Music Theory: Mining Melancholy | Donkey Kong Country 2

Рет қаралды 46,223

2 жыл бұрын

A look inside the music theory of DKC2's Mining Melancholy.
Viewer rewards include getting your name in the credits, sheet music library, and vgm soundtrack of the week: / alexyard
Written with: ardklaw
/ ardenklawitter
/ ardklaw
Clips
0:12
Genesis Photograph by Andrew Bossi
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
0:40
Stomp Performance (Brooms) by Stomp / KZfaq user WorldMusic
Stomp Live - Part 1 - Brooms
• Stomp Live - Part 1 -...
0:47
Stomp Performance (Newspapers) by Stomp / KZfaq user Beatgene
Stomp - Newspapers
• Stomp - newspapers
0:48
Stomp Performance (Kitchen Sinks) by Stomp / KZfaq user Jorge Arturo Lona
Stomp Live Part 5 Dishwashers are crazy1
• Stomp Live Part 5 ...
0:50
Stomp Performance (Trash Can Lids) by Stomp / KZfaq user StompLondon
STOMP London | Dustbin Lids
• STOMP London | Dustbin...
1:35
Super Mario Bros. 2 Gameplay by KZfaq user NoRespawnStudios
Let's Play Super Mario Bros 2 SNES - #1: And so it begins!
• Let's Play Super Mario...
2:58
Muted Bass Palm Mute by KZfaq user Daric Bennett’s Bass Lessons
HOW TO PROPERLY PALM MUTE | Bass Guitar Lessons
• HOW TO PROPERLY PALM M...
3:03
Muted Bass Sponge Method by KZfaq user Thomann's Guitars & Basses
How to play like James Jamerson | Motown, Marvin Gaye, Funk Brothers | Thomann
• How to play like James...
7:35 & 8:42
David Wise Interview by Rare Ltd.
Rare Revealed: Battletoads - Behind the Music
• Rare Revealed: Battlet...
7:52
Electric Bass Synthesizer Demo by KZfaq user Oscar Javierre
Original Roland TB-303 demo
• Original Roland TB-303...
8:02
Bubsy Gameplay by KZfaq user NintendoComplete
Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind (SNES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
• Bubsy in Claws Encount...
9:41
Clip from “The Hangover” by Legendary Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures
9:50 & 12:57
Donkey Kong Country 2 Footage by KZfaq user xRavenXP
[Longplay] SNES - Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest [102%] (4K, 60FPS)
• [Longplay] SNES - Donk...
11:22
“Workin’ in a Coal Mine” by Devo / KZfaq user ClassicVideos80s
Devo - Working In The Coal Mine (1981 on Countdown)
• Devo - Working In The...
12:07
Donkey Kong Country 2 (GBA) Footage by KZfaq user Thane Gaming
Donkey Kong Country 2 GBA Longplay
• Donkey Kong Country 2 ...
13:21
French Donkey Kong Country 2 Footage by KZfaq user Hooper
Donkey Kong Country 2 - LET'S PLAY FR
• Donkey Kong Country 2 ...
Audio
0:01 & 1:11 & 1:51 & 2:43 & 6:37 & 8:42
Mining Melancholy, Donkey Kong Country 2
Composer: David Wise
1:36
Character Select, Super Mario Bros. 2
Composer: Koji Kondo
1:42
Overworld Theme, Super Mario Bros. 2
Composer: Koji Kondo
2:32
Simian Segue, Donkey Kong Country
Composer: Eveline Fischer
6:22
Ice Cap Act 1, Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Composer: Brad Buxer
8:02
Hill Stream Blues, Bubsy (SNES)
Composer: Matthew Berardo
8:10
Twine Tally, Bubsy (SNES)
Composer: Matthew Berardo
9:04 & 9:25
In the Air Tonight (Arrangement)
Original Composer: Phil Collins, Arrangement: ardklaw
9:14
Bayou Boogie, Donkey Kong Country 2
Composer: David Wise
12:07
Mining Melancholy, Donkey Kong Country 2 (GBA)
Original Composer: David Wise
12:41
In A Snow-Bound Land, Donkey Kong Country 2
Composer: David Wise

