The DuckTales Moon Theme Is WILDLY Confusing

[@CharlesCornellStudios]

Oh, dead memes to teach us about descending bass lines and call and response, WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT??? Maybe the brand new Jumpstart Bundle? betterpiano.com/the-jumpstart-bundle

[@zevelgamer.]

Charles, Do you know the channel "Better piano" it is run by a guy called Charles? Maybe? I'm not sure. What do you think of him?

[@SarahTekleab]

Charles, please could you cover and listen to the TUGS Theme Song (specifically the Sizzler version)?

[@ObadiahQRex]

Please do kirby's triumphant return.

[@sneakyfred]

LOVE IT. Fantastic breakdown. Please can I request the main Baldur's Gate (1998) theme? Weird time signature madness going on there, never understood it properly myself!

[@BleedingEdgeOfProgress]

Really want to see you cover NCT's "From Home" and "Superhuman", some of the most advanced stuff i've ever heard in pop.

[@dingdongbells3314]

"Hey, can you compose a catchy little tune for the moon level?" Hiroshige Tonomura: "Ah, yes, so you want a masterwork composition that hits harder than the moon itself crashing down on you."

[@artemi7]

"Why yes, I do think I will create one of the best video game songs of all time."

[@Outside998]

"Hey, we have this fun little moon level. We need something... spacy. But please, hold back a bit." Hiroshige Tonomura: *"No."*

[@yomama9390]

It's overrated. It's so overrated. I fucking hated it when the dipshit who did the remake's tracks shoehorned it into all the other tracks of the game which deserved to stand on their own, because they were all decent.

[@JeredtheShy]

The difference between this song and the Transformers theme is that the Transformers theme was somebody slapping together loops all sloppy and quick to save themselves money on studio time, accidentally making a crazy time signature in the process. But the Ducktales Moon Theme was a clever man named Hiroshige Tonomura saying, yes, I will start this song in a time signature that makes the player feel disconnected from the earth, only for gravity to soon return in 4/4, but then back into the air we go in 15/8, then again to 4/4, bouncing up and down like astronauts, and that's special to me.

[@JeredtheShy]

I think we tend to DRASTICALLY underestimate how much raw talent got poured into this early NES music, how much brilliance it took to even compose for the thing, never mind the composition, so again and again we get blindsided by how good the songs actually were.

[@MaggaraMarine]

True, the intro of the Transformers song is just a bad edit. But that song does also have some weird time signature changes.

[@nidodson]

​@@JeredtheShybecause it was about passion, and creating something great, instead of being about money. It was art.

[@meinacco]

Still kind of a praise for the composer of Tranformer's theme that their slapdash work endured and became so iconic.

[@Doomwarden13]

These writers were so steeped in jazz fusion in the 80s. Finding japanese jazz fusion was like coming home to the soundtrack of my childhood. Masaru, takanaka, piper, caseopea, T-square, everything hosono touched, etc...

[@FizzyK-45]

Definitely one of my favorite pieces of music from the DuckTales NES game. The fact that they reused this music and made it into an actual song in the DuckTales 2017 reboot cartoon just proves how amazing it is. ❤

[@alexnurse3498]

I heard it at the end of S1 when we first got a glimpse of Della and I freakin' jumped out of my chair. "MOON THEME!!!"🤩 Also, I'm a grown-ass 42 years old.

[@Wiggimus]

​@@alexnurse3498 Yeah, me, too 🤣🤣🤣

[@SS3Jake.]

​@alexnurse3498 I'm 36 and I got teary eyed 😂❤

[@Sweet_2D_Volcano]

Only Disney can pull off that level of emotional manipulation.

[@Traumglanz]

@@alexnurse3498 Everyone did, even my 4yo old :D

[@shingshongshamalama]

Chiptune artists were, and I cannot stress this enough, cracked af.

[@arcturionblade1077]

They worked with what they had, limited by the technology at the time, turning sour grapes into the finest wine.

[@YoshiCookie]

Never heard of the word chiptune. Interesting.

[@shingshongshamalama]

@@YoshiCookie "Chiptune" is a term for synthesized music rendered using digital sound chips, as opposed to more sophisticated audio reproductions like we have now. The bleeps and bloops of early computer systems that couldn't play high bitrate pre-recorded audio. Fun fact: the MIDI file standard isn't actually an audio recording, it's effectively just sheet music that tells the computer reading it what notes to generate using its onboard sound driver. That's why the same midi files can sound drastically different on different systems, because what actual sounds come out is determined by the audio chip in question.

[@YoshiCookie]

@@shingshongshamalama Yeah. I’d just call them all MIDI music, haha. Thank you.

[@SeanGilbertson]

I mean, it’s MIDI - they had all the _musical_ tools they always had, they just had/have to be careful how many voices they use at once. As I was watching this video, I was like “Yeah, whoever composed this is probably extremely talented and had a ton of experience as a professional musician and composer.” It just sounds simple because of the limited assortment and complexity of voices and the limited number of simultaneous voices.

