Very interesting choice with the ticking vs chord, going at different speeds...
I don't know if I would call it a leit motif... but as an environment theme, this is awesome.
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Thank you for the feedback! :)
I was actually in doubt when submitting about whether or not it would satisfy the "leitmotif"-part myself! x) it is my first attempt at such a thing! If you have any pointers I would be happy to take them! :) My primary goal is to learn!
That being said, I'm happy you enjoy the "atmosphere"! :)
Hey, of course, I'll try help! And I'm in the same boat in the learning. ^^ So. The leit motif thing: well, the Jam organizers did leave a few videos as pointers, very useful stuff. The main idea is that a leit motif is a music phrase that, repeated enough times throughout a song, you associate it with a character or a franchize.
The best example I can think of is of course anything made by Hans Zimmer. They are very long songs but there's a part that the theme keeps coming back to. That's the leit motif.
But that also means, it's almost exclusively the work of the melody line. That's what usually sticks with you - and sticking *is* the objective. You could say the line patterns become a marketing strategy of sorts. To such effect, later on you will remember that phrase in your head, for hours/days/years to come. Think Mario Bros and you immediately remember the first two-bar sequence in the first level.
That's why your theme is at a disadvantage here. I'm thinking, if you could add it a melody line (hopefully something catchy), this could turn into a leit motif no problem, however. ...Hope any of this helps :)
Thank you very much for your elaboration! :)
I did watch the videos on leitmotifs, I just think I interpreted it in a slightly different way. My character in this case being time I focused more on rythm and tempo (time speeding up underneath floaty chords as an example). The only true "melody" that I encorporated is heard right at the beginning (Movement from C#->D with a drone on B to give the feel of something being constantly looming in the background.) The motif only shows up again at the end when the bell rings (exact same movement but in different harmony (emphasised by the bell). But perhaps that is where I made the mistake, thinking that it was enough to constitute a "motif" ^^
I will try and keep memorability and repeatability in mind for future reference! :) thanks again for taking time out to explain!
Well, I'm not an expert either - I don't mean to give that impression ^^' I don't know, or I can't think of, any instance of it happening, but there must be leit motifs that are purely percussion.... But I suppose it'd have to be something pretty crazy in sound or pattern to be easy to identify.
...You know what? Nevermind, I just thought of a percussion-centered leit motif example XD : Akira's main theme (anime movie). It has drums as the center piece over a slow-building tonal base (voices), much like what you did here! ... Sure, the drums are mad; I guess that's why it's so rememberable... And it also helps that they are toned-drums, so there's a hint of a melody there. The tonal base (voices) also have a melodic line, not just tone... But the rhythm is undoubtly the main thing here.
Tl;dr : I have no idea how Akira soundtrack composer pulled it off, but yeah, it's do-able XD
Hehe, you sure know your stuff though! ^^ you are not coming across as condescending or anything if that was your fear! :D I think it is extremely helpful at least ! :)
Ooooo, I have never encountered this soundtrack before! That is a super cool piece of music! I really like the drums serving both as a melody and as the driving-force behind the piece! I think you are correct in the analysis that it is probably the fact that the percussion is tuned that makes it much more memorable and succinct!
Thanks again for sharing! I could probably talk about music with you all day! xD