Пікірлер: 231

@David3Wise 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much Alex for your generous words - appreciated. The composers’ point of view. Stomp was an inspiration, as were the Drummers of Burundi and of course the legend: Phil Collins I like dynamic details: The percussion temporarily uses 5 channels in isolation to introduce the character of the sound. And as I introduce more instruments, the subtle details disappear, but you can’t ( as a listener ) un-hear the bits that have now been dropped out, to make way for the new instruments. This is still a good mixing tip: Loose the details in the mix so that the main instrument can shine. And bring the details back to enhance if played in isolation. As for choosing chords or scales: It’s all feel: It’s what feels good. It’s never over thought. The chord progression is directly descended from the opening chord sequence of the jungle theme in DKC1, adapted to fit with the rhythm and idea for the melody. The chord sequence being dictated by the best use of the instrument, single sample range. As for the 2nd chord sequence: Again - it worked with my idea for the melody. And the scale works with both major and minor keys and is a familiar scale for playing the guitar. The Bass Line 22 Resampled single cycle saw waves, fixed resonance - different cutoffs. Used for bass lines, sweeps, synth arps - uses very little memory - sounds good for the SNES Arpeggios in this piece are influenced by David Wolinski - who used these kind of arps in many of his amazing records, especially with the band Rufus. To conclude - listen lots to everything that sounds good, be inspired - but never over-think your composition. DW

@UltimaRedFireEskimo 2 жыл бұрын

This is absolutely gold. So cool of you to share this insight 🙂

@KazeSenshi2929 2 жыл бұрын

This is like watching a Beethoven's Sonata analysis and then you find the composer on the commentary section S2

@ilijanikolic2751 2 жыл бұрын

David, your masterpiece has made another gamer and drummer cry after all these years.. Thank You very much! ❤️

@wowkoi 2 жыл бұрын

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aeCUjbGfz7zWlps.html This remix of Super Bell Hill is really good and I think has references in it (I heard Mario 3 overworked and Mario land's first level theme)

@mandrews817 2 жыл бұрын

Alex Yard, slightly off-topic, but are you going to cover Doomsday Zone?

@baconlabs 2 жыл бұрын

("Mining Melancholy" is one of the only tracks missing from the official OST CD) _I'll never forgive the Japanese!_ (said CD was actually published by Nintendo of America) _I'll forgive the Japanese!_

@NezuChan 2 жыл бұрын

Love the video, but as a French speaker, I must say the word you mention also has a meaning in a musical sense. In English it is known as a lament. I think a better translation would be Kannon's Lament, which I think fits the level and music a bit better. He and his crew sing the lament to ease their broken spirits as they toil in the mines.

@qaaris4280 2 жыл бұрын

5:42 That was perfect, you bastard _I know you did that on purpose._

@randomguyontheinternet7940 2 жыл бұрын

I've never thought of Donkey Kong Country 1&2 music structured as Rock n' Roll. Maybe that's why I love them so much.

@keithmorrison8373 4 ай бұрын

Its also structered as ambient music alot of the music has a sort of ambient theme and i would defenitly consider mining melancholy an early example of beat focused ambient music

@aph613 14 күн бұрын

Most game music up to at least PS1/N64 was composed based on Rock song structures.

@doozy5184 2 жыл бұрын

I was expecting Aquatic Ambience but now I guess there's another atmospheric track for me to listen to.

@retro3188 2 жыл бұрын

I love Forest Interlude.

@appleofdoom 2 жыл бұрын

5:43 I like how you timed up that jump attack with the music

@Allplussomeminus 2 жыл бұрын

I love how you relate the songs composition to the actual gameplay. Very artistic and satisfying to hear.

@TurquoiseStar17 2 жыл бұрын

I just realized a couple years ago that the overworld theme of DKC1 was written by Eveline Fischer,. As her work on DKC3 showed, the upright bass is like her signature instrument (in one of the common photos of her online, there's actually one behind her). But yeah, thank you so much for making a video about this!! Wise is a musical genius IMO because he thinks outside the box, his Donkey Kong work incorporates atmosphere directly into every theme (i.e. the rhythmic banging of hammers, screams, crickets, etc)

@BladeShadowWing 2 жыл бұрын

Love this theme, especially all the percussion used. It's really amazing how David Wise used all these instruments to get such a full sound despite only using 8 channels.