[@honimodding1350]

I think video game music composition from that era was an exercise in purposely messing with "standard" or "expected" musical conventions, with the intention of alleviating the boredom that would result from the same song being repeated for hours. Things like this make your brain go "wtf was that, I don't get it," which goes a long way to preventing repetition-induced boredom. So 15/8 was a very intentional one-off for this purpose.

[@zareien2290]

Right? Musical postmodernism

[@honimodding1350]

@@zareien2290 That's a very interesting way to put it.

[@EnVee215]

I wish I had your knowledge to give a feedback but yes it's good 😂

[@jdcorpus]

So true, the music makes the pain of that level possible

[@ltjgambrose]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1010">16:50</a> The musicians who wrote all of the NES era music have spoken a lot about how classical music heavily influenced their take on early video game music. When someone invented the harpsichord the musicians realized "damn, I can make a lot of notes real fast, but they don't last long". Then they invented arpeggios. When someone built the NES the musicians realized "damn, I can only make 5 different notes, but I can change them real fast... Oh, duh. Arpeggios." It was a solved problem.

[@oneshotgangsta]

This comment made me laugh because it's so on point! Bravo sir bravo!

[@hadamana]

This was the first piece of game music that grabbed me as a child. I remembered being told by my neighbor (from whom I borrowed DuckTales) that I needed to go to the moon after the other three stages, so I did. As the tune kicked up, I felt nothing but impending success in everything about it. The entire track has always felt like "don't give up, you're almost there" to me. I am not embarrassed to admit that it still kinda makes me tear up a bit when I hear it, even as a 43-year-old man. Thanks for appreciating this piece enough to show so much love!

[@Gwyn1stborn]

There's something about video game nostalgia that hits so hard, some people will never understand. And the music is a huge part of it

[@joeszymanski3540]

Kraids theme from Metroid still gives me similar feelings but more like descending into some isolated mysterious place.

[@golfnovember]

How do you feel with other renditions of this wonderful song?

[@Average-1]

@@golfnovember Original is far better !!

[@nomiz1987]

i was so happy when i found the name of this song, because for so long it was stuck in the back of my head, but now i've reconnected with this song i remember the great time i had when i was playing duck tales, i dont remember much of the other sections, but the moon stage forever stuck to me

[@mdrdprtcl]

15/8 is such a fun signature, every other measure my heart skips a beat 🥰

[@tomaszzwolinski6254]

Not only your heart does 😅

[@Takyodor2]

I see what you did there

[@joelv4495]

I hate to be that guy, but technically it only skipped half a beat. 😜

[@cooldebt]

Yes! And the cover by The Consouls, Jono plays the intro so beautifully on the guitar that your heart skips

[@Hakun325]

​@@joelv4495 This isnt 4/4, so no. Since the lower number in the time signature is 8, that means the eighth note gets the beat (i.e. one eighth note = one beat, instead of one quarter note = one beat like in 4/4). So in this case, it isnt half a beat, it is indeed a full beat.

[@KonamiAi]

Sometimes, I go to KZbin and listen to "Moon" and cry. Like, on purpose. Remixes, orchestrated versions, parodies (Lookin at you Brent!), you name it, I listen. This song is honestly one of *the* most important pieces of game music to me. The bassline gets me EVERYTIME, and with the comparison to Air in G, it all made sense as THAT *IS* my favorite piece of classical music! I absolutely love it to pieces, and to see it broken down like this on your channel, especially, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! ❤

[@tcrpgfan]

Didja listen to the Ducktales 2017 version that Della sings? It's one of those 'listen and weep' moments in the best way possible. Doubly so considering the theme appears in the moon-centric episodes.

[@ReCrofnead]

Brentalfloss... Brental? Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time... A long time.

[@mastermoye3915]

Then I think you might love the Acapella version of the Moon Theme by Triforcefilms: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jICcdZh9pbR9jsUsi=2-nWrblcpAnJbbyM Enjoy!

[@GamingNostalgiaRemastered]

You might want to come check out my new remix of "The Moon". Let me know what you think.

[@electragoob]

“And it comes back home again.” It just makes me think of Della Duck’s journey from the moon back home again. I’m not crying.

[@myleshilliard7365]

A testament to the genius of these composers, that a theme from 1 level of a video game can bring us to tears. Incredible.

[@Sir_Chuckly1987]

One of the best character arcs in Disney I wanted to cry watching that

[@PelemusMcSoy]

This arc made the Moon Theme the second most important song in the whole franchise, and I'm all for it.

[@tcrpgfan]

And then the reboot show went the next step further and gave two versions: One with meaningful lyrics and an epicified one used for the season 2 finale.

[@emminet]

Aghhhhhhhhh trueeeee

[@ZTimeGamingYT]

One of the most infamous 15/8 pieces in existence. It's truly amazing how such a signature could exist in a piece so impactful and ambient.

[@cooldebt]

I love it when vgm is in odd meter - like Crystal Snail - or when someone like The Consouls does a cover and changes the time signature to something odd eg. their covers of Scars of TIme and Mute City to create a different mood

[@KitWriter]

@@cooldebtmute city. 🥰

[@ObeseChess]

@@cooldebtCrystal Snail was the first video game song - I was like, eight years old - that made me perk my ears up and go “what?” MMX2 is a seriously weird soundtrack in the best way.

