A Musical Analysis of Mipha’s Theme

[@johnkim4635]

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

[@SamRegan610]

In fixed-do🤢 (I know Japan uses fixed-do, but movable-do is infinitely superior in tonal music)

[@ScLuigi]

@@SamRegan610Imagine thinking literally anything in music is objective and non-contextual.

[@EtheRenard]

Sidon's theme is Si-Do And if you noticed, most of the Zora's names are from music stuff. It's referencing the Tadtones in Skyward Sword, I guess

[@leightandrew2616]

​@@SamRegan610 western europe also uses fixed do, not just japan. it's not an abomination to be afraid of

[@hugotessier5138]

@@leightandrew2616 "abomination", it's just that for us it is the normal name of notes and not "CDEFGAB"...

[@d0g642]

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.

[@iangreer4585]

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.

[@Musicman995]

I thought that straight away!

[@robertdavidblakely]

Best fish wife got me cryin in the club

[@calebpippin6544]

Ong brotha 💀

[@_demitri]

Yona is superior

[@jhundeeguillermo6790]

​@@_demitriyeah, but she's married

[@HungryWarden]

@@_demitriI’m sure she’s a great character with a great personality that wasn’t just conjured out of thin air to get rid of the Silink ship, right?

[@pardon_luc]

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

[@Professor_Wisteria_]

i actually teared up a little when i heard it, genius twist on the theme

[@KuroShiiiiro]

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

[@barttennekes544]

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

[@MyRegularNameWasTaken]

It's so interesting that you think "Desert", flat II has always been "Moonlight Sonata" for me.

[@paulxanders6498]

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

[@ianwilliams2632]

"in the temple of timeless zelda music" groan

[@nickhilbert9376]

*chefs kiss* great dad joke

[@OniLink147]

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.

[@OsakaJoe01]

For me it's not just Revali's theme as much as his link to the accordion sound... and how you can hear the accordion in Windblight Ganon's battle theme.

[@mr.s4x113]

I never could really connect to revali as a character. I think the tragedy of him being the best archer ever but quite literally succumbing to his arrogance was not fleshed out enough for me to care

[@OniLink147]

@mr.s4x113 I think what makes me like Revali so much is that he is the only one in the group who *doesn't* have some epic destiny in store. Zelda is the goddess reborn and the princess of Hyrule, Link is the goddess' chosen hero, Mipha is princess of the Zora, Daruk is boss of the Gorons, Urbosa is chief of the Gerudo... and Revali is just some kid who is really good with a bow. No bloodline, no special powers beyond what he developed himself. With that context his putting on a big show of arrogance to cover up his insecurity makes a lot of sense.

[@mr.s4x113]

@@OniLink147 I actually never thought of it that way...

[@glucose_kilometer7873]

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

[@kolbra4170]

Kass that you??

[@JustKiddingNYC]

Post a video!

[@starbird6]

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

[@MatthewPhillips-j9e]

of course,she’s SO sweet

[@tylersmith232]

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

[@duckluck3755]

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

[@SamanthaBallard]

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.

[@tsufmosplaysm336]

FINALLYYYYYYYYY I WAS WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO

[@tsufmosplaysm336]

was refreshing and refreshing and caught it 33s ago

[@deltamaxxhomevideo]

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

[@RobertJW]

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

[@-Adam.-]

Sidon’s theme needed his part too 😭

[@deadgrass2299]

never hit a notification faster

[@robertmorgan5979]

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 KZbin. I hope you touch on some more of the remastered Paper Mario TTYD music soon!

[@scriptorluminary]

Your elocution is excellent... Your elegant subtle references to the material are very expressive... I revere you.

[@RyanLeach]

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

[@shelbyherring92]

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

[@pacnat_9069]

“Mipha and the Divine Beast” aka her cutscene music after activating the divine beast laser beam, always makes me tear up.. it’s so underrated!! I always think about her looking over Zora’s domain and lamenting, “father, I hope you’re well.. if only I could see you one more time” 😭

[@elliothungler396]

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.

[@Hainbach]

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

[@willstr88]

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

[@randymcdonald1012]

Please, we need a video touching on the reharmonizing done for Colgera's theme. Also, it's like the best theme of ToTK, and the "heroic" section is absolutely enchanting

[@dacomputernerd4096]

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

[@nebulous9280]

Good point though, when do we get the Midna's Lament analysis?

[@mrrandomperson3106]

@@nebulous9280 Yes! I'd also like to see an analysis of the Twilight music. Some really unsettling microtones in there.

[@jacobf6945]

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.

[@pasta_eeee]

i miss her

[@polarpigs_oficial8808]

I love this Chanel, thanks for everything ❤

[@Chubby_Bub]

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.

[@bouyhos]

We all need so much more BOTW or TOTK analysis

[@ninjajoker5873]

NEW 8BIT MUSIC THEORY VIDEO , US HAPPY

[@bleachelf]

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

[@jackcoast2498]

I would love to see a combo video about the music of all the main villages from breath of the wild, Zora’s Domain, Rito village, Gerudo Town, and Goron City. Think it would be fun :) great video btw

[@Zephyros500]

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. ❤

[@mrblobinn4131]

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

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.

[@adriangucze9207]

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

[@june-ls1hw]

You are one of the greats of youtube.

[@roisinrowan1341]

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!

