DELTARUNE / I Need Help Solving This Musical Mystery!

Made this video to bring some attention to a track I think needs more analysis. Unfortunately, I lack the musical/editing background to figure out what is being portrayed here, so any and all help from the community is greatly appreciated!
Link to download pianpian (be warned, music starts playing automatically): deltarune.com/assets/audio/pi...
Patreon:
/ jarujaruj
Socials:
/ deathbattlezeal
/ jarujarujarujarujaru
www.tumblr.com/jarujaruj
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:17 Background on Song
03:08 Base Song
05:00 Half Speed
06:56 Quarter Speed
10:32 1/8th Speed
11:10 2x Speed
11:46 4x Speed
12:12 8x Speed
12:54 Reversed
13:53 Reversed Half Speed
15:24 Reversed Quarter Speed
18:20 Reversed 2x Speed
18:46 Reversed 4x Speed
19:02 Reversed 8x Speed
19:45 0.666 Speed
21:16 6.66x Speed
21:34 Outro

[@JaruJaruJ]

Alright! Here's a pinned comment that I'll edit as research progresses to keep everyone in the loop and answer common questions! -I have tried to put it into a spectrogram, but I did not find anything. Someone else might though! -Currently, the best theory is that there is an original melody as the foundation for this piece, and then Toby is adding a TON of reverb, echo, and so forth to completely obscure what that original melody is. However, by focusing just on the first few notes, we may be able to identify what we're dealing with. Currently it's looking like it may be the first few notes of Noelle's theme (which would make sense) or of the Chapter 2 Credits theme called "Until Next Time." -Research is ongoing though, and there's still plenty of room for more discoveries!

[@belly990]

theres a video called "i know what pianpian.mp3 sounds like." They suspect it could be the title screen music so maybe the implication is Kris has heard the title music before because he is trying to replicate it. Or another video compared gasters theme and the song and if you listen to the peaks it sounds like someone trying to remember gasters theme but they are just hitting the same notes til it clicks. Considering toby fox is a pianist im sure the concept of trying to remember a song is like second nature to him. So implications might be that Kris heard gasters motif somewhere and is trying to replicate it by just slaming keys and trying different things. I for one feel that gaster one is important maybe he is interacting with kris some how maybe he gave him the power to save and reload so now the time line might change from what it use to be all they needed was a player to help Kris which gaster would have done at the begining of the game. only issue is that it means gaster would have had to interact with kris somehow before our joining which idk how I could prove something like that.

[@belly990]

Plus just a note if this is kris playing the piano the only way to create a sound like that with a piano is using the pedals to keep the echo going. If there is a way to remove the reverb and echo from a piano pedals that would be the best way to figuring out the melody. Update: I'm currently messing with the piano and just droning the notes of gasters theme while listening to pianpian and the notes seem to blend in meaning im hitting the same keys pianpian is playing I just haven't gotten the lower notes to work so maybe the low notes belong to other sound while the high notes represent gasters motif or vis versa

[@rangarlamamicado0727]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4rYpnWeqLtojLs I know I tweeted this to you but wanted to make sure you could see it. But, I broke down the song into a MIDI and isolated the piano's octaves. The bottom octave DOES have the same notes as Gaster's Theme. Some of the layers have sounds similar to "Until Next Time" and otherwise. It would feel VERY important if you saw it and gave it all a listen. Much love and luck on your journey Jaru!

[@SmokeyZebra098]

I tried to use my ears to find the pitches: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKLJo4F6gLeKpNk

[@belly990]

If anyone reads this just know that attempting to break it down is our best course of action. I.e. get the notes and try to remake pianpian from the ground up if we can remake the song well we can reverse engineer the song from there but aside from that I feel like sound manipulate isnt going to help us much. Sadly I'm not a very experienced musician so replicating the reverb and such is out of my ball park

[@pros_0143]

About the song being too complex for anyone to play, maybe noelle's site messed up the file since every page of hers has something wrong besides the main page.

[@JaruJaruJ]

Could be, could be.

[@DogDogGodFog]

Yeah, even Jingle Bells is corrupted at some point

[@bluefrog5056]

What the heck is going on with Noelle’s computer

[@merry_whatever]

@@bluefrog5056 noelles computer is the knight /j

[@ollie_3948]

@@bluefrog5056 smh she downloaded malware disguised as a Catpetterz mod 😔

[@guy_with_a_bow_tie]

I don't know if anyone has answered this, but my guess is that there's a central melody that being overshadowed by a very loud and obnoxious delay/echo. Notice how the chaos only starts after a single note and then just seems to repeat itself but slightly less loud. To me, the melody that's being echoed here (though it's hard to make out) seems to be Noealle's leitmotif, first on really hig notes, than on the lower notes again, it's hard to figure out. As for the ticking in the backround, it sounds like something lightweight fell, like a piece of paper, and that sound got picked up by the microphone and thus started echoing alongside the main melody. I'm not sure what the hum but it could be that it's supposed to represent mains hum, but mains hum is much higher pitched than the drone. Maybe if someone could measure the amount of time between each tick, you can reverse engineer the original echo and then run a bunch of Deltarune leitmotifs through it and see which one comes closes to PianPian? Hope this helps.

[@JaruJaruJ]

Phenomenal feedback! Thank you so much!

[@unclebaba3463]

CHAD SHY GUY

[@voidsongs]

it also sounds like it only stacks on itself about 8 times (it's a little hard to say for sure bc that first chord has an A on top and another chord with the same A on top appears really soon after but if I had to guess I would say 8 since this sounds like it's in 4/4 or a similar derivative and if that's the case 8 bars is 1-2 phrases), if that helps. it may be 16 based on how it sounds slowed down but it sounds more like that chord just appears twice than it stacking 16 times.

[@placeholder1816]

im pretty sure the sound you describe as paper falling is just the noise piano keys make when you hit them with your fingers or release them from being held down.

[@voidsongs]

from listening i also hear a comfortable like. maybe inverted a minor chord that goes to a b flat (or maybe D minor?) chord then a few repetitions later a c major chord to a g major chord with a c overlayed on it (and slowed down i could hear an a too) which comfortably transitions it to the key of f major (of which c is the dominant, or 5th, note). i'm sure there are other chords in there i just couldnt hear because of how overwhelming it is to the ear but that miiight help us figure out the theme in here if we can find a similar chord progression somewhere else. it's interesting because when sped up it actually sounds like it ENDS in D minor and starts in B flat with an A on top so my judgement of the chord progression may be wrong because of the overlays making chords that aren't really there appear, but i think a couple of them at least may help people when they go back and listen to other parts of the undertale or deltarune soundtrack to see if there are like similar jumps.