[@anduinsuchan356]

Really snuck in that ad there

[@Impaled_Onion-thatsmine]

Yeah i deleted it had a 15/8 intro and was absolutely amazing symphonic then reversed it into a counterpoint pop song i just leave it in my pc with one of the greatest basslines ever written i promise

[@ed01987]

"This is way better than it has any business to be" Summarized the whole NES/SNES era of music as a whole. I believe they did so much with 4 to 8 channels of music. So many bangers.

[@kurtdewittphoto]

I'd like to think it's not just because of my age and being a kid when these came out, but NES had more memorable songs than the last 20 years of gaming.

[@themac6356]

@@kurtdewittphotoI feel that the limitations of the time are what allowed these songs to last. That is to say, when you are given less to work with, you can find creative ways to circumvent the limits. There are plenty of songs now that are also memorable of course (as well as songs from the past that aren’t quite as good), but I do think the limits of the NES are what provide the charm.

[@reso-o5t]

@@themac6356 absolutely as you say. Furthermore, it also helped that since earlier games didn't have voice acting, music could take the auditory spotlight much more often. This also led to a lot of the compositions all the way through the PS1 era to be extremely melodic style of writing, rather than the "ambient" soundtracks we tend to see more often today.

[@mikebevibevi]

Same can be said of the visual art, game mechanics, story telling....

[@Kylora2112]

@@themac6356 Also, your game *needed* catchy music because a. players were going to hear it a LOT while playing and b. remembering things from a game = more likely they'll buy the game.

[@JosephTavano]

The silent note that aligns the intro with the 4/4 main beat gives the song a feeling of weightlessness. Like you're getting your bearings in zero G by the time the verse starts. Storytelling through time signature. That's good composition and why this song endures.

[@jcsjapan]

Excellent assessment, friend. Beautifully said.

[@JosephTavano]

@@jcsjapan Thank you!

[@througtonsheirs_doctorwhol5914]

The beat we skip is described as : "The turn of the Earth.... and if we let go...that's what this is" -The Doctor

[@pwlott]

So well said and noted!

[@JosephTavano]

@@pwlott Thank you!

[@obiwanpez]

“All ‘theory’ is is naming some stuff you probably already know the sound of” As a mathematician, I highly approve of this definition.

[@dromaeosaur42]

The fact that they did something like this, and the entire rest of the soundtrack, on an 8-bit cartridge with 128kb of storage that also included the whole video game is nothing short of miraculous.

[@blopartDGRI]

+, it has gameplay. Nowadays, games are 80% graphics, 20% micro-transactions, and they left out the gameplay part because of crunch.

[@Peepimus]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="999">16:39</a> - “It’s all Bach?!” “ A l w a y s h a s b e e n . . . “

[@pendaco]

Very good sir! Just make sure you finish on the Bach! Never finish on Debussy..

[@SlicedZucchini]

that was what I was thinking of the entire time, as an avid classical, Film and video game music lover and being completely blind for almost 7 years now, every time he played it was what always popped in my head lol - didn't know if he was going to address it or not though

[@TheFinnishTechie]

@@pendacolmfao

[@cobwebkid]

It’s also the same chord progression from the Final Fantasy theme lol

[@RobinsMusic]

@@cobwebkidhaha yeah same thought

[@ErikCPianoman]

I tried arranging this by ear years ago but never finished and I knew something was off with the time signature. You just solved a years long mystery for me tbh.

[@AdamLovelace82]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1014">16:54</a> Who'd have thought Scrooge McDuck could go from rich to...baroque?

[@pcachu]

That's what happens when you take a crazy duck and put him ... _in space._

[@poolhall9632]

heh 🦎

[@LordofSyn]

🥁

[@jonnymiskatonic]

This deserves more thumbs up

[@dallinhunter7385]

most underrated comment

[@unikornkontroller]

My dad used to criticize me and my brother’s love of video game music and dismissed it because of the sounds used…he wasn’t actually listening to the music, just the top dressing of synth sounds. Damn shame.

[@stephentreloar5088]

I was screaming "BACH" for 5 minutes straight, and actually cheered when you talked about it!

[@StephenCinAZ]

One of my very favorite aspects of the 2017 "Ducktales" cartoon was how brilliantly and beautifullly they incorporated this classic video game theme into the show's musical score for Della's story arc.

[@suicidesamuraiz]

I need to watch them. I loved the old ones--and Tale Spin. Those were good parts of child-hood.

[@bc1284]

@@suicidesamuraiz there’s nods to nearly everything from the Disney afternoon in the show. “Darkwing duck” is an old tv show launchpad is a fan of. F. O. W. L. Is central to a couple episodes. One which creates an in universe new origin for the rescue rangers. There’s an episode where it’s a race to recover the gummy bears bouncy potion. And an episode that’s basically Tale spin the next generation. And yes don carnage is still just an awesome of a loony sky pirate. The people who made that show Clearly were Fans of the old Disney afternoon programming block.

