Star Wars Music Minute

TLJ 12: Follow Your Spidey Sense (Minutes 56-60)

What do Brazil, Mario Kart Wii, Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, Cantina, and Canto Bight have in common? In this episode, we investigate a listener's question and practice moving from musical intuition to supported musical hypothesis. Soundtrack: "Canto Bight" Song Examples: "Aquarela do Brasil" by Ary Barroso "Canto Bight" by John Williams "Cantina Band" by John Williams "Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin" by Franz Liszt "Bananas and Blow" by Ween Connect with Star Wars Music Minute: Watch us on YouTube: youtube.com/starwarsmusicminute Twitter: @StarWarsMusMin and @chrysanthetan Instagram: @starwarsmusicminute and @chrysanthetan Email podcast@starwarsmusicminute.com Submit anonymous questions/comments for the show with this quick form. Want more of this? Check out Chrysanthe's Patreon for weekly practice/composing/music analysis livestreams.

TLJ 11: Steel Pans of Canto Bight (Minutes 51-55 with Tyler Hunt)

We haven't heard steel pan drums in a Star War since "Cantina Band" in 1977! What vibe was John Williams going for here? Percussionist Tyler Hunt, the steel pan drummer from the soundtrack, is here to give us the scoop. Discussion topics/Highlights: The fascinating history of steel pan drums. When Tyler got the call... How steel pan drums fit into the music of Star Wars. What the "Canto Bight" recording sessions were like, how they differed from the regular scoring sessions, what the various instruments were, how much was written down vs. improvised. The collaborative nature of this track. John Williams brought in some percussion legends to help with the groove. Why John Williams didn't like Tyler's steel pan drums and asked him to borrow a different instrument. Comparisons between "Canto Bight" and "Cantina Band." A basic overview of the styles heard in the "Canto Bight" track. Themes (in order of appearance): end of Force theme, Rey's theme, Kylo Ren (Aggressive), Tension motif, Kylo Ren (Tentative, then Aggressive) Soundtrack: We are on track 9. Canto Bight Links Mentioned: Pan groove steel orchestra: https://youtu.be/hnHl74M5Wg8 Tyler Hunt: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tylerhuntpercussion YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/tylerisfunny Connect with Star Wars Music Minute: Watch us on YouTube: youtube.com/starwarsmusicminute Twitter: @StarWarsMusMin and @chrysanthetan Instagram: @starwarsmusicminute and @chrysanthetan Email podcast@starwarsmusicminute.com Submit anonymous questions/comments for the show with this quick form. If you're super nerdy about this stuff, check out Chrysanthe's Patreon for weekly practice/composing/music analysis livestreams.

TLJ 10: Colors of the Wind (Minutes 46-50 with Justin Leo Kennedy)

In this episode, we attempt to recreate the Rey and Kylo Force chat effect, play with wind generators, and break down Rey's meditation montage in this sound effects-infused episode! Electronic music specialist Justin Leo Kennedy is here to share his love of Ben Burtt, oscillators, BB-8, and more.
 
Themes heard in these minutes:
Luke in Exile (Sarabande)
Ahch-To Arpeggios
Force theme
Rey's theme
Links Mentioned:
Ben Burtt interview: https://www.starwars.com/news/empire-at-40-ben-burtt-interview
Affordable Software for Producers and Musicians: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Jqo0viKeqDw-lfTFZUywKIVu3DaLwprECKr2NoP8nzY/edit
Justin Leo Kennedy:
Twitter: @JLK_Beret
Instagram: @justinleokennedy
Website: https://www.justinleokennedy.net/
Star Wars Music Minute:
Instagram: @starwarsmusicminute and  @chrysanthetan
Twitter: @StarWarsMusMin and @chrysanthetan
Patreon: https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan
Email podcast@starwarsmusicminute.com
Submit anonymous questions/comments with this quick form.

TLJ 9: Incidental Creeping (Minutes 41-45)

A short and sweet episode about incidental music and how it helps us understand a complicated, dialogue-heavy scene.
Action: In this set of minutes, Rose tases Finn for trying to desert the Resistance, they bond over shared knowledge, they bring Poe into the plan. Then, they call up Maz Kanata, who tells them to find the Master Codebreaker. Poe peers over Leia, says he's not gonna tell Holdo the plan, and finally, we cut to shots of Rey and Kylo in their respective locations picking up on each others' presence.
Motifs: Rose's theme, Resistance March, Leia's theme, possible Main Title hint. 
Soundtrack: Second half of "Fun with Finn and Rose"
Star Wars Music Minute is on Instagram @starwarsmusicminute, and Chrysanthe is on Twitter @chrysanthetan and Instagram at @chrysanthetan. Chrysanthe's Patreon is https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan. 
If you have questions or suggestions, email podcast@starwarsmusicminute.com or submit anonymous questions/comments with this quick form.