[@MarcelineJellyBean]

As someone with anxiety, to me, this very much feels like a panic attack put into musical form. It starts out in chaotic panic with so much happening at once but eventually slows down as the music "breathes" normally and stops hyperventalating in a sense. The high pitched peaks in audio subside and is just left with a steady drone as the notes calm down. When I have panic attacks, there's usually a sort of staticy feeling (not sure how to describe it) throughout the experience that lingers in the background. This could be what the low hum throughout the song represents. I might be wrong, but it feels like a musical panic attack based on my experiences.

[@JaruJaruJ]

I mean, I don't know if you're right, but I LOVE that interpretation! Paints a fascinating picture of Kris if true.

[@shadowspartanzeta7]

Yes

[@snowblizzard7623]

Actually, for me, the reversed version feels like my senses are being overwhelmed.

[@MarcelineJellyBean]

@@snowblizzard7623 That's a good interpretation too!

[@canariawing]

i really like the interpretation that kris playing like this is their way of calming down from a panic attack due to being overwhelmed at noelle's house! it explains why it starts so erratic then fizzles out into something calmer and more peaceful, as if they're slowly coming down from it

[@cobaltnightmare5920]

I'm a musician and could not find anything in this. There's so much going on at once that I don't think anyone would be able to figure out what notes are being played without listening for 10s of hours. What it sounds like to me is that several parts of one song are playing at once overlayed on each other and then a bunch of reverb was added. As for the clicking at the end I have no idea that's actually the weirdest part. It sounds like several metronomes that are each offset from each other. Part of me thinks that's how this song was mashed together, by taking different bits from the "original" and overlaying them on top of each other but not evenly.

[@JaruJaruJ]

Interesting.

[@unreactivecontent]

Eh, people have done shittier shit for longer times

[@mikeythenephilimking24]

I got those same thoughts and vibes as well Kinda mixed jumbled up alil like some pieces didn’t fit to where it feels right in this song

[@cobaltnightmare5920]

@@unreactivecontent Yeah I have no doubt someone or multiple could do it it would just be very difficult

[@DogDogGodFog]

What about the regular piano notes that are audible in the 1/4 and 1/8 speed parts?

[@Silly_Sulky_Seli]

it really sounds like frustration going into relaxation wich could be Kris's trying to calm their emotions, sounds very possible with the context of when it happened (maybe Kris got overwelmed being at Noelle's place or from something that happened prior to visiting but it might also be foreshadowing another future theme because the very speedy version and backards indeed bring intentional vibes, so I'd want to believe it's both and my latter idea is the motivation behind the creation

[@JaruJaruJ]

Interesting! I like that character analysis approach!

[@rawquikh0ney710]

It does kinda sound like one of those emotion songs that you listen to in film class to learn about someone and their emotions for something and yeah I do feel like it could be Kris's thought process

[@GruffetTheSpider]

Having worked with audio for over 4 years, I'll gladly take a look! If I find anything interesting I might make a video about it :3

[@JaruJaruJ]

God bless! Can't wait to hear what you find! :D

[@DogDogGodFog]

Ah here we go, HalfBreadChaos' daughter

[@averagegenzguy2751]

@@DogDogGodFog h

[@ilovethugass]

​@@averagegenzguy2751 h

[@adamfajita305]

@@ilovethugass h

[@pros_0143]

The 6.66x speed version made me realize all those notes are being used to make a bigger 4 note patern, the united sound of that jumbled up mess is actually 4 unique sounds.

[@TheSkyGuy77]

gaster... o_o

[@JaruJaruJ]

Indeed! It's very curious.

[@fatefindsaway6834]

@@JaruJaruJ you are looking to deap this is all just a 5th symphony reference

[@atuliyengar9638]

this may be right.

[@michallebel3236]

@@fatefindsaway6834 explain

[@empiar5481]

The impossibility of that piano part is largely because of an effect called “delay”, which makes an echoing effect. When you listen slowed down you can hear individual notes being played more clearly, which emphasizes the echo. What’s being played is technically simple. The song ends up feeling like a mental breakdown, because you can also hear how Kris plays fewer and fewer notes before they hold that last note, resulting in that extended hum. Also, 8x speed sounded an awful lot like a phone to me. I also didn’t hear much of a “doo dah, doo dah”, but it sounds more like “doooo, doooo, daaaaah”, meaning it’s more like the song shifts between three chords, rather than four chords. This probably doesn’t mean much though.

[@JaruJaruJ]

Interesting...

[@bagaboo4746]

Maybe kris got a gaster phonecall like spamton and that's why we're in controll of him Which makes me wonder why the end sounds like AUDIO_DRONE and if that might give another meaning to drone in this context Just wanted to add on to this idea I'm not sure it's really supposed to sound like a phone

[@bethanybatchelor9347]

The acoustic piano is a string instrument, where when you play a key a tiny hammer thing hits the string causing it to vibrate. Usually it is fixed so that you only hear the note from the one string, but there is a pedal you can press where the dampeners come off. Surrounding strings start to vibrate and everything echoes around long after you've stopped playing. When I was a kid and first got my piano I played around with it a lot, though when I started taking lessons I learned that in good technique you're only supposed to use the pedal for emphasis and you're supposed to let up before the echoing starts. Kris/Toby/whoever is only playing two notes as fast as possible with the pedal on, and leaving it to do its thing. Idea one: Kris is lying about being good at piano. Idea one b: Someone is playing with forces that they don't understand, which causes things to no longer need human interference, unless the dampeners are reapplied. Idea two: Kris desires freedom from something and likes the thought of letting the notes do what they want, and plays badly because they don't like being in control of another's freedom.

[@JaruJaruJ]

Hmm. Interesting.

[@DogDogGodFog]

See, I gotta bump this comment. It is one of the few useful ones in this comment section as of now.

[@mchsprod]

The only evidence we have of Kris being “bad” at piano when they play the hospital piano, but every interaction with it implies that Kris is supposed to be good at the piano, but for whatever reason they can’t play as well as they used to (probably due to being possessed)

[@bethanybatchelor9347]

@@mchsprod You're probably right, it just seems on theme for Kris to be lying or concealing about something. The song may alternatively been when Kris fell in love with piano. It is also possible that Kris naturally got worse because they haven't had access to the Holiday's piano since their parents got divorced.

[@nebulaischilling]

@@bethanybatchelor9347 I doubt kris is not good at piano, even the way Noelle implied how she reacted to it, it seemed like she enjoyed it, and that it was at least semi relaxing. I think that noelles computer could have somehow corrupted the song, but thats about it for what I have in mind.

[@fandom-1318]

I can't unsee the inspiration from Majora's Mask. Pianpian sounds uncomfortably similar to Final Hours; the track that plays after Clock Town's fireworks goes off.