@PhirePhlame 2 жыл бұрын

Here's a fun fact: the SNES is actually capable of frequency modulation _between two sound channels._ That is, it can modulate the sound playing out of one channel by the sound on a second channel. It's one sound for the cost of two, but it can produce some truly interesting effects. For instance, this is how the wind sound effect in Final Fantasy 3/6 was made to sound so unique!

@LukeSly91 Жыл бұрын

Damn I didn't know that. That's similar to FM synthesis in a way

@phlubblebubble Жыл бұрын

@@LukeSly91 that *is* FM synthesis, isn't it?

@LukeSly91 Жыл бұрын

@@phlubblebubble lol I think you're right

@RikouHogashi Ай бұрын

The downright Magical Rhythm in is song nearly Unparalleled the drums is never enough just hit something in a pattern and hear what happens that's what comes to mind with such a creative folly-based song that isn't just SFX

@monkakonga4305 2 жыл бұрын

My little brother always liked this song but I never got the appeal. This kind of videos help me to get a new perspective and appreciation on these songs. Fantastic video dude.

@inendlesspain4724 2 жыл бұрын

David Wise is such a great composer, he also did a great job with the OST of the arcade Battletoads game.

@Verru89 Ай бұрын

Battletoads arcade it's a Gem, a beautyfull forgotten Gem. A very rude gameplay and a fantastic OST.

@IAmElectrospecter 2 жыл бұрын

I know very little about music theory but I always love watching these and nodding to myself, pretending I understand more than I do

@IxisNaugus 2 жыл бұрын

It IS Mining Melancholy/Kannon's Klaim! YES!!! This is another of my absolute all time favorite tracks alongside Dire Dire Docks! It's like you're reading my mind to find my favorites and doing theory on them! I'm so happy, this has made my day. Thank you so much Alex Yard & Knuckles!

@venomsx113 2 жыл бұрын

This one of the most creative and thoughtfully made KZfaq videos I’ve ever seen. Your clever use of the game’s sprites and graphics to visually compliment what’s going on musically was both amusing and fantastic!

@keithmorrison8373 5 ай бұрын

The mix of emotion is so good its very upbeat and catchy but it defenitly has a very high touch of melancholy and saddnes eslecially since there is deliberatly no conclusion

@seronymus 2 жыл бұрын

I've been waiting for this amazing video for a long time, yes!!! Alex Yard + David Wise = Legendary. God bless you

@jsels777 2 жыл бұрын

Another banger video as usual. I especially like hearing how the limitations of the hardware were worked around. There's a reason these songs, old as they are, left such an impression on us: the passion the composers put into creating them.

@ikagura 2 жыл бұрын

That drum sound reminds me of the Goldeneye sonar-like sound that the movie and game composer both used.

@ahirunakamura9592 2 жыл бұрын

Love this song!! The DKC series’ soundtrack evokes a lot of emotion to me and it’s just so nostalgic…. David Wise never fails to deliver goosebumps… Please do more of DKC series soundtrack!! Awesome video as always!! 4:12 it kinda has a Streets of Rage vibe!

@hypersonicspeedgrov 2 жыл бұрын

13:05 On the stream, I hoped for Hot Head Bop, so it's cool that it was refrenced in the video! Great video, I like how you've moved to other games aside from just Sonic 3 (the Sonic 3 videos were great as well).

@paulchapman8023 8 ай бұрын

When I was a kid I never gave much thought to this particular piece of music beyond “this is really good mine music.” I appreciate analyses like this that explain why and how it’s really good.

@lewatoaofair2522 Жыл бұрын

DKC2 ranks high as one of my all time favorite Video Game OSTs.

@awvalenti 2 жыл бұрын

Your Music Theory could as well be named Music Therapy... What an amazing experience! Thanks for extending your universe to SNES!

@luisanievescortes7647 Ай бұрын

The composer David Wise is a modern age legend!

@someobscuremusicchannel 2 жыл бұрын

YES BRUH THIS IS LIKE MY FAVORITE SOMG FROM DKC2

@TectonicImprov 2 жыл бұрын

Oh when you said you were gonna tackle a DKC2 track I was hoping it'd be this one. DKC2 has such an amazing soundtrack (I like it so much I got a bootleg of it on vinyl) and Mining Melancholy is probably my favorite track. That drum beat is so catchy.

