Joshua Taipale
@atelierjoshua
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Composer/Lyricist/Guitarist. Work: Omega Strikers, Apex Mobile, Rocket Racing, Johnny Gioeli ※ @inaltomusic , @once_we_lived ※ contact @atelierjoshua .co
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I'm often asked to write "anime-style" music when I work on games.
What makes anime music sound like anime music? Here are five of its most important features: 🧵👇
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⚠️ Game Devs ⚠️
When commissioning music, you want to ensure that you get what you're looking for.
As a composer, there are 5 things I want to know when you hire me. Defining these will save time and effort for both you + your composer.
Let me give you a template to use: 🧵👇
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Immediately recognized the "doo" voices in the Super Mario Bros. Wonder trailer
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Game Devs:
Do you want to write music for your games?
I've studied game music for over a decade, and composed hundreds of my own. I'll tell you everything you need to know.
Here are 4 steps to get you started, with free resources: 🧵👇
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1. "Circle Progressions" ✨
Modern Japanese music takes heavily from American gospel and jazz.
Listen to this excerpt from Marvin Sapp's "Never Would Have Made It".
You'll hear this chord sequence EVERYWHERE in anime music.
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I put all these elements to work in the music I write for myself and my clients.
Here's a bit of a song I wrote for
@glassheartproj
. It's called "The Café on Bridge St."
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Here it is again in Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up".
This is my favorite music fact. You can literally put this melody over 50% of anime openings and it'll work.
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It's one of many "circle" progressions, named because it follows the musical "circle of fifths", common in jazz and classical works.
Here it is in the opening to Spy × Family:
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Another well-known circle progression in anime music is the "Royal Road", or 王道進行 in Japanese — an ironic reference to its status as a "hit-maker".
Here it is in the opening to Madoka Magica. It's impossible to overstate how ubiquitous it is.
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2. Long-Form Melodies ✨
Melodies in anime music tend to consist of long phrases with many syllables per line.
Listen to the chorus in the opening theme for Chainsaw Man — the repetition gives way to an impressive melodic phrase that lasts an entire four bars.
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This is straight-up a Final Fantasy / JRPG battle theme.
From 1974.
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By the way, most anime BGM can trace its roots back to British "light music" from the 1940s-60s:
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Melodies in anime music also tend to have more notes than those of Western music.
This is likely because Japanese is a "low information density" language — more syllables are needed. This property often carries over into instrumental music.
(Chart: Tofugu)
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I'm often hired to play "anime guitars" on songs — it's one of the things I do best.
So what makes guitars sound "anime"? I'll explain: 🧵👇
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3. Syncopation ✨
Anime music tends to employ "syncopation", the emphasis of the "in-between" beats in a song.
Listen to this BGM track from the anime True Tears. Most (but not all) of the violin and chord changes are syncopated.
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Since they were unfortunately not named, here's a thread about the composers for the Final Fantasy VII Remake:
(1/15)
The first award of the night goes to Final Fantasy VII Remake for Best Score and Music! 🎧 Congratulations
@finalfantasyvii
!!
#TheGameAwards
!
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An alchemist meets a magical streamer! 💀
I had the opportunity to write music for
@moricalliope
’s transformation sequence!
Here’s my guitar part from it. :)
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5. Maximalism ✨
Vocal music in anime tends to be written with "maximalist" arrangements — complex, active arrangements filled to the brim with as many details as possible.
Just listen to the opening theme from Anne Happy:
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4. Through-Composition ✨
This is a technique where music is written from point A to point B, with little to no repetition of sections. Most anime BGM is written in this format.
It was a common trait of British light music — and, incidentally, of traditional Japanese music.
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Regarding the "Blackadder" ("Ikisugi") Chord, I'd like to propose a formal name more fitting for analysis: "Japanese Augmented 6th" (abbreviated "Jpn+6" or "Jp+6").
Here, I've shown the prototypical example. Resolves to major or minor chord a semitone below, usually IV.
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Through-composition doesn't usually apply to vocal or pop music, but what /does/ apply to vocal music in anime is the use of unique lyrics in the first and second choruses — unlike Western music, which tends to repeat the first chorus verbatim.
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This is in stark contrast to traditional Japanese music, but the complexity of sound gives listeners something new to hear every time.
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And that's a quick overview of the elements that make anime music, "anime music"!
If you found this thread useful:
1. Follow me
@atelierjoshua
for more on game music
2. RT this thread to help other game devs and musicians:
I'm often asked to write "anime-style" music when I work on games.