TLJ 8: Voicing Luke Skywalker (Minutes 36-40 with Anthony Hansen)

Voice actor Anthony Hansen, who played Luke Skywalker in the first Battlefront game, joins me in a deep dive of Mark Hamill's voice and weighs in on the soundscape of minutes 36-40 of The Last Jedi. We talk vocal placement, pitch, cadence, accents, ADR, and compare the vocal characteristics of young Luke, old Luke, Yoda, Snoke, Darth Vader, and Obi-Wan.
Theme-spotting: (Altered) Force theme, Rose's theme. 
Soundtrack: "Fun with Finn and Rose"
Discussion topics:
Voicing Luke Skywalker for the first Battlefront video game: the process and challenges.
How voice acting works in a film, how voice acting differs from physical acting, and what the ADR (Additional Dialogue Replacement) process is like.
Andy Serkis, Snoke vs. Golem vs. Stitch.
Chewbacca's different vocalizations.
Different interpretations of Holdo's Force theme teaser.
The qualities and cadences of Mark Hamill's voice, from young Luke to old Luke.
Our first impressions of Rose's theme.
Vocal placement and the head as a resonance chamber.
A demonstration of different accents, vocal placements, and voices (Obi-Wan, Luke, Yoda, Vader, etc).
Tips on exploring the limits of your own voice at home.
Note: While leitmotif names are completely up to interpretation, I use the names from Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. I find this resource to be the most careful, objective, well-organized, and up-to-date guide of its kind.  
Anthony Hansen is on Twitter @anthonyhansen and Instagram @anthonyhansenVO and at anthonyhansen.net
Star Wars Music Minute is on Instagram @starwarsmusicminute, and Chrysanthe is on Twitter @chrysanthetan and Instagram at @chrysanthetan. Chrysanthe's Patreon is https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan. 
If you have questions or suggestions, email podcast@starwarsmusicminute.com or submit anonymous questions/comments with this quick form.

TLJ 7: Leia Poppins Returns! (Minutes 31-35 with Tony Thaxton)

Icy music thaws and soars as Leia saves herself with the Force. Tony Thaxton (Motion City Soundtrack, Bizarre Albums, and more) joins me in a breakdown of Leia's emotional musical beats and other sounds from minutes 31-35 of The Last Jedi. We discuss orchestration vs. rock arrangements, music theory vs. intuition, and what we've learned from playing Star Wars covers.
Theme-spotting: Leia theme, Force theme, Rey theme. 
Soundtrack: end of track 4. "The Supremacy" and beginning of track 6. "Old Friends"
Discussion topics:
A breakdown of the music and sound in that Leia scene.
Using music theory vs intuition.
Orchestration vs. arranging for a rock band.
A much-needed refresher on the three (!) different Leia themes.
Reverb and the First Order's interior decorating preferences.
How Tony and I approach covering Star Wars songs and what we've learned from it.
If we could create a new Star Wars band...
Note: While leitmotif names are completely up to interpretation, I use the names from Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. I find this resource to be the most careful, objective, well-organized, and up-to-date guide of its kind.  
Tony Thaxton is on Twitter @tonythaxton, Instagram @tonythaxton, and check out his podcast Bizarre Albums.
Star Wars Music Minute is on Instagram @starwarsmusicminute, and Chrysanthe is on Twitter @chrysanthetan and Instagram at @chrysanthetan. Chrysanthe's Patreon is https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan. 
If you have questions or suggestions, email podcast@starwarsmusicminute.com or submit anonymous questions/comments with this quick form.

TLJ 6: What Does Hyperspace Sound Like? (Minutes 26-30 with Liz Whitaker)