@Toumasu Жыл бұрын

The natural miner scale :) Also love the 303 in there Edit: he was also inspired by vangelis which the synth vocals in this song remind me of

@nixtka7605 2 жыл бұрын

Yayy! So excited to watch this! (IT WAS GREAT!!!)

@slugcatsu 2 жыл бұрын

Same!

@yakiimox 10 ай бұрын

Alex, I just wanna say: THANK YOU SO MUCH for this video! I was 9 when i first played DCK2, and Mining Melancholy always felt special to me, and still is. To this day, MM accompanys me when i need to concentrate, relax, or just dream away a little. Everytime i find a cover or a restoration, i am exited to listen in. I do not have a clue about music theory, but your analysis confirmed MM beeing special and helped me to understand why, at least a little. Also, David Wise, - the man himself! - gave insights in the Top comment, and i cannot express the hype! This video made my day, my week, and probably more. Thanks man :)

@AlexYardZone 10 ай бұрын

Thank you so much. Awesome that you had such a connection to this song even back then. It's awesome that the quality of a track like this is universal and not dated at all. David Wise is something special.

@EnnZedder 2 жыл бұрын

Having never played this game, this was a super interesting breakdown of a song I'd only heard as background music in videos every now and then. Might have to find a way to play this for myself and experience the song in its full glory. Another great video Alex Yard!

@liraco_mx Ай бұрын

I really dig the miner scale, feels appropriate. 😂

@Zapinc9 2 жыл бұрын

11:48 In interpreted this as the foreman yelling "back to work, back to work!" as they're slacking off singing about a better future

@borinightmare 2 жыл бұрын

When he was approached by the two founders at Rare the same company that produces the DK franchise David Wise did alot. Mining Melancholy introduced me to playing Donkey Kong Country while I was a teenager. The famous changes and sound percussions were also used in Killer Instinct.

@xamit1u 2 жыл бұрын

Clicked on this with the quickness!!!

@artysalt 4 ай бұрын

The way you connect the music with associated psychological states and the level's context is incredible and masterfully done. Proud to subscribe!

@shinigamimiroku3723 Жыл бұрын

You know, it's funny that you mentioned David wise and Phil Collins in the same breath. About 10 or 12 years ago, someone made a mashup between in the air tonight and the songs that you mentioned from this game. It's almost uncanny how well those pieces fit together, and you really nailed it on the head when you examined the both of them.

@brentbowers3916 2 жыл бұрын

Your videos are astonishingly insightful and detailed -- not to mention expertly written and edited for visuals. Truly a gem of content.

@skakirask 2 жыл бұрын

I will always imagine the choir sample as the wasps buzzing, since you encounter them in the level around the time the humming starts

@SonGara 2 жыл бұрын

Growing up, I always envisioned the chorus being the sad buzzing of the Zingers (the bee enemies), lamenting the loss of their Queen who you defeated in the first game. Idk why, it just always sounded like buzzing to me. Without her, their hive is slowly dying. Sure King Zing Sting is doing what he can, but the writing is on the wall and their species is slowing dying, so all they can do is "sing" into the night.

@ricciwilliamsjr3212 4 ай бұрын

When David Wise comments, you know you’ve done a PHENOMENAL job of breaking down a classic. I’ll always love this game and the music included in it.

@AlexYardZone 4 ай бұрын

Thanks so much!!

@kpny8484 Ай бұрын

I always thought of the humming part as the zingers singing along as their level was before.

@whirl3690 2 жыл бұрын

Alex hitting us with another masterpiece of a video. I cannot express how much of a godsend this channel is. I play the flute, but I have little knowledge of how music is written--which might actually be a point TOWARD the videos for me, since I learn something new about music whenever I new video comes out. I could type here for hours trying to articulate just what makes these so good, but I gotta go listen to Mining Melancholy now.

@bloodykenshiro8218 Жыл бұрын

DKC is probably the only other action platformer franchise I consider to have as strong musical impact into my memories as Sonic has. I certainly hope you cover more of DKC1-3 in the future as you did Sonic. Thanks.

@XionAzura1 Жыл бұрын

The first time I got to Landon’s Klein I was hooked on this song! This and the music in hot head hop are my favorites.

