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Sound and music are significant in storytelling to help the viewer grasp the personalities, moods or locales in which the story takes place.
[[Leitmotif
Here we're exploring Mood Motif - and the musical instruments that seem inexorably linked to certain moods and situations. Most of these are fairly ancient connections, often dating back to [[Opera]].
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{{examples}}
== Brass ==
{{quote|
* '''Horns:'''
** Fox Hunt
** Imminent Danger
*** You can hear these in the ''[[
*** The trombone act-out frequently used on ''[[Lost]]''.
** Triumph
*** ''[[Rocky (
*** The triumphal march from Verdi's ''[[Aida]]'', various others.
** Heroism
*** Pick any ''[[Superman]]''-related theme music.
*** The same is true for [[Captain Ersatz]] of [[Superman]]; the music will sound heroic but have a dischordant or off-note if the character is intended as an [[Affectionate Parody]].
*** Siegfried's [[Leitmotif]] in [[Richard Wagner]]'s ''[[Opera|Ring Cycle]]'' makes this [[Older Than Radio]].
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*** As heard on ''[[Conan the Barbarian]]'' soundtrack
** The Tuba of Overweight Awkwardness or Ponderous Size
*** Heard extensively in {{spoiler|Porky's Theme}} from ''[[
*** [[Star Wars|Jabba the Hutt]]
*** Parodied in ''[[Family Guy]]'', where Stewie gets a job following fat people while playing a tuba.
*** The mothership from ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]''
** Battle Crescendo
*** The Mutara Nebula sequence in ''[[Star Trek II:
** Spy/Secret Agent
*** Used to marvellous effect in Disney/Pixar's ''[[The Incredibles]]''
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*** The [[James Bond]] theme and also the ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-5f8IWXCTI 007]'' variant, which counts in "Imminent danger" as well.
** Failure
*** Heard on ''[[The Price Is Right]]'', ''Blockbusters'', ''[[Card Sharks]]'' and a few other [[Mark Goodson]] shows, when a contestant loses a game.
*** Also heard on ''[[Sesame Street]]'' when a skit ends with Muppets who shake their heads and sob, such as when the Beautiful Day Monster ate the ukulele Ernie had just repaired..
** [[Proud Warrior Race Guy
*** The Klingon Theme from ''[[Star Trek: The
** Wacky
*** ''[[The Three Stooges]]''
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*** The harmon mute, when played with a hand opening and closing over the bell. Wah wah waaaaaaaah. May also indicate failure.
** High Adventure
*** The ''[[
** [[Spinning Paper]]
** News program opening and closing
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*** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxEl_fBlXWU Star Trek 2: Wrath Of Khan]
*** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcHGNaLLb8A&feature=related Star Wars Episode 4 Opening]
*** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uS5b8aQ6z8 Voltron theme]
== Percussion ==
{{quote|
* '''The Cowbell of:'''
** Blue Oyster
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* '''Bongos and Congas of:'''
** Sexy rhythm.
*** Especially during the 60's. As seen on ''[[Star Trek:
** Jungle settings (such as [[Darkest Africa]])
** Ritual Combat
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* '''Timpani and Kettledrums of:'''
** Great importance
** Epic
*** ''[[
*** Played with in ''[[
** Scariness
*** When [[The Government]] shows up in ''[[
*** When something big and dangerous is approaching, rather like ''[[The Terminator]]''.
** A timpani glissando may be used for an [[Incredibly Lame Pun]] or other joke too corny to deserve a rimshot.
* '''The Taiko Drums of Battle'''
** ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' has taiko drums when Orcs, Uruk-Hai, or the Balrog are attacking.
** ''[[Master and Commander]]'' uses them on its soundtrack to evoke the sound of cannons.
** ''[[Gaia Online|zOMG!]]'' has taiko drums that [[Everything Trying to Kill You|attack you]] (lending a new meaning to "percussion battery"), either by ramming you or using some sort of earthquake attack.
** ''[[
** "The Battle Drums" from the ''[[Princess Mononoke]]'' soundtrack.
** Used for most space battles in ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]''.
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== Tone Percussion ==
{{quote|
* '''Church bells of:'''
* Joy
** [[Wedding Day]], happy endings, Christmas
*** Ridiculously common in [[Opera]]. The opening of Gilbert and Sullivan's ''The Sorcerer'' is even based around this.
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** Warning
*** The British are coming!
*** The sky is falling! (Disney's ''[[
*** A storm is upon us! (Though sometimes sirens are used instead.)
* Ominous Bells
** "Tubular Bells" from ''[[
*** Funny, because the intro is what's famous from ''[[
** Church bells herald Arthas' triumphant return home in ''[[
* Funeral bells (small bells rather than the usual deep chimes; rarely heard nowadays)
** While not actually funereal, "For Whom The Bell Tolls" from ''[[
* Sleigh Bells of Christmas (and/or the Wintertime)
* '''The Xylophone of:'''
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*** See any old cartoon, such as [[Walt Disney]]'s "The Skeleton Dance", where skeletons are [[The Dead Can Dance|dancing]] or the skeleton's ribcage is used as a xylophone.
