Somebody page MotK's Fightest. Some years ago there was this huge thread analysing characters by their theme music there.
The content in that thread is almost entirely subjective. That's fine, but that doesn't fit what's being done here. A suitable addition would be one like those found at http://gamemusictheory.tumblr.com/
Well I'm done tagging for today. I think I might have missed something but this should be enough for quite sometime. I don't know how to interpert the columns so I don't think I can help much there. Looks like all and more characters appear in post #1503223? Guess I'll move my tags there too.
Adding some TL notes, all TLs with interrogations represents that they need check. Also if you know please post information or links to the musical concepts here or there as TL notes/links.
Alright, here's a bit of explanation on some of the things that had question marks.
Just as a disclaimer, I know the language of music theory, but not the Japanese language, so I'm assuming the translators translated correctly. I don't completely know theory as I'm still an undergrad, but I have had one full year's worth of college level theory, and I can tell what the artist is talking about when given a translation.
Modal mixture (3rd from the left under melody) and using major and minor chords (Rightmost under chords): This means chords from both Major (I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii°) and Minor^ (i, ii, III, iv, V, VI, vii°) modes are used, meaning it accounts for chords built on 10 of the possible 12 pitch classes. ^ This is assuming harmonic minor, which is used more often for voice leading reasons than natural minor.
Borrowing from Hemitonic scale (4th from left under melody): From what I can tell after looking up the definition of hemitonic, this basically means that the scale will have half steps in it, and usually applies to scales that aren't the basic Major or minor scales, like pentatonic. An example of this would be a Hemitonic Pentatonic scale which would have half steps and still be based off of five notes.
Bass keeps going up and down more than 3 times between a second interval (one over from the right under bass): My best guess is that this means the bass is moving up and down with the interval of a second, which is two half steps. The easiest way to see the interval of a second is two white keys on a piano next to each other unless it's from E to F or B to C or vice versa. The rightmost column under bass has no rough translation, so I cannot help with that one.
Using doppeldominante (2nd from left under chords): Based on the double dominant comment and the V/V lettering in the chart, this means secondary dominant, which is better explained here. http://www.teoria.com/tutorials/hf/domaux.php I can't help with the 4th one from the left under chords, there's no rough translation.
Using sus4 chords: This likely means that the chords have a 4-3 suspension, which means that a note that is a fourth above the bass is held over a change of harmony and then becomes a note that is a 3rd above the bass. If it's the bass that is changing, then it is relative to the key and is referring to scale degrees instead of intervals.
All the columns in modulations mention a minor third interval, meaning that the piece changes to a key that is a minor third away. An example of this would be modulating from the key of C to the key of E. This can be from Minor or Major to Minor or Major, it just needs to be the interval of a minor third to apply. Temporary modulation means it goes back to the original key eventually.
Although I had completely forgotten about this, I would still like to help you with translating this to the best of my ability.
I still here too and still studying music theory, if I learn something new I'll keep translating this picture and maybe exporting its content to a wiki someday...
I still here too and still studying music theory, if I learn something new I'll keep translating this picture and maybe exporting its content to a wiki someday...
Thanks :)
I managed to grab all of the get all of the untranslated text and make it all into well... copyable text. I will try to give a rough translation for these terms because I don't know music stuff. (Top Section)
バスが同一音程内を２回以上往復 Bass revolves in between no less than two musical intervals(?)
準固有のVI・VII度の長和音を使用 Uses semi-traditional long (Japanese) chords in VI/VII degrees.
属調で終止する（半終止） Ceasing Generic Tones (Half Stop)
(Side Section) ナポリまたはフリギア平行解決を使う強者 Powerful characters with parallel resolutions between Napoli and Fregia?
平行長調の｜で解決するさわやか Invigorating Parallel Major Keys by way of Resolutions(?)
（特に神々恋した幻想郷はIV-I^6なので群を抜いてさわやか）
Especially 'The Gensokyo the Gods Loved', with its invigorating IV-IV^6 really stands out.
小節以下のモチーフが短三度転調を用いて繰り返しでてくる曲
Tune with a motif of measure that repeatedly modulates in minor third. （穣子様は回数が少ない上にカンデンツァを含むので、バルトークの基軸システムに近くなっている）
Because the candenza contains a low frequency, Minoriko-sama's theme is close to the Bartok standard system.
