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Zelda Music Rocks! What's Your Favorite?

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I can't really just choose one because I love so many songs for a myriad of reasons. I'm inclined to say Temple of time as well simply because of how it embodies the themes of growing up and how much it resonates with me personally.

However, in order to not just copy a reply and be super boring, I'll also mention another one: Spirit Temple in Oot. It makes me feel things I can't fully explain. There's this sense of longing and sorrow for a bygone era/history. The main instrument itself almost sounds like it's crying while simultaneously trying to sing something. It's painful sorrowful nostalgia.

There's also Final Hours from MM. I think everyone already knows why it's special though.
 

Daku Rinku

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I can't really just choose one because I love so many songs for a myriad of reasons. I'm inclined to say Temple of time as well simply because of how it embodies the themes of growing up and how much it resonates with me personally.

However, in order to not just copy a reply and be super boring, I'll also mention another one: Spirit Temple in Oot. It makes me feel things I can't fully explain. There's this sense of longing and sorrow for a bygone era/history. The main instrument itself almost sounds like it's crying while simultaneously trying to sing something. It's painful sorrowful nostalgia.

There's also Final Hours from MM. I think everyone already knows why it's special though.
Temple of Time opened me up to Gregorian Chant. It and Halo CE theme having the chanting monks soothed me, and I discovered a whole genre of music.
 
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Temple of Time opened me up to Gregorian Chant. It and Halo CE theme having the chanting monks soothed me, and I discovered a whole genre of music.
That's very cool. I've always been partial towards vocals that aren't just lyrical singing. Choirs and gregorian chants have always been part of it. I seem to remember some of my earliest memories being one of the adults playing Enigma and some other pop band that incorporated such chanting. I'm not super well versed in it but I enjoy it whenever it crops up.

Edit: Forgot to mention earlier, the very final phase of the final boss in Totk has incredible music too.
 

Daku Rinku

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That's very cool. I've always been partial towards vocals that aren't just lyrical singing. Choirs and gregorian chants have always been part of it. I seem to remember some of my earliest memories being one of the adults playing Enigma and some other pop band that incorporated such chanting. I'm not super well versed in it but I enjoy it whenever it crops up.

Edit: Forgot to mention earlier, the very final phase of the final boss in Totk has incredible music too.
I watched the Final Boss fight on YouTube, it does have great music. :)
 
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This is definitely one of my favorites:





And this one is nice too:



I love this Zora's Domain ambience so much that I made a playlist, I can definitely sleep to this, it's so relaxing and I wake up in the morning feeling as fresh as a cucumber, my sleeping issues are gone (I highly recommend this Zora's Domain ambience playlist to you, you'll sleep like a baby):

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzG_3q50DuPmCj0AipMJkcl8Vlo_TLxRR
 
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TheGreatCthulhu

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I've done a couple of blogs on Zelda music, but I feel this is my favorite.




I love tonalities like this, just in this one piece alone, we have G Phrygian, G Phrygian Dominant, G Double Harmonic Major. If you ever wondered why in my modes series on my blog I didn't include this one in with the Phrygian mode, it's because it's not really a pure example of the mode, it strays outside of it quite a lot.




So many things going on here that make the musical nerd side of me so happy. Double chromatic enclosures? Yep! Harmonies? We got all sorts of crazy chords! Melodic? We got a ton of singable melodies!

As if this wasn't enough, each part foreshadows another part, all meticulously placed, almost like this is Hyrule's Sonata. I don't use Sonata lightly, as this almost exactly follows the Sonata/Allegro Form.




I love Sidon's Theme as well. Mostly because despite it being in a minor key, it exudes confidence and charm, much like Prince Sidon himself. And it being in the key of Metallica, that is, E Minor, there's a certain air of badassery, hinting at his fighting prowess, and since we have a true Dominant chord, which in the key of E Minor is a B7 chord, this gives it an air of sophistication. It sounds more like Bach if he could fight.

And the melodies are catchy, and the chords that accompany them are why I love it, the chord progression is just as catchy as the main melody.




Mixed meter for days! Koji Kondo often uses odd meters in boss battles, because they are inherently disorienting, and he also changes time signatures frequently (called mixed meter if it happens in the same song or composition) in boss battles to further enhance the unsettling feeling a boss battle is supposed to give you.

