Music Explanation Theory

[Din Akera]

So this theory may be pointless, but it came to me so here it is.

As Zelda fans and theorist, we do not except the "because it is a video game" or "It's game logic" answer to questions posed about the zelda world. So, the question i received was: WHat about the music that is playing?

Answer: I believe the music that you hear through game play is the music Link is humming to himself in his head for the 'in the moment' experiences that he is having.

For example, in OoT sneaking through the Castle Courtyard to meet Princess Zelda. The theme song playing is Link ninja-ing his way past all the guards. I would be thinking spy style too!

Another example would be boss battles and any enemy fight. The music changes form the usual 'running around to my next destination' to 'alright let's go!' or depending on the boss, 'oh god...'

Tell me what you think of this. Do you agree? Disagree? Or do you have another explanation as to the music played during the game?

 

[bbevington90]

It's certainly a fun theory to explain the music always playing. I'm just picturing Link running around Hyrule Field humming its tune, or fighting Ganon and running around humming scary music, and I'm dying laughing and how goofy and spectacular it is . Honestly, I'm gonna be thinking about this every time I play Zelda now haha.

 

[NorthApple]

Yes! What a brilliant explanation... why didn't I think of it before XD
I don't know if anyone's seen/remembers that Disney film, The Emperor's New Groove (I love it~)... but this reminds me of a part near the start when one of the characters (Kronk) does the same thing (though he actually hums it out loud). When he's sneaking/running along, he sings kind of a exciting song... but then when someone sees him he changes it to a tense "I've been spotted!" theme by holding one single note. Then when they've gone, he carries on with the exciting sneaking theme, very similar to the adventure/battle/adventure situation Din mentioned XD

Considering the way the music changes, if we disregard the "it's a game" reason, this explanation makes perfect sense.. as you said Din, the music expresses what Link's feeling pretty well XD, why couldn't it be him actually humming it in his head! Think in WW, if you get detected but not outright spotted in the Forsaken Fortress, the music does a dramatic jingle, and then seems to hold its breath with you while the moblin sniffs around, and once it moves away the normal music starts up again... which would make sense- it's not the music metaphorically holding its breath, it's Link! =D After all, he's proven time-and-again he's got a nack for music... it kinda makes sense for him to do something like this XD

But bb90's right... I'm gonna end up busting out laughing next time I play because all I'll be able to think of is this! XD

(Also, in case anyone's interested, first 30 seconds of this show the clip I mentioned from Emperor's New Groove... XD)

 

[David]

Yes! What a brilliant explanation... why didn't I think of it before XD
I don't know if anyone's seen/remembers that Disney film, The Emperor's New Groove (I love it~)... but this reminds me of a part near the start when one of the characters (Kronk) does the same thing (though he actually hums it out loud). When he's sneaking/running along, he sings kind of a exciting song... but then when someone sees him he changes it to a tense "I've been spotted!" theme by holding one single note. Then when they've gone, he carries on with the exciting sneaking theme, very similar to the adventure/battle/adventure situation Din mentioned XD

That's exactly what I thought of when I read this! Its a funny, yet clever idea explaining the music. Personally, I think that the music that Link doesn't play is just there for the players to enjoy listening to.

 

[Tyeforce]

So this theory may be pointless, but it came to me so here it is.

As Zelda fans and theorist, we do not except the "because it is a video game" or "It's game logic" answer to questions posed about the zelda world. So, the question i received was: WHat about the music that is playing?

Answer: I believe the music that you hear through game play is the music Link is humming to himself in his head for the 'in the moment' experiences that he is having.

For example, in OoT sneaking through the Castle Courtyard to meet Princess Zelda. The theme song playing is Link ninja-ing his way past all the guards. I would be thinking spy style too!

Another example would be boss battles and any enemy fight. The music changes form the usual 'running around to my next destination' to 'alright let's go!' or depending on the boss, 'oh god...'

Tell me what you think of this. Do you agree? Disagree? Or do you have another explanation as to the music played during the game?

