Bloodborne’s Best Boss Theme? || Music Theory Analysis
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- čas přidán 12. 05. 2024
- Ludwig's theme from the Bloodborne: Old Hunters DLC captures everything that's great about the Souls series' music. The piece bounces between eerie dissonances, somber melodies, and huge dramatic builds with effortless fluidity, while also adding an emotional context to the fight that deepens our understanding of the character without any explanation necessary. Let's take a look and see if we can see just why Ludwig's music is so beloved.
0:00 - Ludwig, The Accursed
1:27 - Eerie Tension
3:29 - First Main Theme
6:56 - Spooky Choir Chords
8:07 - Boss Phase Transition
10:55 - Ludwig, The Holy Blade
12:38 - Second Main Theme
13:41 - Climax
16:38 - Outro
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#Ludwig #Bloodborne #8bitMusicTheory - Hry
"If the tritone is the Devil's interval, then the diminished seventh chord must be his summer house".
You already won the crown for best quote of 2024 with this one
Typical Alex Moukala. Summoned by Bloodborne lmaoo
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I pretty much want this on a T-shirt now, even though I don't wear T-shirts. I'd still buy it! Maybe a mug would be better for me.
“Mouth crammed full of teeth”
Sir those are eyes
GRANT US EYES ON THE INSIDE
Not that it really matters for the purposes of this video, but: his mouth is not filled with teeth, it’s actually filled with EYES!!!! It has to do with the eldritch horrors he has seen, which is why he is transforming into the beast. So I guess it does relate to your overall point of the music, but I just wanted to add a bit more of the creepy context.
My favorite from Bloodborne is definitely The First Hunter. The part where everything breaks down and you're left with only the highest and lowest voices is just so haunting. Then the choir comes in...
Great song but I’m in the Lawerence Camp myself. They’re all good, though. Gascogne, One Reborn, Maria, etc.
@@lt_johnmcclane Yeah, the soundtrack is so good there's no shame in any of them being someone's favorite!
Its all about the Living Failures boss theme. Pure bliss.
For me - Lawrance,
I am inclined to be lame and say Cleric Beast (/immediately reused at Amelia) is my favourite but I have not listened to them all in isolation recently
The melody actually uses triplet partials and not sixteenth notes at 5:38 & 6:10 which are my favorite parts of the cello solo and later choir section. adds some lovely variation
First time I got to the second phase of the bossfight I died because of the music lmao it was so good I got stunned IRL
Quick thing - it’s not teeth in Ludwig’s extra mouth, but eyes
I'd love it if you could cover Gaels boss fight song from Dark Souls 3 one day. The way the track evolves during the 3 phases of the fight mirrors his pull between hollowing and lucidity in a really beautiful way.
While Gael’s music is great, it’s not very complex in terms of structure and harmony so I don’t think he’ll cover it but maybe I’m wrong, who knows
@@janugur2241 it's conventional but just as emotionally effective imo
I want that quote about the tri-tone and the diminished seventh chord on some merch!! When I heard that I wanted to laugh, but because I'm still recovering from surgery, I had to snicker instead. Very well written! I must say that very few things make me want to laugh out loud, but your sentence there was one such thing! I'm going to tell people this at my next rehearsal.
Probably my favorite fromsoft boss design, fight, arena design, and theme. Also a real difficulty spike that makes the eventual win that much more satisfying. I have nothing to add except that it took me multiple playthroughs and the art book to realize he has the sword on his back in the first phase, wrapped up the same way as when you have the weapon it's non-transformed state
Every day automatically gets better when 8 bit drops a new video, especially when it is about souls games
I absolutely love Lady Maria's music. Something about the staccato violin work reminds me of Mussorgsky's Night On Bald Mountain, or portions of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Plus, I really feel that Bloodborne is at its absolute best when you, the hunter, are fighting against other hunters or human bosses--Lady Maria, Gehrman, Father Gascoigne, etc.
Whether you prefer Ludwig, Maria, or another theme, they're all bangers!
I didn't see it mentioned, so I wanted to note that the transition has several versions depending on where in the first half you are when you hit it, allowing for a smooth transition of the different elements into the intro of the second piece. I made a video compilation of it a few years back to show off some of them, but I'm pretty sure there were ones I missed:
czcams.com/video/3OOqmJxYIzM/video.html
This piece never fails to give me chills no matter how many times I listen.
Wish you would also take a look at Laurence's theme. It's probably my favorite soulsborne soundtrack.
One of the GOAT pieces of music ever put in a videogame.
