Editing Music in Pikmin

{{DISPLAYTITLE: Music (''Pikmin'')}}

The '''music''' of ''[[Pikmin (game)|Pikmin]]'' accompanies every aspect of the game, from the gameplay to the [[cutscene]]s and [[menu]]s. Generally, the textural style of the music reflects the futuristic world of [[Hocotate]], the organic environment of [[PNF-404]], and/or the small scale and nature of the [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]] themselves, by varying instrumentation, register, and rigidity of rhythm. During gameplay, the music sets the mood of the area and dynamically adapts its intensity according to what is happening on-screen, albeit to a lesser degree than the following games in the [[Pikmin series|series]]. During cutscenes, the music is predetermined and functions more linearly and punctually.

While all of the music in ''Pikmin'' is melodically driven, no established melodic gestures seem to become motifs; that is, none of the soundtrack's unique melodies (besides perhaps the main theme's melodic gesture) become more important to the game than the rest, unless the melody is heard over most of the 30 [[Day|days]].

The soundtrack to ''Pikmin'' is called "[[Pikmin Worlds]]". It was composed by Hajime Wakai. All of the compositions in the game are either synthesized sounds or samples attempting to mimic real instruments.

;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyWj9lC7-5s&index=1&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2 Main menu]:

The main theme of ''Pikmin''. [[Menu#Title screen|This menu]] is not visited very often during a playthrough, so the percussion is soft-spoken and an instrument resembling a Native American bass flute is not extremely prominent. Eventually, the flute does play the five-note figure (D B♭ E♭ D B♭) that becomes the main theme, but this is only heard if the menu is left running. Without pressing start, the main theme will not finish before [[Cutscene#Attraction mode|attraction mode]] begins.

Heard while [[Menu#Saved game selection|selecting a save file]]. This theme is heavily synthesized, to enhance the theme of recording and storing [[saved game]]s. Its simple melody is chosen from one diatonic scale and hidden under softened sound effects, such that it does not distract from the file select menu itself.

;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrF7H1rMxyU&index=13&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2 Challenge Mode]:

Heard in the [[Menu#Challenge Mode|Challenge Mode menu]]. This theme contains a more agile melody than the file select music, and it shines throughout the piece, even in a call-and-response pattern. The beat is more pronounced and the instruments all have more clout, to give [[Challenge Mode (Pikmin)|this mode]]'s menu more excitement than the main game's.

;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7OuMJYXFnw Challenge Mode results]:

Heard [[Menu#Challenge over|after a Challenge Mode challenge]]. This theme matches the excitement of the original menu, if not surpassing it by adding a rock drum kit to the mix. The track is still local to Challenge Mode however: the main melody is played on the same synthesizer that played the other menu's theme.

;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u641uTxsAo&index=31&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2 Final analysis]:

Heard after the [[Pikmin (game)#Endings|good ending]] cinema when the [[Menu#Final Analysis|final statistics]] appear. This theme represents success in its orchestral instrumentation, and its rhythm is rigidly defined by snare drum and timpani. This is the most harmonically driven theme in the game; no instrument's voice exists alone.

Cutscenes are pre-timed, and player input does not change the cutscene (other than skipping it). As such, the music is a score, accenting and controlling the evolution of what in the cutscene the player should focus on.

;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haMfg27wZrw&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2&index=2 Attraction mode]:

;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haMfg27wZrw&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2&index=2 Prologue]:

Heard after beginning a new game, accompanying the [[Cutscene#Opening|prologue cutscene]]. This eclectic soundtrack begins in space, with synthesized drones and patterns gravitating around C to set the mood that the protagonist of the game is from an alien planet. [[Captain Olimar]]'s idling ship seems to produce a small hi-pass waltz in D♭, almost as though he is listening to a radio. This hint of D♭ resounds in a dramatic string section when a passing meteor approaches; the strings quiet down as the scene cuts back to the [[S.S. Dolphin]], but the drone of C gets more intense as hand percussion and an alarm sound effect join in. Finally as the meteor strikes the ship a cymbal roll and a leaping gesture on marimba and pizzicato strings warp the previous ethereal drone into chaos. The strings descend across stinging triads far from C as the ship plummets to [[PNF-404]]. Finally as the camera cuts to the sky and ground another cymbal roll changes the tempo and genre to an orchestral rock beat in D minor with another alarm sound overlay. The drums and orchestra simultaneously cut out to a residual ring when the ship crashes; as the entire cutscene has no sound effects on its own, this sudden [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacet tacet] during the expected sound of a crash landing produces a wholly suspenseful effect, only to be resolved when the first [[Day|day]] begins.