What makes anime music sound like anime music? Here are five of its most important features: 🧵👇
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I've found something I affectionately call "The
@SOKENsquareenix
Riff"! ♫
It's a repeated 1-to-2 bar phrase starting on a song's key-note (leading from a grace note a step below) & ending in a chromatic motion back up to the tonic.
It's EVERYWHERE in the
@FF_XIV_EN
soundtrack.
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Teppei Kawasaki, the bassist on many songs from the Mario Kart 8 soundtrack, posted a video and score of his part from the main theme of the game.
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“Never Gonna Give You Up” is structured similarly to many anime openings, since J-Pop has roots in 80s euro/dance (and American gospel).
The chorus has a IIm-V-IIIm-VIm progression. It’s a form of the Japanese 王道進行 (“Royal Road”) that shows up in many hit songs.
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@grantkirkhope
So sorry. You deserve to be credited for your work. Do you remember if Koji Kondo or any of the other original composers' names were in the credits either?
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Why the guitars in Sonic Adventure / Crush 40 music are so distinct:
There's something very particular about Jun Senoue's playing style that sets him apart from other guitarists.
Nobody on the internet has ever discussed this aspect of Sonic music before. I guarantee it. 🧵👇
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Additionally, if you're interested in the inner workings of the "Royal Road" chord sequence, I wrote an EXTREMELY in-depth guide on it and its variations, with examples from game and anime music:
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1. "Hi, we're looking for a ___ theme."
- [ menu ]
- [ stage ]
- [ battle ]
- [ character ]
- [ cutscene ]
- [ town ]
- [ etc. ]
Defining the category sets my expectations accordingly. A battle theme will probably require different music than a town theme would.
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If you'd like to hire me to write anime music for your game (or anime), you can check out my portfolio here:
I've worked on
@skybrotherforce
and
@8SEN_ANIME
as of late. ☺️
You can reach me via DM or by email at atelierjoshua
@gmail
.com.
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2. "It will be used for/during ___ ."
- [ the tutorial fight ]
- [ the water stage ]
- [ the central town ]
- [ the cutscene where... ]
- [ etc. ]
Narrow down the category by providing context. Crucially, relate it to the gameplay — What will the player be doing or feeling?
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Game Devs!
It's absolutely vital that your game's music suits the project visually — the director should ensure this.
How do you create this seamless experience?
As a composer, let me explain to you the FIRST thing I consider when setting the tone for a soundtrack: 🧵👇
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It's "Jazz Stacks" from Spectrasonics' Omnisphere. Really cool to see them take the vocal sample idea from the New series and expand on it for this song.
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You may have noticed when listening to a playlist on an orchestrion roll that songs don't switch at the loop point — they always change a few seconds in.
What
@FF_XIV_EN
's orchestrion rolls tell us about the way the game's music is programmed: 🧵👇
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I write a lot of vocal songs for video games and animation.
Since most of my work is remote, I can't usually direct vocalists in realtime. Miscommunication = wasted time.
I'll show you how to prepare a "vocal package" to send your singers so they have everything they need: 🧵👇
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For example, perhaps you need a theme for the central town in the game.
Unlike the other towns, this one is full of shops, so the player will probably spend a lot of time here between travel.
The music may then benefit from being a little more easygoing, depending on the style.
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@TheBacklogger
Of course there is no all-encompassing “anime” style, and this thread isn’t meant to reduce it to that, but the elements I described are *generally* present cross-genre in the average anime soundtrack.
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Only had about 45 minutes, but here's a concept composition for the Sonic Superstars footage. :)
I cannot get over how fucking good the gameplay physics & feel are😭💙!
Also here’s some B-roll I got with just sound effects, no music, so pick a track u think goes with this LOL
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A thread on using compression to make things "punch" — for voiceover artists, sound designers, and music producers:
I didn't "get" compression until I realized this.
First, a word from Masahiro Sakurai on animation. I'll explain how this ties in in a second: 🧵👇
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If you want to become a better composer, I strongly recommend transcribing the music you like.
This is my personal folder of 1,000+ transcriptions of VGM, anime, and J-Pop music. 🎼
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Here's an example from Atelier Totori.
Watch this footage of the starting town and notice the whisper of mystery in the music.
There's so much more for the player to discover.
In contrast...
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3. "It should be ___ and ___ ."
