How to Compose Music like Final Fantasy

[@StevenMelin]

k but for real...Aerith or Aeris!? 🧐 FF7 Remake has me all kinds of confused.

[@ThepurposeofTime]

Aeris was just for the west because they thought they wouldn't like the name Aerith 🤣 they kept it because the anagram of Aerith actually makes sense to the story and character

[@StevenMelin]

ThepurposeofTime And yet they use Aerith in FF7 remake 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@gemgem24able]

@@StevenMelin It has nothing to do with the west not liking "Aerith", but more to do with ambiguity. Japanese doesn't have a "th" sound so they substitute "s" for it in their writing. So, Aerith was spelled as "E-A-RI-SU" (エアリス) in katakana, which could either be Aerith or Aeris. "Aerith" was derived from "Earth", which was what the developers intended. EDIT: I fixed a typo in the katakana writing lol

[@ThepurposeofTime]

@@StevenMelin Exactly!

[@StevenMelin]

gemmy2492 Ah, interesting!

[@johnvicaireiii5537]

Nobuo uematsu has heavily inspired how I write music.

[@roujiteku2114]

I just find it so inspiring that these 80's and early 90's videogame composers and artists were able to do so much with such limiting and primitive equipment- so it's really useful and helpful to study them as an aspiring creative

[@GenyaArikado]

It was the same with composers on old music programs such as FT2

[@skyhart1377]

I haven't even played Final Fantasy 7, not the original, nor the remake. But hearing Arieth's theme on piano still sturs up the emotions within me. I don't understand.

[@StevenMelin]

Scott Whiting Good music needs no context. But ohhhhh man, if it means something to you now, do yourself a favor and play the game. When this theme comes in, it’s the most emotional moment in video game history.

[@Potatointhehood]

same :3

[@da_pawz]

That just the magic of music, it can do that to anyone :D

[@erikohman2294]

It is not only the theme that will bring the feels. Game, theme and characters are delcious in FFVII. I found this the other day, might be for you. A video about why we love Aeriths theme. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIfLlKqchsZka80

[@GenyaArikado]

Because Uematsu is one of the most amazing composers ever!

[@hiiambarney4489]

7:30 holy shit, he made that all the way back then on the NES Soundchip?, he really used mashed fruits to paint the Mona Lisa on cave walls

[@StevenMelin]

Ha, absolutely!! Fantastic analogy.

[@johnvicaireiii5537]

Nobuo Uematsu is king.

[@saged1513]

I'm a simple woman. I hear FFIX soundtrack, I melt

[@eduardoayala3204]

That Doga and Une track from FFIX is pure meltation

[@YonRaptail]

Try " eternity - memories of lightwaves " from ffX-2 , it's amazing

[@trollingisasport]

WAP?

[@ZeldaFan_1828]

I'm a depressed man. I hear FFX soundtrack, I cry 😎

[@KevinBendinger]

❤‍🔥

[@75190255508]

That Balamb Garden roll is... and it gets me every time.

[@chimpmonk]

I don't know anything about music, i just wanted to see how Nobuo Uematsu would've started making music and you've given me a great idea of that, thank you, you did amazing

[@StevenMelin]

Thanks! Uematsu is one of my heroes.

[@mavince]

I couldn't help but hear bits of Rydia, along with pieces of Cyan, and flourishes of Aria/Aerith. Awesome composition, like taking a sip of good wine. Not sure how direct those influences are, but definitely captured the Uematsu sound!

[@midnightslider9639]

Another thing he seems to like melodically is using the Lydian mode, where essentially the 4th note of the major scale is sharpened. He used it a lot in FF8, including in the Balamb Garden theme which was mentioned here.

[@StevenMelin]

Definitely! Great point.

[@maxchapuis6256]

Thanks a lot, man ! I was just trying to search "nobuo uematsu composing" on KZbin and found your video. I repeated what you're talking about on my piano, and try to keep these chords progressions in my brain. I also almost shed a tear when you had shown the scene of Aerith being murdered. What a piece of art is this game...