;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxPE2k523nw&index=16&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2 Onion discovery]:

;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9kIj-D4neE&index=17&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2 Pikmin discovery]:

Heard when Captain Olimar discovers the [Main Engine]. Triumphantly ringing through flute, piccolo, high marimba, horn, and the beep-like synthesizer used in the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H53v114zLVs&index=25&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2 Today's results] theme, this short scalar melody aids both the understanding of how Pikmin can help and of how [[ship parts]] are important.

;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZhpToJQbOE&index=20&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2 Ship part recovered]:

;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0u6vusXOhA&index=21&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2 Dolphin upgrade]:

Heard when the S.S. Dolphin acquires enough parts to increase its capabilities and reach a new [[area]] of the game. This theme is a march with full strings and horns, along with high beep-like synthesized instruments filling up the top range of the melody. It partly accents the S.S. Dolphin fixing itself, and partly celebrates Captain Olimar's leadership in directing Pikmin. After the march is a much less intense loop that keeps the mood hopeful as [[Olimar's monologues in Pikmin#Recovered the engine|Captain Olimar monologues]] about his ship lifting off. This loop only occurs during the initial Dolphin upgrade after the Main Engine is recovered; otherwise the cutscene ends after the march.

;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF_uuPIXHzU&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2&index=23 Sunset]:

;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAjhjpncLOw&index=24&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2 Olimar is down/Pikmin extinction]:

Heard either when Captain Olimar's [[spacesuit]] sustains too much damage, or when all Pikmin of a type are lost. This sad chord progression sweeps through a full string section, with help from a gesture in horns and in vibraphone. Before this theme during a [[Pikmin extinction]], a low diminished chord in the strings lingers while Captain Olimar agonizes over the loss, as seen [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAtJr2xAZCc here]. Out of context, such a sound would probably sound melodramatic, or even operatic. But in this situation, the chord suits the gravity of losing all one's Pikmin very well.

Plays when the S.S. Dolphin departs after day 30 with all mandatory ship parts but without all 30 ship parts. Flute, strings, vibraphone, marimba, and glockenspiel reprise the theme of the Sunset cutscene, with a more conclusive air and a slower tempo, although this reprise does not play the final note. Instead, the scene cuts to three curious Pikmin watching the S.S. Dolphin depart, and the music changes to a progression of loosely connected major and minor chords that sum into a feeling that the events portrayed are not the end of the story. The following cutscene uses the Epilogue theme.

;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBMK3xHwdKE&index=27&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2 Escape fails]:

Heard after the final analysis of the [[Cutscene#Bad ending|bad ending]]. This bouncy theme sets a mood of failure and the request to try again more than it predicts the fate of Captain Olimar. A piano and some comical instruments play a frivolous tune, passively complemented with the motivic Native American bass flute from the game's main theme. Xylophone and marimba descend the chromatic scale as [[Olimar as Pikmin|Olimar as a Pikmin]] descends from the Onion. Then, the main motif of the game resurfaces in flute and trombone with a very jocular feel, before resolving and ending with Olimar planted in the ground.

;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geIe011iI9k&feature=youtu.be Epilogue (at 1:30 minutes into this video)]:

Heard after a happy or neutral departure; this particular example shows a happy departure. A full orchestra (the most instruments of any track) flourishes over this grandiose theme, which eventually contains the rhythmic motif of the game's main theme. The final iteration of this motif ends in a held A major chord and timpani roll, with a final hit and cymbal crash to see Captain Olimar off.

;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRjH4w2-Sok Enemy reel]:

Heard after the Epilogue, during the [[Enemy reel]]. A marching band and strings play this playful and memorable theme, with a synthesizer mainly taking the melody. The marching band also contains a samba whistle, referencing the [[whistle]] in the game. This piece has one major tonal theme that repeats for most of its duration, although it has instances of variations:

*a bridge (heard at 1:07) in which the melodic instrument becomes melodic, and a minor turn of a melody is played by celeste and marimba playing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tremolo tremolo].

{{endspoiler}}

=== [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRXDdwQEkyM&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2&index=6 The Impact Site] ===

A playful theme that immediately reassures the player that Captain Olimar is safe after he crash-lands. The high-pitched melody carried on glockenspiel and pizzicato violin also accent the tiny stature of Pikmin as they are discovered.

!Main Version !! Enemy Mix !! Sunset Version

|'''Oboe''', [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrabassoon contrabassoon], '''glockenspiel''', '''violin''' (pizzicato and section), violas, and cellos. || Horns, tuba, timpani, snare drum, bass drum, crash cymbals, violins, violas, and cellos.|| '''Tenor recorder''' (or other [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fipple fipple flute]) and classical guitar.

The strings in the regular version drop out when the enemy mix is added. Only during the sunset version of the theme is a tuba added in the enemy mix.

=== [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM2X2nT4fYo&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2&index=7 The Forest of Hope] ===

A calm theme that highlights the natural wholesomeness of the wilderness, while still remaining simple and steady enough to encourage the player getting used to commanding Pikmin.

