How Creative Limitations Shaped Ocarina of Time's Best Music 

I also like that when you learn these 3-note-motif songs you are Kid Link, and when you learn the other songs which has more complex melodies you are Adult Link, kinda like when you just got your instrument you learn simple songs first but as you practice and grow you learn more complex songs

Calling the initial notes a 'question' and the remainder of the section an 'answer' is genius because it even makes sense considering the Ocarina as a magic conduit : you, as the player, ask for a certain power through the ocarina, but only play the question: then, in response, power is granted through playing the Answer

Daily reminder that The Song of Healing from Majora's Mask is just Saria's Song backwards - It's truly crazy how different the two songs feel while utilizing the exact same melodic notes

I'm like 99% sure playing this game as an 8 year old planted the seeds of wanting to become a musician. These songs will be in my brain until I die.

Me: “Wow! These Ocarina songs are so iconic! I wonder if I could write something cool with these five notes!” *Scarecrow’s Song* Me: ⬅️➡️⬅️➡️⬅️➡️⬅️➡️

8-Bit Music Theory: Teaches us about the genius of Ocarina music. Background: Absolutely getting wrecked by Moblins in the deep forest maze.

Exposure to the works of Koji Kondo at such a young age is legitimately why I'm a musician today. Around maybe five or so, I sat at my grandmother's piano and figured out so many songs from OoT, and it only grew from there. My friends and fellow musicians always tell me that the music I write sounds like it belongs in a Zelda game, and it makes me feel so proud to have been influenced by such a great composer as Kondo. I got a tattoo of the treble clef from this game on my right wrist; that's where it feels like the music flows, and I like to remember where that love for and connection to it came from.

I always thought this would be a cool idea for a video - you definitely didn’t disappoint! Zelda’s Lullaby is really interesting because it predates this game mechanic - it was used in Link to the Past. I would assume Kondo started with that and expanded his pitch set from there - by adding the tritone and octave you mention in the video.

The cool thing about the Serenade of Water is just how malleable its chord structure can be, regardless of whether it's being used as a i-IV or vi-II. How malleable? Well, it is the first two chords in the Smash Ultimate theme song, but it's also the first two chords of "Mad World"'s chorus.

There's no doubt about it, Koji Kondo is the greatest game composer. There's always been something so masterful about those early Zelda games' soundtracks, and Ocarina of Time has always stuck to me in a way almost no other game soundtrack has (as someone who really enjoys prioritizing melodies and such lol). Great video, loved hearing this get talked about

This was awesome! I'd never transcribed these pieces and I hadn't touched the game since before I went to music school so I always just sort of assumed the notes were some form of pentatonic, but in retrospect, you're right, that really wouldn't make all that much sense.

What I found most fascinating is how he was able to the herculean effort of composing these songs with only 5 notes. Leaving oneself to think that he made every possible song possible with those 5 notes. But then he just one ups himself and does it all over again for Majoras Mask, that makes it even crazier

I can not put into words how freaking perfect and beautiful the sound track for Ocarina of Time is, as well as the whole. I spent my entire childhood playing this game, so much that I get intense nostalgia from it that I literally cry when I here the opening menu music!

Koji Kondo and Nobuo Uematsu are my two favorite. Everything they’ve done is memorable, nostalgic, and iconic.

What's interesting to me is that Zelda's Lullaby actually wasn't composed with these specific limitations in mind; it's actually reused from A Link to the Past. Was it just a happy accident that this song fit into the patterns of the ocarina songs in Ocarina of Time, or did Koji Kondo choose the notes and patterns for Ocarina's music based on this already-existing piece?

Koji Kondo is the John Williams of gaming, thanks for this much-needed serotonin hit!

You could actually play almost all the notes if you use the thumb stick to bend up or down from the normal 5 buttons :) They couldn't be used in the button codes for spells obviously, but an interesting feature is that if you bend to a different note while playing the spell songs they won't work, because it's the wrong notes even though you're hitting the right code. I had a fun time standing around in game trying to play a bunch of random songs on the ocarina.

He didn't mention that Zelda's Lullaby predates Ocarina of Time. It was in Link to the Past! So in order to use it in OoT, Kondo already had three of the five notes set in stone, giving him even less flexibility for the other songs.

The sheet music at 8:10 is Kaepora's theme (that owl that everyone hates who shows up and yammers on and on), in case anyone was wondering.

Something that makes the ocarina songs even more impressive to me is that Zelda's Lullaby wasn't introduced in Ocarina of Time, it first appeared in Link to the Past. Not only did Koji Kondo do such a phenomenal job with making the ocarina songs distinct and memorable and all that with only five notes, he did so while only actually getting to choose two new notes. Three of them were already set in stone.