- [ energetic ]
- [ reflective ]
- [ silly ]
- [ industrial ]
- [ tropical ]
- [ etc. ]
Try to use at least two keywords — one can be unspecific. This is a good time to specify genre, but don't worry about learning genre names. Instead: ⬇️
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4. "We're going for a ___ or ___ kind of sound."
- [ Nirvana ]
- [ "Jump Up, Super Star" ]
- [ Bump of Chicken ]
- [ etc. ]
If you can, use references — preferably 2-3, so composers can generalize and find similarities to better understand what you want.
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📍deceptive cadences
|
📍IV
|
📍V
| _ _ _ _ _
|
📍I |
_ _ _ _ _ |
|
📍VI
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Free VSTs:
Orchestra:
-
-
Piano:
-
-
SNES + Genesis:
-
-
8bit:
-
More:
-
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Don't worry if your references aren't spot-on. Game composers aren't ordinary composers — we're storytellers and we know how to use the inspiration you've given us to craft something unique that fits your vision.
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... Watch this footage of the central town in the game.
There are a number of shops and utilities here; players will come back again and again in the gameplay loop.
Notice how it's livelier + more easygoing, representing the bustle of the town.
This brings us to...: ⬇️
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5. "It should be about ___ long."
Don't forget length! Don't waste time or money with music that's too long that goes unheard or too short that needs extension.
Look at your favorite games for examples. Visual novel cutscenes tend to have 1-2min. loops. MMO battles could be 5+!
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1. Download a DAW or score editor 🎶
A DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) is used to produce + edit music.
Free DAWs:
-
-
A score editor is used to write + play back sheet music.
Free score editor:
-
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I hate this.
Creators and Musicians are going to love this.
It's ChatGPT-4 for Music and editing.
This is the craziest music tool I've seen so far 👇
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This. Nobody at Game Freak was “lazy” or “didn’t care”. Game devs are artists and we’re passionate about what we do. Disconnected execs who push impossible timelines and crunch on dev teams are the problem.
Don't blame the Switch hardware. Don't even blame the employees at Game Freak because of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet having many bugs and issues.
Blame the higher ups for making Game Freak having a strict deadline and not having enough time to fix the bugs and issues.
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TIP: Don't forget visual references — storyboards, concept art, footage and demos.
A picture is worth a thousand words. I actually wrote the main theme for
@GriptapeHavok
after seeing concept art and immediately hearing music in my head.
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hi, i write music for games too!
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I talked a bit about how I wrote Calli's transformation theme! 🎸
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Nobuo Uematsu (
@UematsuNobuo
) — composed all of the original game's music, as well as the main theme for Remake. He's known for his work throughout the early FF series, and continues to contribute to it to this day. (2/15)
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Just plugging my friend’s AMAZING cover of Kick Back:
My latest cover, Kick Back from Chainsaw Man is OUT NOW on Apple Music, Spotify and more!!
Spotify:
Apple Music:
Feat. Lyrics and Artwork from the incredible
@TrevZed
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That time I wrote a 27-page guide on the quintessential chord sequence in Japanese game and anime music:
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That time I wrote a 27-page guide on the quintessential chord sequence in anime, J-Pop, and video game music:
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Why do people insult voice actors for using “the same voice” in every role?
The job of a voice actor is to ACT. The ability to act in variety of vocal tones is extremely useful but wholly unrelated to the quality of their work.
Voice actors are actors, first and foremost.
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When in doubt:
1. Talk to your composers — we're here to help!
2. Play a game! Pay attention to the music of a similar game's scenario and take notes.
TIP: If you don't know how long a loop should be, tell the composer how much time you expect the player to be there.
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I grew up in an extremely sheltered home, taught to fear the world.
At 20, I bought Pokémon X for myself (a franchise that was banned in my childhood).
Professor Sycamore’s words changed my life:
“Accept the ways of living and thinking that sometimes conflict with your own.”
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I’m so glad to hear that! I wrote an entire series of soundtracks based on visual novel + slice of life anime music:
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One of the hardest boss themes I've heard in my entire life is from a niche JRPG, by a composer who'd never written in this style before and learned via YouTube tutorials.
I'm not joking when I say this song was a life-altering experience for SEVERAL people I know.
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As a game composer, I’m actually not super big on highly interactive music.
I appreciate the addition of layers or the transition of sections across a stage, but I find that when the music is TOO tied to player input, it becomes forgettable.
I want to remember the music!
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Masashi Hamauzu (
@MasashiHamauzu
) — composed the majority of the new music in Remake. He's previously worked on FFX, FFXIII, and the SaGa series. (3/15)
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I had the honor of interviewing Rayman composer Rémi Gazel back in 2015. He was kind enough to surprise me with this video of himself performing the title theme from Ocarina of Time as thanks.