[@StevenMelin]

That scene gets me every time!

[@michaelysmaelfernandez4444]

dude, I did'nt skip your 31mins video. I was really inspired, you really gave me ideas. I'm a game developer and I also plan to compose music that is as good as the music in ff, I will use it in my future games.

[@eduardoayala3204]

I hope you have good results! As a tip, learning to play an instrument and covering mny different FF tracks really helps interiorize certain musical patterns. It's really about the time haha But anyway, keep it up!

[@danobra]

I'm amazed at your final product. It 100% sounds like it is from a Final Fantasy game!

[@StevenMelin]

Thanks! You should try these steps out yourself :)

[@eduardoayala3204]

Your video was totally on point. I am amazed by how structured, instructive, and precise is your info. When I was 5 years into guitar I started composing music, and a lot of peope told me my music sound "movie or game like". And it was because all I learnt were J-RPG pieces! hahaha and I had interiorized a lot of patterns instinctively. I knew what worked, how and when, but by instinct. Your video brings an amazing perspective. Thank you so much.

[@williamscolaro1159]

Great video, but I understood mixolydian as having only a flat 7 as compared to major/ionian, and not a flat 6 also.

[@AdamCYounis]

Wow! I've been looking for content like this for so long. Your explanations are really comprehensive and concise, with great examples. Seriously so helpful. Keep doing what you're doing!

[@StevenMelin]

Thanks so much! Much more on the channel here and in my Udemy courses: www.udemy.com/course/video-game-music-the-complete-composers-guide/?referralCode=4F9F6710AC8A61755504

[@eastdd8]

found this video and your channel through searching for different tips and tricks to help my writing go further, and this video caught my eye because i love ff soundtracks! i was NOT disappointed and this video gave me so much inspiration and was so helpful to further my own compositions! thank you so much for the work and time you put into this! can’t tell you how much i’ve been needing something like this video to help me out of a creative rut!!

[@StevenMelin]

That’s so great to hear! Thanks for sharing

[@Schematist]

Class is in session musicians!

[@StevenMelin]

good...this vid took 7 hrs+ to edit :P

[@theworldofylvera]

This is one of the best made videos I have ever seen. The editing/pacing was wonderful and easy to follow. Loved how you played the in-game clips to show everything you were explaining. All game-music composers should definitely watch this video. Thank you!

[@StevenMelin]

Thanks so much! This was a blast to make.

[@ZilgoStardust]

your track sounded awesome, very good video, thanks :)

[@ReggieMeisler]

Wow this was amazingly good. Nice job!

[@azaratowcanica2639]

Im sorry.. but this deserve proabably another 500k more likes AT LEAST!!

[@saffopapantonopoulou1914]

If you made a whole Udemy course on this topic I would definitely buy it!

[@StevenMelin]

Thanks so much! Here’s your golden ticket for learning more like this: www.stevenmelin.com/25questions

[@SiggEye]

Thank you for the effort spent on making this. Super helpful

[@StevenMelin]

Glad to hear!

[@KennyCleod]

YES!!!!! GOOD VIDEO, how emotional this is at the same time. SUPERB

[@eddieloius4592]

This was done surprisingly well. Good stuff! Thank You!

[@batmandarknite]

This is an awesome video! You do a great job editing this and it's clear you spent s lot of time with this one! I smashed that like button for you. This video should have 100k views or more. One thing to consider maybe titling it the theory behind Final Fantasy Music, or What makes Final Fantasy Music so special? Or The Secret Revealed to what makes Final Fantasy music so Special! Another thing is you could potentially split the video into 2 separate 15 minute videos and reference the other video in each one Not sure if it would help but a lot of people have short attention spans and 10-15 minutes seems to be the length of most youtube videos it seems. Anyway I am not trying to diminish anything, awesome content! I just want more people to see your video especially with how much work you put into it!