[@percym.6108]

I'm so glad you said that- I came down to the comments to see if anyone had said that it sounded like Majora's Mask, and it really does sound like that. I also think at high speeds it almost sounds like fairy fountain music

[@probablyjustsnails]

I also thought it sounded Zelda-ish funnily enough, but couldn’t put my finger on why. Lmfao

[@chimasteryang271]

I'm convinced that there's going to be a hidden leitmotif tying this song to another song of some significance.

[@JaruJaruJ]

Agreed!

[@elaimaro122]

@@JaruJaruJ There's almost definitely a piano bit from "Another Him" emerging in 8x speed, I think you can even hear it yourself if compared directly. That little melody was, to my knowledge, confirmed to be related to Gaster's theme (if the name of the track wasn't enough) I doubt it's the only interesting thing to this track though.

[@SynergyGaming112]

@@elaimaro122 Initally, I heard his theme during the half speed, it's hardly noticable, but I heard some notes that immedialty reminded me of gaster.

[@dochatter3638]

I personally think it'll be a song we'll hear in a future Chapter or $weepstakes-esq event, @@JaruJaruJ. But I'd be happy to find out that this is a pre-existing song, somewhere out there.

[@jaarb7353]

This is probably just a coincidence, but I happen to have synesthesia, meaning that hearing certain sounds causes images to appear in my mind, and Pianpian at 4x speed's image appears a lot like crying, tears rolling down, to me. It's pretty rare that I have an image such as this appear to be so similar to a thing I've actually seen, though.

[@JaruJaruJ]

Interesting!

[@Data-Expungeded]

thats actually really interesting. I wonder if Toby’s a genius?

[@Data-Expungeded]

i tried to look into wether or not synesthesia has meaning but nothing came up so this has to go in coincidence territory for me.

[@jaarb7353]

@@Data-Expungeded Yeah, I would agree.

[@atsed11]

The first thing that came to mind when seeing PianPian was pianissimo which is abbreviated by PP. It is a musical term meaning music that is played very softly. PianPian starts off loud but transitions to quite soft near the end. Maybe Toby abbreviated pianissimo using the words pian pian.

[@JaruJaruJ]

THAT seems like it might actually be important! Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention!

[@gothic_velvet4642]

i’m no musical expert, but the name of the song interests me. Pian in finnish means soon, and piānpiān means happily in simplified chinese. I don’t think that ‘soon’ would mean much in this context, put happily could imply that (if this is jut kris playing) that they are much happier whilst doing this. This could be backed up as well by the fact that if kris goes over to the piano in the hospital in game and plays a few notes, when susie mocks them, kris looks really annoyed. What that could mean for the game, i have no idea, i just thought it might be useful to point out.

[@JaruJaruJ]

Interesting.

[@gothic_velvet4642]

@Grandiville Strong it doesn’t mean anything in japanese. There is no possible translations even close. I thought this too but nothing to note.

[@unreactivecontent]

SOONSOON

[@Benzinilinguine]

I dont think toby is dropping hints in Finnish. Or chinese. Japanese, maybe. Not Chinese.

[@gothic_velvet4642]

@@Benzinilinguine probably, but it’s just something i thought might be worth sharing.

[@reolives]

The latter droning part in particular reminds me a lot of binaural beats- the thing that happens when you play a different frequency tone in each ear and it causes you to perceive a steady beat or wavering effect. There's a whole pseudoscience rabbit-hole out there, where certain frequency combinations are supposed to help with various maladies or help you focus or sleep, etc.

[@JaruJaruJ]

Interesting.

[@JayJ1095]

My first thought is to load it into a spectrum analyser and see if there are any images hidden in there, as the notes seem too chaotic for anything to be hidden in the audio itself.

[@frozenice9051]

I had exactly the same idea, unfortunately I don't have the qualifications to do such a thing ;-;

[@FmFnBeats]

did it, unfortunately I couldn’t find anything

[@Disorder2312]

I did it, had the same idea initially, but there is absolutely nothing interesting to look at.

[@komb4806]

Not finished watching the video yet, but my gut is telling me that it might be one of those weird black midi conversions of a song where it only sounds right if you have heard the original. Maybe we'll hear the original at some point when next few chapters release and then this will make more sense lol.

[@greyfang8694]

It might be a piano midi of the beginning of “The Final Hours” from Majora’s Mask? I heard it pretty close in reversed x4 speed. But that might just be mu bias talking. It’s almost there so perhaps the speed isn’t the right speed.

[@pluffering6661]

Okay, so, this is coming from someone that doesn't have all that much music experience. The best thing I have is 8 years of choir practice, which doesn't help all that much. BUT! I am pretty good at hearing the different leitmotifs in a lot of Toby's music, and adding on the context of where/when the music occurs to begin asking some questions as to why a certain leitmotif shows up. Hope that makes sense. I'll just sorta be writing down my thoughts as I watch the video. Maybe I can help point something out! So, the first thing that stood out to me when I heard pianpian was the weird humming noise in the background. It doesn't sound like a piano. That noise immediately reminded me of Another Him, and I even played the two songs together at the same time and there is definitely a similarity. The two songs actually blend together quite well when played at the same time, to the point where it's kinda hard to tell them apart near the beginning. Which I doubt is important, but it's something that stood out to me. Listening to it at half speed was interesting. For my first listen, I didn't actually hear anything all that noteworthy. I mean, there's definitely SOMETHING going on, but it sorta sounds like you'd have to edit the song in order to understand, and I have absolutely zero editing skills. I listened to it a second time, with Another Him playing with it once again. Still, the two songs are very similar, almost indiscernible from each other in the beginning. With pianpian being slowed down, Another Him ended before it. But once Another Him ended, that's when something popped out to me. The humming that I heard once Another Him ended sounded, to me, very similar to the humming that we hear near the bunker in the forest in Deltarune. It's not exactly the same. The humming in pianpian is softer and higher in pitch when played at normal speed. The similarities only really stick out to me when it's slowed down. And we also all know that the bunker humming makes the garbled noise sound when sped up by 666%, and I don't think it matches. Still something I think is worth pointing out. Okay, hearing it slowed down even more, the first thing that stuck out to me was the repetitive use of middle A and middle D. (I have a piano that I used to figure out which notes those were. I'm not good at playing it, though.) I might have to cross reference pianpian with other songs that prominently use those two notes, see if I can find something interesting. I'll do that later, though. I also listened to it with Another Him again. Nothing noteworthy that I haven't said before. Alright, so, for double speed, there's not much I can say. What did strike me as interesting is how you can hear the cacophony almost settle down a bit after a few seconds. And it sounds quite pretty, actually. So, listening to 4x speed, and 8x speed multiple times, and with the help of my sibling, C D and E sorta sound like the notes that repeat the most. Listening to it in reverse is really freaky. I can't really point out anything about it, other than give my own personal thoughts. It sounds like rising tension. that's kinda the best way I can put it. WAIT! Now I have something to say! I knew that hearing it in reverse reminded me of something. At least, the beginning part. So, I listened to it with Barrier at the same time, instead of Another Him. It was a really weird, kind of spooky experience. I would totally recommend trying it. But the thing that I found interesting was that Barrier ended right as the piano part started ramping up and getting more prominent. Barrier faded out with the humming. Might just be a coincidence, though. With it reversed at half speed, I was able to figure out that the humming sounds kinda like a D, so that's something. And then, when the piano part is just starting, it sounds more like middle C. Not much to say about it reversed at quarter speed. For reversed at 2x speed, 4x speed, and 8x speed, I also don't have too much to say. It still sounds like it's rising tension. Or a big build up to something. For the Gaster numbers, I can't really say anything. I tried them both while listening to Another Him once again, and I just didn't find anything too interesting. This concludes my rant. It is very long, and I am not a music genius or anything. Just someone with good ears who's listened to the Undertale/Deltarune soundtracks too much. I probably just spent an hour of my life writing down nonsense, but on the off chance that this actually helped, why not share it anyway? At the very least, I hope anyone who took the time to read this monster of a comment had fun with my silly ramblings!