一時的に短三度転調をするがすぐにカンデンツァを経て戻ってくる曲（にとりと静葉が目立ってきれいだがアレンジしにくい。橙のみ転調が反対方向） Tune that temporarily does minor third through candenza and comes back.(?)
Vlm7を使うメランコリックコンビ（もみじもみもみ） Melancholic Combination used in Vlm7.
長和音・長音階と短和音・短音階が同時に鳴ってるマルチタスクな方々 Long (Japanese)chords, Major scale and short chords, and minor scale simultaneously ringing all over the place at the same time. （特に静葉様とてゐが顕著） Especially Tewi and Shizuha-sama.
(Bottom Section) 映姫（頭の分散和音の音数の１２とポリリズムで９拍に１回入るサイン波の積が１０８） Eiki - Syllabic sounds at the beginning Arpeggio is 12 and Polyrhythm is 9 beats in 1 set, in a product of sine wave that 108. (?) (The mysterious number is 108.
諏訪子（空虚５度） Suwako - Vacant Fifths (?)
小傘（短調のDを長調のVと見なして逆進でIVに行き、IVをVと見なして短調のI、すなわち短２度下に転調して僕ぴっくり！） Kogasa (D Minor equates to Major Key V in a reverse advancement by going to IV, IV equates to V and Minor I. Namely, in Minor 2 modulation or less. That really surprised me!)(?)
I have tried my best translating the untranslated parts. Considering that I am still a newbie in music theory and Japanese is not my native language, there may be errors in my translation. Besides, perhaps music theory is taught differently in Japan, so their notation may appear different from what we are used to. Many of these may not make sense if we lack access to their terminology and actual understanding of these music pieces. Feel free to correct me. Some notes I would like to add:
(top section)
ドミナントを使用する(III)(v)
Dominant usually refers to V or v. Here III is listed is because a V in minor scale is III in its relative major scale. Note that V is not diatonic in a minor key; it is borrowed to create more tension (v-i does not work that well.)
陽旋法 陰旋法
This refers to two traditional Japanese scales, the yo scale and in scale. These two scales have different notes when ascending and descending. Thus, ascending yo scale is 1-2-4-5-b7 and descending yo is 1-2-4-5-6, while ascending in scale is 1-b2-4-5-b6 while descending in is 1-b2-4-5-b7. However, I am not quite sure what the author means when he writes "borrowing from yo/in scale". It could be that melodies are from different set of notes when ascending vs descending.
(side section)
IVの上でメロディーが付加6をやっている和風な方々
This refers to a note in the melody that implies an added sixth to the underlying chord. For example, in Suika's theme, Broken Moon, there are instances where an F sits above Ab chord, implying an Abadd6. Then Bb follows, and the melody goes from F to G, implying a Bbadd6. Ab is IV in the key of Eb major, and Bb is V in the same key. It is marked as VI6 in top section, which I believe is a typo.
ナポリまたはフリギア平行解決を使う強者
I believe that this refers to pieces that use Neapolitan chords and Phrygian cadence, both of which end on a dominant chord.
平行長調のIで解決するさわやか
Could be plagal cadence (IV-I), as mentioned in the smaller text below. Could be other progressions that go to non-diatonic I.
This is where confusion may arise. "A-moll" is A minor in German. The note C in A minor key is marked as IIIb. C is, indeed, the third degree in the key of A minor, and we usually mark the note as b3 and the chord as bIII. The flat sign in front of these numerals are relative to the parallel major scale, because the third degree in A major would be C#. This notation system based on major scale is considered "absolute", as opposed to the notation system taking the contextual tonality into consideration and marking C in A minor key as simply 3 or III.
Hi guys, ixgy here again. After a year and a half I have been (slowly) analyzing some other Touhou songs and gathered some notes about this chart. Again, feel free to point out any errors I made.