*** "[[The Dead Can Dance|Danse Macabre]]" by Saint-Saens may be the [[Ur Example]]. The same xylophone motif was reused in "Fossils" from "Carnival of the Animals".
*** "Remains of the Day", from the ''[[
*** ''[[The Simpsons]]'' is aware of this:
{{quote|
Lisa: No, Dad, you mean "xenophobia". Xylophobia would be the fear of xylophones.
Homer: I ''am'' afraid of xylophones. It's the music you hear when skeletons are dancing! }}
:::(You'd think that Lisa would know that xylophobia is the fear of ''wood''. Hope somebody got fired for that.)
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*** The [[Trope Maker]] here might be the "Sinfonia antartica" by Ralph Vaughan Williams (originally written as movie music), which had many passages with glockenspiel, celesta and piano playing over eerie harmonies.
** Little girls
* '''The Celesta of:'''
** [[Slippy
** Childhood Innocence.
** Warped Childhood Innocence.
*** see: a lot of Danny Elfman-scored movies (''[[Edward Scissorhands]], [[
* '''The Piano of:'''
** [[Lonely Piano Piece|Loneliness]]
*** The piano theme from ''[[The Incredible Hulk (TV series)|The Incredible Hulk]]'' was meant to underscore how sad and lonely David Banner's life was, and that he could never settle and find a home while the Hulk dwelled within him.
** Introspection
** Nostalgia
** Family Drama, etc.
** [[Time Passes Montage]]
** Old Time Western Saloon (frequently out of tune); played by [[The Piano Player]]
** Old Time [[
** The toy piano of smallness/childishness
*** [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] by the animated version of Charles Schultz's ''[[Peanuts]]''. Schroeder plays classical music as if on a normal sized piano most of the time, but when he's irked at Lucy, he has been known to make the same toy piano sound exactly like the toy that it is.
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*** "Funeral March"
** Heartfelt confession (tinkly)
** The Dead- piano is often used in mood pieces in zombie media- examples include ''[[Dawn of the Dead (
== Reeds and Woodwinds ==
{{quote|
* '''The Saxophone of:'''
** Hipness
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** Pornographic Soundtrack
* The Slide-Whistle of Wackiness/Cartoon Falling
* '''Flute of'''
** fluttery flying things
** mischievousness
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** Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert and Sullivan) is well known for his bassoon jokes.
** Sorrow
*** Good way to convey the loneliness of a character is by having a mournful oboe solo.
** ''[[Tangled]]'' has the love theme "Now That I See You" played in a mournful oboe solo as Flynn-becoming-Eugene-Again realizes that his old criminal friends have caught up with him and want the crown from him.
* '''The Bamboo Flute of The East'''
** Seen in ''[[Kill Bill]]'' part 2
* '''The Clarinet of Klezmer'''
** Remember: If it's Jewish, it's accompanied by clarinet in Hijaz scale.
** Bonus points for "Hava Nagila" or "Tradition" from ''[[Fiddler
== Strings ==
{{quote|
* '''Violins, Violas, Cellos, etc.'''
** [[Psycho Strings]]
*** Heard when the [[Ax Crazy]] is attacking or about to.
**** ''[[Psycho]]'' is the ur-example.
**** ''[[Lost]]'' works the [[Psycho Strings]] frequently.
** Tense Suspense: when there's a moment hanging in the balance, the strings will crescendo and then hold a long note.
*** The [["I Know You
*** The "Here goes no mercy" moment at the end of "Slipping" in ''[[Dr.
*** The moment in ''[[Deep Impact]]'' where Jenny hits the net to find out what ELE
** Romantic Strings
*** That classic sound found now only in old films, complete with the [[Gaussian Girl|diffuse closeup of our leading damsel]]
*** Also invariably features in the middle portion of any 70s procedural TV show opening theme
** Strings that sound like animals
*** ''[[Batman
*** Flight Of The Bumblebee is the definitive string riff on invoking insects.
** There's a shrieky, staccato violin riff for 'ahh, get it off me, get it off me' creepy crawlies that are coming to do terrible things to us.
*** As when Neo encounters the burrowing thing in ''[[The Matrix]]''
*** Seen in the "Dark Heart" episode of ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]''.
*** ''[[Indiana Jones and
** [[Playing the Heart Strings|Strings of Emotion]]
*** See also [[Cherubic Choir]], Piano of Tragedy (above).
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*** Stravinsky's ''Histoire du Soldat'' is another well-known example.
** [[Theme Music Power-Up]]
*** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtcnt_VkvGU&feature=channel_page Summon The Worms] from the Children of Dune miniseries.