Everything about Ludwig just, kicks ASS. The madness waltz, the screaming and kicking, every detail about him adds to his music; he’s fantastic!!!
Quite possibly the greatest video game track ever composed
God, I really don't think it's possible to overstate how incredible the transition is between phases for this boss, musically speaking. It creates so much hype and sets the mood so well, I don't think it's a stretch to say that this moment is the highlight of the DLC for a lot of players
That key change transition between cutscene and phase two hits so hard, so cool to look at the theory behind it!
Although Ludwig's theme may be the most interesting soundtrack from a music theory point of view, for me personally the highlight is Laurence's music, which depicts all the desperation, ambition and misery of the game and closes the game with an absolute climax.
All of your Soulsborne videos give me serious inspiration for writing metal. Thank you!
Something I've always felt with the transition between phase 1 and phase two, is that while phase 1 always had this sense of barely restrained madness, phase 2 was the moment where rather than succumbing to it, it felt like the music was embracing that madness.
Of all the music in bloodborne my favorite is propably Laurence the first vicar as a former choir boy i cant get enough of the oratorium used
Your scripts are so good!! I don't even need to know the source material, I can just watch and enjoy your discussions of the music.
Rykard’s theme from Elden Ring “God-Devouring Serpent” is I think one of the most complex pieces of music to ever come out of the Souls series. If you plan to cover another piece from these games that one would be a great option as it gives you more things to talk about.
How did I miss this video? Curse you CZcams!
Now you gotta do something like this for every great Soulsborne Boss theme :D
Incredible work, loved the video!
Very happy you covered this one! Definitely my favorite track from Bloodborne.
You making multiple videos on the soul series' music makes me so happy ! :)
OMG YES! I love your analyses and this might be my favourite piece of music from one of my favourite games, thank you for this!
Love your writing style man and nice insights
Beautiful breakdown. Thank you so much for doing this! I absolutely love this game and the DLC.
A truly exquisite breakdown of one of the greatest boss fight's theme, really glad you made a video on this one!
Fantastic analysis, as always!
Incredible work, honestly! Just 10/10s all around, thank you so much for this insightful (pun extremely intended) analysis!
Fantastic video! I’ve been watching your stuff for only a little while, but as an aspiring game dev and composer, these videos have been awesome in learning all ‘bout music.
Btw the Ys series has some great music, and the first two games have some great classic tunes, both on their original consoles and in the remake. Don’t gotta be a video on ‘em, but I recommend takin’ a listen at them, they’re great! Stay makin’ great stuff man.
This is one of, if not my favorite, pieces of video game music ever. Thank you for breaking this one down
dude, PLEASE make more bloodborne analysis videos. I feel the soundtrack is a masterpiece, but most of the content reviewing it doesn't get into the nitty gritty, stopping at saying "omg it's so gooooood..." which I already know, and say myself, all the time. this type of scholarly review is so much more valuable.
can I request "hail the nightmare?" the dissonance is off the charts.
What a chilling track. Thanks for your analysis.
That bass line descent in the chord progression you mentioned almost sounds like the great fairy fountain.
the devil's summer house line killed me 😂 another lovely video, thank you!!
great work man
Even though I’m not involved with music academically anymore, and I don’t really plan on returning, I will always return to this channel to learn more about the music I love and see what makes it work. Thank you!!!
Damn, I never gave this music enough credit! The 'Spooky choir chords' progression is genious!
Yes! I've been waiting for a Bloodborne break down for a while now, especially for Ludwig's theme!
Now do Gehrman's theme!
YEESSSS 8bit & one of my favorite songs ever? Christmas come early.. or late, depending on who you are.
This was great! Please do more Bloodborne music.
Ludwig I had a real hard time soloing. I think I had to call in one of those phantom hunters to help me and even then it was close. The music was so amazing. Great vid.
This is fantastic!
Awesome video! the second main theme sounds like the theme from Great Grey Wolf Sif!
an absolute banger this piece.
Best video to ever drop on youtube
would absolutely love a whole series of these on other Dark Souls/Bloodborne/Elden Ring themes!!
Omg god loves us new 8 bit video abt souls ... thank you
If you haven't heard the Doom Eternal version of Ludwig's Holy Blade, you gotta check it out. It's incredible.
I would enjoy seeing you analyze the Hypogean Gaol music. That one sticks with me more than anything else from the game!
Truly spectacular vid... Would love to see you cover an analysis of other SoulsBorne stuff, like Lady Maria, Abyss Watchers, or even Slave Knight Gael. (All coincidentally written by Yuka Kitamura hahaha.)