Okay, now that is just taking the game too seriously. Yes, we are Zelda theorists, but that doesn't mean that we can't accept gameplay mechanics for what they really are. There's music because it's a video game, that's that. Nothing to speculate about. You just have to accept that Zelda is a video game, and many aspects of the franchise don't have any logical explanation other than "because it's a video game".

 

[PhantomTriforce]

Well the only Music related thing we know in the game is the Ganondorf is playing the music in Ganon's Tower in OoT.

 

[bbevington90]

Thought of something else :xd:: So, the Goddesses don't want the citizens of Hyrule (or other nations for the games not involving Hyrule) to be bored, so through magic of some kind they pump music into the different areas of the world for people to listen to throughout their everyday travels/chores. I'd love that to be the case in real life! Maybe the music captures the mood of the area too, so that there isn't happy music playing during a funeral, or fast-paced/loud music when people are trying to sleep.

Just having some fun with music theories here

 

[NorthApple]

Okay, now that is just taking the game too seriously. Yes, we are Zelda theorists, but that doesn't mean that we can't accept gameplay mechanics for what they really are. There's music because it's a video game, that's that. Nothing to speculate about. You just have to accept that Zelda is a video game, and many aspects of the franchise don't have any logical explanation other than "because it's a video game".

Now that is just taking this theory too seriously. XDD Did you miss the disclaimer- it was just an alternate suggestion, pointed out for fun. Everyone knows having music playing is one of the most basic elements of all visual media- films, tv programs, games etc... it's a standard thing, and if you wanted to go into it that bit deeper, the actual reason the music plays is not just because it's a game, but its function is to make the player feel more involved, to help draw them in and inspire appropriate emotions depending on the situation... hence why the music changes accordingly depending on the situation. It's an age old trick used to help make up for some of the lost senses that don't translate over to games- such as touch or smell. By enhancing the information being sent to the two human senses the game can convey information to, sight and hearing, it helps to balance things out and still make the player feel a similar level of involvment, despite the fact your brain is still missing 3/5ths of the information it technically needs to create a complete image of the game world. The excess of information being sent via sound, in this case, also helps to distract the brain from this, and it draws its attention away from the fact you're technically missing half the picture- thus, your brain also uses it to help fill in some of the blanks too. :3

Now that's if you wanna get technical. DA, however, was just pondering that "what if" there was another explanation, and what it could possibly be if there was. It was all just potential, and yeah, might be slightly pointless if you really think about it... but it's a pretty interesting thought to think about too, if you ask me.

 

[Mr.Verto]

Oh my God Link can hum an orchesta all toghether, cool , maybe the triforce lets him do that

 

[Proud_2B_Hylian]

Well the only Music related thing we know in the game is the Ganondorf is playing the music in Ganon's Tower in OoT.

Ganondorf does play a mean organ doesnt he? XD

The music is there because it's a video game, and video games have music. they can be connected to what's going on with link because nintendo designed it that way. Example: I love the "danger's near" music to tell you about an enemy nearby, even when they're invisible; makes life alot easier.

Bolero of Fire is my favorite song but the apocalyptic, "end-of-the-world" numbers in majora's mask are just amazing....

By the way, try something I had fun with today in my car: drive through a crowded parking lot really slowly and play The Ikana Canyon's Music Box Tune or The Windmill's Song Of Storms as loud as possible and see what kind of looks you get from people. I've got an actual speaker system with bass behind it so the stares i got were pretty epic. XD XD XD

 

[Xinnamin]

I just had a random thought. I don't think Link would be humming as he goes about his adventures, I'd imagine he's way too focused and out of breath from running and fighting around all day to keep up that kind of ambiance, funny a mental image as that may be. My mind turned instead to...Navi! And all his other partners in the other games. I imagine, since they spend most of their time just chilling and not fighting til their breath is gone, they would be humming and making music to entertain themselves, and maybe to annoy Link since some of them seem to like doing that.

