A Musical Analysis of Mipha’s Theme 

Will never forget how the melody for Mipha’s theme spells out her name in solfege: Mi-Fa

Best fish wife got me cryin in the club

the ending of the song truly feels like. yes, you’re grieving, and no one can take it away from you, but mipha wouldn’t want you to stay sad

I love how in Age of Calamity they turned this tune into an upbeat battle theme. Really great stuff

on that sense of loss we associate with Mipha, it bears pointing out that beside Links more personal connection to her that since the zora are a long-lived race most of the people in the domain actually knew Mipha and still mourn her loss unlike the other champions' people who deify them as heroes of the past.

1:34 I would also like to acknowledge, in the spirit of “good composers borrow, great composers steal,” that this is the same chord that opens the highly emotional One Summer’s Day from Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.

"in the temple of timeless zelda music" groan

miphas theme--and by proxy miphas court--is genuinely one of my fav pieces in all of zelda. its so so good. so bittersweet.. but still so calming. perfect for her char. i love it

I'm starting to realize more and more how much more there is to flat 2 chords than just desert

if that's not the sexiest video title you've ever seen I don't know what is

To me the melody allways sounded like crying. The C being the part where the sadness gets out, and the D being the short breaths

Got this notification literally as I was playing this song on the accordion. Synchronicity!

DID YOU KNOW? There is more than one system of solfège. In most of the musical world, "Do" is fixed and is always middle C (C4) on the staff. The Mi-Fa (Mipha) and Si(ti)-do (Sidon) references only make sense in this system, and that's because Japanese use the fixed Do system of solfège. Most English-speaking countries use the Kodaly system of solfège, where "Do" is always the tonic of any major key, and "La" is always the tonic of any minor key. Some call this "movable Do."

I’m surprised you’d never heard the mi-fa thing before that concert this spring, haha! And the end of that bridge is really not harp friendly 🫠 worth it, though.

never hit a notification faster

I love Mipha's theme a lot, but I still think that Revali's theme hit me the hardest. There is something about it just feels nostalgic, heroic, and the tragic all at the same time.

FINALLYYYYYYYYY I WAS WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO

LOL, they gave the fish girl the Jaws motif (alternating m2 between e and f) with a different rhythm.

Beautiful analysis. My kids and me still listen to the BOTW soundtrack on Saturday mornings - the game was our escape during the lockdown times.

Sidon’s theme needed his part too 😭

"In the temple of timeless Zelda themes" and a shot of the Temple of Time: 10/10.

All of the champion themes are great and memorable, but this one has always stuck in my head the most, probably because it was the first I heard in-game (as is the case for a lot of players). Revali's theme is my favourite overall, but Mipha's theme evokes the strongest sense of nostalgia.

Never clicked on a video so fast. Mipha's theme is so special and has a very special something I define as "strain".

Longtime fan of 8-Bit Music Theory and finally just have to say this channel is so cool. Teaching music theory to laypeople like me through video game music that we all grew up with is just so amazing. Every single one of your videos brings this sense of nostalgia and fun, and you can see the passion in all your work! Creators like you are why I love RU-vid. I hope you touch on some more of the remastered Paper Mario TTYD music soon!

The best Final Fantasy track and its from a Zelda game.

i miss her

Ngl I clicked it so quickly because I misread it as midna's theme and TP is my favorite Zelda, but this is a good song too

This is an amazing analysis, and I absolutely love this theme! Other things I had noticed and really liked were: - The F7 -> Em7 -> D major chord progression is all done without a bass line, making it feel more light and to me invoking a strong feeling of reminiscence or memory, perhaps a calling to all the good memories Mipha and Link shared - The final F -> G (leading to an A but never reaching it) progression reminded me strongly of the Breath of the Wild Main Theme's ending, which ends with a similar chord progression but transposed and actually landing on the resolution (Ab -> Bb -> C); it felt like a perfect touch, making it feel a bit like Link was resolved to keep Mipha in his memories and save Hyrule in vengeance

One of the cutest moments in BotW was in the DLC cutscene with Mipha and Sidon. The way they moved between their two themes, and even threw in a cheeky reference to the Van Ruta theme as Mipha took Sidon up the waterfall (perhaps even implying that moment was what implanted the idea in Sidon)- it was delightful and charming. BotW/TotK soundtracks are so underrated, honestly.

I totally took this soundtrack for granted while playing the game. I appreciate this piece way more now seeing it all transcribed and explained. By the way, I like to think there would be an A Major resolution at the end. That's just what I hear, and I guess it would represent Mipha finally finding peace.

I'd love a little extra video on how Sidon's theme is derived from this one.

10:51 the final note feels like the word "but.."

