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Track 17 (Patreon)

Published:
2018-08-12 08:54:39
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

Not sure I like this one much...

The problem with Aerial Magic having a mostly whimsical atmosphere is that the music also has to have a mostly whimsical atmosphere, and it's starting to feel very samey to me. Which is probably a sign that I need to learn more music theory and start doing more complex things.



Comments

Ryan C. Thompson

Ok, you've hit on a topic that I happen to have a good bit to say on. First of all, let me say that this track is perfectly fine for what it is: a whimsical backing track to a whimsical story. But I do agree that most of the music for Aerial Magic has a similar feel, and I admit I would be hard pressed to associate a specific track or melody with a specific chapter. However, this is not necessarily a problem. Background music doesn't need to be memorable to be unique. A good example of the exact opposite is the background music to pretty much every Marvel movie, which as I understand it is specifically designed to be mood-setting but completely unmemorable: you remember the emotions the music evoked, but not the music itself. On the other hand, if you do want to go for memorable melodies in your background tracks, I have some thoughts on that as well. I'm not a music theorist or anything, but the soundtracks that I remember best are ones that develop specific musical features and associate them with specific characters or other story features. In films, the Star Wars films are a great example of this. An example closer to your area would be the Webtoon Strawberry Seafoam, which uses essentially the same track for all of the battles, but adds or removes specific parts to change the "flavor" for each episode it is used in. Ironically, it feels less "samey" even though it is actually more so. The similarity and recognizability of the main theme makes the varying embellishments stand out more. The last example I want to point out is the soundtrack to the video game Celeste (this is the game with the red-haired main character I requested in a stream several months ago), which you can listen to it here: <a href="https://radicaldreamland.bandcamp.com/album/celeste-original-soundtrack" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://radicaldreamland.bandcamp.com/album/celeste-original-soundtrack</a> . Specifically, the game establishes a strong and memorable main theme in track 2, First Steps. Then, throughout the entire soundtrack, it iterates on this main theme repeatedly and in very different ways. In the latter half of track 3, Resurrections (starting at 4:26), it uses a variation on the originally hopeful theme to establish a spooky atmosphere as the main antagonist is introduced. In track 10 (Anxiety), the first few notes of the main theme are used to represent the calm and relaxed emotional state that the main character is trying (and failing) to maintain. In track 13, the main theme appears again in a duet with the guitar part, which represents another character the main character is interacting with. Finally, tracks 16 through 18, which cover the climax and resolution of the narrative, all feature the main theme heavily and each evoke very different moods. Track 18 in particular deserves special attention, as it is a medley track that repeats the main theme over and over, each time incorporating elements of the music from a different one of the game's levels to re-flavor the theme. This track alone is its own microcosm of the same technique I've just described for the whole soundtrack. Anyway, you don't necessarily have to go listen through that whole soundtrack to get the point (although I highly recommend it on its own merits!). My main point is that having a recognizable main theme to latch onto makes deviations from that theme or variations on it more noticeable and impactful. As I said, though, I'm not a music theorist, so while I can recognize this pattern when it's done well (as in Celeste), I couldn't for the life of me tell you how to do it yourself.

walkingnorth
>>14607092

Hey, Ryan, thank you! You're always so thoughtful and helpful and wonderful. I really appreciate it! I don't know if I necessarily want my music to be memorable, because I think that could be distracting for a webcomic, especially as I can't control the pace at which people read. I don't want to risk throwing people out of the story by having a particularly dramatic bit of music play at the wrong time. For me, the main problem with the samey music is that I feel like I'm stagnating, and that's a boring sort of way to feel. I want to do better, and I know enough about music theory to know that there's heaps of stuff I'm not doing and should try to learn more about :) I'm going to take this as a good excuse to re-read Strawberry Seafoam, and then I'll listen carefully to the Celeste OST and try to figure out how the themes change, and what makes them work, and if there are parts of the story in Aerial Magic where that would work particularly well. Thank you very, very much :D

Ryan C. Thompson
>>14607092

Honestly, I could write a 20-page essay on the OST to Celeste and not run out of things to say. Lena Raine is a musical genius.

Ryan C. Thompson
>>14607092

Oh, on a semi-related note, the Celeste OST also has a lot of great examples of tracks that loop several times while adding or removing layers with each loop, similar to what you've been doing in Aerial Magic's music. (In the game, the layers are cross-faded in as the player reaches specific story beats.) Tracks 6, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15, 18, 20, and the first half of track 3 all fit this pattern.

walkingnorth
>>14607092

Thank you very much for your very helpful annotated guide to the Celeste OST, I appreciate it so much, and I shall listen mindfully!