Ep 0: 21 Ways to Compose Better Video Game Music (Super Marcato Bros) - a podcast by Matt Kenyon

from 2017-10-03T00:08:50

:: ::

The Super Marcato Bros are Karl and Will Brueggemann. They are prolific video game music composers, podcasters, performers, enthusiasts, and all-around nice guys.



Their Bandcamp boasts a catalog of over 30(!) albums, each demonstrating reverence for the formative melodies of their youth.







The crown jewel of their creative careers seems to be their long-standing podcast, The Super Marcato Bros Video Game Music Podcast, in which they critique and explore video game music of all stripes.



I sat down with them for a 30-minute interview (which turned into an hour-and-a-half interview) as they graciously shared insights and experiences on composing great music. We also got geeky and talked about some of their favorite tools.



Here are the tips (click to jump there):

Video Game Music Composition and Arrangement



  • Learn and analyze your favorite tunes


  • Experiment with spread voicings


  • Limit yourself for more creativity


  • Composition first, sound design second


  • Challenge yourself with different keys


  • Break out of your typical genres


  • Learn a spicy technique


  • Expand your toolbox


  • Embrace trial-and-error


  • Experiment with "wrong" notes


  • Avoid gear infatuation


  • Get out of the box (or stay inside)


  • Make your workflows work for you


  • Value the performance over the tech




    • Getting Gigs and Breaking into the Industry



  • Developers sign your checks


  • Practice communication and soft skills


  • Focus on the environment


  • Support the story




    • Work Ethic and Composition Philosophy



  • Don’t bash popular music


  • Finish, finish, finish


  • Write every single day




    • Composition and Arrangement

    The Marcato Bros have the uncanny ability to deconstruct a particular song, figure out how it works, and compose original music in the same spirit.



    This idea is behind albums like Hello World, which plays like a reverent tribute to Koji Kondo's Super Mario World soundtrack.



    Hello World: Adventures in Mushroomland by Super Marcato Bros.



    More than just a hat-tip to the classic sounds of SNES hardware, Hello World feels like it belongs in the same universe as Super Mario World and could easily be mistaken for the work of Kondo-san.

    1. Learn and analyze your favorite tunes

    Karl and Will begin to deconstruct their favorite songs by sitting down at the piano figuring out the parts by ear. There is usually no notation here, just listening over and over and studying the piece until you can identify the voices.



    All you need is a piano (or DAW) and YouTube to do this. 8-Bit Music Theory does a live transcription of a Mario Kart tune here.



    He utilizes YouTube’s rewind/slow-down function to help him figure out the parts. Check it out to see some great transcription in action.



    Try this helpful workflow: