Castlevania: Basic Texture

This week's theme was Castlevania. I really get a kick out of arranging music from this game, it's very easy for me to just crank one out in about fifteen minutes because each song follows a very clear formula. You can hear very easily that composer Kinuyo Yamashita must have had only four channels of sound to work with, because the song is constructed in distinct lines, which make up the "texture:" You've got your bass line, which tends to hang out in the mid-bass clef register, occasionally dipping lower to the bottom of the clef; then there's your melody line, in the mid/top treble; then the middle line goes one of three ways, either harmonizing the melody, acting as a countermelody, or doubling the bassline. The last channel is of course the percussion track. Almost every single composition from the game is divided up in this way, but the formula never gets old! My favorite line to listen to is the mid-line, because it fluctuates so easily between all of the different functions; one second is harmonizing the melody, and then suddenly it's breaking off into a countermelody, etc. Take a listen and follow along with the score to see what I mean!

Enjoy the new Castlevania arrangements for Nothing to Lose, Stalker, Vampire Killer and Walking on the Edge! More are on the way!