Now I’d like to introduce the first music video. This is the one we mentioned earlier, by Wii Music producer Tezuka-san.
Takashi Tezuka
General Manager, Entertainment Analysis and Development (EAD) Department
This is Tezuka-san performing “Occasionally Super Mario Bros.” (laughs) I doubt most people would recognize this as “Super Mario Bros.” It would be better to say he rarely, rather than occasionally, returns to the Mario theme. It’s a peculiar video. What’s so astounding about it is that he’s not performing randomly here. It’s amazing how he breaks down the melody line without ever completely losing sight of the basic rhythm and the original song. Next is Miyamoto-san. It’s a little funky and rock-oriented.
Shigeru Miyamoto
Senior Managing Director / General Manager,EAD Division
Rather than simply hitting the drums all the time, if you use the B Button at unexpected places, you can get a curveball performance like this clip. Also, during the guitar solo, if you stop the bass, it adds accent and vigour to the song. Next is my boss Kondo-san’s video.
Koji Kondo
Software Development Department, EAD
It starts gently and at a leisurely pace with only the shamisen and banjo, then the beat joins along with the whistle. Its lively Okinawan vibe is unique. For the whistle, he holds down the A Button, and on the shamisen he uses fast picking when he wants the finer sounds. It’s a finely crafted piece. That’s why he’s the boss! (laughs) Next is co-producer Eguchi-san. The two of us recorded this together in one take.
Katsuya Eguch
iSoftware Development Department, EAD
This is the theme song for Wii Music. The sound of the trumpet really suits the song, and Eguchi-san plays as if he’s having the time of his life! The Totaka Mii on the drums is using some special techniques. I held down the B Button on the Wii Remote to get that light sound on the snare, the drum in the centre and right in front of the Mii. Next is my own video. It’s for the song “September.”
Kazumi Totaka
Software Development Department, EAD
In order to add in the rhythm guitar, I slowed down the tempo and recorded it in advance. I know, that’s a trick I had up my sleeve! (laughs) Partway through, I cut out the bass for a bit in order to add some contrast. The sudden drop in sound creates a feeling like you’re floating weightlessly in space. Once you’re used to playing a song, then you can think about trying to play less to bring more changes to the sound. Try it out sometime! Next is sub-director Wada-san, who likes music with an Irish flavour. Be sure to check out the distinctive jacket design!
Makoto Wada
Software Development Department, EAD
I’d summarise this piece by saying it’s a fusion of Ireland and outer space! (laughs) Wada-san took “Turkey in the Straw” as his subject and then added his own twist. You keep time in Irish music by stomping your feet and it often uses an accordion, and this video makes good use of such characteristic instrumentation. He’s also substituted the recorder in place of the Irish tin whistle. What’s more, he nails down the Irish atmosphere perfectly with the repeating triplets. Add all that to the stage, and you’ve got a polished piece of work that displays a unique grandeur. Next is a fairly advanced video by subdirector Hikino-san.
Mitsuhiro Hikino
Software Development Department, EAD
This is “From the New World,” but the rhythm has been changed. “From the New World” is originally in quadruple time, but this video uses quintuple time. I’ve turned triple time into duple and duple into triple before, but I’d never turned quadruple into quintuple before. It couldn’t have been easy to do this. I’m wondering if he didn’t secretly start by laying down a basic 5/4 rhythm by striking the cowbell five times for each revolution of the Be-Bops at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. (laughs) The rhythm is quite bouncy. It’s sort of jazzy. This is high-level work. It’s something I can’t do! (laughs) Next, let’s take a look at subdirector Morii-san, who used to have almost no musical talent at all.
Junji Morii
Software Development Department, EAD
Could you tell the song is “Frère Jacques”? The bass line is completely different, and the way the beat changes is striking! (laughs) This is an example of the kind of performance you can give even if you don’t have a background in music. If you tried to perform something like this live, it would be incredibly difficult, but with Wii Music, something like this is easy! Last but not least, I’d like to present two music videos by female team members. First is designer Iwasawa-san. Pay attention to how she uses rests.
Michiko Iwasawa
Software Development Department, EAD
This has plenty of highlights, such as the way everyone suddenly stops playing sometimes. These rests have a nice effect, and the song draws to a solid finish. Also, she doesn’t follow the original melody, but comes up with something entirely different. She made a bunch of videos like this! Next is Hirono-san, another designer. For Wii Music, she worked on the user interface and modeling, among other things. The song is from Animal Crossing: Wild World. Check out these Miis!
Akiko Hirono
Software Development Department, EAD
As befits Animal Crossing, some of the Miis look like cats or dogs, and the stage suits the world of the game perfectly. For rhythm, she used a DJ, which adds an unusual element. And in the end, a rainbow comes out! On this stage Musical Mountain, if everyone spins around all at once, a rainbow shoots across the sky! Each stage has its own variety of effects for you to enjoy, so I hope you’ll try them out! Thank you for watching all of the videos. To tell the truth, the staff made so many music videos that there’s no way we could ever show them all! I hope they give you lots of ideas for making your own! Thanks again!
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