[@StevenMelin]

Thanks! 🤘🏼 I’ve settled this year all new vids will be a minimum of 10 min in length and I’ll allow them to be as long as needed, so long as every additional minute is valuable. I’ve also started doing keyword / SEO research for each video title to help give it as much searchability as possible! So far this vid is performing great, so I’m very happy with the reach & response :)

[@da_pawz]

Hahaha the Ifrit battle in FFVIII... it really hook me up to the series. And in that game I realized too, that Nobuo Uematsu is really good at his job. Many of the songs really connected to the main theme. And using clever / good variations.

[@seeibe]

Now I really want to play a game with that theme you created in it..

[@StevenMelin]

seeibe FF24! 🔥

[@lemonheadvgm2700]

Great video. This was actually very inspiring, and I'll probably write some more final fantasy like music later now that I have a new drive.

[@StevenMelin]

Philemon Holmes Awesome to hear!! Exactly why I started this Composer Style series.

[@mehoymiboy2122]

Absolutely stellar video. Cheers!

[@QueenOfBlueScreens]

tried making an FF battle theme a while back, and i REALLY wish i'd watched this beforehand. i feel like i could've made it sound WAY better, and more true to how Uematsu composes stuff.

[@StevenMelin]

Give it a shot now!

[@FinalDestiny25]

The World Building and music of Final Fantasy and the Progressive Rock genre just screams my two favorite works of art and became somehow over the years very influential to how I will create my Game Compositions in the near future! A lot of music in the Prog Rock genre also has that adventurous vibes to it! From Genesis, ELP, King Crimson, etc up to modern Prog like Moon Safari, Transatlantic, Dream Theater and many more!

[@Potatointhehood]

nice,i really like ff music and it's my main influence in my music

[@StevenMelin]

Evelyn :3 I’m glad you liked this! Care to share one of your fav FF-inspired tracks?

[@Potatointhehood]

@@StevenMelin FFXIII - The Promise :D

[@PatCarter]

Awesome video man! Uematsu is the king.

[@StevenMelin]

Pat Carter He’s definitely one of my greatest inspirations

[@JkyLi]

Great video! Fortunately I did not miss it due to the low view numbers.

[@StevenMelin]

Thanks for checking it out!

[@RemyLuciani]

(Video watching in progress and I love it so far!

[@StevenMelin]

you're right! mixolydian b6 is often called 'mixolydian' though. i gotcha ;)

[@RemyLuciani]

@@StevenMelin Amazingly great video anyway, the demo at the end sounds familiar even if it is created on the spot and it was the first time I listen to it. Thank you for what you do! :)

[@StevenMelin]

Remy Luciani Thanks! Channeling my inner-Uematsu

[@mathewstafford7943]

Awesome video! Really awesome to see music involving my favorite game broken down and utilized.

[@FactionMember723]

Love this video. So much gold content.

[@StevenMelin]

thank you! i poured all my heart & soul into this one.

[@FactionMember723]

Definitely one of your best videos yet!

[@leonl1559]

Dude really Said he wants Me to Help Support my Family 😂😂 Didnt expect that lol

[@BrienTodio]

Very Interesting, love this! Thanks for this :)

[@StevenMelin]

Brien Todio Thanks for watching!

[@BrienTodio]

@@StevenMelin Btw what vst is the solo oboe from? Sounds very nice :)

[@StevenMelin]

Brien Todio 8Dio Claire Woodwinds! Here’s my full list of favorite libraries: www.stevenmelin.com/bestvsts

[@DaniPooo]

So if I played the Final Fantasy VII - Overworld Theme in the same key as you, I would play. E,C#m,E,C,D and then E,C#m,E,F#m,A,B and then land on E again. And then I could transpose that so that next time I start on G instead of E. One small tip for next time you decide to teach how to write in the style of someone else, Give us a sample of something you have written in that style before you go on to break it all down. That will give your viewers confidence that the techniques you are teaching actually work. I think personally that Uematsu's music is way more complex than what you make it out to be. The melodies are incredibly catchy and memorable, that's the difficult part. Same thing with Kondo's music, Like the Zelda and Mario music. The melodies really get stuck. Kondo is of course using more Jazz influences than Uematsu, but they are both excellent at using modes and creating catchy melodies. Uematsu also use a lot of colored chords, And he's often breaking the chords up between the instruments. for example the baseline might add notes that are not present in the chord the string ensamble is playing. By breaking the chord up between instruments he can make complex chords sound less crowded and it often feels like multiple "Sub-melodies" coming together in a very pleasing way.