That Mi Fa thing is awesome. Love that kind of stuff

When I heard this again at Mipha's shrine in ToTK, I immediately started to cry. Having knowledge of her unfortunate story adds SO much emotion to the song.

I love this Chanel, thanks for everything ❤

Great! I have always found mipha's theme to be so elegantly mournful. You should listen to the divine beast vah ruta full theme - I find it's the most haunting and emotional piece

Man I would LOVE for you to do the intro to a link to the past that arpeggio at the start is the most perfect thing I've ever heard to achieve that "mystical" feel

Super fantastic video and analysis, as always!

Part of why I love the bridge at 10:05 so much is that the Bb > Amin progression can be seen as a bII > i progression in Amin, but it can also be interpreted as a IV > iii progression in the F major key that the intro starts in. A nondiatonic #11 chord usually screams "modulating on the IV chord" to me, but because we tonicised Amin so much already, it gives the bridge a sense of struggling to decide between being in the calm F major or the grieving A minor. I'm a huge fan of nondiatonic chords being used as callbacks to previous keys the song used, or perhaps foreshadowing keys that the song is planning to modulate to!

NEW 8BIT MUSIC THEORY VIDEO , US HAPPY

I love every single video you put out and I cite you as single handedly inspiring me to learn composition. In my desperate need to sit you down and have you teach me all you know, I've took it upon myself to just do it myself!!! Thank you, man. ❤

Great video! Btw, if I recall correctly from the interview that came out with the official release of the OST, Prince Sidon's theme also had a solfege reference to his name. In Japanese, his name is シドン(Shidon). In Japanese solfege, instead of ti for degree 7, they say シ(shi), so Sidon's main motive is based around ti-do, or 7-1. As a commenter here pointed out, they use fixed-do solfege in Japan instead of note names, so that's why each of the motives are E-F for Mipha, and B-C for Sidon. Pretty neat stuff!

Good choice for a video! Love hearing anything you have to say about the Zelda OSTs, and love that you chose this theme.

MY FAVORITE ZELDA PIECE COVERED :))))

I know the "Mi-Fa" thing is common trivia, but the composers discussed in an interview that this theme was one of their favorite parts of the soundtrack because they got to play around with that. They of course reference it with changing it to Ti-Do in Sidon's theme, and then in the track "Mipha and Sidon" from the DLC, Sidon's theme is played as mi-fa to represent how young Sidon is riding Mipha's back and sees her as the hero. Another note is, Yasuaki Iwata was the composer for all the Champions' themes, and not only did he do a great job, but he purposefully tried to make Revali's theme make the character more likable.

Damn i love your videos and analisis so much. Every one of your videos inspires me to compose and make arragments. When i lack inspiration i always comes back to one of your videos to have something to listen and refelect about. thank you so much for your work!

Thank you for covering this absolute beauty of a piece.

You are one of the greats of youtube.

2:48 It’s a sign of how chronically online I am that I immediately thought of the sad meme song when that first E melody note played over the A minor 😅

Always very, very well presented as well as, interesting.

Thanks. I hadn’t cried yet today, so this helps me check that off my to-do list.

I absolutely love this song and this analysis gives it an even deeper meaning

We all need so much more BOTW or TOTK analysis

Mipha's theme is one of the few songs that will just rip the tears from my face no matter what i'm doing. it is perfectly crafted to match the tragedy of her life, and it never gets old

Was hoping to hear a connection to Sidon's theme too. Love the idea of connecting it to the Age of Calamity theme too. Regardless! Your videos are terrific and I can't wait for more of your work! Thank you for doing what you're doing.

4:55 Althogh, the notes Mi and Fa arent always e and f. They are the third and fourth pitch from the tonic. And since this piece is in a minor, mi and fa are actually c and d. So really its so la.

Another interesting fact, the Bb maj chord is a tritone substitution for E maj, which is the V chord in A harmonic minor (and A major), so the Bb maj chord acts as a V chord in A minor

Kepler believed that the earth sings mi fa mi, dooming us to misery and famine.

When someone tells me BOTW/TOTK don't have soundtracks, or that there are only two "songs", I ROFLMAO. They're my favorite of the bunch, with OOT right there. The various champion themes, and the region themes related to them, are no small part why.

Such a somber track - I think it would be interesting to see an analysis for Signalis' "The Promise" by 1000 Eyes, which has the same effect, I think, but goes about it in a vastly different way

It feels like that 'fifth' sound is so predominant with japanese composers. The opening chords are so reminiscent of Hisaishi for example.

temple of timeless zelda music, what a bar

My new favorite term to describe those half step LST movements is “gannondorfian” lol

I generally wasn't a fan of BotW's more airy, atmospheric music over the previous entries' strong classical roots. But god damn if it doesn't have the most incredible Master Sword sequence of any game. I got actual chills listening to Link pull that thing out of the stone (what the hell even is that arpeggio?!). These are composers who knew exactly what they were doing, and they used BoTW to show the world what they're capable of.

