WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.070 --> 00:00:02.070 {What I Love!} 00:00:02.070 --> 00:00:06.630 Hello! I'm Scruffy, and today, we're talking about Sonic the Hedgehog! 00:00:06.630 --> 00:00:11.720 But that's a huge umbrella of topics, so let's narrow it down to specifically the music of 00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:12.720 Sonic. 00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:17.199 But that's a huge umbrella of topics, so, I'd like to focus on a few iconic examples 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:22.390 that illustrate something neat in Sonic's wide gamut of music, especially in those heart-pumping 00:00:22.390 --> 00:00:28.890 hard rock songs, with lyrics of grandeur and power, and most of all, a sense of speed. 00:00:28.890 --> 00:00:33.070 These songs are perfect for running at high speed, which feels like a musical compliment 00:00:33.070 --> 00:00:34.070 to the gameplay. 00:00:34.070 --> 00:00:38.680 The vocals carry a lot of energy, the drums blaze through rhythms, and with each passing 00:00:38.680 --> 00:00:41.600 Sonic title, the melodies seem to get faster and faster. 00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:44.670 Do these songs ever seem too fast? 00:00:44.670 --> 00:00:48.750 To address that question, let's focus in on one aspect of music that's harder to notice 00:00:48.750 --> 00:00:51.739 than most: harmonic rhythm. 00:00:51.739 --> 00:00:56.460 And I should put a disclaimer here: this description of harmonic rhythm mainly applies to popular 00:00:56.460 --> 00:00:59.190 music genres or music that follows pop music conventions. 00:00:59.190 --> 00:01:06.030 Now, rhythm, generally, is a pattern of occurrences in time, and it tells us how fast music feels 00:01:06.030 --> 00:01:08.670 based on how often information changes. 00:01:08.670 --> 00:01:12.470 Within any piece of pop music there are several rhythms going on at once. 00:01:12.470 --> 00:01:16.990 There's often a tempo which is a regular pulse that all other rhythms reference. 00:01:16.990 --> 00:01:21.270 On top of that, there's often a percussive rhythm that frames the infinite tempo into 00:01:21.270 --> 00:01:24.290 small finite pieces that flavor the music. 00:01:24.290 --> 00:01:29.950 On top of that is a melodic rhythm: the timing of the most prominent sound in the music. 00:01:29.950 --> 00:01:34.860 And resting in between the melodic rhythm and the percussive rhythm, there's a harmonic 00:01:34.860 --> 00:01:41.229 rhythm: a rhythm to harmony how quickly chords or countervoices or supporting sounds change. 00:01:41.229 --> 00:01:46.340 This is the meat of the music: this is what contextualizes the melody and adds a sense 00:01:46.340 --> 00:01:48.909 of direction to the motion of beat. 00:01:48.909 --> 00:01:53.030 But it's harder to hear than the other rhythms because it's specifically not the most prominent 00:01:53.030 --> 00:01:57.900 sound, and what constitutes a change in harmonic rhythm is harder to define. 00:01:57.900 --> 00:02:03.130 For instance, harmonic rhythm isn't the strumming pattern of a rhythm guitar part, it's how 00:02:03.130 --> 00:02:05.860 often that part changes chords. 00:02:05.860 --> 00:02:10.119 Even when the chords are power chords, it can be difficult to isolate this rhythm. 00:02:10.119 --> 00:02:15.190 Well, let's hear this theme Green Hill Zone without the prominent melodic parts and see 00:02:15.190 --> 00:02:18.200 if you can notice a pattern to the harmonic changes. 00:02:18.200 --> 00:02:19.230 Knuckles here will help. 00:02:19.230 --> 00:02:23.110 He'll take a step every time the chord changes. 00:02:23.110 --> 00:02:35.180 ["Green Hill Zone" plays without the melody] 00:02:35.180 --> 00:02:38.250 In this case, the harmonic rhythm is pretty consistent. 