(top section)
ドッペルドミナントを使用(VII)(v/v)
The term "ドッペルドミナント" is without any doubt referring to secondary dominants. This title raises two questions: 1) why is VII (the chord built on 7th degree of the scale) and 2) why is "v/v" in lower case. First I'd like to talk about the author's use of capital letters. As I have mentioned in previous comment, the major dominant chord (V) in a minor scale is written as III. When we relabel chords in a minor scale based on its relative major (i.e. setting bIII of a minor scale as the new tonic I), all Roman numerals must subtract by a minor third. A minor third below a perfect fifth is major third, therefore V becomes "III". If the tonic center remains minor, the major dominant chord is written as "v" instead. This can be inferred by the use of "v/v", which must be major chords but is written in lower case instead. Therefore, the author use upper case Roman numerals to indicate that the tonic is major (or rather, the music piece is analyzed as if it has a major tonic,) and lower case roman numerals to indicate otherwise. They then add an "m" suffix after Roman numerals to indicate the quality of the chord in question, therefore "IIm" is a minor chord as well as "ivm". Note that this is different from what we are familiar in Western convention wherein letter case indicates the chord quality rather than the quality of tonic. With this premise in mind, we now know that "VII" is actually a II in minor key, which is one way to write V/V.
準固有のVI・VII度の長和音を使用
Below is "VIb" and "VIIb". Now, these chords do not make sense in relative minor. A minor third above b6 is 7 so these chords become VII and bII in a minor key which, while they are not completely forbidden, do not occur in tandem as intended by author. Therefore the "VIb" and "VIIb" here indicate chords borrowed from parallel minor scale into a major key.
(テンションでない) 長短和音の使用
This refers to the concurrence of a minor note with a major chord beneath it. This is also practised in blues where the harmony is mostly comprised of I7, IV7, and V7, and from time to time there are minor 3rd notes above them in the melody line. In case of ZUN's music, this sometimes occurs as a subtonic (b7) note above a V chord. Usually the b7, when considered as an extension to V, is written as #9 as in V7#9, and this extension creates a lot of tension. However, in songs such as 廃獄ララバイ and 神々が恋した幻想郷, the b7 does not land on a strong beat so as to not create too much tension (thus the phrase テンションでない) and it is IMO an approaching note to make the 5-1 melody line more smoother.
(side section)
IVの上でメロディーが付加6をやっている和風な方々
I covered the part "an added 6th (13th) in melody line above IV" in my previous comment. As for how it sounds Japanese (和風な方々), this may not be a direct answer, but Ryuichi Sakamoto in an interview about Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence mentioned that he decided to harmonize Bb, Eb, and F in melody line with Gb major instead of Eb major, despite that the note Eb is the note that gives the whole piece a distinct atmosphere. In this way, F becomes the 7th note of Gb major and Eb becomes its 13th note, making the harmony Gbmaj7(13). This kind of harmonization results in a distinct sound, and perhaps the author of this chart refers to this sound as Japanese (和風).
にとりと愉快な仲間達 一時的に短三度転調をするがすぐにカデンツァを経て戻ってくる曲
What happens in Nitori's theme, 芥川龍之介の河童 〜Candid Friend, is that, after we move from tonic i of D minor to I (=V/iv) and modulate to G minor, after a passage of bVI-bVII-i-bVII, we are greeted by two non-diatonic chords, namely Gb major and Ab major. The harmony and the melody line suggest that we have temporarily modulated to Bb minor, a minor third (短三度) above G minor. Gb major and Ab major and the following F7 chord form bVI-bVII-V7 in Bb minor, a common cadence in minor key. The tension of F7 is resolved, not by moving to Bb minor chord as V-i, but by moving to Eb major, the bVI chord in G minor, as bVII-bVI, and we later return to the true tonic through bVI-bVII-i.
With that said, the author of the chart uses the term カデンツァ to refer to this kind of cadence. According to Wikipedia, カデンツァ or cadenza is an improvised passage in an orchestra piece. Since we are talking about cadence here, it should be, in my opinion, カデンツ. However, some Japanese dictionaries, such as kotobank, list カデンツァ with two meanings:
(1) 和声終止形のこと... (2) カデンツァ・フィオリトゥーラcadenza fiorituraやカデンツァ・ディ・ブラブーラcadenza di bravuraの略...
That is, カデンツァ can mean both "cadence" and "cadenza". Therefore, the term カデンツァ in this chart, depending on context, should be referring to "cadence" instead of "cadenza".
