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GDC 2007: Koji Kondo shares secret in his melodies

Posted Mar 8, 2007 at 1:03PM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: Wii, Nintendo DS Tags: Game Music, Koji Kondo, Shigeru Miyamoto, Super Mario, Zelda

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Koji Kondo is Nintendo's game Beethoven. Much like how Shigeru Miyamoto is Nintendo's game Einstein. But he isn't just a composer. During his work on the timeless Nintendo classics Mario, Zelda and Star Fox, he brewed the whole package for music, from the sound engine, to the effects, and finally the music.

Koji Kondo - Nintendo's iconic musical composer - Image 1

In his hour-long speech over at the Games Developer Conference, Kondo revealed the three pillars that define his work and their final result. From Super Mario Bros. to Twilight Princess, he has been using these three components to create what he defines as effective game music. The three components are rhythm, balance and interactivity.

For most games, music is an additional accompaniment to the game, either to set the game's mood or to bless games with a personality. Kondo believes that in order to make music effective to the game, it must conform to the "intrinsic rhythms" of the gameplay.

Now we all remember Super Mario Bros. Who doesn't? In fact, we know it so well, that we could even hear the level music for World 1-1 and Mario's jump sound effects in our minds. Did you notice how the jumping sound effects match the music? And notice the tempo of the music. Remember the speed at which Mario skirts the ground? It also seems appropriate. But perhaps the most interesting is when you're down to 99 seconds, when the game hikes up the music tempo to assert a feeling of urgency.

He believes the move to orchestra and symphony-like soundtracks creates an expanse between the player and the game. The conductor usually doesn't attach himself to the game on a personal level, forcing the game to adopt the personality of the music, rather than having the music adopt the personality of the game. If the composer can relate to the game by actually playing it, he can derive inspiration for pieces that will jive in rhythm to the game and the player.

Balance is the key to making music and sound effects blend with each other, rather than making one stand out from the other. Kondo's conditions for balance includes several types for his composition. He points out that instrument selection, sound pitch and volume, and positioning should all be carefully planned, so that sounds don't get "gobbled up" by ambience in the game.

He also iterates the need for music tracks to flow from one to the other seamlessly, as if the collection of music tracks was simply one whole track. Kondo always makes sure that he submits a collection of music tracks rather than just one at a time, to fulfill this need.

As for interactivity, music has to react to the game. Like in Super Mario Bros., if the player is running out of time, it changes tempo to tell the player, "Hurry up, slowpoke!" It goes further than just fading in battle music when an encounter begins in a game. Kondo demonstrated that the gameplay itself becomes more exciting when the music changes in real time to what's happening in the showdown.

Ultimately, he believes that music could also redefine the gameplay. Games could be played out in time to the music, and he's not referring to Dance Dance Revolution. The music should be able to reach out to players, just like the game's characters do, too.

Via 1Up

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GDC 2007: Koji Kondo shares secret in his melodies

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