallery 2 (if you’re Australian, it’ll be called Game Boy Gallery 3), and played the Helmet game? Have you ever got to the 3rd stage with the fireballs and Thwomps? The music basically has: 16 bars of 5/8
4 bars of 6/8
2 bars of 13/8 (or [7 6]/8)

by TheUltimateKoopa on June 22, 2010 at 6:27 pm #

Here’s some crazy stuff, not exactly sure what timing it is, it’s kinda hard to follow, but here you go.

Mother 3 – Strong One
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdEF9FlXNno

by Oliver Campbell on July 10, 2010 at 7:36 pm #

@Oliver
Check out Dan’s post on Mother 3 battle music from four months ago. He analyses ‘Strong One’ four examples from the end. As he points out, it uses 15/8 — an irregular meter indeed!

by Rafi on July 10, 2010 at 10:48 pm #

The Contra song mentioned above is the final stage theme.

After a 4-bar intro in 6/4, the pattern is 2 bars of 11/8 (subdivided 3 3 2 3), 3 bars of 5/8 (3 2), 8 bars of 6/8 (3 3), and finally 2 bars of 7/8 (3 2 2).

Also worth checking out from Dragon Quest 4 is Necrosaro (Evil One) – the second section has a complex irregular meter in the upper voices over a 4/4 bass ostinato. From the same composer, there’s also Devil’s Tower from Dragon Quest 6.

by Anthony Serrano on July 16, 2010 at 12:28 pm #