I've always thought the N64 Zelda games have such a different vibe than the rest of the series. Partially due to their comparatively darker themes as well as their heavy draw from real world cultures. Whenever I think of video game music it doesn't take long for OOT or MM to come up, especially the dungeon themes.

I think Ocarina of Time definitely sparked my interest in playing songs by ear on the piano. The first song I played by ear was the Song of Storms. The music was so special because it made so many memories for me. This game not only had great music, it had music that made you want to play an instrument!

Koji Kondo is THE reason why I got into music as a kid that led me to become a Cellist. Absolute legend. Still get goosebumps hearing music from this game

He took just 5 notes and made 12 tracks that all sound so distinct from each other. It's a feat that i've always appreciated since first playing Ocarina.

Watching this channel while taking a theory class hits differently than before

I still say Gedudo Valley's guitar riff is absolutely the song that comes to mind to me when someone mentions OoT.

Ocarina of time/Koji Kondo is the reason why I'm a music student today 😍😌

You're absolutely correct about the sunrise theme. I've never thought of it when I think of Zelda music, but I was hit by a wave of nostalgia the second you played it! Reminds me of waking up early Saturday morning to play some Zelda :)

You can close your eyes and know exactly whats going in this game. The sound and music is perfection.

I have been waiting for this video since 1998. Since day 1, I have been so blown away by how many GOOD songs Kondo composed out of these 5 notes, and just how different all of the songs sound. In particular, the bit about Sun's Song and how it fits into the morning theme of Hyrule Field is something that resonated with me (no pun intended), as its one of my favorite bits of video game music ever. Though I admit when you asked rhetorically what songs were the most memorable from this game, my brain went GERUDO VALLEY before shorting out.

I'd be really interested in seeing a follow-up video discussing the similar limitations present in The Wind Waker and how the games approach them differently, both musically and in regards to gameplay.

Man, I love the temple of time music. There's not many songs that are able to just instantly give me shivers as strong and consistently as this one.

Great vid! The point about repeated 3-note phrases being memorable for the player is a great one, and leads me to think it was a great design call to WAIT on the 6-note songs (minuet of forest, serenade of water, etc) until later in the game when the player is already familiar with the ocarina mechanic :)

Out of all of these I mostly feel impressed how Kondo just went I know that the Descending Bass has been somber and sad for CENTURIES from Bach's Crucifixus to Chopin's Prelude in E minor to more recently in Les Miz and even Up BUT I'm going to make it homely and calming in Lon Lon Ranch.

Something that didn't get mentioned, Zelda's Lullaby didn't actually debut in Ocarina of Time. It was already firmly solidified as Zelda's theme in A Link to the Past. That means that Koji Kondo had even _more_ of a restriction on what notes he could choose because he had to make sure Zelda's Lullaby could fit. He had inadvertently chosen three of his five allotted notes in the previous game! Not only that, but the songs you learn as young Link have a series of three notes that repeat once before automatically flowing into the "answer" of the song, whereas the songs you learn as adult Link follow no such pattern. This was almost certainly a deliberate design choice in order to make the first songs in the game the easiest to learn. Again, Zelda's Lullaby was already following that 3x2 pattern in its initial composition, which means that once again, he had already set up one of his restrictions many years prior. Many pieces of the Zelda series fit together like a long since scattered puzzle, and the music is absolutely no exception.

These songs have stuck with me longer than anything else. They’re so simple, yet powerful. Super catchy, yet unique. You hear them once and find yourself humming them forever

I think the effect of all this is a soundtrack that feels insanely coherent, and thus memorable. If you think about it, Kondo did basically the same thing for Super Mario World; pretty much all the level music in the game is a series of declinations from a single core idea (the overworld theme). No doubt this approach was used in OoT to craft melodies from, again, one core structure (the 5 notes). It's brilliant, really! Edit: OMG I never realized that Sun's song plays at the beginning of the Hyrule Field track!!!!! WOW!!

Oh yeah, this is what hit me the hardest when I first played OoT. I never had a N64 as a kid so I was like I think 17, maybe, when I first played it. At that point I had played music for more than half my life and I immediatley noticed how limiting five notes seemed and then the game just hits you with banger after banger! Glad someone could put it into words better than I could!

The little "drawing a line" sounds add some "real" feeling to the video which makes it perfect to watch.

This is an amazing video. I was always impressed by how iconic and different all the ocarina tunes were while only using the same few notes, I’m glad to discover a deeper appreciation of that through this video

It’s worth mentioning that Zelda’s lullaby wasn’t composed for Ocarina of Time but was already an established song from A Link to the Past, which may have acted as a jumping-off point in Kondo’s process for picking the 5 different notes Edit: and of course someone else already made almost this exact same comment lol. Guess it means it’s a strong theory!