[@mppercussion]

15/8 is a cool way to make you feel like you are accelerating; since you feel faster than the music

[@Takyodor2]

Does 17/8 have the opposite effect 🤔

[@mppercussion]

@@Takyodor2 it can! It does definitely depend how it’s implemented, but it would make it feel like you’re in a car where the brakes are unexpectedly being tapped so it’s almost jerky.

[@tkc1129]

Oh, neat! I don't know much about music, but that makes sense and sounds useful!

[@Rojk]

@@Takyodor2 17/8 can also feel like a pause, that you try to squeeze in an extra note or a short stumble. It's really fun to play around with odd time signatures. Like 8+7+8+9. Try to count that loud again and again!

[@user-hz5kb6bx4d]

Great way to say it!

[@forcedfeedbackclassicgamer5499]

Thank you, Charles, for so passionately demonstrating to the world that the music from the 8- and 16-bit games I grew up with wasn't just "beeps and boops" but actual music in every sense of the word. Love these videos, don't ever stop.

[@MrFlottgote]

A huge part of the impact of video game music is the experimentalism, borderline alchemy of composer pioneers like Martin Galway, Hip Tanaka and Yoko Shimomura, in terms of the design of the actual sounds, the resonance phenomena made possible by filter manipulation, ring modulation, makeshift wavetable synthesis, and other coding shenanigans. I do appreciate you diving into the under-appreciated compositional qualities of the VGM music canon, but if you're genuinely interested in video game music, you might want to look into these topics, too.

[@mykeljmoney]

Literally one of my favorite songs as a kid. I used to play DuckTales: The Moon on my NES all the time just to hear this song. It’s so beautiful. The reboot made me so happy, too, because I could hear another appropriate version of it. I’m overjoyed to see you’re doing this video. I will watch it multiple times, guaranteed. Thanks, Charles 💜

[@jmkass]

Finally found a person who plays the piano and that is so interested and happy about all the little details that happen in melodies. I've tried to share this feeling with others (even musicians) and they were like "yeah, that's just a chord change, so what?" Just wanted to share this thought with a fellow brother. Cheers to keep being excited about music in this exact way: as if we were kids who discovered this for the first time. I love it.

[@jorymil]

It's not _just_ a chord change: it's art.

[@GainDamage]

There's just one person that really and fully understands and shares my love for music and my taste and unfortunately we live quite a distance apart. We only differ in the details we actually hear in music, but always understand each other when we talk about it. Music isn't the same without him, most people I know just didn't grow beyond listening to the charts over the radio. For what it's worth: If you like details, odd time signatures and clever off grid play, just take a dive into the music Vacant makes. The whole Future Garage genre in general is beautiful. :)

[@MJG206]

One of the best part of this tune was it was actually canonized in the new duck tales show, sung by the mother of Huey, Dewy, and Louie as a lullaby.

[@mrsharpie7899]

@@MJG206 You mean "Jet", "Turbo", and "Rebel"? :P

[@ignaciosindhu6779]

​@@mrsharpie7899"I could be Turbo!!! :O -Dew

[@mrsharpie7899]

@@ignaciosindhu6779 "Stop yelling at each other! ........ >:( I coulda been Turbo! *You owe me eleven years of Turbo!!*"

[@ianagnew9114]

Or when Della first crashes on the moon and is singing it while she jumps around

[@tonyrosario1940]

Oh crap, really? I haven't checked out the newer cartoon yet. That's so cool! 🍻🤘🏼🔥

[@yugioht42]

The moon theme was actually rewritten into Della’s theme for the new duck tales series. It takes a slower pace to the song but speeds up a bit towards the middle.

[@KariIzumi1]

Came here to say this. Somehow as a kid, the DuckTakes craze completely missed me so I had never heard the song until I heard it in the reboot and without spoiling it for anyone, it's the best possible way to do an easter egg in a reboot series.

[@bc1284]

⁠​⁠@@KariIzumi1oh it’s better in the first major montage of della doing things they just decide to go full into moon theme mode. During said montage scene there is an even better mini Easter egg not to the moon theme or ducktales the game but to capcom themselves as she does a jump and strikes the exact silhouette of the classic 8 bit megaman jump pose

[@Ph0ton]

I heard “Part of Your World” as soon as that section first played so I’m glad you pointed it out later in the video

[@djcbanks]

Omg so did I. I went and made a comment that the chords he was playing made me want to hear the little mermaid “part of your world” song and then literally 60 seconds later he plays the little mermaid song. I was like, no way. Hahaha.

[@JDapollosarmy]

This is such a special song to me. I had a Covid scare and ended up in the ER back in 2020. This song was in a lot of memes at the time, and what got me through that day in particular was figuring out that 15/8 intro. It continued to be my Covid project, and through muscle memory and pure willpower I learned it. Since then I’ve taken some music theory and piano classes, but never came back to analyze this one. Great video! Great breakdown on why this song rocks as hard as it does when it has no right to be this awesome.

[@theily1724]

The tenors in my Madrigal Singers choir from high school were OBSESSED with this song.

[@anynigma]

Tenors. 😅 Amirite?

[@Fox_RZK]

I've been gaslit by this theme so much over the years of attempting to transcribe the intro thinking I missed something, turns out, no, it really WAS missing 1 note from 16.