Refreshing resolution to the I chord from parallel major scale.Tomboyish Girl in LoveAkutagawa Ryuunosuke's KappaLove-colored Master SparkMaiden's CapriccioBassEspecially important points are marked in red.Chord progressionBuddhist rhythm and unusually long songAwakening of the Earth SpiritsGreat Fairy WarsSakura SakuraChordUndefined Fantastic ObjectMr. ZUN changed his composing technique quite a bit after Double Spoiler, and made many themes unable to classify by this method.Old YuanshenModulationRural Makai City EsoteriaWalking the Streets of a Former HellPerfect Cherry BlossomSubterranean AnimismShoot the BulletCatastrophe in BhavaagraAn Ice Fairy in SpringTengu's NotebookEastern Judgement in the Sixtieth YearHeartfelt FancyRhythm, etc.Beware the Umbrella Left There ForeverFairy WarsAt the End of SpringWind CirculationThe Traditional Old Man and the Stylish GirlHartmann's Youkai GirlLast RemoteUsing Dorian 6thPhantasmagoria of Flower ViewA bit unique ones who use Dorian 6th and Fa at the same times.provisional extracted editionBroken MoonU.N. Owen Was Her?Ghost LeadThe Tiger-Patterned BishamontenHellfire MantleSleepless Night of the Eastern CountryRoad of the Misfortune GodTrial of classifying Touhou characters by the composing techniques used in their original themes.Nuclear......Immaterial and Missing PowerTen DesiresWind God GirlGreen-Eyed JealousyLullaby of a Deserted HellYoukai DominationImperishable NightMelodyWith rubatoLet's Live in a Lovely CemeteryMagus NightMysterious chordsWelcome to Youkai TempleSky of Scarlet PerceptionCrimson in the Black SeaMusical form and othersSomehow in major keysHeian AlienSatori MaidenLegend of the Great GodsRigid ParadiseSolar Sect of Mystic WisdomSeptette for a Dead PrincessThe Sealed Cloud RouteThe Sealed-Away YoukaiThe Dark BlowholeRetrospective KyotoA Tiny, Tiny, Clever CommanderThe Bridge People No Longer CrossCorpse VoyageA Flower-Studded Sake Dish on Mt. OoeTengu is WatchingMountain of FaithLunar Clock ~ Luna DialEmbodiment of Scarlet DevilArranger-killers who use chromatic scales in their theme melodies.Scarlet Weather RhapsodyLong punkt
Long kontrapunkt? (counterpoint)Twisted clichéEastern Sky of Scarlet PerceptionBloom Nobly, Ink-Black Cherry BlossomOni's Island in the FairylandNative FaithThe Primal Scene of Japan the Girl SawNight FallsDark Side of FateVoyageCemetery of OnbashiraLocked Girl ~ The Girl's Secret RoomHina-chan and Kanako-san have a bit different properties.VoyageThe Youkai MountainRaging pianoFall of Fall ~ Autumnal WaterfallThe Venerable Ancient BattlefieldPlayer's ScoreThe Gensokyo the Gods LovedVoile, the Magic LibrarySealed GodsExtend Ash ~ Person of HouraiBecause Princess Inada is Scolding MeYoukai DominationShanghai TeahouseA God that Misses PeopleDoll Judgment ~ The Girl Who Played with People's ShapesFaith is for the Transient PeopleTomorrow Will be Special, Yesterday was Not"The Gensokyo the Gods loved" is especially fresh due to its IV-I6 resolution.(Without Tension) Using Major and Minor Chords (?)Bass moves up in the same direction more than 4 timesSuika-san and Yuuka-san thereafter, have a different resolution.Theme counterpointing the melody.Using chromatic notes on melodyUsing I chordUsing diminished fifthUsing chords equivalent to Neapolitan onesJust the directions of Letty's theme is somewhat different (?)Using VI6Surprised me as a music makerAbout the table / For beginners too!Dreamer maidens that uses VIb-VIIb chord progression(Aya modulation) Modulating to the relative key signature by a minor third. (?)Bass moves down in the same direction more than 4 timesUsing Fixed Cadential form (I-V-I)(Including cliches) Using augmented fitth(Including cliches) Using sixthBecause Nazrin's theme is improptu-like, it's a little bit of a special casePolyrhythm or rhythm changingOnly the tree fairies solves the progression using a major chord (?)Speaking of Yuyuko's TD theme.Mass of cool mystery cliches. Nitori and her cheerful gangAlice and her cheerful gangAya and her cheerful gangSomebody should write a book about these couplings.The fourth trioMake a contract with me and become a magical girl!It’s possible that some pieces are not on the chart… If one of them has slipped my mind please forgive me!Pieces that repeat a motif no longer than 4 measures using minor-third modulation.Minoriko's is close to the axis system of Bartók because it does not repeat a lot and contains cadenza.Pieces that modulate a minor third away and come back through a cadenza.Nitori's and Shizuha's are beautiful but difficult for arrangements. Only Chen's modulation is in opposite direction.(Including exceptions) Using Mode MixtureBorrowing from a Hemitonic scaleUsing augmented second / diminished fourthBass keep going up and down more than 3 times between the interval of a second.Using secondary dominants.Using the dominant.Using sub-dominants in minor keyUsing sus4 chords.Using a different tuning from the modern one (440hz)3/4 time signature or a compound time signature.Uses secondary dominants in a classical way here and there.Using the picardy third-Using sequenses.(Alice modulation) Minimal modulating by a minor third interval.(Nitori modulation) Temporary modulation by a minor third interval.Intro with a well-defined thematic statement.A Dream More Scarlet than RedCrystallized SilverUsing Fa in solmization (Most likely an error where it should say 'Fi' instead)Apparitions Stalk the NightLunate ElfThe melancholic duo featuring VIm7.Especially Shizuha and Tewi.Upon closer look, it turns out that Aya is in both Alice modulation and Nitori modulation.A Soul as Scarlet as a Ground CherryThe Doll Maker of BucurestiThe Maid and the Pocket Watch of BloodThe Young Descendant of TepesThe Centennial Festival for Magical GirlsAn Eternity More Transient than ScarletParadise ~ Deep MountainScarlet Tower ~ Eastern Dream...Shanghai Alice of Meiji 17Ghostly Dream ~ Snow or Cherry PetalDiao Ye ZongThe Capital City of Flowers in the SkyParadise ~ Deep MountainGhostly Dream ~ Snow or Cherry PetalThe Fantastic Tales from TōnoPieces that, based on the VI note or IV# note, go to IV#m (i.e. VIm/VI from the parallel scale of the same tonic) instead of VIm or II6 and soon come back.Half-cadence girls whose themes end on dominant.Multitasking by playing major chord/key and minor chord/key simultaneously.Hollow fifthThere are two types: the classic Shizuha's where dominant motion is done by common tones at the end of a phrase, and Kisume's where a semitone above the chord at the end of a phrase becomes IV of the original key.This chart is based on solmization, with the help from of Nakasako Sakana, the leader of Machikado-Mapoze. There may be mistakes in the pieces which Sakana did not listen very carefully.I don't have perfect pitch, so I don't understand any bit of tonality. Speaking of equal temperament (hour-long speech.) By the way, when naming notes, be consistent on the language you use, be it Italian, English, or German."Pieces that can hardly be made major," "pieces that are difficult for arrangement," "pieces that don't break no matter how I twist it," "guidance to classical arrangement," "passion for favorite pieces," "passion for Minoriko." If you are interested in any of the above, you can always contact me.Actually, Machikado-Mapoze arrangements do not take such difficult things into consideration. If you are interested, please consider buying our CDs!Making D from minor scale into V of a major scale and going to IV in opposite direct, then treating IV as V and modulates to minor I, which is a second below. This surprises me.The product of 12, the number of notes in the arpeggio at the beginning, and 9, the number of measures after which a sine wave adds in polyrhythmically, is 108.The absolute Roman numeral notation is used in order to avoid confusion (e.g. C becomes IIIb in the key of A minor.)The absolute Roman numeral notation is used in order to avoid confusion (e.g. C becomes IIIb in the key of A minor.)Japanese style done by adding a sixth in melody line above the IV chord.Suika's resolution is that to the added sixth of V chord, and Yuuka's is to a sus4.Has an exotic way of adding major seconds and diminished fourths.Bluesy ones who use diminished fifths.The strong ones using Neapolitan or Phrygian cadence.