8BIT OMG THANK YOU FOR DOING BLOODBORNE I LOVE YOU
I am begging, on my hands and knees, to please do more Bloodborne tracks. Please. I need a breakdown of Blood Starved Beast or The First Hunter.
Great analysis. Never heard Holy Blade before, just gorgeous. The climax gives me 'His Dark Material' vibes, I guess for when the choir kicks in for its intro theme? Also the general tone probably, beautiful and majestic but bleak at its core.
No other video game could replicate Bloodborne's incredible atmosphere
I don't think anything has ever tried to replicate its atmosphere.
WE NEED MORE
Aw man, I was no good at this game, but I LOVE the music, and especially this piece.
I also love how the first melodic theme transforms from the sombre cello into the more powerful trombone in the first half.
I love your videos
love to see souls series music dissected!! it was always so mystical and complicated before i watched these videos
I’ve been playing bloodborne for the first time and literally just a couple days ago I fought Ludwig and thought “man I’d love an 8bit music theory video about this music” and here we are.
I have done this gruesome dance with Ludwig and boy is it a rough one. Just reliving the fight through the music was something. The second phase has that eloquence to it but upon vanquishing Ludwig, that long drawn out crunchy chord is almost like nails on a chalkboard. It's prolonged. You know what you've done. You've ended another beast. And as the chord fades away, the tightness in your chest alleviates and you're able to take a deep sigh of relief. It's over.
One of my favorites from a soundtrack full of amazing songs. Another of my favorites would be Hail the Nightmare and the Mars throwback Living Failures.
I love your content
Having known nothing about these games this makes me want to play them. That boss sounds so cool
0:32 Oh, those aren't teeth...
Eyes on the inside
Bravo! What a wonderful take, exploration and explanation!
The music of Bloodborne is so often downright primal. It makes you feel your blood swimming in your veins. It makes you bear your teeth and hold your hands like claws. It makes you sway and moan. It makes you wail with grief and pain.
The part of the clashing cymbals/swords is elegant and menacing at the same time.
I used to do Kendo and Aikido and I can feel the clashing of swords in my body during that part.
Special props to you using Gascoigne the hunter as your intro and outro. Another wonderful example of Bloodbornes primal/predatory drunkeness. =)
I’m a huge fan of the Dancer of the Boreal Valley’s theme, it doesn’t sound like anything else I’ve ever heard before!
I can't believe I didn't realize those heavy notes are meant to sound like a monster stomping towards us, but now that you've pointed it out it's obvious. This whole fight is the BEST boss fight From Software has ever created, from the design to the music.
That’s probably what the composer intended. Something that 8bit did fail to mention is that these aren’t random tritones. The first set are the third and seventh note of E major b7 and the second ones are part of the A major b7. In D minor (and major) these are the V7/V and V7 chords that are extremely unstable. A very common trope in Classical music turned on its head.
Oddly enough, as striking as this piece is. It has a way to bring a tear to my eye. A man who has lost everything, still clinging to what little he has left of himself, in such a grandiose way.
Would love you to take a look at Octopath Traveler 2. That game has a phenomenal soundtrack, with each character having their very iconic themes and there are some real good battle and sad themes.
Soulsborne games have excellent soundtracks.
Great video!
To me this song is one of the absolute best pieces of music ever written. It elevates the boss battle to top tier with the sum of all the other elements you mentioned of the lore and how it is staged.
The old hunter's dlc is some of the best dlc ever made. It has 7 of my top 10 bloodborne boss fights, making it top most of the ones from the base game. It didn't just give us more, but it gave us better. And the music accompanies that as well.
Was always too busy fighting this guy to appreciate the music. Thank!
Damn, never got a chance to play Bloodborne and that song is insane. The breakdown always helps appreciate these songs more, even ones I've already heard a ton of times, lets me appreciate them more.
Here's hoping 8-Bit or some patreons agree with me, cuz I'd love to see some of the following covered one day:
- Super Contra, just for how bizarre and chaotic and even non-melodic the melodies are, yet rather uniquely so compared to basically any other game music I've otherwise come across.
- A Dos and Don'ts or similar video discussing how to remain true to a song's (or entire soundtrack's) original melody when the game is being remade/remastered. Secret of Mana's remaster compared to Trials of Mana (SoM2) would be amazing to compare originals to remasters to. The SoM remaster sounds like an absolute mess, some sounding like an OCRemix track, others like bad covers, others losing their very essence, meanwhile Trials of Mana is IMMEASURABLY faithful to the original orchestrations and it is light years better for it.