[@MarsJenkar]

I dunno what it says about me, but when I attempted to transcribe it years ago, I realized pretty quickly that the meter wasn't 4/4 until the beat kicked in. And I realized that there was an extra note in the known 4/4 section, so the intro had to be 15/8. It fell quickly into place after that. I suspect my experience with Rush's music helped me recognize a nonstandard time signature more quickly than I might have otherwise.

[@Alarindris]

Stop shoehorning the word gaslight into everything

[@sirlouie]

First Mega Man, then Portal, and now DuckTales? Charles, I would ask you to get out of my head, but instead - please root around in there and keep pulling out more of my favorite video game tunes! Thank you so much, this is incredible.

[@TheRealVordox]

Nes classics. Guardian Legend, Ninja Gaiden, Tmnt, Wizards and warrior[Intro only], Batman, Journey to Sillius, Blaster Master .... so many gems.

[@BrandyHoelscher]

Agreed. More video game music plz

[@tachyon8317]

🎶Not mega men, or portal guns, just duck tales AwooOO🎶

[@througtonsheirs_doctorwhol5914]

I dream : imnagine if Psycho Mantis got to him ... "Soooo.... you like Suikoden !!"

[@ObadiahQRex]

​@@tachyon8317Tales of daring do bad and good luck tales.

[@RexxReviews]

One of the most iconic pieces of game music ever... I remember this giving me chills as a kid. Out local Movie Time video was having a contest for who could beat this and win a copy of the game. I remember the feeling of being on this level with the workers and other kids watching and how damn nervous I was!

[@rommee]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="898">14:58</a> "You can start the whole thing over like nothing happened" 😆 Defo, the absolute beauty in these tunes - a sort of mix between technicality, creativity, limitation and practicality... Unlocked ✨🏆✨

[@danielmoore9777]

The funny thing is, guys just jamming could theoretically end up accidentally in 15/8, but video game music is coded. This is 10000% intentional and deliberate.

[@ryanrester]

Didn’t even think about that! You’re right… it’s a technical… limitation? Quirk? 🤯

[@Thrillhoju]

Yeah, but it was probably not composed WHILE coding so to say. Most composers first create songs on traditional instruments (including beat machines or synths tho) which are then put into code.

[@danielmoore9777]

@@Thrillhoju irrelevant to my point. You wouldn’t code in a complex time signature unless the song was composed that way. The coding wasn’t accidental is my point.

[@ViridianFlow]

​@@danielmoore9777 Except it's a SNES game. The limitation is the storage size of the carts, the whole game has to fit in 16 mB. To save a bit of space you can limit yourself to 16 bytes per bar. That's 1 byte to select the waveform conditions, 15 to select the tones so 15 makes sense

[@danielmoore9777]

@@ViridianFlow none of that matters in the coding of music.

[@valaryc]

Saw the title for this video in my feed and INSTANTLY was like "This is what I've been waiting my whole life for!" 🤣

[@Mr.toad-]

The whole Ducktales soundtrack is incredible

[@celieboo]

This!

[@hangtime79]

I love coming across your videos even though I feel like a dog as you are speaking in a language I cannot understand but your enthusiasm is what comes through and I catch th ngs every so often and smile. :) Thanks for bringing back a childhood memory with this.

[@D0ntTaseM3Br0]

This game came out October of 1989. We are 3 months away from the video game turning 30 Years old... and we are STILL TALKING ABOUT HOW amazing this song. And at this moment this video has 378k VIEWS and in 6 DAYS. Yes the person on here does have 1.65 million subscribers including me. But the moment everyone see's anything in there feed about Duck Tales Moon theme then everyone runs to watch it instantly. :)

[@TM2Cheetor]

35 years

[@Grease-Goblin]

@@TM2Cheetor Wait, I was also born in '89, please don't correct them.

[@LifeWKai]

Happy 30!

[@10Or106]

The fact they were able to add to this piece in the 2017 reboot show while making it the catharsis to one of the most emotional arcs I've ever seen before was one of the best decisions that was made in the production of that show

[@deltamaxxhomevideo]

Ladies, find a man who loves you as much as Charles loves the iv chord.

[@Biospark88]

Or as much as Koji Kondo loves tritones.

[@megorex630]

Lol I said something similar in a past video, still true. Lol I’d be happy to just like lay on the floor and listen to him talk about nostalgic music.

[@selwynsivagumar]

do you think his love of IV is sus

[@mitchrogerstudios]

minor iv specifically

[@josiahgraham1765]

@@mitchrogerstudios That's what he means. IV would be major 4 chord, because it's capitalized. Since he used "iv", (uncapitalized) he is referencing the minor 4 chord. Hope his helps!

[@Picksqueal]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="906">15:06</a> One thing I'd like to add that I find really clever is that the I (F#) from the first key becomes the V/ii into a ii-V-I (Bm-E-A) for the new key (A), this makes the key change seem almost inevitable. I also like that they didn't use the obvious III (C# which would be the V of F#) at the end of this phrase to move immediately back to F# but rather use a IV-V-VI (D-E-F#) aka bVI-bVII-I in the original key (F#).

