High Score is a blog fully dedicated to the music of video games.
Being a teacher of music appreciation means that I get to revisit and review some fundamentals of musical compositions, properties of sounds and instruments, lines of influence and development, and the eras of music history on a yearly cycle. Of course, this generally applies to the realm of classical music which has been the main focus of study for my entire scholastic and professional career so far. I find joy in this because I have been a fan of the breadth of classical music since I was a kid. Music was always there; and when I wasn’t practicing, I was usually playing video games.
It’s quite possible that exposure to video games in the first place helped to spark a passion for music. I don’t remember exactly why I decided in kindergarten that I NEEDED to take piano lessons, but I do remember playing SNES games like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and the Donkey Kong Country (Friday evenings were typically dedicated to the entire family trading the controller around as we played the 2-player co-op mode). I would even use my little toy cassette player to record my favorite video game music directly from the TV speakers. Pair something visually stimulating and interactive with a wide variety of musical styles and sounds and you’ve got a recipe for a powerful hook.
I am excited to share my nerd ramblings about two subjects that I love dearly. High Score is a blog fully dedicated to the music of video games, the music that plays while you do. My mission is to analyze the objective elements of the music that make it so great in addition to providing purely subjective impressions of music featured in video games. Because as nice as the formal and objective analysis is, sometimes it just feels good to gush about how, “this song is just SO GOOD that I literally CANNOT.”
By discussing the theoretical, fundamental, and formal aspects of video game music, I hope to contribute to a more appreciative and musicological environment around this genre. And because music doesn’t write itself, I’ll also spotlight composers of this genre. We’ll get to delve into the backgrounds and influences of the people behind some of the most memorable and iconic soundtracks.
High Score 