My chiptune track played in the outro of this video is available to download at https://davidbennettpiano.bandcamp.co... or stream on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0wKKJ...

Junichi Masuda's soundtrack for the original Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow games is iconic. Despite the limited hardware offered by the Gameboy, Masuda managed to create some highly effective music, and he did so with a little inspiration from his favourite classical composers.

SOURCES:
8bit guy, How Oldschool Sound/Music worked:    • How Oldschool Sound/Music worked  
8bit guy, Use your Gameboy as a MIDI instrument:    • Use your Gameboy as a MIDI instrument  
Interview with Junichi Masuda (2014): https://www.pocketmonsters.net/conten...
Gameinformer (2014), Pokemon music master: https://www.gameinformer.com/b/featur...
Dylan Tallchief, How Pokemon's CREEPIEST song was made
:    • Lavender Town: How Pokemon's CREEPIES...  
Interview with Junichi Masuda:    • Interview with Game Freak's Junichi M...  
Korex, How the Pokemon music was made:    • HOW the Music of POKEMON is Made  
Tuning the Koto:    • Tuning the Koto  The Columbus Koto E...  
Nintendo Life, Interview with Junichi Masuda: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/201...
How Music Was Made On Super Nintendo:    • How Music Was Made On Super Nintendo  
Gameboy sound hardware: https://gbdev.gg8.se/wiki/articles/Ga...
Retro Game Mechanics Explained, Generation I Pokémon Cries Explained:    • Generation I Pokémon Cries Explained  
Masuda on musical influences: https://www.gamefreak.co.jp/blog/dir_...

And, an extra special thanks goes to Douglas Lind, Vidad Flowers, Ivan Pang, Waylon Fairbanks, Jon Dye, Austin Russell, Christopher Ryan, Toot & Paul Peijzel, the channel’s Patreon saints!

SUPPORT ME ON PATREON:   / davidbennettpiano  


0:00 Introduction
0:21 Gameboy's limited soundchip
2:02 Counterpoint vs. Homophony
3:29 Celadon City
4:12 Pallet Town
5:45 J.S. Bach
7:45 Lavender Town
9:17 Viridian Forest
10:00 Stravinsky & Shostakovich
10:55 Mt. Moon
11:54 Pokémon Tower
12:20 Junichi Masuda
13:40 I wrote a chiptune piece