[@StevenMelin]

That’s right! Double check your chords there - final progression is E-C#m-E-A2-F#m-Bsus4-B-E

[@DaniPooo]

@@StevenMelin yes that sounds about right, thanks for clarifying that

[@leemorris4838]

I always think of borrowed chords with Nobuo’s music. Great video. Your piece at the end sounds so much like a Nobuo track!

[@DjoLian]

I swear your demo track is a legit Final Fantasy Music !

[@ApsisApocynthion]

Wow nice video. Ty for breaking it all down. I just want to make a correction when you say that a minor V is not standard practice in classical music you must be thinking of music strictly from the Classical period. However, after 1820s or so model mixture became a common practice of what would later be termed the Romantic period. During this time it was not uncommon to treat a tonality as both major and minor at the same time. Therefore the I, iii, IV, V, vi, and viiº chords could regularly appear as I, bIII, iv, v, bVI, and bVII. Also remember that even as far back as the Renaissance composers were replacing the minor iiº chord with a ii from the major mode, a v with V, and a VII with viiº. Then in the baroque the final i chord was often replaced with a more stable I chord. So yeah, composers have been using modal mixture for a long time, but after 1800s it became much more common and composers started even to tonazise these chords and to switch back and forth regularly. Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Brahms among many others.

[@StevenMelin]

Great points! Lots of modal mixture throughout history.

[@velvetimpulse]

Great video! I'd love to see an analysis like this on Masashi Hamauzu's music. He's the co-composer of FFX and FFVIIR, composer of FFXIII (which has a phenomenal soundtrack), World of Final Fantasy, SaGa Frontier 2, Unlimited SaGa, FFVII Dirge of Cerberus and many many others. I find his compositions very unique sounding and bringing more complex harmonics - more influenced by jazz and classical.

[@StevenMelin]

Great suggestion! Hamauzu is fantastic.

[@endlessetudes2029]

I was so disappointed with XIII, but the soundtrack was soo good. Some of the best music in the series.

[@StevenMelin]

EndlessEtudes i was also sorely disappointed with XIII (and XV), but both have great soundtracks

[@LavanOutLoud]

One of my favorite songs from the series that pays homage to FF battle themes is the theme for 'The Twinning' dungeon in FFXIV, "A Long Fall". It has the syncopation at the start, it's in 4/4 time and has a well-known melody (the Crystal Tower theme). It's such a good theme!

[@MarcDLange]

Really good video. I never slapped like and subscribe so hard. Hope all is well!

[@DaniPooo]

Also Uematsu is no stranger of using unusual time signatures. Ambush Attack from Final Fantasy IX is an interesting one it starts off with some unusual time signatures. Not sure if I want to count it as 9/4 or a combination of 8/8 and 10/8. Final Fantasy IX "Run" sounds like an instrumental section of a Dream Theater song haha! We have 5/8,6/8,4/4, 15/16 and who knows what else :D Final Fantasy VIII battle theme is 5/4 Final Fantasy VII Soundtrack - "Hurry Faster!" is another example where the time signatures keep changing Final Fantasy X - Decisive battle is also and interesting one The main part is something like 4/4,3/4,4/4,5/4 and then it has like a 6/4 part and a 4/4 intro. There's probably some that I missed, I believe that Dancing Mad has some unusual time signatures as well on a later part. I also believe that Final Fantasy V battle of the big Bridge also has some interesting stuff going on in the intro

[@dafingaz]

Thanks! I just started trying my take on this !

[@StevenMelin]

I can’t wait to see it!!

