Overview
Key: E minor
Time: 4/4,104 bpm
Length: 16 measures (38 seconds)
General Description:
In Pokemon ORAS, Wally is initially introduced as a sickly youth with dreams of becoming a trainer. Through his unwavering determination, Wally transcends the limits of his physical ailment, eventually arriving at Victory Road to challenge the player as an equal. This strength of will is perfectly captured in Wally’s Theme by Minako Adachi-sensei. Despite the short run-time, Adachi-sensei packs the arrangement to the brim: four layers of over-driven guitar delivering a rousing, harmonized melody in Aeolian, paired with contrapuntal lines, chugging chords, and a foundation of electric bass and rock drums.
Analysis Highlights:
A Tenacious Melody
The melody consists of three primary themes, as follows:
Theme A is presented in Section A three times. It opens the piece (m.0-2) and plays at m.2 with a variant ending (m.3-4). The motif shows up again at m.4, presented as a diatonically transposed variation with an extended ending to lead the piece into the next section.
Theme B is dominant in Section B, where it is repeated twice in an identical fashion (same notes/rhythm/harmonic context).
Theme C is presented twice throughout the whole piece as part of the endings to Section A (m.5-6) and as an extended variant in Section B (m.13-14).
Beyond the surface motifs, Sections A and Section B are tied together by an underlying melodic contour that is revealed when studying the notes of the emphasized beats, as follows:
Section B presents these ideas, only shifted forward in time.
These ideas are cycled through a relatively short form, receiving plenty of repetition in a given scene. The step-wise structure of the melody and repetition of key notes not only gives a sense of tenacity, but also makes it easy to sing; and therefore, memorable.
The Story is in the Struggle
Adachi-sensei brilliantly weaves Wally’s struggle in the melody by manipulating the harmonic context to juggle musical tension-and-release.
The beginning of the piece (m.1-5) sees heavy usage of 3rds (relative to current chord), presumably for its role as a chord tone that strikes a balance between stability and movement. As the action picks in m.6, Adachi-sensei brings in the 7th (over B7) and 5th (over Emi) to push the music forward but cushions the resolution as the melody falls to the E by using the VI chord. It provides a taste of the tonic, but with only a fraction of the resolution. Section A closes on the leading tone (D#) played over the V chord – both want to resolve on Emi, but the piece moves to C instead.
Section B’s melody still spotlights the G. However, it is now designated as a 5th due to the new chordal context (m.9), farther away from the Emi resolution than ever. It climbs through an 11th on D, then back to a 3rd on Emi (m.10) as if trying to regain footing. At m.13, the melody’s rhythm settles to a steady series of 8th notes as it determinedly moves through a 7th over the VI chord (m.13), 3rd over the VII (m.13), then 3rd and 5th over the i chord (m.14) to find resolution at E. It reaches the 9th and 7th over the V chord in the last two bars, only to have the piece repeat from the top. The struggle is never ending, but Wally will never give up.
Eyes on the Prize
One of my favorite parts about this piece is the four-guitar arrangement. Adachi-sensei utilizes the full sonic spectrum of the instrument by assigning each overdriven guitar to 4 different octave ranges. Naturally, the lines would be heavily equalized (high pass on the tenor, low pass on the soprano) to properly feature the lead. Which brings out another curiosity: that the main melody is presented on the alto throughout the piece.
Whereas lead lines are often presented on the highest voicing due to clarity, Adachi-sensei intentionally designated the melody on the alto despite the wash of similar timbres. Relative to the alto, the soprano alternates between repeating the melody in a higher octave and counterpoint. It leads me to believe that the alto was chosen to parallel Wally’s role in the game, and the soprano was left to represent the player. Wally’s tenacity has pushed him above the middle, but he’s ever looking toward the idol (the player) in his quest to reach the top.
Thank you for checking out my analysis on Wally’s Theme. Let me know what you think on Twitter!