Bruh this man is iconic and you have to keep in mind that he even made a new palette of songs for majoras mask with the same notes

Crazy to remember how many amazing titles came out in '97 and '98

Seeing what Koji Kondo managed to do focusing on just 5 notes is crazy inspiring, and the point about those songs being some of the most iconic in video game history is mind blowing. It makes it much less intimidating to try writing music because you don't need to know many complex ideas to make something beautiful, just use few ideas extremely well.

I just want to say that I really appreciate these videos so much. As much as I love the music of video games, I don't understand near enough about music to really understand what goes into making the soundtracks and just how impressive they are. This series allows me to fully appreciate the music I love so much. So thank you. Thank you for helping me find even more reasons to love the music and even greater appreciation for the composers and musicians behind the soundtracks.

I just finished OOT 3D the other day, and I think this video touched on so much of what made the atmosphere of that game special-the soundtrack stems from a very simple ocarina system (that's made more dynamic by, as you said, giving the player the power to play each note rather than picking songs from a menu).

Had to see this right after getting the notification! I think the relative simplicity of melodies in Ocarina of Time and being able to fiddle with the ocarina are what led me and, I assume, a lot of other young kids to become interested in music. I would definitely like to see more videos about the series. And I like how you included the Owl theme in the background which is one of my favourite OoT songs.

This is SUCH a well written, edited, researched, and cohesive video. I revisit it every time I'm stuck with my composing. Keep up the good work!

Every time I hear the Temple of Time music I get emotional. I don't know what it is about the theme but I have ALWAYS loved it ever since I first played the game, and it's stuck with me all these years.

And then he did it again in Majora's Mask, though quite a few of those ones are reversals or modifications of Ocarina songs. Which is a great and clever way to solve that problem, to be sure.

You just helped layer on a whole new level of appreciation for these songs. Thank you for all you do!

I was actually thinking about this while replaying zelda on 3ds last week. How limited kondo was with the ocarina mechanic yet he still created some of the most memorable themes in all of gaming. Pure genius.

What I really like is that after Ocarina of Time was released and Majora's Mask began development, Kondo went all out in constructing the ocarina tunes in that game. I especially love New Bossa Nova.

The thing with the ocarina songs, I know that there are future games with just...items that do these various things, or a simple menu...it doesn't FEEL as good as doing a thing to do these more utility magics. Playing the ocarina just...FEELS great.

This is the exact in depth analysis I needed! Wow! Incredible video. Not only did it shed new light on how these pieces were written, but I now understand the meaning behind those pieces as well. I love the explanation on how limitations can really bring out the creativity one might need for such a game. It can be scary, but it’s something I have to remember!

Each ocarina melody in Ocarina of Time has so much personality, thank you for showing why!

Granted this is a great video, might you do one breaking down the original Xenoblade Chronicles soundtrack? They use very strange instruments and themes throughout.

Hard to argue the Greatest Of All Time title! What a legend

I’m amazed and fascinated how the guy created such memorising tones and how they still stick with me to this day. I’m amazed how he got such catchy things out of a DMajor 6 chord

I love your content, especially the pacing between the many really useful visual examples in sheet music, playing the track from the game and explaining. yet you keep it simple enough for me to enjoy the information and it so often inspired me to arrange video game music for ukulele or band instruments. really helpful, thanks

This sounds like a fun composition exercise! “ Write a series of motifs and themes using only 5 specific notes.” While it’s common to use 1-5 in a specific mode or major/minor pentatonic scales I think you learn a lot about compositing/yourself as a musician when trying to write in less conventional ways. It’s also a great tool for writers block. For anyone looking to take this challenge up try this: find a song that you like the vibe of, take the main melody of that song and try to create 4 or more short tunes 2-8 measures) using only the first 5 notes. You can experiment with different tempos and meters as well as keys if the chosen notes allow the flexibility. But do your best to stick to those 5 notes. This will surely make you write in ways you don’t typically try. Finally, if you come up with a cool idea where you need to use a note outside of the self-imposed limit, remember that rules are made to be broken. 😊 Enjoy.

Interesting how Zelda's Lullaby was actually composed for LttP.

Having obtained a degree in music, and also being a Nintendo video game fanatic, this video speaks to me on many levels. What a great analysis!

I've been learning a lot about music theory from this channel. I am so happy I became a subscriber!

Dope vid. Kondo is the GOAT!

The greatest video game composer of all time sounds like a big call until you think about it for literally one second. There’s no one else.

