DAY 1300) Tron 2.0 - Antiquated (Core Meltdown)
Composer: Wendy Carlos, Nathan Grigg
This is almost entirely based on Wendy Carlos’s original Tron score (Scherzo, to be specific, probably the most iconic thing from the original Tron), but arranged by Nathan Grigg here.
I probably chose a pretty unorthodox/inconvenient way to read/write it but I want to be consistent with another writeup I’ve done based on another version of the same theme (http://vgm-in-irregular-time-of-the-day.tumblr.com/post/170556745685/day-944-tron-20-antiquated-combat-composer), and this is simply what feels easiest to understand for me.
(0:00 - 0:13) 21/16, 9/16, 18/16, 12/16, 18/16
(0:13 - 0:25) 4 bars of 12/16, 1 bar of 21/16, 1 bar of 3/16
(0:25 - 0:37) 6 bars of 12/16
(0:37 - 0:51) 18/16, 18/16, 18/16, 17/16, 12/16
(0:51 - 1:01) 18/16, 18/16, 11/16, 18/16
(1:01 - 1:11) 17/16, 18/16, 12/16, 11/16
(1:11 - 1:20) 18/16, 11/16, 17/16, 11/16
(1:20 - 1:30) 18/16, 11/16, 18/16, 11/16
[loop]
To repeat what I said on that writeup:
There’s definitely multiple ways this could be written out. For one, it could be written at half tempo and all the x/16 could just be x/8 instead. Also a lot of people would probably consider the way I feel it very hard to read, and on actual sheet music would either prefer these to be broken down into smaller time signatures (ie 12/16 + 6/16 and stuff like that), or to at least write it as something like [6+6+6]/16 so you can see the intended subdivisons.
I just personally find it much easier to think of it as all x/16 and the “basis” of it all as 18/16, just with occasional bars that have beats chopped off of them, because that’s pretty much what it is.
The very bouncy groups of 3 that go through most of the 18/16 parts help make this feel way smoother than a normal thing this mixed meter would in some ways, but also more contrastingly erratic at the same time?! somehow.
All the 3+3+3+3 stuff is very easy to feel as just triplets in mostly 4/4 and 6/4 time, so once you get to :37 it’s particularly unique feeling. If you were to write this as triplet-based x/4, you’d have to write irrational time with random bars of stuff like 17/12, 11/12, etc. For that reason I just prefer thinking of the whole thing as 18/16 and 12/16 as the basis, and just keeping aware that the pulse is mostly in groups of 3. Stuff like “21/16″ and stuff feels far less weird to read when you realize it’s actually just pretty much “7/4 but all triplets”
Also the first section DOES have a lot of duplets that would simply just be eigth notes if written at the “x/4 with triplets” tempo rather than how I have it.
Basically lots of crazy playing around with 3 against 2 hemiola stuff to the max here for the first 37 seconds, and then after that you get crazy mixed meter that chops up the once bouncy triplets in the most artificial COMPUTER WORLD way possible.
Love the original Tron score so much hahaha, even if this is pretty much just a straight up arrangement of something that’s not “video game music” originally, who cares, it’s literally to a movie ABOUT video games and this version of it IS in a video game! Definitely rhythmically significant enough to be worth talking about on a “’vgm in irregular time’ of the day” blog!
Day 1300! Wow!