It starts out in 5/4, moves to 7/4, moves to 6/4, then moves to 4/4, then finally moves to 11/8 until it loops again.

All of those changes means big moments, when we have mixed meter like this, trying to follow along rhythmically becomes really difficult. Which, of course, is the entire point. In this case, the music is reinforcing the idea of unease, as odd time signatures like this create this feeling of unease because there's no constant beat that you're used to. If you've ever tried tapping your foot or bopping your head along with this theme, you likely only could because of the constant pedal tones and the snare drum that are keeping the rhythm.
 
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I've got lots of favorites.
Overworld,Dungeon-TLoZ
Village, Palace, Great Palace-AoL
Temple of Droplets-MC
Castle Town, Lost Woods, Snowpeak Howlstone-TP
Ancient Cistern, Bamboo Island-SS
Song of Storms-Various
Nayru's Song-OoA
Tarm Ruins-OoS
Sword Hunt, Face Shrine-LADX
All Clock Town, Deku Palace, Oath to Order, Stone Tower-MM3D
Kass' theme-BotW
 

Killjoy262

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The Ballad of the Wind Fish will always have a special place in my heart container. My fondest memories of Legend of Zelda happen to be Link's Awakening. Other favorites vary from game to game, but That's my top, though the Switch version is my current due to having self inflicted hearing loss that makes the OG version hard if not out right impossible for me to hear.
 

Vanessa28

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Mine was, is and always will be Gerudo Valley from OoT. Nothing can ever beat that for me. Ever since the first time I heard it I fell in love with this song.
Other songs I love are Dragon Roost (both BotW and WW) Outset Island, overworld song from ST, Zoras Domain BotW. I got plenty more but Gerudo Valley takes the first spot
 

TheGreatCthulhu

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Ghirahim's Theme from Skyward Sword is great.




Key of F Major, yet it sounds so threatening and dark. Probably that Neapolitan chord that the composer threw in there.




The Milk Bar Theme from Majora's Mask is fantastic, because it shows a new usage of dominant 7th chords instead of as the engine that drives Authentic Cadences.

It's a bit... esoteric, because this is more of a jazz way of looking at it, but dominant 7th chords like resolving to a chord who's root is a perfect fifth below their root. Or, we can think of it that the root of these chords resolve up to a chord who's root is a perfect fourth above it.

I've done a whole analysis of this tune's chord progression, and for what's essentially a looping piece of music around 2 minutes long, it's got a pretty sophisticated chord progression that gets a lot of mileage out of a common chord.




I love Authentic Cadences, especially in minor keys, and in this case, we almost have the Andalusian Progression, one of my favorite chord progressions, but the two chords are flipped around.

The key is F# Minor, and the progression Koji Kondo used was: i-bVI-bVII-V7.

In this key those are the chords F#m-D-E-C#7.

Combined with the style of music here, we have basically the Zelda equivalent of classical Spanish flamenco music. It'd be almost a dead ripoff if it used the Andalusian Progression, which all we'd have to do is swap the D and E chords around. Then it'd be a dead ringer.

But it isn't, so there's that. It also helps the melody is insanely singable and catchy, every single one in this short 2 minute long tune.




Gotta go with a classic, it's in the key F Major, and is a beautiful example of polyphony. We have two independent melodies going on, and how they blend gives us awesome harmony.




The tune to set the Groose loose! In the key of G Major, and the woodwinds and brass really give a light-hearted, childish, immature, and dare I say, goofy demeanor. Which, is just Groose through and through.

Also helps the theme is insanely catchy and singable.
 
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@TheGreatCthulhu I really enjoyed your insight on all the music. Thanks for sharing all of that.

Y'all are prolly gonna hate me for saying this, but I need to:

I prefer the Alttp Lost Woods theme to the Oot one.



It just has such an air of mystery and anticipation to it. I still adore Saria's song too but I wish this rendition got more love.
 

TheGreatCthulhu

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@TheGreatCthulhu I really enjoyed your insight on all the music. Thanks for sharing all of that.

Y'all are prolly gonna hate me for saying this, but I need to:

I prefer the Alttp Lost Woods theme to the Oot one.



It just has such an air of mystery and anticipation to it. I still adore Saria's song too but I wish this rendition got more love.

Thank you, I have more insights, I'm just waiting on doing more Zelda music stuff until I finish Tears of the Kingdom.
 

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