[@JaruJaruJ]

I very much appreciate your investigations! There's definitely some interesting things here for sure!

[@OwlManlololhesofunne6655]

The barrier thing you noticed in to the reverse is really strange... Sounds like something Toby would do tho

[@Tom-101]

To me it almost sounds like some object, like a pendulum is somehow repeatedly striking part of the piano (no idea how that would even work but its the vibe I get). What's odd is that it speeds up before slowing/quietening down so its not like it just started and lost energy uniformly. Also at higher speeds I almost feel like I'm starting to hear a small part of Gaster's theme (near the end of the normal sped up ones, and near the start of the reversed ones).

[@isaquedopao6667]

i also hear parts of gaster's theme, but im not sure whether its actually there because its such a simple song

[@llumi_nate]

I don't know if this is a coincidence or not, but the beginning of pianpian (specifically at half and 0.666 speed) Sounds similar to the motif (is that right word) in Until Next Time, the chapter 2 credits song. Not sure if there's a direct connection but wanted to point it out :) Edit: The reversed versions sound so sci-fi. would be super cool if they were used as ambience or something in a later chapter.

[@cheeseyboy2121]

666 is something toby is known for messing around with EG the "fun" values in undertale. If I remember correctly 666 is the "fun" value the mystery man in the grey room appears in.

[@funnilywordedfunnyman824]

It's two different piano tracks layered overtop eachother, kinda like two different minds layered overtop one body. Initially, it's chaos, but eventually it evens out into a softer, quiet, calm. Maybe it represents Kris coming to peace with the player in later chapters? Short of that though, I've got nothing

[@marioagainsttheworld6248]

In a more serious note,this track played in all varieties that you've showed all could be used in different situations and have many meanings. Also,what if the base Pianpian is just a piano being tuned in and the huming that follows is to represent people waiting for a piano concert? Also the reversed quarter speed variation has a very clear whispering

[@JaruJaruJ]

Could be, could be. Wish the whispering could be made out, if so.

[@DogDogGodFog]

Lmao what? Whispering??

[@TheXell]

Jaru: "I'm putting together a team. You in?"

[@MrAppleSalad]

If he's in then I'm in

[@TheXell]

Imma be honest, if Jaru wasn't suspicious about this, I'd default to my usual method of applying occam's razor and assume it's just Toby unintentionally flexing on us by making a unique cacophonic track that could be interpreted as something meaningful.

[@guster-animations]

HAHAHA!!!! you called the right person! i’m in the middle of solving a music note cipher in a track from TUNIC and i’m definitely willing to try and transcribe the notes

[@williamvburkel7238]

Post here when you do so then maybe he will pin it

[@JaruJaruJ]

Best of luck! Let me know what you find! :D

[@DLTVyt]

Oh damn I forgot about TUNIC, the music note cipher you're talking about is Tuneic right?

[@guster-animations]

@@DLTVyt yep! it’s so cool

[@DLTVyt]

@@guster-animations TUNIC is a very brilliant game with lots of clever puzzles, have you completed the Mountain Door puzzle yet?

[@giovanni5954]

The reversed part sounds like a heart beat

[@aRotundCat]

The chaotic randomness of the song reminds me of how Kris plays piano under the influence of the player. At first, it might not make sense because Kris shouldn't be under the control of the player yet, since this comes from Noelle's old blog and we haven't made Kris play piano in front of Noelle yet. But what if there was another player before us? Or perhaps just another entity? It's unlikely but I like the idea... There's also that line of dialogue that appears when you interact with Kris' birdcage before the cutscene at the end of Chapter 1. It says 'Looks like it's seen quite a few crashes.' Could this allude to Kris ripping out their soul before we even get there? Ripping out the soul of a previous player? (Or is this just a Deltarune theory moment where things go into crazy depth?) Edit: Maybe the way it fades out is Kris trying to resist the player's control and stop playing the piano so that they don't get embarrassed in front of Noelle for playing badly.

[@Spamkromite]

Pianpian is also an onomatopoeia of the words Japanese children at the kinder do when simulating they are playing the piano. It also means "swiftly and elegant" in Chinese, used for dance and while playing instruments. Can't say much about how the track sounds. The high sped up version looks like a legit chime for something appearing out of nowhere. That's the only things that came to my mind 😅

[@JaruJaruJ]

Appreciate the thoughts!

[@Abdulrahman-oq1qv]

The sped up version is like when kris use the cd bagel.

[@syrap6330]

Pianpian slowed honestly sounds like a retro underwater or cave theme for a game. Maybe that leads to something

[@syrap6330]

Could fit with “The song from the sea” Onionsan talks about

[@emilierekdal5118]

@@syrap6330 Oh snap that’s right.

[@IceHeartAlpha]

and sped up sounds like a ice magic being cast, for me

[@nellymurkthewitch]

Damn, it's a new drinking game - take a shot every time there's a water/ocean reference in deltarune (there's lots of them) -_-

[@Moonsick.Morgan]

0.666 speed has a constant beeping in the background that reminds me of a heart monitor

[@JaruJaruJ]

Hmm! Interesting!

[@budcsizmazia]

That might make sense since another instance of kris playing the piano is in the hospital

[@hannahbrown5465]

I ordered Spamtons specil fun pak, and not only did I somehow receive TWO musical pipis in my bag, I had received double of almost every item. Has anyone else ordered it?

[@JaruJaruJ]

I did not! Interesting!

[@itap8880]

Out of all duplicated items, is it really pipis the most surprising one?

[@isaquedopao6667]

@@itap8880 HURRY! THERE'S STILL ONLY [1]! NO! [they're multiplying...!] [they're multiplying...!]