Thanks for the basic tutorial videos your channel . they significantly increased my understanding and appreciation of the rest of your videos!

Thank you. Having played that game and loved it I already knew basically everything you've covered in this video but I don't have the musical chops to be able to express it. You've explained it here beautifully and captured the essence of why these songs were so amazing.

Now do Majora's Mask! It even had songs that played on the earlier songs in Ocarina of Time as WELL as new songs!

Ocarina of Time is my favorite game fo all time and to finally see it get a video the channel is just great.

This channel is just the best. Thank you so much for all the videos, blood sweat and tears you put into it all. Thank you!

I just want to say I love your work and am so grateful for it. Music and games, these are two of my favorite things, and you bring them together perfectly. Thanks!

8:28 Question: What happens when you reach the top of a mountain? Answer: You go back down Question: What happens when you reach the bottom of a valley? Answer: You go back up Crescendos are naturally followed by Diminuendos. Diminuendos are naturally followed by Crescendos.

Is that F# at the end of Requiem of Spirit a "Picardy third"?

I am so excited that you did this video! One of the games that really pushed and reinforced how much I wanted to be doing music and I never looked back. Thanks for this breakdown!

Love your videos so much! I love music but music theory has always been tough for me to understand but you make it so easy to understand. I love when you’re talking about “D major sus 5” and I have NO idea what you mean but then you pull up the sheet music with your notes and I totally get it. Thanks for doing these, it really helps me appreciate the work that went into the music I love so much

He said “the oh-carina”

Yes, there's good music in modern games, but I wholeheartedly believe it's because of the technical limitations of the past that make older soundtracks so great, as opposed to the modern day where videogame soundtracks can't easily be distinguished from film charts.

That's the most perfect video I could have on my feed right now. Thank you so so so much

Love each video more than the last. Amazing channel dont stop any time soon pleaseee

I remember getting bored practicing music for band and instead figuring out how to play OoT melodies. I always appreciated how straightforward and recognizable they were. Whenever I tried to recreate other songs from memory I was always worried I'd get the notes or rhythms off. But Saria's Song, or Song of Storms? It's like it was instinct.

I can't say whether or not Koji Kondo is the best composer of our collective generation, but I feel comfortable guessing that he's far and away the most listened to

I think this is my 3rd or 4th time rewatching this video, you really outdid yourself with this one my dude! And for a channel of your quality that really is something special

I’ve always thought about this topic, and I’m glad to see someone dive deep into it!

Gears are turning in my head as someone who played OOT as a little kid and then learned music theory as a teenager... Wait, the ocarina scale spells out a Dm6? Is this why I immediately felt so attached to the D Dorian mode? Growing up, I always figured it might be because I'm from Scotland, and Gaelic music traditionally uses a lot of Mixolydian mode (almost a mirror to the major scale as the Dorian's relationship to the traditional minor scale), but this is a way cooler reason

On the topic of this, one of the things that keep me awake at night is the rhythm of the Song of Time. Since I was a child, in my head it always started on a pick up, with the second note being on the first beat. The second note seems to be accentuated, and it's also the D in D minor. da - DAAAAA - da - da- DAAAAA - da But many official pieces based on it (like on the anniversary album for example) and also this video, treat it as if it just started on 1. Which just sounds wrong to me. The rhythm feels awkward and the 1s are all on the fifth note, which makes it sound kinda agressive. Am I mad?

Always very excited when there is a new video!

Ever since you first started this channel, I knew this video was coming. Excellent work

The creative juices flow when your choices in how to approach music is limited or already chosen for you. It seems like the opposite would actually do the same but there are so many techniques and styles of music out there to choose from that it actually gets in the way of creativity because you don't know what to do. Almost like a sensory overload.

"Thats why Koji Kondo is the greatest video game composer..." *Uematsu has entered chat*

I recently purchased a keyboard to learn songs alongside my father. While researching songs to learn from media that I love I found this gem of a video. Definite subscribe and look forward to seeing more videos from your channel!

2:22 Same chord that The Great Fairy Fountain music starts with! :o

ITS AH-KUH-REEN-UH

Is his mic buzzing or does my sound system deceive me? Tsk, tsk. 😆

I've always wanted to see a comprehensive look at this! Thanks. Also, Requiem of Spirit will never NOT give me chills.

I've been looking forward to a new episode... Made my day!

I don't know if I can get through 15 minutes of you pronouncing ocarina weird

I wasn’t even looking for an in-depth video😀…but I am very pleased and greatful I stumbled upon this.🥰

That guitar lick at 5:26 made me giggle 😂 the “only scale” we know 😁

I always did love the Sunrise theme for Hyrule Field; thanks for bringing it some attention. A really lovely video, as always.