Vader's Redemption: The Imperial March in a Major Key
Muted VocalCited 3× on HN, 2020-2024
3.6M views · 10 years ago · music · evergreen
A complete rendition of John Williams' Imperial March rearranged in a major key. The change turns Vader's menacing theme into something triumphant.
Used as a counter-example in music theory discussions to show how mode changes a melody's mood.
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3 comments from Hacker News
The canonical video on the subject: link Some people will naively say "All music has pentatonic! Universal!" but ignore vital cultural context. One example in the video is ragas: they can look a lot like Western scales and modes, but they have a time and context. Western music also has a time and context, but it doesn't stand out as much to us unless someone goes full ham breaking that context like with the Imperial March in a Major mode: ▶ this video It changes the mood from "this is the bad guys!" to something more positive and triumphant.
For those who suspect HN may have been infested by Rebel shills and their fake news: ▶ this video Anyone know where I can find the drawing of the stormtrooper in a locker room, complete with I M P E R I A L knuckle tats? I'm doing my part!
Though you asked for an example... but maybe its best to show a counter-example instead? Here's the Imperial Death March played in a Major-scale, instead of a minor scale. ▶ this video If everything was in an 8-note (no accidental, transpositions only) measure, they'd sound like "Vader's redemption". To sound sad, you MUST shift to a minor key. A minor key has sharps and flats to create tension. Any "sad sounding" song cannot be properly played in a major key.