[@DogDogGodFog]

Chinese New Year discount? 🤣

[@isaquedopao6667]

@@DogDogGodFog LOL

[@trudyyy9395]

jaru, your back must be so sore from carrying the weight of the fandom rn💪😔❤ for real though, i love you for this. i cant wait to see how everyone interprets this, i definitely think you're on to something here

[@JaruJaruJ]

You're far too kind! xD

[@ElijahRulz]

I'm pretty sure the song is a reference to the infamous PS1 "Fearful Harmony". It's constructed in a similar way with repeating sections of an original song slowly progressing more and more until the quiet end. I just have to wonder what the original song pianpian is.

[@pros_0143]

Reversed half speed remembers me of ocarina of time, especifically the reversed song of healing.

[@whyiwakeup6460]

you mean majora’s mask?

[@buiyifikir1078]

wow a jarujaruj video less then 1 hour. i never knew i could see that in my life

[@greyscaleadaven]

Disclaimer: sort of graphic descriptions of drowning below, stay safe :) It might be a song focusing on drowning. It starts intense, as if in panic, but eventually settles into an uneasy calm and acceptance as the manic nature of the piece is drowned out. Drowning is similar to this, starting with the hardest part being your lungs letting go of air and filling with water which sets your body into a panic. Then, you proceed to fall unconscious as your body eases into death, which would tie into the lowered volume of the second part of the song. PianPian can also obviously be made out as an anagram of painpain. This could have ties back to the song of the sea, shyren, and Kris's involvement with that. I'm not sure if Kris drowning is the proper interpretation, but it sounds like someone is drowning, doesn't have to necessarily represent Kris I guess. There are several stages to drowning after all, Kris could have partially drowned, turning their skin blue which is hinted at in their character design in the Dark World (this can apparently happen when something called hypoxic convulsion occurs in later stages of drowning, their body turns blue and jerks around erratically. Source for that: www.healthline.com/health/how-long-does-it-take-to-drown#prevention ) I went into Audacity and tried a few more things. When I slowed it down via tempo instead of speed which maintains it's tone while lowering the pace of the piece, I noticed a lot of lingering chords you would hear on a church organ mixed with strange, eerie almost alien alterations to it. But outside of me just hearing sounds and probably imagining them like someone saying "help me" or screaming I think its meaning is likely symbolic. I know, weird things to pick up but I think I was just hearing slowed down chords weirdly and it made it sound like a person for some reason... Probably nothing. Probably :)

[@jirtini]

This is a really neat interpretation!

[@DogDogGodFog]

Yeah, I totally see the drowining. The original Pianpian does definitely sound like a musical representation of some sort of panicked death.

[@flannsyn]

I got the same impression. I really do think this piece is about water/sea and drowning. Your analysis was great, though.

[@aidannovak1747]

Oh my god. Did Dess drown to death and Kris nearly died trying to save her? Oh my god Onion

[@TheSkyGuy77]

Maybe something happened to Dess, making Kris scared that the same thing could happen to them?

[@pros_0143]

There's definitely a 4 long note melody between all of that, you can hear it better at the 6.66x speed. I heard a _DAAAAH DAAAAH Daaaah daaaaah..._ I don't know the especific notes but i'll look it up.

[@ShadowSkryba]

Reversed half speed sounds like an effect that would be used for retrospection or in some other context

[@oscarwillimott9296]

Don't Forget: There are secrets in this part.

[@unreactivecontent]

When the crack is running low And the reason starts to grow And the theories that you know Seem like fantasy There's a drug inside your soul That's still shouting in the cold With no truth, a feeling from your heart Don't forget There are secrets in this part

[@wojciech9538]

The beginning of pianpian kinda sounded like the beginning of chapter 2 end credits song to me and its a remix of dont forget isnt it?

[@emiliavalentino7226]

@@wojciech9538 yeah,i heard that one too!

[@TheRealSuperKirby]

@@wojciech9538 I was just commenting that, it sounds like until next time if there were no pauses

[@infiniteh8pe398]

For some reason, this sound a lot like a spontaneous synchronization, like how if you balance 2 metronomes in the same platform they'll eventually sync with eachother, so maybe it's 2 pianos being played at the same time and slowly getting in sync until they sound like a single one, which they kinda do from the middle to the "hum" part and then some clearer notes at the end. That's just the first thing that came to mind when I listened to it ^^'

[@threeholepunchjim721]

At the quarter speed part, the end almost sounded like water. Almost as if there was a song playing…under the sea.

[@ethanb9981]

Seems like any line from chapter 1 and 2 are alluding to something in the future huh?

[@JaruJaruJ]

Interesting. Song from the sea, perhaps?

[@isaquedopao6667]

it would be so interesting if this is what onion is referencing

[@threeholepunchjim721]

@@isaquedopao6667 It even has this calming feeling towards the end, as if being calmly submerged underwater after a panicky outburst, hence the beginning of the song.

[@isaquedopao6667]

@@threeholepunchjim721 very interesting

[@lets-all-love-lain]

I think it could be possible for one person to play it. I've played piano for a while and although I personally couldn't play it, songs like Der Erlkönig do exist so I wouldn't be surprised. And I never really thought of it as dissonant, it's quite harmonic to me. Anyway this was fun to watch!

[@JaruJaruJ]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@jambott5520]

When listening to the quarter speed, it felt like that was the speed it was originally recorded at.

[@DogDogGodFog]

Yeah. It sounds like normal piano there.

[@SteveyBobJoe101]

Not sure if you've heard of this, but it DEFINITELY sounds like a track for the game OMORI...I couldn't say the track name because I never took the time to look for it. Its interesting though...maybe it has some correlation?? Maybe Toby even composed the original song and just reused it

[@kingtesttube4996]

Remina?

[@JaruJaruJ]

Really? Fascinating! If it's meant to connect Kris to a character in Omori, then maybe there's some parallels there that I could analyze. Thanks for sharing!

[@SteveyBobJoe101]

@@kingtesttube4996 Yeah, that's the one

[@dna4063]

The Humphrey location? That would be “H2O-HCL”, Jaru you should check it out(it doesnt have any connections tho since these 2 games plots are completely different)

[@SteveyBobJoe101]

@@dna4063 I know, I just figured it was Toby Fox using an old motif or reworking a composition. Upon closer inspection the song wasn't even composed by Toby, just have very similar vibes

[@hikarishonen9288]

Its like a panic attack. It's like drowning. Its like fighting for control and losing or giving up.

[@DeanSpillaBean]

“Pianpian” sounds like “Remina” from Omori. Not sure if that means anything, but “Remina” plays when the main character is trying to remember something they’ve forgotten. There’s probably no real connection, but maybe the story behind “pianpian” is similar to “Remina”

[@Natalie-nv5iq]

which would make some sense since Kris is supposedly "remembering" something, and then playing the piano afterwards.

[@Starry_stel]

Maybe pianpian is the inverted version of remina? what i meant is, in pian pian, kris may try to "forget" what happend instead of remembering.