That sixteenth triplet part reminded me of Urbosa or the Gerudo Town theme.

I really don't understand much about music theory, but that does not keep me from listening to your videos! Great content, man!

That Fmaj9 sounds like the exact chord at the opening of Spirited Away too

I feel like something similar to 2:57 is happening at the end of the intro for Yunobo's Theme, in TOTK, before it goes ham.

you played it briefly at the end, but i'd love a video on comparing mipha's theme to sidon's theme, if you were interested!

Something interesting as well is that the flat two chord actually represents Ganon in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom’s music, meaning whenever that flat two chord plays it is referencing Mipha’s final battle. Zelda music theory did an amazing video explaining the use of the flat two chord in Zelda if you want more info.

I see Mipha, I click.

10:25 There’s Zelda’s lullaby buried in the harmony

12:40 Also a brief nod to the Gerudo theme for some reason

The G(add2)/B is literally the quintessential steely Dan chord

A similar melody passage at 6:07 can be heard in the 'To Sail Forbidden Seas' theme from Final Fantasy 16 (1:34).

Amazing video analysis as always. Would you be open to make a Stellar Blade music analysis, particularly Lilys atelier and or Beyond fate?

Man, I called it on the Chopin prelude. Maybe I am starting to learn a music theory.

Link slept on this for 100 years can you imagine

1:44 Spirited Away

The way i cried multiple times watching this video

Sidon’s theme has a similar Easter egg because the Japanese solfège is si don Edit I found the video it’s at about the 3 minute mark ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pAAwk0dS1iE.htmlsi=OoRhwGpFt3NS-qsD

This song sounds like Joe Hisaishi's One Summer's Day, mashed up with Koji Kondo's Zelda style themes... in a nutshell

I truly love Mipha's theme

Psss. Sidon's Theme is Si(B)-Do(C)

Gunstar heroes for the Sega Genesis also has an OST that slaps would be cool to see you do a video on something from that

It’s my personal opinion that the feelings are reciprocated. If we view the music as being an extension of links mind and memories which I think it is, this piece for me invoked feelings of lost love. Add on top the fact that the first memory link has of Mipha isn’t connected to Zelda or stopping Gannon like all the other champions, it’s a tender intimate moment between someone he’s known forever, where she promises to always be there for him. I can dream at least

The thing I also find interesting alongside the Mi-Fa Easter egg is how Sidon’s theme is very similar. Granted, the theme still goes up by a half step in a similar manner.

YESSSSSSS

My brain always sings "Stairway To Heaven" whenever this theme plays. Edit: Okay, I see it makes senses lol now I know why, thanks.

That first chord sounds just like one that Joe Hisaishi used in Spirited Away, on the song one summer's day

I hope you do all the champions themes, or at least how Sidon's is an homage to Mipha's. Si-Do is the solfege of the 7th and 8th in a lot of languages, including Japanese.

Mipha is such a FANTASTIC character but nooooo, why would she have a happy story 😭

The opening arpeggio chord; is this not the exact same chord in the opening theme to Spirited Away, by Joe Hisaishi? 🤔💭 I could be wrong... The "Mi-fa" musical Easter egg is obvious to anyone who studied solfège. You would have also caught Sidon's theme is nearly the same as Mipha's except his theme is Si-do, or "ti-do" for Anglophone learners of Solfège, where the Japanese use "Si" instead of "Ti" in their solfège. Did you also catch the "Sora" reference in the ending notes? (G to A is "So-la," where "la" and "ra" are the same syllable in Japanese phonology.) If you listen to the attack on Vah Ruta you will hear the Si/ti-do and Mi-fa references in there too. And even the Vah Ruta dungeon music; you will hear "Mi-fa" as if suspended in time. Because the spirit of Mipha lives on in the Divine Beast. It's all so beautifully... Linked... 🥹

1:38 That voicing sounds familiar

You gotta do the shrine music. Why is it so good!?

At the same time as I'm learning to play this piece on piano!

do you plan to do the other champions too? maybe?

Please do the Karazhan theme from World of Warcraft. It’s like super dissonant waltz

The real Tears of the Kingdom are at Mipha's Court. Anyway, maybe do Sidon's Theme in comparison to this next? Everyone loves the leitmotifs from Mipha into his theme!

In the E to F/Eb to E chords would it not be better to spell the Eb as a D#? When hearing it it seems to act like some sort of secondary dominant to E and with the D# and F it's almost like some sort of Aug 6 chord.