[@Picksqueal]

Rewatching this section I somehow completely missed that you totally talked about my second point.

[@LinksBetweenDrinks]

The music in Ducktales were wall-to-wall bangers.

[@Saxdude26]

Let's break down why this video is fantastic: 1) We flow through an uncommon time signature with almost a 1234 123and4 skip to it 2) We hum our way through the layers of such an iconic NES tune's chord progression 3) We appreciate how it hangs on chords that snake back to their home in such fun ways 4) You do that super neat thing that is so fun with a musical ear of recognising ALL THOSE CHORDS in other music - Both classical with Bach (hashtag Bach Tales) and elsewhere in Disney with Part of Your World And while musical theory always floors me in ways that I feel and love it but can never articulate it, that LAST PART was honestly so incredibly validating to my musical ear and sense of transcribing that it just made me giddy. I gosh dang loved this video Charles, more of this please. I don't know if we need Shadow of the Ninja, Intelligent Qube, Oddworld, what we need, but more of this fun musical chord dissecting is fantastic.

[@ManicSocratic]

Capcom's NES sound team was performing miracles. Transcendent music that was mind-blowing 35-40 years ago. Love it so much.

[@RhymesWithCarbon]

Me: "You know, this is really classical, very Bach-like" Charles: plays Bach _Air_ Me: 🤯

[@TigerGreene]

It actually reminds me a little of "She's Got a Way" by Billy Joel for some reason.

[@atbear]

@@TigerGreene”…don’t know what it is…”

[@TigerGreene]

@@atbear exactly!

[@SilverKnight16]

"This is way better than it has any business being." This is about 80% of NES music in a nutshell.

[@ChickenSoupMusic]

Facts! Simons Quest / Final Fantasy / Mario / Maniac Mansion / Duck Tales / Metroid / Contra / River City Ransom / Super Dodge Ball / Ninja Gaiden / Zelda / Faxanadu… Have some amazing compositions

[@xthetenth]

@@ChickenSoupMusic Don't forget pictionary of all things!

[@williamsanborn9195]

@@xthetenthOr Solstice!

[@Dwimmerlaik13]

Faxanadu and zelda 2 to add to the list

[@ChickenSoupMusic]

@@Dwimmerlaik13 Yes obviously done!

[@maxpowr90]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1020">17:00</a> DuckTales the video game actually came out one month before The Little Mermaid did in theatres.

[@SailorGreenTea]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1">0:01</a>, Thanks for saying the meme thing, I did not know.

[@longshotomega4258]

Also that chord walk down is a lot like the main theme of the Final Fantasy games! Thanks for the great video! I love your super sunny disposition! 🌞

[@TCMcBiscuits]

I was just noticing that. I really want a video comparing and contrasting them now, since it's such a big similarity but the two songs are otherwise really different.

[@longshotomega4258]

@@TCMcBiscuits That honestly sounds like a fantastic idea for a video! I would love to watch it!

[@michaelduff2382]

came to the comments looking for this comment because i couldn't help but notice as well!

[@gavinpearcey]

Came looking for this too, especially since I was already thinking NES music too.

[@LinksBetweenDrinks]

The Final Fantasy theme is essentially juat a clever but simple arpeggio. Music can be very complex or very simple and still be iconic.

[@samgoetz]

Every single time that I listen to that theme, original or cover, I have SO MANY goosebumps... EVERY F* TIME. Thx for this video. I was waiting patiently.

[@the_algo_rhythm]

AHH you're covering the Moon Theme!! I have been trying to convince my other musician friends how insane this song is. Always knew it was in odd time, but I always counted it as a weird polyryhthym in 3 groups of 5/4.

[@JoshSimpson]

Hey you all with inner child coming out, so nice to see you all again along with my inner child, rejoicing this nostalgia composition from DuckTales 🥺

[@captainconstitution4238]

The band known as The Advantage made a really kick ass metal-rock version of this song. If you love this game like I do, you should definitely check it out. So good. Also, I love how their band is named after a really obscure NES platform controller. I still have mine from 1985.

[@Jejunumonster]

I always enjoy seeing you break open tracks that have been burned into my brain for decades. I don't know how much more work it would take, but I would really like to see your version of a full playthrough loop on piano at the end of your videos to sum it up.

[@thembill8246]

I can't hear this song without hearing Brent's lyrics on top of it. Fun fact, brentalfloss and I went to college together in undergrad. I remember watching his first musical.

[@sarahbayla]

Ducks! Yes, ducks in outer space! On the Disney Afternoon... To the moon!!! I was a big brentalfloss fan as a kid. Glad I found this reference in the comments haha!

[@Stratelier]

"How're YOU up there ... without any air!?"

[@gaines8807]

This song lives in my head rent free 24/7 🦆🌙

[@DickDiamond74]

Same here, but now realizing WHY I remember this.