[@TheRealSuperKirby]

@@Starry_stel DON'T forget

[@theemeraldsword85]

It mainly just sounds like random fragments of a musical piece being placed on top of each other, and the droning sounds are probably just notes being held or just letting the strings vibrate (possibly slowed down). The notes might have some hidden meaning (maybe a code?) but I do not have perfect pitch, so I don't really know what the notes could be. However, if there was a secret, it would probably be hidden in the notes. Also, I can't really pinpoint the "footsteps" sound you were talking about in the beginning; they are either too quiet for me to hear or you are just mishearing normal piano noises.

[@joewilliams-un8vu]

When Noelle drinks Kris tea, she comments “what is this aftertaste?” However what if that aftertaste is what is making the noises in the latter half of the song. You might think the aftertaste is you but actually if this is Kris tea, why would you be in it, you and Kris are two separate entities. You might think “But we are controlling Kris” but we just got put in Kris’ body, we aren’t going to be a part of Kris if we just started controlling them a day ago. Plus, you are controlling the SOUL and not Kris. You could argue that the SOUL is Kris’ because humans need to function with a SOUL as it is the very culmination of your being and that would also explain why Kris walks like a zombie when they take the SOUL out but then, is Kris’ SOUL being summoned to the spooky void…? The spooky void person probably has a lot of knowledge and probably knows they can’t just take a SOUL out of a human body. This is a whole rabbit hole I would not like to go down any longer. (Unless Kris is just soulless all the time… Yeah no) One more undeniable bit of proof, this has to have happened before the events of Deltarune as we never play the piano in Noelle’s house (heck even go to Noelle’s house in general) so this must mean that this is before Deltarune. However, when we boot up the game and play, that is when we start controlling, we players haven’t controlled Kris’ own life the whole time. the person controlling Kris is you the player so if this happened before the game, then it couldn’t have been us playing in the latter half of the song. I have a theory that maybe it is the narrator as we don’t exactly know who it is yet. I have seen a theory that Kris narrates but why would they refer to themself in 3rd person in the snow grave Spamton NEO fight. Also, why would they just quote whatever they see, like I know sometimes people describe what is happening in their head but they don’t do it all the time. So I am sticking with my theory of it being the narrator and honestly, I am fine with it. If it is something else then it doesn’t exactly change too much because the narrator was never important in Undertale either. (Although there is the Chara narrator theory but this comment has gone on long enough)

[@Buglin_Burger7878]

The problem with this is the tea is based on your PERCEPTION of a person. Which also explains why Noelle is the one who notices something is off, because she got to know who Kris is hence she can tell something is off. Susie and Ralsei though only got to know Kris when the Player exists. Also to argue it being Kris' soul means we run into the issue of why would Kris remove their own soul? It isn't something stupid like to not feel guilt, guilt would be had when the soul is back. Lastly there is something important, it isn't just a narrator. The narration is very direct in its intent. In particular the fact you check the sink in Ch2 and it isn't time to wash your hands... till later in the chapter when you do check. This isn't just narration this goes far past it. Similar to how when you check the mirror in Ch2 the narration says it is what they call "you" which is another case of more going on. We get the final call for help in Snowgrave where Kris doesn't call for Noelle "you" do. The narration being chaotic is intentional. Because Kris isn't the only narrator.

[@DogDogGodFog]

Here's some advice: learn how to make paragraphs, bro.

[@joewilliams-un8vu]

@@DogDogGodFog Yeah, actually I’ll edit it to have paragraphs. Thanks for the help 👍

[@BolasMinion]

The initial song sounds to me like a series of notes being played at different timings, all converging as it fades out

[@BolasMinion]

Upon further video viewing, I can say that it also sounds like it's a series of instruments' parts played simultaneously on the piano

[@somedouchemcbag987]

@@BolasMinion Imagine if this song is just a midi played fully on piano of a future song/songs that we are going to hear in future chapters That seems like something that Toby Fox would do

[@TheSkyGuy77]

Kris: (plays every note at once)

[@bonafikam]

It may just be me, but the sped up notes at the beginning sound like an intrusive alarm clock waking you up from a deep sleep, then being quickly shut off, with the rest of the song showing the, still sleepy and half-lucid, awoken person adjusting to the reality of a clock-less morning.

[@kylesatwon1134]

This feels kinda haunting, like it's a song being played by Kris's soul or something, and we just don't understand it because only Kris knows what they're playing. And the noises at the end kinda make me shiver a bit, it sounds like something you'd hear in a ghost recording of something.

[@aylin6766]

For me this sounds like underwater music I've heard before somewhere. Like maybe in the cell phase in Spore for example. Feels kinda like I am 'peacefully drowning'. There is lots of symbolysm, mysteriousness and darkness connected with the theme of water.

[@aylin6766]

Reminds me also somehow of the unused track "fountain" from the stream that announced chapter 2.

[@chimasteryang271]

The nurse says Kris usually plays more beautifully. So is it the presence of the player that prevents Kris from playing? And if it is too complex for a single person to play, then perhaps it is demonstrating Kris struggling against the entity for control. They are both playing, maybe?

[@ethanb9981]

This is so cool that something like this can even happen. Only Toby fox would do something like this, and the theories I see are all over the place because of all the different ways it can be interpreted. Hope there is a meaning to it…

[@chimasteryang271]

I may be crazy, the echoing sound when played at half speed reminds me of the sounds when you go through the waterfall areas in Undertale.

[@chimasteryang271]

Im looking through the audio files to try and find possible leitmotiffs

[@chimasteryang271]

I just got to the part where you notice it too lol.

[@godslaughter]

This is INCREDIBLY fascinating because if we're going to focus on the umbrella room from the waterfall area of Undertale, that's also when, if doing the Genocide route, someone eerily similar to Kris is seen in the reflection of the water over a puddle. Not Frisk, not even Chara, but someone with no visible eyes and very very similar to Kris. And not only that...there's a piano puzzle very near that occurrence.

[@chimasteryang271]

@@godslaughter I was unaware of this, that is intriguing.

[@godslaughter]

@@chimasteryang271 I found out about this just a few days ago which is wild so yeah, same boat

[@tylluanfathomless1628]

When i first heard half speed reverse, I thought the start sounds like someone digging a hole with a shovel, like a grave In reverse quarter speed it's even more obvious, and at some point if you listen to the rhythm, it sounds like a second person joins in the digging A few other thoughts, when sped up it sounds almost like noise made when you interact with the figure we assume to be gaster in undertale, and it disappears. Then again, it's been a while since I've listened to that audio. I thought it was pretty obvious that at least part of gasters theme is in the background melody, the one going up and down quickly as gasters theme does

[@JaruJaruJ]

Interesting!

[@DogDogGodFog]

Wait, but what makes you think it sounds like digging?