Today, we are covering the music and sound of minutes 26-30 of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi! We get a final look of Luke, Leia sits by the window while exiting hyperspace, Leia slaps and demotes Poe, Admiral Ackbar calls a proximity alert, Snoke's ship tracks the Raddus, Poe gets permission to blow stuff up, Kylo Ren looks angry but conflicted, and the hangar blows up. Guest: Liz Whitaker from Mean Girls Minute. Theme-spotting: Force theme, Kylo Ren theme, Leia theme, Resistance March, Tension.  Soundtrack: "4. The Supremacy" Discussion topics: "Force Theme vs Binary Sunset vs Obi Wan"  Liz's method of writing music to herself is "BUM bum bum bum bum" Suspension chords and the effect they can have on a scene. Water bottle rattle symbolism. Xanthe feels some "Pavane for a Dead Princess" (Maurice Ravel) vibes. What hyperspace sounds like and how we would recreate hyperspace at home. Rundown of sound design highlights. Futuristic beeps and blips. So underrated yet so precise.  How 90's pop divas unknowingly trained our ears to recognize emphatic key changes. The sputtering and corkscrewing sounds of Kylo's ship. An interesting happens in Kylo's theme... Our lay breakdown of the explosion sound moment.  How sound design sparks curiosity. Incongruity and unexpected sound design choices subconsciously challenge our assumptions about the physical space of a given world. (ex. The sound BB-8 makes when bouncing around). Two different interpretations of what Leia's Theme could mean. Consistency note: While leitmotif names are completely up to interpretation, I'm using the names that Frank Lehman uses in his Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars. I find this resource to be the most careful, objective, well-organized, and up-to-date guide of its kind.   Liz Whitaker is on Twitter @MeanGirlsMinute. Also Instagram @meangirlsminute. Star Wars Music Minute is on Instagram @starwarsmusicminute, and Chrysanthe is on Twitter @chrysanthetan and Instagram at @chrysanthetan. Chrysanthe's Patreon is https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan.  If you have questions or suggestions, email podcast@starwarsmusicminute.com or submit anonymous questions/comments with this quick form.

TLJ 5: Luke’s Music Video (Minutes 21-25)

Luke has new theme music, and it's epic! A deep dive into the music heard in minutes 21-25 of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. Action: Rey follows Luke around while he does his thing on Ahch-To Island. We see him squirting green milk into his bottle and his mouth straight from the source. He pole vaults across cliffs, spears a very big fish, and hikes up the mountain in a thunderstorm. Finally, Rey follows suspicious Sith whispers to a mysterious, cavernous tree. Luke asks her who she is. Highlights: Luke's music video montage. The harmonic relationship between Luke's themes and Rey's themes. Hints on how to analyze film music. Comparisons of the music vs. cinematography. An attempt at moo-ing. Star Wars Music Minute is on Instagram @starwarsmusicminute, and Chrysanthe is on Twitter @chrysanthetan and Instagram at @chrysanthetan. Chrysanthe's Patreon is https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan.  If you have questions or suggestions, email podcast@starwarsmusicminute.com or submit anonymous questions/comments with this quick form.

TLJ 4: Surround Sound Snoke (Minutes 16-20 with Ralph Apel)

Master Skywalker throws his lightsaber out the door, porgs jump all over it, Chewbacca breaks into Luke's hut, we see Jedi tchotchkes, and Snoke says mean things to Kylo Ren, who ultimately smashes his ridiculous mask into a smoldering heap. Joining me today is fellow nerd Ralph Apel from Casino Skunk! Episode highlights: How porg sounds were made  The scene with Luke's Force accoutrements The use of tritones... the devil's interval? Imperial March cameo 3 progressively angry Kylo Ren themes (piano demonstration) and the symbolism therein A discussion on scores vs soundtrack versions Galaxy's Edge sound secrets Ralph Apel is at casinoskunk.com, and @casinoskunk on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Patreon. Star Wars Music Minute is on Instagram @starwarsmusicminute, and Chrysanthe is on Twitter @chrysanthetan and Instagram at @chrysanthetan. If you have questions or suggestions, email podcast@starwarsmusicminute.com or (new!) fill out this quick form.

TLJ 3: Falling Jedi Steps (Minutes 11-15 with James Waterman)

There's a lot happening in minutes 11-15 of Star Wars Episode 8: The Last Jedi! Luckily, percussionist James Waterman is here to help me tackle it. In this portion of the film, we witness Paige's sacrifice, Leia's Force sigh, Snoke's gravely voice, Finn's leaky bacta suit, and Rey handing the venerable Jedi master his old lightsaber.  Episode highlights: Narrated violin "performances" of Paige's final act and Luke's first act. The Last Jedi's novel approach to individual perspective-based sound design. VIP leitmotif occurrences include the Force theme and Battle of the Heroes. How musical anchors can keep viewers engaged. Examples of leading tones, interval leaps, ascending and descending lines. How the meandering melody on Ahch-To telegraphs Luke's mood. The role of the timpani in film scores. James is @jameswatermanmusic on Instagram and jameswatermanmusic.com Star Wars Music Minute is on Instagram @starwarsmusicminute, and Chrysanthe is on Twitter @chrysanthetan and Instagram at @chrysanthetan. If you have questions or suggestions, email podcast@starwarsmusicminute.com or fill out this quick form.