I mean, Navi is vocal enough, and fairies always make that little tinkle sound, so why can't they be musically adept? I figure there's nothing stopping the other partners from singing either. And in the games where he doesn't have partners, then it's someone he knows communicating with him telepathically and singing! After all, what else are those old men in the caves of LoZ gonna do all day?

 

[athenian200]

I have another idea.

Emotional tones. The music is an attempt to capture the emotion Link is feeling in certain situations and express it in a form that we can experience.

Sort of like the beeping when he's low on health is meant to make us feel his pain and distraction when he's badly injured.

It's just an abstract way of trying to share the aspects of Link's experience that we can't feel ourselves.

 

[DuckNoises]

I don't think this idea is far off from the truth. The music is put into the game to amplify an experience, or evoke an emotion. The intent of the music is to create emotion in the player, who is playing the role of the protagonist, who is Link. I don't think it's so much that the music is created by the relationship between Link, his emotions, and the world; I think it's actually the developers' intent to use music to reflect the relationship between Link's emotions and the world around him, to affect the emotions of the player. If it is the latter, then game play, music, atmosphere, and story are all in a mutual relationship, as would be the ideal. Any game that has you play as the protagonist has the ultimate goal of immersion, wherein you feel what the protagonist feels, and you sense the world around you. Music is a tool to help developers reach this goal, because sound is one of few senses that can evoke emotion in the player while preventing the need for large amounts of ambient noise. Emotion will affect all your other senses, and, if done correctly, it would affect them in the manner that it would those of the character, which enhances all the other main elements of the game.

I think, however, that the use of Ganondorf playing in the organ in his tower is an ironic breach of the fourth wall, and a hint at this entire concept. Ganondorf's involvement in the adventure is typical, usually affecting the mood of the story, which indirectly affects the music. To show Ganondorf literally produce atmosphere with music (rather than figuratively produce the atmosphere with music) is a delightful little joke at the expense of the uses of music in media.

Note: If at one point I mentioned that one element is responsible for another, while previously stating that it was the other way around, note that it is in fact a two-way street (hence mutual relationship).

 

[Shadsie]

Skimming... saw what Athenian said about the low-health beeping: I used that in a fic once. In one of the late chapters of "The Great Desert" Link woke up/half asleep hearing this "horrible beeping" that made him feel like he was close to death! It turns out he was in a technologically-ahead-of Hyrule Twlight Realm hospital and the beeping was his heart-monitor.

As for the ambient music... I always figured it was like a flim, to set the mood and that characters in the game weren't really hearing it, but the sounds of nature instead. The exception to this has been the Lost Woods in Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess -- how variants of Saria's Song are playing in the background? I always blamed that on the Skull Kids. Though, when I think about it, that could be the "music of the forest itself" that Saria makes her song because she is bonded to the forest.

Now, if the music is "actually playing" I can imagine that the music in the Temples would fit that -- any place in LoZ that's meant (or was meant before corruption set in) to be a place of worship... since Hyrule, Termina, etc. are in a magic-based universe, I could see the songs as being a spell set by the keepers of a given temple to set the mood for solenm worship for the people who enter to worship and just to generally "honor the gods" even when nobody is worshipping. So, the temple themes could be there just because they're set to be there all the time, anyway - like Link walking into a church service but the magic keeps the music alive even when no one's there to sing or play the organ.

 

[February Eve]

I just discovered Netflix had Buffy the Vampire Slayer on instant replay. (I'm going somewhere with this.) I don't own the sixth season, and by coincidence I had just looked at this thread and then and watched an episode that is one of the most popular of the series, "Once More With Feeling". In it, a demon has put a spell on the town that causes everyone to burst into song, as if they were in a musical.

You can probably guess how I am relating this - I am now fond of the theory that there's a spell on the world, though cast by someone more benevolent than a demon - like bbevington said, perhaps a goddess or three. Or perhaps it's dueling forces. The goddesses give Link the danger signal as a sign to warn him that he's low on health, while the villain pipes in scary music to try to throw him off his game.