Ok here is a novel on my entire thought process of my entry basically:
Jofes Devlog for Queen Bubblene Blast!
I had just finished writing a 10 song series of my own original Banjo Kazooie Worlds so the Grant kirkhope style was freash in my mind so I wanted to stick with that style for this jam.
To start with, I needed a concise set of instruments to work with to make a believable OST that flows well.
I took inspiration from one of my previous works that was based on being underwater where I used a lot of auxillary percussion to kind of portray the vast quantity of fish and coral and such.
I wanted to do that again but for a different reason, The theme being "Inside My World" I thought I should incorperate that into my music with more than just the vibes of the song. By purposefully avoiding traditional percussion such as snare, kicks, or cymbals, I wanted to sell the idea that this is someone elses world, not yours.
So my percussion was set, I would use tons of auxillary percussion to fill a lot of space and I could take them away or introduce them to change the feel of the different tracks. They were also very syncopated to keep the songs interesting and bouncy.
Going forwards, I wanted to keep each song relatively short for a few reasons. 1, I didn't want to intimidate anyone with an overly long submission since I knew that happens to me. I also wanted to make sure that everything stayed fresh and interesting to prevent boredom and waning interest. almost every song is less than 2 minutes and had at least 2 unique sections where if they repeated, there would be some sort of variation in the melody or counter line.
Now to talk about the theming real quick. The picture is obviously an underwater vibe and I of course saw the bubble like person along with the little girl who wasn't a bubble. I came up with the idea that the little girl was the villain of the story becaus eshe is smiling at the bubble person. Why? Because SHE is the one who turned you into a bubble! Inside my world is in reference to her. You are inside her domain, her kingdom, you are inside her control since she turned you into a fragile bubble.
Making fun music is what I like to do. As such, I wanted to keep things light and well BUBBLY! the instruments I chose were picked for a few reasons. To sell the underwater atmosphere, to provide a regal aura at times, to provide a goofy aura at times, and most importantly, Because I like them!
Steel Drum, Marimba, Xylophone, Bassoon, Tubas, Horns, Aux Percussion, Bass Guitar, Harp, Sub Bass, Strings.
These were all picked according to the criteria I listed above.
Now lets go track by track and I will explain my thought process.
Queen Bubblene Blast!:
This is the title track and my main concern was making as strong of a first impression that I could. That is why I tried to make fast and potentially make it the most fun song of the bunch. I did this by using the Vibraslap. That is a goofy instrument and would set the tone for the entire OST. Steel drums are the most perky instrument I had so that was the leading melody.
Partway through I made room for the harp to take over to slow things down a bit and get more of that title screen feel with the strings. and calmer atmosphere. That then cuts back to the more involved part now with goofy bassoon to back up the steel drums implying that we are headed underwater with the timbre. Then the final section has tubas leading to signify we are underwater and near queen Bubblene now with the low timbre and regal tubas.
So You've Been Turned Into A Bubble:
This was the first song I made for the jam.
It begins with an intro with bubble noises to imply the magic happening that is turning you into a bubble and muffled bassoon is being played and unmuffling to show the magic is working. then the main section starts.
The vibe I wanted to go for in this track is a regal trickster. Like if the ruler of the kingdom was also the jester. Lost of regal tubas with harps for the more royal sections of the song. Then it goes into the darker section with the bassoon which is still light and goofy but it is playing much lower and more sinister notes alongside the tubas showing that the Queen is Devious.
After that section ends it plays the main section again but this time with the bassoon countering the harp showing that the Royal side and the trickster side of Queen Bubblene are 2 sides of the same person. Then the final section plays which is the devious section but now the bassoon is higher and playing more melodic ideas to implicate that her devious personality is still goofy but also annoying.
The H2Zone:
This is the town theme and as such I wanted it to be very lighthearted and bouncy. I didn't use the tubas in this song as I wanted it to feel like a safe space from Queen Bubblene and I associate the tubas with her. The bassoon is playing the melody but more goofy than how it was in the last song. This is also the only song that uses the xylophone for part of the melody in the second half as in every other song the xylophone provides texture and backup chord hits rather than the melody.
I made a fun call and response with the xylophone and the steel drums both because it sounds really cool and since it works in a hub area type place since you are making decisions like what stage to begin your journey with.
NonStopped UnPopped:
This one I started with the intent that it would be one of if not the fastest/most intense song since it is the fast paced stage theme. It honestly didn't get all that complex to me since I just wanted it to be a fun yet intense stage theme though it is the song I had the most trouble making. The first main section of the song was harder to write than several of the other pieces entirely and I honestly have no clue why but I like how it turned out.
Taking In Some Air:
I knew the pause them was gonna be super simple. Just the bass, the strings, and the percussion and nothing else. Take away all melodic instruments to sell the idea that the main attraction is on hold for now. As such, the percussion takes on the role of melody with alternating cowbell and Claves for a sort of blip menu noise feel.
Octo-Popper Supreme
The main thing I wanted to do was go from 100 BPM to 188 BPM since an octopus has 8 tentacles so going from 100 to 188 felt like a fun way to incorporate the tempo into the theming even more.
I didn't however want the boss to be 188bpm fast so I kept the actual melody and feel at half tempo so it feels like 94 BPM. Since this is the climax song I thought it appropriate to add a new instrument to freshen things up and add excitement. Hence the horns came in. Similar to the Tubas they keep a regal feeling for the Queen while being better suited to action music. The song is in a blues key to feel extra funky and in game the boss bases the attacks around the beat of the music so a jazzy freestyle back and forth gameplay for a boss encounter fit a jazzy back and forth song which is why the melodies repeat and layer on the horns after playing once on a different instrument.
Surfacing:
I wanted it to feel relieving and light. I made the harp arpeggiate upwards and pan from left to right to really push the rising up feeling and used the strings a lot for the ecstasy feeling they gave of finally beating a boss.
If you read through all of this thank you! I had a ton of fun making the music and I love it so much!