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Swiss Villain Leitmotif's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Overall Sound | #1 | 4.750 | 4.750 |
| Memorability | #3 | 4.167 | 4.167 |
| Originality | #6 | 4.000 | 4.000 |
Ranked from 12 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
What is the most interesting interval in your leitmotif/theme?
There are several intervals that I’d like to mention, some of which in the motif itself, but others more to do with the accompaniment and with the arrangement.
I really like half step movement in the root of the tonic in a minor key to get a sorta sinister feel. In the case of this song, which is in D minor, the root moves from D to C#. I harmonized that by turning the C# into the root of the V chord(A major) in first inversion. Otherwise, a I-V move would sound super vanilla, but by focusing on that half step motion in the root of the chord, it ends up feeling much darker.
The next interval that I want to focus on is actual in an embellishment to the actual motif towards the end. I used a big octave jump in the first violins towards the end to inject a ton of energy along with a major increase in the dynamics. It felt very John Williams to me, and like, why wouldn’t I keep that?
To be honest, lately I’ve focused a little bit less on catchy intervals in my motifs to grab people's attention and a lot more on catchy melodic Rhythm. If you are able to put some variation in the intervals of a motif, but make the rhythm super consistent, I believe you are able to play that motif more frequently and get it stuck in peoples heads easier without them getting tired of hearing it.
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Comments
Dude hired a whole orchestra for this. No cap
lol, I wish I could afford a full orchestra, It’s definitely a goal of mine to be able to. Happy Easter btw!
This is the Swiss villain’s backstory about the lovely gypsy girl and how all his wealth separated him from her, later mummifying his heart and driving him to acts of unspeakable callousness. You hear he is Swiss because of the sweeping vistas and the cold winds of loneliness.
Nobody ever has to sell me on sad waltzes, violins, or harps, but the orchestration swept us onto the dance floor and had us swooning in the dip at 0.9
I love this! This backstory absolutely elevates the music at least 10X
Thank you for your kind words
Wow, you’ve sold me that classic orchestra makes for excellent villain music! The orchestration is very well-balanced and the melody is always supported by harmony and/or countermelody in appropriate instruments that are in non-competing registers so that it’s all heard easily. I love that while you could have led up to a big climax at the end, you chose to dial it back as if the villain is starting to scheme, but then realizes that the time has not yet come to enact his/her plan and returns to solemnly brooding. Thank you for sharing!
I really appreciate such a thorough response! I’ve been working on my orchestration and programming for orchestral libraries a ton this year, and comments like this really make me feel like the effort was worth it. Thank you!
So cool that I keep listening again and again to this piece lol !
It's so catchy, tragic, emotional, as if the villain was in despair or in distrust towards humanity.
Great work, really !
Maaaaan, this comment made my day, Thank you!
This is so Game of Throne meets waltz! The expression on this thing is beautiful. Also fits the "larger than life" theme, those strings sure are powerful. I do have to ask, why Swiss Villain? XD
Also, not sure if villainous or tragic hero... I think I'd end up rooting for the person this song describes, lol.
Haha, I’m actually not sure why Swiss. I’ve never been to Switzerland, but when I closed my eyes, I imagine this character being somewhere in the Swiss Alps.
I’m glad you enjoyed the composition! The best villains are always a little sympathetic IMO:)
I really like this piece! :) you have super good sound quality as well as a memorable motif! Also really enjoying the dynamics and instrumentation :)
Thank you! I put a lot of effort into those elements, so I’m glad it didn’t fall on deaf ears!
Very good composition, love the chord choices!
Thank you! I appreciate the feedback.
As a swiss person myself I was quite excited to see this submission and it did not disappoint. It's a very lovely tune and the thought you put into it shows. I can imagine this as my own theme if I ever turn into a villain :)
Haha, I’m glad I get your Swiss stamp of approval! Glad you enjoyed it:)
After having listened to all the submissions I have to say this has to be my favourite. It's such a lovely melody and at the same time calm as it's sinister. The build up to the climax and then the way the melody slowly pans out take the listener on a short journey and I can imagine a drone shot of the swiss alps when suddenly the villains lair is revealed and we watch him as he prepares his schemes. Then as the melody pans out we zoom back out and the drone takes us back to watching the alps.
The different string parts and the sudden gong at the climax play together so nicely and I could listen to this melody on repeat. It's a shame it could only be 30 seconds long. You did a wonderful job!