[@dafingaz]

@@StevenMelin 😳🙌🏾

[@ArkayBeats]

Great video 💯

[@carminedominicus3732]

Thank you, this video is beyond helpful and inspiring.

[@StevenMelin]

Carmine Dominicus Glad to hear!

[@alexpoyner7295]

It’s a really good video, informative and interesting. But I don’t feel like you’re trying to shove information down my throat at 100 Mph, which makes it easier for me to digest. Great job 👍

[@StevenMelin]

Alex Poyner here’s to no info shoving ☕️

[@ginostrings]

You speak well. Good job! Thanks for this. FF fan.

[@sabbastian]

Mixolydian would be a natural 6 and a b7. The bVI > bVII > I progression is utilizing mode mixture from the parallel minor.

[@sabbastian]

Great composition at the end. Very FFVII.

[@StevenMelin]

Sabbastian Wilson-Webb Yeah, some people label bVI>bVII as “flat 6 Mixolydian” or just “Mixolydian”, even though yes, a true Mixolydian only has the flat 7. Regardless, it’s definitely a mode mixture!

[@sabbastian]

@@StevenMelin I can see where you're coming from. My argument would be that we flatten the 3rd of the scale to give the bVI its 5th. So the harmony is still coming from minor rather than mixo b6. At the end of the day we both know the sound we're talking about, so *shrugs*

[@Vasioth]

This was great! Been looking like a video about this topic for a while. I'm an amateur composer in that I'm self taught, I was wondering should I take up some form of course, or what would my best bet be for getting into gaming composition? Very open ended questions I know. But thank you so much for this rich resource of lessons.

[@StevenMelin]

Vasioth So glad to hear that! I encourage you to take one of my Best-Selling Udemy courses for your next steps - 75% off link here: www.stevenmelin.com/courses Also check out my #1 Amazon Best-Selling book Family-First Composer: www.stevenmelin.com/ffc And come join our free FB / Discord group Screen Music Academy: www.stevenmelin.com/sma

[@nicolov1]

This was fantastic, thank you for the video! I really liked how in depth you went with the explanations 😄👍

[@sheekyking]

Interesting. Watched this video and 2 weeks later I am unwittingly taking your Udemy course. Thi8

[@ChristopherJohnDurbin]

Great video. Really enjoyed and helped a lot.

[@eddieloius4592]

I study Yuzo Koshiro's style. He's amazing also! Will you do his music in the future? Streets of Rage series and Revenge of Shinobi to name a few!

[@AshCovers]

15:04 this theme is so familiar to me, but i never played final fantasy. Interesting

[@StevenMelin]

AshCovers this is a super popular theme, so I’m not surprised :)

[@hiiambarney4489]

Is one of the best themes in all of FF. And that is saying a lot.

[@Natews]

Would love to see how you would add a B section to your A section! Great work!

[@sguinn91]

Funny thing, that theme you written at the end,this not only reminds me of something from Final Fantasy, but it sounds like something from Jerry Goldsmiths score to Star Trek Insurrection! Isn't that weird to you? Awesome video, by the way!

[@StevenMelin]

sguinn91 Cool! I’m glad you feel like my track fits this style :) I never got too deep into Goldsmith’s music, so I’m not familiar with that ST film. Every time I listen to Goldsmith, I’d rather listen to John Williams instead 😅

[@sguinn91]

Well, I will go ahead and say this, it's a pretty weak movie, the Next Generation crew are off to this planet that has special rings around it that emit some type of energy to keep people young. It's pretty much a Fountain of Youth. Like I said, the movie is weak,but the score is great!

[@hosugameaudio]

Thank you!

[@StevenMelin]

Bryn Scott 🙏🏼

[@antoninbrowne8459]

Great video thank you!!

[@LionVIIIHeart]

Fantastic video! But wait didn't Uematsu also assist with composing X?

[@StevenMelin]

He had a small role in X (namely the main theme), so that’s why I focused on the core 1-9

[@LionVIIIHeart]

@@StevenMelin Makes sense! I saw he was credited, but couldn't find what theme he worked on.

[@HighMonkeyMonk]

Just bought my first piano... I love the town theme. Been stuck in my head since I was little. Did you learn how to memorize this with sheet music or just by ear?

[@StevenMelin]

All by ear and over 23 years of experience playing tunes by ear.

[@HighMonkeyMonk]

Become A Game Composer wow that’s amazing. I was wondering what is the best way to go about learning. Just by ear or also using sheet music...

[@StevenMelin]

HighMonkeyMonk sheet music is a tool, so it’s definitely worth learning

[@Frecheszinho]

Loved this! Thank you for your time to make such well made and explained video! Love your final product as well really top quality! Do you like Dragon quest? It’s very different in terms of music! Btw it looks to me you don’t have problems with latency when you record in real-time, do you have any advice concerning this problem of mine?

[@StevenMelin]

Thanks so much! RE: Latency - it helps to only use a fraction of your CPU / RAM. I use multiple drives on my PC to share the workload. I have a dedicated projects drive, samples, apps, backup, etc. and it alleviates my PC from having to work so hard. I also always create sessions in 48kHz, 24-bit while my audio interface can handle double that, so it’s the same principle - use nicer gear and only use a small percentage of its power.

[@Frecheszinho]

@@StevenMelin I see, basicaly the first tip is to use multiple external storage drives (organized), and have a nice interface, I use my roland RD2000 directly pluged by usb to my computer, would love if there was a way for us to talk, I really find this latency problem very dragging in my motivation. BTW THANK YOUU FOR REPLYING, you must be one of the few youtubers who actually replies to your followers hahaha thank you so much

[@user-sr6bt1zk5g]

*Starts playing Aeris Death Theme* Me: *WATERFALL OF TEARS* "JUST STOP IT ALREADY" T_T

[@shatteredoverse]

lets go

[@Mortequinho]

*I LIKE THIS VIDEO SO MUCH!!!* *PLEASE DO THE SAME WITH SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS!* 😊👏👏👏

[@leonardogroia9048]

this is gold! Thks u!!!

[@OmarGabra]

Beautiful, thank you

[@ZioCesco89]

this video is incredible, super! What do you use as program to play on pc?

[@StevenMelin]

Here are my fav DAW’s and how they compare: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWW3iHSwrLqhr5Y

[@Van_Ghalta]

Genius.

[@kinopravdaa]

Nice video but mixolydian doesn't always take a b6 - see at 10:49

[@3001jl]

Yeah. Its a b7

[@leonardogroia9048]

DO one about compossing like keiichi okabe and Nier Automata Music!!! Please!

[@G5JoyBoy01]

I second this

[@gmichielon]

Next Yasunori Mitsuda..pleeease?

[@StevenMelin]

Gabriel Michelon ❤️❤️❤️

[@rodrigocapra]

oh that's a really nice video! tks a lot....one question : in your composition you did Ab9 Ebm Ab9 Ebm then you did E C#m E F# then goes back to Ab9. I don't get it why you used E C#m and F#....could you clarify that? Tks a lot

[@StevenMelin]

I used E instead of Fb because...Fb-Dbm is ugly 😆 Tbh either is fine - when changing modes like this it’s irrelevant. I hate Fb & Cb unless I absolutely have to use them.

[@rodrigocapra]

Tks for your answer! But I still can't get why some of those chords like (Dbm/C#m) . Were you using A flat mixolydian ? If so In that case wouldn't be Dbmaj7 ? Sorry to ask some many things but modes always drive me crazy hehe

[@MzTypeOHnegative]

what was used to make the old Final Fantasy music in games? Also like Chrono Trigger and other old Square games. I was thinking maybe the sc-55? or something similar?

[@StevenMelin]

SNES samples were individually created by each composer! Usually downsampled keyboard sounds.

[@Frewition]

The NES and Famicom had a Ricoh RP2A03 chip. The PAL NES had the 2A07, which is the same chip running at a slower clock speed. It really hacks a lot of the musical intent tbh. If you're curious check out the ShadowGate soundtrack NAR/PAL comparison.