This was a few years before he passed of cancer. He was one of the greats of VGM.
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If chiptune music is your interest, you can also use a tracker.
A tracker is used to program MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) data.
Free trackers:
-
-
-
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metalcore but it's symphonic
unironically the hardest song i've ever written
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Mitsuto Suzuki (
@MitsutoSuzuki
) — composed a large number of tracks on FFVIIR. Was also an arranger and programmer on The World Ends With You, and occasionally finds himself working in animusic — he arranged "Startup" from Toradora! (4/15)
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Oh, and if you'd like to use this template to hire me to write music for you... You can check out my portfolio here. ☺️ I love writing main themes, character themes, and town themes in particular.
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I recommend a DAW for most situations, but score editors are useful for the pre-production phase.
You can even export the MIDI (note) data from a score editor and import it into any DAW.
It's okay if you can't read music, but it's easy to learn:
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The free options listed above will give you a good place to start, but if you're curious what VSTs your favorite games use, here's a MASSIVE list:
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Every situation is different, of course, but I hope this helps you better understand how to get the music you're looking for.
If you found this thread useful:
1. Follow me
@atelierjoshua
for more on game music
2. RT this thread to help other game devs:
⚠️ Game Devs ⚠️
When commissioning music, you want to ensure that you get what you're looking for.
As a composer, there are 5 things I want to know when you hire me. Defining these will save time and effort for both you + your composer.
Let me give you a template to use: 🧵👇
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2. separation of roles 🎸
In Western rock, we often "double" guitars, playing the same thing on the left + right sides.
But in J-Rock, these guitars can differ WILDLY.
Hear the contrast in the low chords on the left vs the high melody on the right in
@nbuna_staff
's "Say It.":
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2. Download virtual instruments 🎶
Unless you're recording live music, you'll need virtual instruments. Even then, VSTs are useful for demos.
Some DAWs (such as Cakewalk) come with VSTs and mixing plugins of their own, but not all of them do.
Here are some free VSTs: ⬇️
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Shotaro Shima (
@shotaro_shima
) — previously worked on Final Fantasy Record Keeper and contributed several songs to Kingdom Hearts III. (5/15)
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Yoshitaka Suzuki (
@yos_compose
) — worked on Bayonetta 1 and frequently arranges for the
@FF_XIV_EN
series. He recently orchestrated the trailer music for the 5.4 patch! (6/15)
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This chord progression is the "anime opening theme" chord sequence, by the way.
It's called the "Royal Road" (王道進行) — this is one of many common variations.
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1. full, distorted chords 🎸
In most pop/rock, distorted guitar chords are limited to only a couple notes to avoid muddiness.
But in J-Pop/J-Rock? That's what you want! Anime often features chords that span all six strings.
See
@nishikawasusumu
play "God Knows..." from Haruhi:
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Here's a transcription of the Breath of the Wild sequel trailer music, played backwards. I'm not the most knowledgeable of Zelda fans, but I imagine this must be a reference to something — if perhaps a corrupted one? Could the C♯ - E - B be a quote from Zelda's theme?
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If you have a little money to sink, I can't recommend Native Instruments' libraries enough. They're all over the FFXIV soundtrack, among many others.
Wait a few weeks for Black Friday; their flagship sampler Kontakt 7 will be on sale for half off.
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4. Start writing 🎶
I'm serious. Don't worry about music theory right away. It's okay if you don't know C from F𝄫.
Open a new file and place a note; then another. Experiment as often as you can.
The more you do this, the quicker you'll learn. Trust me.
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@plasmariel
Sunshine predates this software by several years. Was probably a Roland or Korg synth patch.
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A note on music theory:
Music theory is a grammar and a taxonomy of musical ideas. It gives you a lexicon to use when talking or thinking about music, but you don't need it to compose. Most learn their native language before studying its grammar; you can do the same with music.
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Yasunori Nishiki (
@yasunorinishiki
) — perhaps best known as the composer for Octopath Traveler. Has also worked on Granblue Fantasy, Princess Connect, and the Kingdom Hearts series. (9/15)
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3. extended guitar techniques 🎸
Advanced techniques such as two-handed tapping, whammy bar divebombs, and tremolo picking are still common in J-Pop.
Watch this insane sweep-picked arpeggio from
@theyouthguitar
in "Never forget" from Bocchi the Rock:
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