!Main Version !! Enemy Mix !! Sunset Version

|'''DX electric piano''', piano, violins, violas, and cellos.|| Congas.|| Marimba, '''music box''', violins, violas, and cellos.

During [[Challenge Mode (Pikmin)| Challenge Mode]], the piano plays an octave above its part in the main game.

=== [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cznGPMgNFL4&index=8&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2 The Forest Navel] ===

With a widening scope of exploration, a new visual landscape, and three types of Pikmin, this area's theme can afford to sound more exotic. The principal of this theme is a chordal instrument upon a droning C, unlike the previous two areas with a solid melody over C major. The faster tempo may also encourage the player using this area to discover more efficient ways to organize Pikmin.

!Main Version !! Enemy Mix !! Sunset Version

|Harp (synthetically played with mallets), '''acoustic guitar''' (played with slide), [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talking_drum talking drum], tambourine, and contrabass.|| Congas, bongos, gourd shaker, and oscillating sounds resembling [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sizzle_cymbal sizzle cymbals].|| Harp (synthetically played with mallets), [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarod '''sarod'''], and contrabass.

=== [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zQtA4vh3LM&index=9&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2 The Distant Spring] ===

This area's theme is the most ethereal in the game, having no easily definable rhythm until the enemy mix fades in. Its sounds are all soft and distant; the music is no longer trying to aid a rhythm of gameplay, but is instead resigning and forcing the player to explore the huge area and solve tasks on their own. It features a cymbal-like melodic instrument that will make a comeback in [[Pikmin 3|''Pikmin 3'']].

|'''"Cymbalesque"''', celeste, flanged bowed piano, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_tree mark tree], pad strings, and female voice.|| Contrabassoon, timpani, snare drum, bass drum, crash cymbals, piano, violins, violas, cellos, and basses.|| Tenor recorder, clarinet, celeste (regular and echoed), mark tree, '''accordion''', bowed piano, and female voice.

=== [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unSIw-vxm8o&index=10&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2 The Final Trial] ===

The gentle, calm, and predominantly major music of the game so far suddenly takes a sinister turn in The Final Trial. Although the melody and some accompaniment are a chipper skipping tune, the texture underneath it is a bass drone in F and a chromatic celeste that does not fit in wherever the piece goes. And whenever combat ensues, the piece becomes even more suspenseful with low piano octaves that accent at weird times.

!Main Version !! Enemy Mix !! Sunset Version

|'''Flute''', horn, tuba, marimba, piano, and violins (cellos briefly in the first few stabs). || Snare drum, crash cymbals, piano. || '''Flute''', horn, harp, celeste and violins.

|}

The two boss themes of the game play when the two bosses, the [[Beady Long Legs]] and the [[Emperor Bulblax]], enter their arenas. The themes will only play if Captain Olimar is inside the arena. Unlike the area themes, these boss themes do not dynamically change based on the conditions of the boss battle, and they do not have ending tags to conclude the battle. Instead, the Ship Part jingle is heard, and the music returns to the normal area theme.

;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z09VuE4Gi4&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2&index=11 Beady Long Legs]:

This piece is very effective at conveying danger. The movie-score like strings and brass section play a bellicose march dissonantly orbiting around D minor, while a marimba hammers out an intense series of chords in eighth note triplets.

;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFFWBP2JYO4&list=PL13D58C62AD5DE7A2&index=12 Emperor Bulblax]:

This interesting piece is structured as an organ impromptu, almost reminiscent of the 1922 score to the silent horror film [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosferatu ''Nosferatu'']. A rotary organ plays an atonal but rhythmically sound piece, accompanied by interspersed bits of hand percussion, and a few blasts of a large echoing cymbal. Even out of context, the piece is quite unnerving, and it certainly builds the necessary tension of this climactic boss battle.

These minor musical cues are more sound effects than musical tracks, but the fact that they are specifically musical helps make them more salient and musical.

'''New record:'''

[[File:New Record.ogg]]

'''Ship part found:'''

[[File:Find Lost Ship Part.ogg]]

'''Ship part discovered:'''

Heard when Captain Olimar comes close enough to an undiscovered ship part. A brief dominant 7 flourish by a harp invokes a sense of mystery as the player awaits the name and description of this new part. If Olimar hits the part after this discovery, an even briefer flourish of G D F G will match the briefer description that appears.

'''Group move:'''

Heard when the player directs Pikmin using [[group move]]. This is a small looping track played on solo oboe, in a bugle call structure reminiscent of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assembly_(bugle_call) Assembly call]. It commands the Pikmin's position like an army.

*[[Pellet Posy|Pellet Posies]] (even younger buds), [[geysers]], and [[Candypop Buds]] are all considered enemies in the game; as such the enemy mix is added to the theme whenever Captain Olimar is interacting with them.

*[[Music]]