00:02:38.250 --> 00:02:43.760 You can hear that with each chord, the bass plays the root note, this instrument outlines 00:02:43.760 --> 00:02:51.060 the chord with four notes, and another instrument plays two of the chords constituents at once. 00:02:51.060 --> 00:02:55.810 These are all rhythms in themselves, but they all contribute to one very slow rhythm of 00:02:55.810 --> 00:02:56.870 chords changing. 00:02:56.870 --> 00:02:59.910 How about the turnaround of the song? 00:02:59.910 --> 00:03:04.690 All of the parts change, but they're still outlining chords and the chords change half 00:03:04.690 --> 00:03:07.840 as fast. 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:19.760 ["Green Hill Zone" plays again without the melody] 00:03:19.760 --> 00:03:21.830 Again, it's not easy to hear explicitly. 00:03:21.830 --> 00:03:26.700 The bass is more elaborate this time, it's playing scales rather than just root notes. 00:03:26.700 --> 00:03:31.400 I instead look to this instrument, which is consistently playing an arpeggio of whatever 00:03:31.400 --> 00:03:32.940 chord we're on. 00:03:32.940 --> 00:03:37.840 When all these changes seem to suggest a new harmony, the harmonic rhythm has progressed. 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:41.450 It's something you feel in music often more than hearing it. 00:03:41.450 --> 00:03:45.760 There is a part of the Green Hill Zone theme in which the harmonic rhythm and melodic rhythm 00:03:45.760 --> 00:03:49.810 are the same, and that's in the opening of the song. 00:03:49.810 --> 00:04:01.470 [The beginning of "Green Hill Zone" plays] 00:04:01.470 --> 00:04:07.360 Here, this one instrument is playing only chords, there's no other harmonic information 00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:12.580 except the bass, which maintains C as the foundation of these chords. 00:04:12.580 --> 00:04:17.250 So, even though that prevents this part of the song from moving very far harmonically, 00:04:17.250 --> 00:04:20.840 the other instrument tells us both the melody and the harmony. 00:04:20.840 --> 00:04:27.250 That makes it homorhythmic: a sound in which the melody and accompanying parts move as one. 00:04:27.250 --> 00:04:31.720 In Sonic's wide selection of music though, this is an exception, not the rule. 00:04:31.720 --> 00:04:36.220 It's far more often will get melody-dominant homophonic music. 00:04:36.220 --> 00:04:41.710 Homophony is the relationship between melody and chords, which covers a great deal of popular 00:04:41.710 --> 00:04:45.660 music genres, and the majority of Sonic music. 00:04:45.660 --> 00:04:49.880 Melody-dominant homophony, as you might guess, focuses on the melody while the chords take 00:04:49.880 --> 00:04:54.050 a supportive role, and understandably don't move as often as the melody. 00:04:54.050 --> 00:04:58.940 So, let's take our visual aid to a more recent example of Sonic music, such as the theme 00:04:58.940 --> 00:05:02.220 from the City Escape stage in Sonic Adventure 2. 00:05:02.220 --> 00:05:07.220 This time, Sonic will be taking a step to define the pulse of the drum set. 00:05:07.220 --> 00:05:12.820 Tails we'll be taking a step for every note of the melody, which is the most ear-catching part. 00:05:12.820 --> 00:05:16.000 Knuckles will again step for every harmonic change. 00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:20.530 So, keep your eyes on these three, and let's listen to this homophonic texture. 00:05:20.530 --> 00:05:27.940 On your mark, get set, go! 00:05:27.940 --> 00:05:36.949 ["City Escape" verse plays] 00:05:36.949 --> 00:05:42.300 Okay, let's take a look at our pedometers here. 00:05:42.300 --> 00:05:46.199 Sonic got the farthest and achieved a nice multiple of eight, because the rhythmic feel 00:05:46.199 --> 00:05:48.580 of the drums stays consistent. 00:05:48.580 --> 00:05:53.640 Tails not nearly as far, because the melody has a unique rhythm and spacing that makes 00:05:53.640 --> 00:05:55.160 it stand out. 00:05:55.160 --> 00:05:59.729 And Knuckles took even fewer steps, because the chords change so slowly. 