[@mattblackburn1039]

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

[@yeth_half]

MY FAVORITE ZELDA PIECE COVERED :))))

[@dogman15]

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

[@Genesis_Hana]

Thank you for covering this absolute beauty of a piece.

[@beryllium9112]

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

[@Subspacer15]

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

[@Daniel_Berry]

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 😅

[@cakeisamadeupdrug6134]

I've never seen a version of the clip where he actually starts playing stairway to heaven

[@TjByers369]

Beautiful & Bittersweet.

[@zacharywong483]

Super fantastic video and analysis, as always!

[@Pickyjonez]

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

[@nineplusten]

Another 8-bit Music Theory video where he analyzes a single composition and fails to mention or credit the composer even once. This game has a soundtrack with complete credits, so there's really no excuse. And yet, he routinely does this. The composer of this theme is Yasuaki Iwata. He was in charge of all 4 of the champion themes, the 4 regional town themes, and many of the other melodic themes in the game. Aside from Breath of the Wild, he was a composer on Animal Crossing: New Horizons (including the main theme). He did not return on Tears of the Kingdom and has not been credited on any games since New Horizons in 2020.

[@jaxietunes]

Wait he really hasn't been on any games since New Horizons... That's sad! Didn't he also work on the Final Trial track from the DLC or am I misremembering?

[@hobbified]

Turns out that who made it has no bearing on any of the stuff under discussion.

[@williamsanborn9195]

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.

[@MSquared135]

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

[@danielrivera6899]

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

[@SuperAsefasef]

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

[@caucasianblazian2277]

temple of timeless zelda music, what a bar

[@skywind7449]

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

[@not_wombat1938]

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.

[@greenyxd7298]

Link slept on this for 100 years can you imagine

[@FM-vr4my]

I truly love Mipha's theme

[@maillardsbearcat]

Can I just say I love your channel, do you have merch or something? How can I support you?

[@AndrewPRoberts]

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

[@cryn6519]

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

[@mohamedkoblawi4175]

idk what any of this means but I love this theme so 👍

[@Allen-qs2xr]

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!

[@elliotmcmaster177]

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 kzbin.info/www/bejne/pnKkqJ5mmbhkn6csi=OoRhwGpFt3NS-qsD

[@RolPicudo]

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

[@Curtis.....]

1:44 Spirited Away

[@pasta_eeee]

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

[@TimeGodDioBrando]

I'm still waiting for an analysis of Sephiroth's theme, "One Winged Angel." That would be amazing.

[@nebulous9280]

Definitely one that, even if you don't know it's One Winged Angel, even if you don't even know who or what a "Sephiroth" is, you KNOW the song. Absolutely legendary.

[@jbradleymusic]

Good work but why would you mention Koji Kondo by name and not Manaka Kataoka, the main composer of this theme and of Breath of the Wild? Did she not deserve mention?

[@micahcaffery2267]

Video 1 of asking for the Brawl theme to be analyzed

[@renleung]

Mipha’s theme (and her character) is possibly the single reason I rank BOTW above TOTK.

[@PhoenixHammond]

Mi to Fa is also the theme to Jaws.... maybe done on purpose.... because of the underwater shark-lile Zora species....?

[@albertoalmarza7779]

Please do the rito village theme I love that theme

[@benstoysgames3262]

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

[@riverstone5994]

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

[@robotman5105]

I see Mipha, I click.

[@wisterio3757]

The Mi-Fa thing also applies to Sidon (B-C, Si-Do, which are the notes making up his theme). Not sure why it said Ti in the video, B is Si in French

[@fitzy7735]

In the United States, we use Ti instead of Si for the 7th of the scale

[@JediSteve-J3-]

I love this song, even if it makes me sad.

[@caleb2050]

The Fmaj7 to Bb 13 has such a bluesy quality to me. mmm and the bIV7 like so much blues in this

[@yoavshati]

13:07 Why not D#, making it a Gernam +6 chord?

[@Xagzan]

If I had a nickel for every time Nintendo made me fall in love with a fish girl, I'd have 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that's happened twice.

[@prfctstrm]

Who was the other?

[@Mallowolf]

…Ruto?

[@rtyuik7]

if i had a nickel for every time ive heard the "but its weird that it happened twice" line, id be able to afford a ticket to Mars, so i wouldnt have to hear it ever again...

[@OsakaJoe01]

I fell in love with the fish boy so... 😀

[@bethedust]

Hey! Where do you get these note transcriptions of the soundtracks?

[@seanrendall5495]

Link doesn't remember Mipha until after he knows she died a long time ago. Ok I guess it's technically possible to interpret Link as either remembering or not.

[@JadSeif]

It's Do ré mi fa sol la si, not ti. You can find the information easily.

[@jonathanhargraves2241]

Great way to celebrate Sunday, have a great Father's Day everyone!

[@incapablecookie8021]

I would love it if yiu civered the Fossil Falls (Cascade Kingdom) soundtrack from Mario Odyssey ❤❤❤

[@mimisaiko]

13:30 Ganondorian... how dare you.

[@drumming_cat]

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.

[@Rztro1544]

Where can I find this score for piano?

[@Merlandese]

hushabye mountain

[@OhadLutzky]

Yes Mifa is E F, but also Sidon is B C (si do)!

[@AdityaSingh-pj8ie]

Where is the clip at 3:26 from?

[@Skip6235]

Breath of the Wild is the GOAT