[@tylluanfathomless1628]

@@DogDogGodFog it's very rhythmic in the way that it sounds like someone plunging a shovel into dirt, and then the sound of the dirt being tossed aside and hitting the ground. If you listen and try to recognize the pattern I think you can hear it too

[@DogDogGodFog]

@@tylluanfathomless1628 Nah I can't hear it sorry :(

[@shadowspartanzeta7]

Reversed at 1/2 speed gives vibes that only gaster theme and snowdrakes mother theme do

[@henryaggerate9669]

I really didn’t hear much discussion about these tracks from the Spamton sweepstakes. Haunting track for sure. This and the demonic chair thing are definitely some nightmare fuel from that ARG

[@cgimichaelmyers2806]

It feels like a teaser for a future theme.

[@flannsyn]

When I listen to this track, I can think of two things: 1) The water/sea theme. It almost sounds like there's a chaotic, panicked melody that's being literally DROWNED out. You lose the sound as you get deeper underwater and start to lose consciousness, and it seems you have reached an end... That is, of course, just my impression. Whatever it is, Kris seems to have a strong connection to the water/the sea. If that bad memory is also what's causing them to panic and they have to calm down using piano, it would explain a lot. 2) Omori-esque vibes from the track. It has similar ambient effect as some songs from the Omori OST. May mean nothing, but the games do share a couple of themes/motifs between them.

[@Crystal-um2oq]

What if Dess maybe died vented ?

[@TheRealSuperKirby]

Definitely sounds similar to "remina" from omori, so much so I mixed them up and kept trying to hear the ambient buzz sound that keeps getting louder from remina

[@neonotterpop2528]

sunny almost drowned In omori

[@roboslayerx5308]

The song itself seems hauntingly beautiful. Whenever you mess with the pitch and reversing it, it shows something that I don't understand with my limited knowledge of music theory, but I do have some speculation behind its possible origins. If we are under the assumption that this is the song Kris played while at Noelle's house, I think we should ask where Kris learned it? Because there isn't a piano (that we know about) at Kris's house, it's fair to assume they're atleast partly self-taught, but I think that they still could have been given pointers or advice from someone like Father Alven (churches typically have organs or pianos) or one of the Holidays (since Kris is supposedly playing this at the Holiday residence). This is just speculation on my end though, I don't have hard evidence to back this claim. I need to replay through the game again to try and solidify my thoughts.

[@roboslayerx5308]

Never clicked on a video so fast, can't wait to watch!

[@JaruJaruJ]

Hope you enjoy!

[@ckg2886]

@@JaruJaruJ about that song it sounds like gaster them in some way

[@ckg2886]

@@JaruJaruJ & when it's reversed it's like that bunker sound When you enter it & When you lean closer to that door

[@ckg2886]

@@JaruJaruJ the pian pian theme at 0.666 sounds like gaster's theme But faster in some way & Like that there's something else in gaster's theme

[@ckg2886]

@@JaruJaruJ about it in 6.66 It sounds like the queen's entire theme in just 4 seconds

[@AlphaPizzadog]

It sounds like a lot of reverb on the piano, as well as several piano chords just being looped (and played in different octaves). I feel like if any pitch perfect people can transcribe this, youll find many patterns

[@nukiradio]

It reminds me of the wild dark piano riffs from Zelda Twilight princess. It's designed to be bewildering, yet ornate. Like a gallop

[@chielobana1926]

I unironically listening "pianpian" sometimes. I don't know why, it's just perfect balanced between chaos and harmony. It's working on many levels of our perception: as representation of Kris's duality, as manifestation of their fillings, as description of delicate balance between worlds. ....idk, it's just perfect

[@2headeddoggo]

Yes!! Pianpian is somewhat comforting to me. It's like a quiet haven in a storm of anxiety, like a hideout in something uneasy to bear. Or like finding air to breathe during a panic attack. I can't help, but feel peace after listening to it.

[@strawberri__kid]

the first time i listened to pianpian i started crying because i resonated with it and thought it was beautiful. maybe it was the emotion of the sweepstakes arg unfolding catching up to me, but it had an immediate effect on me.

[@trudyyy9395]

couldn't have said it better myself

[@DogDogGodFog]

I find it too unnerving lol. Horror music always scares me too intimately.

[@wscamel226]

This song does something funny to my head: when I hear it I eventually ancounter this humming sound that is not very noticable and thing to myself that it's so cool that I can hear even thought I can bearly hear it but then I cannot unhear it because it get's louder and louder until it's just that - the hum. It's something like this: you find something, think it's very rare but then you find more and more and more of this stuff untill it seems like a plague. Kinda like with that pipis that Noelle received.

[@JaruJaruJ]

Fascinating interpretation!

[@astrothecoin28]

Im 2 weeks late but at 0.666% speed to me it feels like noelles emotions after hearing about dess disappearing starting of loud and a mess then getting more quiet and soft as noelle comes to terms that dess is gone

[@marioagainsttheworld6248]

Right when the music was about to start I was slapped with an AD lmao

[@yunyko_nightyyy]

OH NOO

[@JaruJaruJ]

NOT MY INTENT! XD

[@marioagainsttheworld6248]

@@JaruJaruJ I onow but i loved the comedic timing xD

[@Wolfiyeethegranddukecerberus17]

Been loving how fast he's been releasing these theory videos lately, keep it up!

[@cammyboig]

2 jaru videos in a week!! My hyperfixation is eating so good rn

[@duskendawne2239]

my immediate thought is that maybe the piano is playing multiple melodies and/or leitmotifs at the same time, thus resulting in this chaotic sound

[@JaruJaruJ]

That would make a lot of sense.

[@amiboost]

The 6.66x speed version reminds me of the sound at the intro of the game

[@TheSkyGuy77]

Huh Its also playable by an actual person, compared to the original chaos.

[@nicluvsyou237]

It’s really a beautiful beautiful track!! the fading out honestly sounds like it could be representing noelle falling asleep. It’s insane how even deep in the music of a random sweepstakes event, Toby can hide lore

[@czajnik_gaming5313]

If i'm not mistaken Kris can play piano at some point of chapter 2 (i guess when going back home there's a piano in the hospital and it's playable) so maybe it's connected in some way to the pianpian. When you choose to play you just slam the keys at random and sussy roasts your skills. Idk maybe it's looped and sped up or something. P.S. maybe there's something hidden in the spectrum of the song.

[@JaruJaruJ]

Interesting idea!

[@wscamel226]

Reverse at 8x speed kinda reminds of something from Steven Universe

[@pros_0143]

I'll turn on my crazy drivers so I can be of help.

[@pugsriel]

At Reversed Quarter Speed, the non-piano sounds are most identifiable.

[@fatimaalcaine2983]

I cant help but feel that this song is very emotional, like despair, anxiety or a fight or flight situation. I love your vids Jaru!

[@AsrielDreemurr201X]

This song is actually Gaster’s theme playing at different speeds all at the same time, if you slow it down, or listen to it with this in mind, you’ll actually hear it.

[@reginaphalange305]

Wow you must have a terrific ear to hear it! Never heard anyone mentioning this before, great find

[@TheSkyGuy77]

At 0.666x speed, it makes sense O_O

[@blueberrryy]

Tbf Gaster’s theme is just simple triad arpeggios repeated. This means this pattern will show up in a lot of songs. Not to mention this song is in a completely different key (i think i don’t really remember lol) . I mean i suppose you could argue Toby made Gasters theme that way specifically for the purpose of giving him that ‘shattered across time and space OOOooOoo 😮😮😮😮😮😮’ energy.

[@strawberri__kid]

there it is, the obligatory deltarune theory "it's gaster"

[@JaruJaruJ]

It might be, but honestly Gaster's theme is so simple, and this song is so chaotic, that it feels a little too risky to just outright say it's his theme and not just random. I think I'll need some clearer proof to be fully on board with this interpretation.

[@utufuuni373]

Looks like there's Someone playing the piano and a second person punching ALL the notes that are left, then this second person slowly stops

[@finnvaneekelen4966]

Bit of a wild guess but maybe the reason the song is to complex for kris to be played is that this is just how noelle remembers the song: she was presumably pretty young when she heard it and everything is more impressive when your young so maybe she just thought it sounded something like this and recomposed it in some digital application

[@CipherionYT]

It sounds to me like the regular piano melody is played once, but quickly joined by the same melody again, only this time, it’s a bit slower. Look at the double or 4x speed versions. Then ending notes are now audibly piano notes, while before they sounded like a drone because of how slow they are. Every new piano overlay is slower than the last, with some pitch changes thrown in there too

[@user-jl6kq5em9w]

Maybe the title pianpian further emphasizes that there are two overlapping piano tracks, maybe one by Kris and the other by Noelle or something like that. You could also make a waveform to visualize the track.

[@KinokoFry]

Fascinating! Lots of great insights here into the track itself. I’m mainly thinking about what’s going on with Kris playing it. It’s becoming more apparent to me that Kris is obsessed with Noelle/Dess’ house. There are SO many stories of Kris at the house, Kris sneaking around the house, Kris getting caught in the lights, Kris hiding under Noelle’s bed, and I highly suspect Kris is what scared the burglars off at night. Kris may be going to Noelle’s mansion all the freaking time, both secretly and under the pretense of hanging out with Noelle. There are so many things the piano playing could be, but I’m interested in why there are several double/mirror(?) references in the blog post (PianPian/ Kris Dreemur Kris), why Kris stops when Noelle watches, and also, the fact that Noelle often goes to sleep when this plays. I think that Kris knows a lot about what happened to Dess, and I think all this is strongly related to it. Will be super interesting to hear more ideas to come out of the musical analysis.

[@KinokoFry]

To add one more thought - if Asriel and Dess were dating, and Asriel also knows something important about Dess’ disappearance, and if we follow your theory about Asriel/Kris, perhaps Asriel is very involved in the activity here. I like the theories implying it could be multiple souls playing together… Asriel was a singer, could he also play piano?

[@pros_0143]

Reversed 4x speed PianPian sounds like a riser I'd usually see in eletronic music making software to hype up the song, and trust me, there's some weird risers you can use for free. So, I think Toby took a random file from FL Studio Riser assets, converted it into mp3, put it in a piano and reversed it, and slowed it down to seem almost possible for a human being.

[@Shikaku2]

It sounds like there are 2 notes played on a piano, but they're all played at different speeds. Sometimes you can hear the keys meet: if you go to the video titled "Playing 16 metronomes at the SAME time," it would sound like this when 2 specific notes are played when the metronome hits a beat, that's being played about 6 different times and speeds. It repeats the piano keys about 8 times, but there's a hum at the end because the slower speed versions are still playing because, well, they play slower when trying to repeat the notes 8 times. I don't think the notes mean anything, I think it's supposed to convey some feeling, like a sinking feeling of drowning, or something else harmful is happening.

[@pixel_blazer]

The sped up version reminds me of some of the music from paper Mario 64

[@AzzXel]

Reversed Quarter speed sound like something corrupted, like Gaster

[@craz2580]

Time to listen while playing some chill minecraft

[@ThatJan]

The song kinda sounds like the first bit of Toriel's theme when slowed down to half speed. It probably means nothing but still worth noting

[@ki2348]

I've strayed away from the DT community recently because things died down a little after the sweepstakes but upon returning THERE'S SO MANY NEW THEORY VIDEOS FROM ALL MY FAVORITE THEORISTS AAA

[@Spookter666]

to me this song is just an abstract interpretation of Kris' predicament. as you said in the beginning, it sounds like two different beings fighting for control.

[@awesomepossum5014]

It’s a distorted soundbyte of the first few seconds of AFI’s “Miss Murder” (the LONG version) from their album DECEMBERUNDERGROUND, which was released on June 6, 2006. (Ha, I remember being on a flight that day. I was terrified lol) So uhh. I think I have a feeling where Dess is.

[@JaruJaruJ]

BRO! That's an insane catch if true! They definitely sound alike! Wow!

[@JaruJaruJ]

Wait, how on earth did you figure this out?!

[@awesomepossum5014]

@@JaruJaruJ spotify shuffle took me down a mid-2000s emo rabbit hole and my undertale loving ass recognized his leitmotif

[@canguiwa3686]

😱released on 06/06/06?

[@p3gasus-M]

I feel like we need the sheet music to really figure this out. But someone would have to either be a genius or insane to try to write it out alone by ear. ...Toby please hand it over...

[@colt1903]

Dunno if it's just me, but the metronome/footsteps sound you mentioned is something I only picked up at 1/2 speed. And they're weird. They went 'tic tic tic' PAUSE 'tic' then they never showed up again. Okay, 1/4th speed makes me feel like I'm entering the Twilight Zone. 1/8th scares me. That sounds like the type of music that would be played during a death/mourning scene.

[@pros_0143]

Hey, if pian is supposed to mean piano, isn't pianpian a play with words about how there's more than one piano in the track?

[@JaruJaruJ]

Indeed! I suggested as much at the start of the video. xD

[@comic4ever882]

Yeah, Jaru said it at 2:39

[@pros_0143]

@@JaruJaruJ oh, don't know how I missed that

[@theemeraldsword85]

I sure love new Jaru videos.

[@KabooseZander]

This almost sounds like someone hooked up to a heart monitor dying. Just in piano form

[@Rapunzelpumpkin]

Pain Pian at 1/8th speed, (10:39 ) I feel like really pushes this feeling of a melancholy dread , as if someone’s giving up.