[@RotcodFox]

You should check out the Kitsune² version, it's great 👍

[@CatsMeow_]

I read 24/7 as a time signature

[@RoyalDrummr]

@@CatsMeow_don’t put any ideas in my head 😭💀

[@KenishiroMashiba]

@@CatsMeow_😂

[@mu0p]

Growing up playing this on my Gameboy, this song used to make me cry, i loved it so much, alobg witb many other songs from favorite vodeo games growing up. But for some reason this one always spoke to me. So fun watching you break it down, i played sax and a bit of piano later growing up, but lots of that knowledge has been long forgotten, but was still fun watching this breakdown of a great piece of music 🤙

[@erikhendrickson59]

That descending ducking baseline is just perfect in its simplicity as a MIDI tone

[@noonesjedi8018]

That's a mega man game with a Scrooge McDuck sprite. I never new i needed this.

[@andybaldman]

Yup

[@thepolarphantasm2319]

Indeed it is, friendo. There are two of them, btw :)

[@Typical.Anomaly]

@@thepolarphantasm2319 And DuckTales 2 is one of the rarest (and one of the most expensive) "Game Paks" for NES.

[@meinacco]

Same for the NES Darkwing Duck game. Even down to the weapon switching.

[@Nightenstaff]

Really ready to be astounded? This whole video is about *level music* . Yeah, this wasn't like the main theme or ending credits, it's just a level tune that defined music on the NES.

[@nejikhang147]

The 8 Bit Big Band arrangement is really cool

[@Helljumper_2552]

Had to laugh at the comparison to “part of your world” since the Duck Tales game came out in September ‘89 and the Little Mermaid came out in November ‘89

[@jonathanj.3695]

Can I just say that every time you play a chord or a short section to analyze it, you make it sound so freaking beautiful. Like when you played that short section from "Part of Your World" from the Little Mermaid at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1028">17:08</a>... that was _gorgeous_ !

[@mox3909]

Your subtle use of accents to differentiate phrasing is very well done.

[@Whiteythereaper]

Highly recommend the fully orchestrated re-scored version from the Remaster. I was obsessed with it in 2017 lmao

[@jonaslind9505]

I've listened a lot to that whole album, it's great!

[@YoshiCookie]

Link?

[@sagastim]

This content you're making is just brillant. Really enjoyable. If you want, these are my favourite video game themes: -Battlefield 1 (specially Flight of the pigeon and the World to end all wars) -Uncharted in general (I love Uncharted 3's XMB main theme) -Wii party (just childhood vibes)

[@IAmElectrospecter]

I've encountered that whole "walking down" thing with the bass notes in various songs I've learned and I've always thought it was cool. A couple of ones that come to mind are Piano Man and Pollyanna (from Mother/Earthbound)

[@sparkoflife5720]

The entire Mother series has amazing songs, that I feel Charles would love to look into, such as Pollyanna, Strong One etc.

[@DavidBloedow]

I ❤ this soo much, there are some songs that shouldn’t work but do because they come from and to places of love. It hits like a C-Ram. The guy who also did the acapella version with all the dif parts is a genius.

[@Daniel-it1dp]

This song holds a special place in my heart and brings back memories of a simpler time before so much sadness and pain.

[@JJDunn-fl9qg]

BRO, YOU SHOULD COLLAB WITH THE 8 BIT BIG BAND, THEY HVE DONE ALL THESE SONGS

[@brololler]

omg. today i learned

[@JackofCubes]

Is Patrick Bartley in that

[@zaccarman6683]

I think yours caps lock is on

[@SomeplaceScary]

​@@zaccarman6683 No, they actually just held shift down the entire time while typing that, obviously.

[@thepolarphantasm2319]

Or Mariachi entertainment system...Dave Ortiz's quest to prove that all music can be mariachi has taken him and the gang to some weird places. It's like they're a riddle wrapped in traditional mariachi garb and slightly buzzed on tequila. Plus I think he'd dig meeting a Mariachi crew who play Muse, the Cranberries, a-ha... but also can absolutely f*** up some F-zero tunes or Castlevania jams Oh and PS... first song they posted on their channel? Their cover of The Moon from Ducktales 😂

[@robertstevensii4018]

Of all the people that almost missed their calling and then absolutely nailed it, you are one of them.

[@Chtud]

One of the best tunes in video games Capcom always delivers when it comes to music Streetfighter 2,Megaman,Ducktales etc

[@mtill7281]

Breath of Fire 3~

[@Veilure]

Ace attorney episode when???

[@zxbc1]

Chip 'n Dale has the greatest soundtrack, very jazzy too.

[@RaptorT1V]

Dino Crisis Devil May Cry Resident Evil

[@mattryan7124]

@@zxbc1grew up on Ducktales and the Rescue Rangers themes.

[@user-bf7vy3ub9c]

Oh man! I just found you Charles. Your excitement is contagious! Tks for make us (at least) appreciate even more the games that made part of our childhood!

[@AlexVR]

The fact that you didn't rip this song up in this video is a crime, I wanted to hear you jam it out so bad

[@ace131484]

And don't forget about how the bVI bVII I is a reference to the DuckTales Theme song! "Everyday they're out there making DuckTales"

[@bparker06]

A wonderful look at this classic tune. I also thoroughly enjoy Sonya Belousova's arrangement that's on youtube.

[@Orthophobia]

I can't believe I had to scroll this far for this comment!!! Sonya's version is incredible!

