Game:

The Legend of Zelda (1986)

Duration: 12:25

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Welcome to the first installment of Analyzing Counterpoint. This is a series that focuses on, predominantly, the element of Counterpoint in music with additional commentary on harmony, melody, and form. It will look at a variety of musics but mostly various periods of the Common Practice Period (Baroque, Classical, Romantic), early 20th century musics, and retro VGM (NES - PS1). With this in mind, this series will NOT conform to your typical notions of Counterpoint (i.e. polyphonic music of either Bach or Palestrina). We will, of course, see prototypical examples of Counterpoint, but in most cases we'll be looking at Counterpoint in the broadest sense which is simply, "note against note."

So if you've ever wondered how to write or analyze Counterpoint, check this series out!

In this particular installment we take on the Dungeon Theme of The Legend of Zelda on the NES composed by the legendary Koji Kondo. This is a theme that I always loved, but in my younger years I could never figure out to properly analyze this and that is because I was always looking for the right "chord symbols" rather that looking at the Counterpoint. Once I considered the Counterpoint the theme became absolutely clear and utterly simple in theory.

If you happen to have any questions or thoughts regarding this content, leave a comment below!

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