LESSON 1 - OBJECTIVES

• To refresh our understanding of the elements

of music

• To develop an understanding of the evolution

of video game music
 THIS WEEKS KEYWORDS

Samples
Synthesisers
Tonality
Texture
Pitch
Dynamics
Tempo
 REVIEW MUSICAL ELEMENTS
• Review the musical elements using the flashcards here:
https://quizlet.com/gb/500452624/yr-9-video-game-music-elements-of-mu
sic-flash-cards/
.
• Each flashcard asks a question.
• Come up with an answer, then click the flashcard to check it.
• Use the arrows to move through the flashcards.

• The next test asks you to drag and drop the musical elements onto their
definitions. See how fast you can complete the test.
https://quizlet.com/500452624/match

Anyone who beats my score will earn Praise Points if they take a screen
shot of the leader board and email it to me.
 HAVE YOU USED THE FLASH CARDS TO
REMIND YOURSELF ABOUT THE MUSICAL
ELEMENTS?
…ARE YOU SURE?
…HONESTLY?
 LISTENING TASK
Use the links below to listen to the opening 1½ minutes of some iconic video game
music:
• Frogger (1981)
• Super Mario Bros (1985)
• Streets of Rage (1991)
• Halo (2001)
• God of War 4 (2018)

Now answer the questions in this quiz: Click here

(You can re-listen to the YouTube clips as often as needed to answer the quiz)
 SUMMARY
Think about this question for a moment before revealing the answer:

Q: How were game music composers limited in previous decades?

A: The power of the computer or console limited game music composers

through…
• The number of instruments which could be played at the same time
• The quality of the sound produced:
• Old computers and consoles could only produce basic sounds e.g.
beeps and whistles like R2D2.
• Later they could create imitations of instruments using built-in
synthesisers.
Newer machines are powerful enough to handle samples of real instruments.
 THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
Video game music often becomes dramatic when a player fights or
spooky when the player wanders into a deserted area, so…..

How do composers write music that can react to what the

player does?