00:05:59.729 --> 00:06:02.919 Okay, but let's try a faster tune... 00:06:02.919 --> 00:06:07.090 How about one of my favorites from Sonic Unleashed, Windmill Isle? 00:06:07.090 --> 00:06:11.419 That one's significantly faster, pushing 200 beats per minute, and has a different style 00:06:11.419 --> 00:06:14.110 inspired by remixed bossa nova. 00:06:14.110 --> 00:06:16.660 This one ought to get these three to take more steps, right? 00:06:16.660 --> 00:06:19.069 Since it has so many working parts to it? 00:06:19.069 --> 00:06:26.510 Let's listen to one of the most complex parts of this song: 00:06:26.510 --> 00:06:40.770 ["Windmill Isle" chorus plays] 00:06:40.770 --> 00:06:48.210 Okay, that's a lot of information at once, but Knuckles still hasn't traveled far relative 00:06:48.210 --> 00:06:52.710 to the others, even with all that accordion playing, syncopated rhythms in the guitars, 00:06:52.710 --> 00:06:54.690 and fancy bass licks. 00:06:54.690 --> 00:07:00.490 That accordion is a taste of polyphony, which is the relationship between a melody and other 00:07:00.490 --> 00:07:01.490 melodies. 00:07:01.490 --> 00:07:06.289 The strings are the dominant melody here—just as Tails—while the accordion is playing 00:07:06.289 --> 00:07:12.130 a smooth contour of notes as though it's an improvised solo, which counts as a second melody. 00:07:12.130 --> 00:07:16.210 But even with these interlocking parts, and even if they venture outside the strict notes 00:07:16.210 --> 00:07:20.720 of a chord, they're all still referencing a harmony that, compared to everything else, 00:07:20.720 --> 00:07:23.190 moves pretty slow. 00:07:23.190 --> 00:07:27.630 Then there's the interesting case of Fist Bump, the theme most commonly associated with 00:07:27.630 --> 00:07:29.259 Sonic Forces. 00:07:29.259 --> 00:07:34.520 This one flies through 217 beats per minute, and feels even faster, because not only other 00:07:34.520 --> 00:07:39.040 drums booking it through eighth notes and sixteenth notes, the harmonic rhythm changes 00:07:39.040 --> 00:07:40.750 often. 00:07:40.750 --> 00:07:43.270 Knuckles has his work cut out for him on this one. 00:07:43.270 --> 00:07:53.199 Let's listen through a long excerpt: 00:07:53.199 --> 00:08:20.500 ["Fist Bump" verse and pre-chorus play] 00:08:20.500 --> 00:08:23.440 Okay okay, whew, just a sec. 00:08:23.440 --> 00:08:28.919 Now Knuckles still came in last, but he's gone through more harmonic content than usual, 00:08:28.919 --> 00:08:33.050 and as for the actual harmonies he stepped through, they're all over the place. 00:08:33.050 --> 00:08:37.849 The thing about the previous examples is that their harmonies all have one home key: the 00:08:37.849 --> 00:08:41.190 tonal center around which the whole piece of music revolves. 00:08:41.190 --> 00:08:45.830 For Green Hill Zone, it's C major: all of the chords are orbiting around C major and 00:08:45.830 --> 00:08:51.040 C major is established in the beginning of the song and the end of major phrases. 00:08:51.040 --> 00:08:56.510 In Windmill Isle, it's F major: most of the harmonies float above F major before resolving 00:08:56.510 --> 00:09:00.769 on it with this convenient gesture. 00:09:00.769 --> 00:09:04.990 But in Fist Bump, you have all these harmonies that don't resolve. 00:09:04.990 --> 00:09:08.460 The beginning of the song makes it seem like C minor will be the tonal center, and the 00:09:08.460 --> 00:09:14.140 beginning of the lyrics suggest that as well, until this part. 00:09:14.140 --> 00:09:18.230 That has nothing to do with C minor, it's suggesting F sharp major. 