- Outward, at the very least the Chersonese Region theme. Being the first region you enter from the starting town, you effectively on the brink of being banned from your home and forced to adventure to save yourself or carve your own path, it captures not only the beauty of the region, but also the emotions of such a situation. The intense anxiety and caution one would feel in a new and unfamiliar situation, only to build up over time to realize how they might actually like it, and how much to see and explore is in front of them if they'd only brave those first steps, absolutely remarkable piece.
- Something out of left field, there are some MMORPGs out there that got some crazy good music. I remember BDO's launching theme fondly for while I played it. Lost Ark's "Swords Crossed" is about as intensely heroic a tune as you could hope to find, and Brelshaza raid gate 4 (formerly 6) is absolutely intense amazing (latin choir AND opera singer it goes hard). Anarchy Online could even be an interesting cover, at least as part of a larger whole, with how its combat music would grow bigger and more intense the higher level the mob attacking you was.
Having not heard the track before, it was an interesting experience watching this video and getting the analytical "this is why this track is good" at the same time as the emotional "damn, this track really takes off, this sounds so good".
terrifying music for a super scary boss! love it!
You should do a video analysis on the tune “The Face of the Deep” from Risk of Rain 2, or if possible, a general video analysis of the aforementioned game. 😮
Ludwig is Bloodborne's best boss, and his theme is definitely it's best boss theme. It fits his story perfectly. And he's got my precious Moonlight, so of course I love him.
Love Bloodborne's soundtrack, but Dark Souls 2 has my favorite pieces. Majula is incredible, and Aldia's Theme is melancholy, intimidating, relaxing, and scary all at the same time.
Never stop these fromsoft videos I beg !!!!!!
“WeLL aT LeASt oUr SkoOLs….”
i was ready to fight if this wasnt about Ludwigs theme when i got the notification
5:58 well timed hit
"Aah, you were at my side, all along."
This is my favorite boss from my favorite game
broken down.... this feels like a huge homage to the Heroes of Might and Magic III Necropolis theme
I do like this piece a lot, but I think my favorite is Blood Starved Beast's theme. It's so heavy at the end
my favorite boss in my favorite series of games
8BMT covering Bloodborne? Oh, we're eating good tonight...
As an aside, I wanna go on a bit of a tangent here for Ludwig's theme and Bloodborne in general, and talk about Deep Rock Galactic. DRG is already a fantastic game with a fantastic soundtrack to accentuate this. Even with this great OST, though, one of my favorite mods to run with in DRG is the Bloodborne soundtrack replacer. The lonely, evocative tones (underpinned by a lingering feeling of otherworldly terror) are the perfect accompaniment for a solo dive through these alien, terrifying tunnels. The world is truly unknown as you descend further and further into the inky-black depths. The lonely isolation of these majestic, yet dangerous caverns is paired beautifully with the quiet loneliness of tracks like the Hunter's Dream and other melancholic, contemplative selections from the OST.
And then the swarm hits. Management makes it clear you're in for hell as Bloodborne's terrifying boss preludes kick in, and when the swarm finally crests and you're up to your beards in Glyphids, the bombastic and terrible nature of Bloodborne boss music makes itself rightfully known. The feeling of fighting for your life against two-ton space bugs is beautifully captured by a whole host of OST options, be it the grandiose and otherworldly beauty of Ebrietas, or the driving, pulse-pounding strings of Gascione. But far and away, hearing the Holy Blade transition as Management warns of a swarm on its way always sends a chill down my spine like no other Bloodborne track could, only to be galvanized into action as bugs start crawling out of the walls as that dreaded waltz from Ludwig's second theme hits. All in all, in both the low and high action sequences of the Deep Rock Galactic gameplay loop, the subtle and lonely horror of Bloodborne's soundtrack pairs so damn well. As great as the OST is in its source material, there's something so amazing about this unlikely pairing, in my opinion. If you play DRG with mods, I truly believe you owe it to yourself to download the Bloodborne soundtrack replacer and truly experience the horrors of Hoxxes 4 as they should be known--beautiful, lonely, and oh so very deadly.
Hands down my favourite boss fight in gaming. He’s so meticulously designed, including the music. I wish it was easy to replay this boss fight again and again, but alas, that’s not how FromSoft games work - they do nothing easy 🤣.
"A tragic figure. But he will shame himself no longer"