[@starbird6]

counter argument: think about movement on the moon, how we picture a single step as slower than a step on earth, floating in reduced gravity, and how the intro does a fantastic job of capturing that floating feeling. what if the 15/8 intro isn’t 16/8 one beat short, but 12/8 three beats long?

[@JacobAndJamal]

When you have less instrument and sound choice options, you tend to be more creative in composing and melody… I problem I see with modern music is there is so much sound & sonic options , that “music” has became more “sound design” driven, rather than melody and songwriting 🤔

[@Scruffytuba]

This channel never ceases to fascinate me while teaching me more about all the game music I grew up with and love ❤

[@Warlocke000]

This tune has lived rent free in my head for decades... and I'm happy to have it there. Of course they revamped it for the DuckTales: Remastered video game, in 2013, but they even brought it back as a lullaby, with lyrics, for the 2017 DuckTales series. If I had to describe its mood, I'd call the tune wistful, yet hopeful.

[@ashleymessedup]

I never thought that Scrooge McDuck would be Baroque. How's he gonna feed the nephews now???

[@TiMoThY211991]

Somehow, I can't hear this song without tears coming to my eyes now, I think it must have to do with Della's theme in the newer show

[@Laneth]

I know so very little about music theory and composition, even less about the rules of it all, but when talking about the descending baseline at around <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="990">16:30</a>, I can't help but be reminded of the classic Final Fantasy theme and a specific movement in that song too. And I only really know that thanks to and old school KZbin video called Final Fantasy with Lyrics by Brentalfloss 😅

[@glenngriffon8032]

It warms my heart that people are seeing the beauty in NES game music. It's a trend that's been going for the past 20 years give or take and I still see analysts losing their minds over the talent out into the music. I'm an 80s baby, I grew up with the NES and I've always loved music. My parents used to praise me for identifying and liking bands like Genesis, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, and more but they belittled me when I said I liked music that was in games. They only saw it as noise.i saw it as legit music. Videos like this make my inner child feel validated and seen.

[@RobinsMusic]

I like how Charles explains more basic theory things when the song is less complex and vise versa with more complex songs

[@andrestheman]

Your channel is inspiring and exactly what I was thinking my whole life. You should cover all the songs in Castlevania 3 for NES.... Those songs are music theory insanity and you will be blown away. Specifically the Clocktower song.

[@nothingnew765]

Agreed! Can't cover videogame music and miss Castlevania.

[@EthanGeye]

If you want more odd meters look at the Hades ost. Out of Tartarus is in 21/8 and Gates of Hell is in 27/8 (though I would probably feel them I some mixed meter)

[@Egobyte83]

I am struggling trying to understand a lot of what you are saying about chords etc, but you are just having so much fun saying it that it's just a blast watching you go. :D :D

[@lunarixis1203]

The Moon has always been more than a meme to me, it's very close to my heart and it's such a delight to see it get the appreciation it deserves in your beautiful rendition. I'd love to hear it fully. Thank you and bravo!

[@BobzBlue]

As someone who brute forces musical skill by mostly feel, I somehow remembered the moon theme correctly without knowing it's 15/16. It's a similar case with Marx's theme, I just know it without a reason why... As soon as you started playing, I thought it was 1 note too many.

[@JosephTavano]

All the measure is is a description of what youre feeling.

[@tuca9457]

Will someone please make a "charles gushes over minor four chord compilation"? 😂

[@emminet]

Yes we need this!!

[@adumbusername1440]

Please look at more Tim/Geoff Follin songs! I think you would lose your mind at Akryllic from Plok.

[@mryesgaming]

r.i.p geoff follin

[@schalomforever]

Omg the beach theme from Plok is so great!

[@jonnection]

Second vote for Akrillic. Amazing tune

[@myleshilliard7365]

I love how passionate you are about Music Theory! I miss doing this kind of analysis. It really is incredible how talented these composers were in a medium that was so limiting. The music produced with MIDI thatvthese guys made is genius. Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy series) create some of the most iconic music and it is mind blowing. Thank you for this content. Will continue to follow for sure!!

[@RobinsMusic]

Yes I love this theme it reminds me of the Mario galaxy staff role theme

[@MaxRpunkt-pm4tw]

Everything is Bach!!! Love it.

[@suleymanbabak1973]

"Now Gizmo Duck can blast that wall"

[@jeremytoney9367]

I never questioned whether this song was strange or not mainly because it flows together in a way that I’ve never heard a lot of other types of music flow together. And I have an ear for music so I know what flows and what does not. I’ve discovered that some of the older music like hymns in some cases do not flow together and the reason it doesn’t flow together is because of the way it’s played but with this it flows together and that first 15 notes actually works because it’s up got a rhythm and a meter that worked perfectly for that almost 2 bars If you’re a vocal soloist like I am then you would know that this song flows together and it’s actually one of the best songs I’ve ever heard in my entire life but it’s not the only one that flows like this is some of those odd combination of notes rhythm meter that actually come together to make some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard

[@Cheezbat]

Fantastic video! This is one of the greatest songs in a classic video game and I love everything about it. You nailed it with this one!