What Makes a GOOD Leitmotif? | Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky

Introduction to Leitmotifs

In this video, the speaker discusses how to write a leitmotif and what musical qualities make them effective. The effectiveness of a leitmotif in a piece of media is dependent on the story it is accompanying, but from a compositional standpoint, there are certain ways that leitmotifs can be more or less effective.

Examples of Leitmotifs

• The speaker uses examples from the second generation of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games: Explorers of Darkness, Time, and Sky.

• The intro music for these games contains three big motifs: darkness, time, and sky.

Contour

• One important tool when constructing a leitmotif is contour. A dramatic contour with a recognizable identity allows the listener to recognize the motif easily even as it transforms over the course of a film or game.

• A leap of a major third down followed by a major seventh up has an unusual structure that stands out to listeners' ears and makes it an excellent candidate for a leitmotif.

Transformation

• To adapt to different musical requirements, it's important to be able to make drastic transformations without losing its recognizable quality.

• The general shape of melodic lines can be just as recognizable as specific interval structures.