00:09:18.230 --> 00:09:23.920 Then it climbs up to A major, then B major, then G sharp major... and none of this tells 00:09:23.920 --> 00:09:26.050 us where it's going to go next. 00:09:26.050 --> 00:09:30.860 This fragmented series of harmonic progressions plus the fast harmonic rhythm make the resulting 00:09:30.860 --> 00:09:35.440 song feel like it's constantly switching directions, it doesn't have a clear path, it's a dense 00:09:35.440 --> 00:09:38.260 forest and you have very little time to think it through. 00:09:38.260 --> 00:09:42.610 In a way it reflects the stage set by Sonic Forces. 00:09:42.610 --> 00:09:47.560 Sonic has been outmatched by a dangerous new villain and imprisoned by Dr. Eggman, who 00:09:47.560 --> 00:09:50.120 proceeds to take over most of the world. 00:09:50.120 --> 00:09:54.360 Sonic's friends and a new character the player creates are the last remaining resistance 00:09:54.360 --> 00:09:56.160 against Eggman's forces. 00:09:56.160 --> 00:10:00.750 The odds are stacked against them, the world is armed against them, and with Sonic's whereabouts 00:10:00.750 --> 00:10:04.450 in condition uncertain, their own direction is unclear. 00:10:04.450 --> 00:10:05.950 But does that stop them? 00:10:05.950 --> 00:10:09.350 Well, I'll let the song answer. 00:10:09.350 --> 00:10:16.920 ["Fist Bump" chorus plays] 00:10:16.920 --> 00:10:21.910 Of course they persevere, this is about teamwork, determination, and the will to resist the 00:10:21.910 --> 00:10:23.330 forces of evil. 00:10:23.330 --> 00:10:28.790 So the song evens out to a chorus in E minor with a slow harmonic rhythm hearkening back 00:10:28.790 --> 00:10:31.630 to all the adventures Sonic and company have made it through before. 00:10:31.630 --> 00:10:36.860 At last a direction is clear, and what's more, the harmonic rhythm interestingly gets half 00:10:36.860 --> 00:10:43.070 as fast in the next phrase. 00:10:43.070 --> 00:10:57.620 ["Fist Bump" continues] 00:10:57.620 --> 00:11:02.200 Singer and lyricist Doug Robb belts out how two heads are better than one, how the two 00:11:02.200 --> 00:11:08.540 of us hold the key, and that key is now E major, a positive twist on the rest of the 00:11:08.540 --> 00:11:09.610 song. 00:11:09.610 --> 00:11:14.460 Even with sonic still taking as many steps as he takes here, Knuckles is taking the harmonic 00:11:14.460 --> 00:11:19.160 rhythm very slowly, and that gives us a moment of pause. 00:11:19.160 --> 00:11:24.230 Amid all this crisis, even travelling as fast as this song travels, there's still time to 00:11:24.230 --> 00:11:29.740 reflect on how this grand test makes the bond between two friends stronger. 00:11:29.740 --> 00:11:34.230 And honestly, surrounded by much more complex parts, that makes the rest of the song feel 00:11:34.230 --> 00:11:36.290 contrastingly faster. 00:11:36.290 --> 00:11:41.970 I suppose that's what I'm getting at here: Sonic songs may feel fast at times and they 00:11:41.970 --> 00:11:47.510 have gotten faster in tempo over the years, but the melody of this hero, and even more 00:11:47.510 --> 00:11:52.579 so the harmonic rhythm supporting it, have a clear direction that travels slowly and 00:11:52.579 --> 00:11:53.769 steadfast. 00:11:53.769 --> 00:11:59.050 Harmonic rhythm is a pretty latent thing to hear in music, and not exactly easy to define, 00:11:59.050 --> 00:12:01.959 but I'd say it scores Sonic gameplay well. 00:12:01.959 --> 00:12:06.459 You're traveling fast in sonic games, but the level layout is rarely so dense that you 00:12:06.459 --> 00:12:08.170 lose your sense of direction. 00:12:08.170 --> 00:12:13.890 On the contrary heading forward is intuitive, and exhilarating, and sometimes mandatory. 00:12:13.890 --> 00:12:19.300 It's almost like the percussive rhythm is the pure velocity, and the harmonic rhythm 00:12:19.300 --> 00:12:24.590 is the inertia: the resolute desire to stay the course and not start, stop, or turn too 00:12:24.590 --> 00:12:25.820 quickly. 00:12:25.820 --> 00:12:29.980 That's what makes Sonic music feel naturally fast. 00:12:29.980 --> 00:12:32.460 With that, I'm Scruffy, and thank you very much for watching.