TSN… #2: TSN use the Batman theme anymore!
And now for the second installment of Thou Shalt Not…
…use the Batman theme anymore anywhere!
It was fine in the first Batman movie. It sounded pretty cool. But since that movie came out in 1989, I have heard that theme coming from way too many movie and game soundtracks. What’s going on? I swear I’ve heard it on 70% of the aspiring game composers’ websites out there.
What is it exactly? Using the degrees of a minor scale: 1-2-3-6…-5-flat5:
Elfman’s Batman snippet:
Sometimes people change it a bit by doing 1-3-5-6…-5-flat5, but I’m gonna say that counts too.
Something about that little melody must have resonated in lots of people’s minds. The darn thing just won’t go away. I watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire again a couple nights ago and it crept up there. I heard it Lord of the Rings too, for crying out loud. I was guilty of using it in a string quartet I wrote shortly after college. But as soon as I realized what it was, I threw that part out. I mean, it’s Batman.
And, no, according to the Ludus Sonitus Decretum from which I got these rules, just changing the harmony underneath this melody doesn’t count. It’s still too noticeable.
Please, all, let’s let this melody rest for a few decades.
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This blog is dedicated to topics concerning the creation of music and sound for games. It will deal with issues that come up in the day to day work of The Game Composer as well as thoughts on the industry as a whole. I hope it will be useful for developers and other game audio professionals. Feel free to contact me: thegamecomposer@gmail.com
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This reminded me of the Amen Beat’s use as documented here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SaFTm2bcac
Not sure if the blog allows embedding, but here it is without the linkage.
Comment by David Blake | July 7, 2008 |
Thanks for that link, David. Interesting history on that beat. Sampling has a whole other set of issues to deal with and I’m not entirely opposed to it, especially in pop music. In fact, I’d probably prefer to hear a sampled recording of the Batman theme than yet another composer’s clumsy take on it.
Comment by thegamecomposer | July 7, 2008 |