Kingdom Hearts Collection

Dearly Beloved

Nobuo Uematsu - Force Your Way

Nobuo Uematsu - Don't Be Afraid

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As Link's Awakening album is stuck in limbo, it's time to move on to new tracks. Even though FFVI is my favorite in the series, including the soundtrack, I think the battle theme for FFVII is superior, and in a league of its own. Nobuo Uematsu went all out and redesigned the battle theme to underscore the upgraded visuals, the cinematic camera, and the intense fighting energy. This is the kind of music I would have trouble composing myself. There's no clear melodic progression, the phrasing is unpredictable, yet put together everything still sounds so catchy and iconic. I am simply in awe at how Uematsu came up with this.

I am very wary of arranging SquareEnix music, because they already do great arrangements with a live orchestra (Distant Worlds). However, I chose to take a crack at this one because I don't like the orchestrations floating around. The Advent Children piano solo is great, but leaves me still wanting the full arrangement. The version in the FF Battle Theme medley is too simple and short and not even complete, and the version at the end of Crisis Core is too cliche, with the awesome piccolo solo replaced with boring strings. Come on!

For my arrangement, I let the music it play out in three unique loops. Here's my process behind them.

I. Enhanced (Orchestrated)
The first loop is a straightforward sounding arrangement of the original version. This was particularly difficult for me to achieve, because when I recreated it using the same instruments and articulation, everything sounded too muddy. The snappiness of the brass section is gone, the piccolo is drowned out, and the strings sound so synthesized. To fix that, I started fading instruments out and only had them come in during the recognizable parts. Also, I used a lot of solo instruments. I tried out this measured tremolo technique for the strings and the flutes to really get that intense energy feeling of a battle scene. It's definitely one of my favorite parts.

II. Expanded
After satisfying the purists, it's time to go crazy with some insane phrasing. I felt that since the battle theme appears in the beginning of the game and all throughout the entire story progression, I should include instruments that represent other areas of the game world. The original version felt very military and only fits well in the context of Midgar and Shinra soldiers. I added the more eastern Taikos, woodblocks, and african drums as a means of recalling areas such as Wutai, Cosmo Canyon and generally the overworld monsters. Then I mixed up the instrumentation and have different combinations of them play each phrase. This adds to the fast paced nature of the battles and the infinite variety of attacks/party members/magic/monsters that comprise each encounter. Again, the use of solo instruments (instead of ensemble) makes each note clearer and enhances the "attack" of the notes. The climax piccolo section I've redone to sound like perfect limit break music. I could go on much more on this section as it probably took me 80% of the entire time spent on this orchestration.

III. Extended (Cool down)
Just like I did with Tal Tal Heights, I added a third section as a breather before looping back. If a battle were to last long enough that you reach this part of the music, that would mean the battle is probably more difficult, or filled with annoying enemies. Here I ease up on the instruments to represent the fighters either recovering from their wounds or strategizing how best to defeat the enemy.

In conclusion, modern soundtracks have traded catchy music for boring orchestrated atmospheric ambiance. Why can't we have both? This arrangement is my argument for more iconic NON-background music.

Nobuo Uematsu - Don't Be Afraid

LucariniaZed