@UltraThunderSurge Жыл бұрын

Even though I love all of your Sonic related stuff, I think this one is my absolute favorite. As a huge fan of David Wise and the DKC games, I would absolutely love to see more videos on the series. So many good songs in that trilogy, both by Wise and Eveline Novakovic.

@BananaReidy Жыл бұрын

love how the klang is replacated of the strike of a pick ax.

@tomnuke9122 2 жыл бұрын

The DKC soundtracks have aged so well, compression and all :D

@ModernEphemera 2 жыл бұрын

I grew up with Nintendo and not Sega as a kid, so I always appreciate when you find time for these Nintendo classics. Fantastic content and editing as always!

@pantherman8719 2 жыл бұрын

I listened to this song for decades. That's how good it is.

@joe-nj2gs 2 жыл бұрын

This video has been worth the wait! Great work as always!

@lauraluvbi 2 жыл бұрын

this is the most underrated series on youtube

@intevolver 2 жыл бұрын

This is my favorite vid of yours so far!

@lovestarlightgiver2402 2 жыл бұрын

The part that sounds like the lick is the reason why this song got stuck in my head and became one of my favorite DKC2 songs. I'm surprised Alex didn't mention the similarities. Aquatic Ambiance is another great one, something about it made me tear up a little bit. Anyway, this video helped me appreciate the song even more and helped me notice things about the song that I didn't realize before. Great video!

@ianp.j.c.5615 2 жыл бұрын

[8:15] "Well! Are you still playing this thing" -Bubsy Bobcat

@newoldstock_ 2 жыл бұрын

Your channel ain't gonna stay this obscure for long. As usual, amazing detailed stuff. Thank you for the work you do!

@Capris9x 2 жыл бұрын

This is such a well made video. I love how you explain your interpretation of all the emotions that the theme tries to portray.

@tport19 9 ай бұрын

Awesome video, man. Incredibly entertaining and insightful. You are really talented!

@lolzorz3 2 жыл бұрын

Love this track from DKC 2. My favorite game of all time. Great video, and very interesting / insightful breakdown of the song. You got it from every angle. Fantastic work. I’m glad this popped up in my recommended.

@Rafael_Oiticica 2 жыл бұрын

My god, your videos should have 10x more the views. You are amazing exposing the theory behind it and the feeling about it. Simply perfect! :D

@handlethis405 Жыл бұрын

Solid video, I felt like I actually learned something. Have you heard the restoration efforts of Jammin' Sam Miller on the DKC series? His tracks almost exclusively get played if I want to hear any Donkey Kong Country. Taken from a video discription "This was made possible by locating the sounds from workstation keyboards and drum machines such as the Korg Wavestation, Roland S770, and Roland R8, and plugging them into the music instruction data ripped from the game, plus a little mixing magic to create might have sounded like with the veil of 16bit compression lifted"

@slugcatsu 2 жыл бұрын

Another awesome music theory video once again!

@TripleBMusic 2 жыл бұрын

Great video! Really loved the addition of showing how muted bass works, as well as offering some insight into how SNES hardware produces music.

@Weirdcko 2 жыл бұрын

Fantastic video, as per usual! Never heard of this song before this video but man is it awesome. Absolutely love the VI-VII-v-i progression.

@Gymbrojoe 2 жыл бұрын

The 4th hook thrower joke was hilarious my friend

@fonzworthbentley7455 5 ай бұрын

I'm a bassist and never noticed the change from upright to electric bass between games

@TioBina_ 5 ай бұрын

I already loved this song, but now, whole other level of appreciation, thank you!

@nintendude794 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent analysis and editing!

@Wolverage Жыл бұрын

I enjoy these videos very much. Thank you.

@themarketcap3983 2 жыл бұрын

Just realized I watched your dire dire docks video months ago. Guess I found you again! Love your content. Sub for sure. The DKC2 OST is my go-to for focus music. Always keeps my foot tapping. Would love to see a similar video for the Spyro OST!

@gjtrue 2 жыл бұрын

This was one of my mother's favorite themes in the game. Though I recall Funky's Theme.

@KallusGarnet 2 жыл бұрын

One of my favourite game OSTs of all time. Dave wise did an excellent job on its composition and arrangement. Thank you for the video, I love to learn more about music theory.

@quinn562 2 жыл бұрын

Great as always! Just one thing I couldn't help but notice because I was really looking forward to it as you got near the end.... I was surprised you left out was what made the final chorus so special/iconic (at least in my eyes) - where the bumblebee enemies you encounter in the game sing along with the song. When playing this game brand new as a kid that gave me an instant emotional attachment to the song due to those I had done battle with years before in part one lending their voices to make what was otherwise an already great song that much better. It would have been a nice touch to speak about that but it's all good, I'm glad you went for a song such as this vs the cliché but revered stickerbrush symphony, which I'm sure will be touched upon in the future!

@kennytendo7255 3 ай бұрын

I knew I wasn't crazy when I heard a Phil Collins like style to the drum track.

@theoryjoe1451 2 жыл бұрын

Very well made. I subscribed

@SPCooki34 8 ай бұрын

this is very well edited

@CrimsonQuandary 2 жыл бұрын

The chorus chords also show up in Sonic Adventure's Dilapidated Way.

@bigboomer1013 Жыл бұрын

Always thought that the voices of the miners was the wind blowing through the caves.

@jonathanwilliams225 2 жыл бұрын

This editing is amazing

@ErnestoAguila-mk5oi 3 ай бұрын

This is one of the hardest tracks in SNES history 💯

@jjthecat9692 2 жыл бұрын

Your content is great Alex, loving the venture into non sonic games.

@peachtoast2293 2 жыл бұрын

Hope we see more dkc music theories cause they're great as always.

@cotton7960 2 жыл бұрын

That Phil Collins sega genesis game is one of the best things I've ever seen

@megatron_1988 2 жыл бұрын

I always loved this song. Even playing DKC 1-3 as a kid, this song always stuck with me, even more so than the underwater theme. It's nice to see someone else loves it equally as much as I do.

@sebastianjuarez9612 2 жыл бұрын

Amazing analysis, I love this song since I was a child and I learned a lot thanks to your video.

@wavelength3856 2 жыл бұрын

Listening up to this piece growing up, I never really thought of it as an oppressive march of hopelessness and unfortunate fate, as you suggest, but rather as a testament to how you can still find funk, rhythm and life even in the most clockwork places and the most monotonous of routines. Got a similar feeling also in Mario RPG's Smithy's Factory (whose theme was very oppressive, but I still felt an upbeat funk from the music), and Sonic 2's Metropolis Zone (which had more 80s funk and synth-pop going but beneath that it did remind me a lot of Mining Melancholy). Regardless of what feeling we ultimately get from the song, it's awesome to see you break down the chords, rhythm, and composition so expertly - helps me understand why I'm feeling what I'm feeling. Thanks as always for your great videos!

@stevezac_cptlpnshmnt 2 жыл бұрын

Your videos are so amazing! Thank you so much for your work! I would love to see a video on the music from Yoshi's Island

@AlexYardZone 2 жыл бұрын

I love Yoshi's Island! and Yoshi's Wooly World

@zephyrion 2 жыл бұрын

poggers, one of my favorite tracks of this whole game

@strohhutxP 2 жыл бұрын

Great analysis and just a wonderful choice. I'll keep watching your content no matter the game. Could be even modern stuff, if you're interestet in any.

@keithmorrison8373 5 ай бұрын

Fun fact this song is actually a very heavy remix of aquatic amnience from the first game alneit a lot slower and like you said instead of being in a traditional minor scale its in a natural minor scale

@Aaron-kq5kk 2 жыл бұрын

I love your music theory videos. Would love to see more Nintendo. Cheers!

@QoreMTG 10 ай бұрын

First video of yours I stumbled across & immediately fell in love with the content . sub'd

@MarcoAGJ 2 жыл бұрын

Great video.

@LoggyDev 2 жыл бұрын

New video let's goo!

@Electrosa 2 жыл бұрын

I am SO ready for Alex to do DKC music. Please consider doing some tracks from DKC3 as well! Eveline's contributions were just as incredible.

@ratiocinator 2 жыл бұрын

Happy you're examining the excellent music from this game. I'd recommend Lockjaw's Saga or Forest Interlude as other potential candidates from this title.