*** After years and years of being the [[Redshirt Army]] in ''[[
** The frantic strings of Stuff On Fire.
** The Tremolo of Suspense
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* '''The Electric Guitar of:'''
** [[Badass]]
** Battle
*** See ''[[
** Asskicking
*** [[Autobots Rock Out|Especially if said ass belongs to a final boss]].
*** The ''[[Resident Evil]]'' movies tend to invoke electric guitar when Alice is kicking ass.
** Porn
*** You are required to use a wah-wah pedal here.
** Hero Under The Gun
*** "The Eye of the Tiger" by [[Survivor (
** Spy mysteriousness
*** The ''[[James Bond (
*** ''[[Kim Possible]]'' given it's an [[Affectionate Parody]] of James Bond.
*** ''[[The Middleman]]'', also an [[Affectionate Parody]] of the spy and superhero genres.
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* '''The Harpsichord of:'''
** [[Beethoven Was an Alien Spy|Beethoven]]
** [[Evil Brit
** Japanese [[Elegant Gothic Lolita|Gothic Lolitas]]
** Snooty rich people/royalty/decadence
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* '''[[Ominous Latin Chanting]]'''
* '''[[Cherubic Choir]]'''
** The eerily dreamy [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LLHUQQ9cmM chanting] prominently featured in ''[[Coraline (
* '''[[Opera]] Singer of:'''
** Epicness / Artiness
** Dramatic Death Scenes
** European Immigrants
* '''Acapella Choir of Whimsy'''
** Bobby McFerrin's ''[[Standard Snippet|Don't Worry Be Happy]]''
** The interstitial music on [[Glee]]
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** Louis Armstrong ''[[Standard Snippet|What a Wonderful World]]''
* '''The Choir of Uplifting Inspiration'''
** The [[Sting (music)|Sting]]
** Subverted and [[Lampshaded]] at the end of ''[[Airplane!]]'' when the choir gets more and more
* '''[[One-Woman Wail]]'''
* '''Human Whistling of:'''
** Warm Childhood Memories
*** In a word: Disney.
** [[Not-So-Innocent Whistle|Not So Innocent]]
** [[Hell Is That Noise|Utter Creepiness]]
*** Used to excellent effect in [[Kill Bill]] when Elle Driver whistles the theme to ''Twisted Nerve''.
*** Strangely enough used in [[The Walker Papers]], because apparently Whistling thins the walls between worlds. That's pretty creepy.
** "Fun" defiance, when done in a march (the [[Colonel Bogey March]] was the trope codifier)
* '''Rhythmic Chanting of African Heritage'''
** As with Ladysmith Black Mambazo on [[Paul Simon]]'s "Graceland" album.
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== Other Instruments ==
{{quote|
* '''[[Ominous Pipe Organ]]'''
* '''The [[Theremin]] of:'''
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** Retro Sci-Fi
*** ''[[Jimmy Neutron]]''
*** ''[[Mars Attacks
** Ghostly Spookiness
*** [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] in ''[[Flushed Away]]''
*** There's a ''[[Pink Panther]]'' cartoon in which the titular cat is bedeviled by ghosts. So the Pink Panther's theme music is played on theremin to illustrate the spooky ghosts.
** [[Mad Scientist|Mad Science]]
*** [[Dr.
* '''The Synthesizer of:'''
** Impressive echoes
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** The Night Before the Battle
* '''[[Ominous Music Box Tune]]'''
** ''[[The Woman in Black (
* Twangy Mouth Harp of country
* Rainstick of Rainforest Situations
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== Multiple Ensemble ==
{{quote|
* The Secret Agent/Spy riff involves Guitar and Brass.
* The Slap Bass and wah-wah guitar of [[The Seventies]].
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== Composers ==
{{quote|
* [[Danny Elfman]]
**
*** ''[[Batman (
* [[John Williams]]
**
*** ''[[Star Wars]]'', ''[[
*** [[Two Words]]: ''[[Steven Spielberg]]''. Basically every single movie he has done has been scored by [[John Williams]]!
* [[James Horner]]
**
*** ''[[Star Trek II:
* [[Randy Newman]]
**
*** The ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]]'' movies, and several other [[Pixar]] vehicles.
*** ''[[Princess and The Frog]]''
*** ''[[
* Guy Moon
**
*** ''[[Fairly Oddparents]]'', retro fifties
*** ''[[Danny Phantom]]'', ghostly rock with rap
*** ''[[Yin Yang Yo
* [[Hans Zimmer]]
**
*** ''[[Gladiator]]'', ''[[The Dark Knight]]'', ''[[The Lion King]]'', ''[[Inception]]'', ''[[The Rock]]'', ''[[Black Hawk Down]]'', ''[[The Thin Red Line]]''
* [[Nobuo Uematsu]]
**
*** ''[[Final Fantasy]]'', ''[[Lost Odyssey]]'', ''The Black Mages''
* Howard Shore
**
*** ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''
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[[Category:Music Tropes]]
[[Category:Motifs]]
[[Category:
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