[@bcmspeed6917]

20k views on this is criminal

[@MarcioSilva-lr5kz]

Congratulations. Amazing job. I learned a lot. Very neat, with confidence!! You convey your passion to music. I am an avid learner and I didn’t understand why you mentioned that in mixolydian there is an alteration in VIº and VIIº and not only in the VII°?

[@StevenMelin]

“Flat 6 Mixolydian” is used extensively in video game music, especially Uematsu’s FF soundtracks. Most composers still refer to this b6-b7 mode as Mixolydian, although yes, you are technically correct that a true Mixolydian only has the flat 7.

[@MarcioSilva-lr5kz]

Thank you. You are awesome !

[@eddieloius4592]

3:05 At Frist I was a afraid , I was petrified ♪♫ .............

[@ChocoCheetah]

so. I have this bro crush here...jus sayin

[@ThommyUnderhill]

Video contains spoilers

[@chetansharma6344]

I'm so jealous of people who can make music!

[@Zetchr0n0]

Than stop being jealous and make music

[@NamedNameless]

your face is interesting

[@mikegeld1280]

You didn't mention the scale used for prelude? Do u even proof run ur content,lame,,,I'm out 👎

[@alexucon]

is your name Nobuo Uematsu? no? im out!

[@catherinemasuda5730]

you said mixolydian is flat 6 and flat 7. i always understood that it was just flat 7

[@StevenMelin]

Yeah, some just say “Mixolydian flat 6” to clarify

[@JoeMuntal]

This is the clearest, most practical breakdown of Uematsu's style I've seen on youtube. Thanks so much.

[@suburbanindie]

Before I watch this video, as a composer myself, the trick to Nobuo Uematsu is lots of minor add9 chords

[@StevenMelin]

suburbanindie I call those “2” chords in the vid, but you’re spot on :) One of the many characteristics of Uematsu’s music!

[@LoneTiger]

Fun fact for those interested. According to retrospective videos and the like, "The Prelude" from FF 1, which became the signature theme for Final Fantasy, was the last song composed for the game, and it was composed in 10 minutes. It was a rushed job. 😸

[@StevenMelin]

That’s nuts!!

[@LoneTiger]

@@StevenMelin Oh, here's the video where Uematzu said they gave him 30 minutes to make the song: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2epmn-eZZJjoKM

[@Radical_Dreamers]

The final result definitely sounds like something from FF ! Though I think Uematsu goes a bit further than that : I think he really focuses on what feelings the song must convey and making it suit the tone of the story. It has a subtlety to it, it doesn't just shove sad piano in your face. To think he knows nothing about music theory...

[@HappyHeart35242]

As a game dev myself, I oughta learn how to emulate Uematsu and work on arpeggios, ostinatos and the like. Your video seriously helps me with my RPG project. I'll be watching this more than once.

[@RobinAppelqvistMusic]

Holy crap! BEAUTIFUL video and content. 10/10 quality, yikes!

[@StevenMelin]

Which FF game has the best soundtrack? I'm voting FF6. Fight me!

[@FactionMember723]

7 master race ! More emotional character themes which are the focal point of the story!

[@StevenMelin]

@@FactionMember723 I can get behind 7 too...so many great tunes!

[@FactionMember723]

Now if only we'll see a 6 remake as well...

[@JeremieFriez]

6 and 7 are clearly the ones I love the most and I can't rate one over the other.

[@StevenMelin]

@@FactionMember723 don't get me excited like that...i'd rather see FF8 remake first, actually. but we all know that won't happen since all the original files have been lost to time!

[@HappyHeart35242]

Uematsu does more than Final Fantasy. His themes have been used in Rad Racer as well as Chrono Trigger. Whenever you're playing a game with his themes, you're in a weird sense playing FF...even when you're playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl; you know he did the main theme to that, right?

[@PathwayToTheHeart]

I absolutely loved this video! Amazing job!

[@StevenMelin]

thank you!! i threw all my gil at this one