8 Things I Learned from Grant Kirkhope

Grant Kirkhope is a man who needs no introduction. He’s the talented composer behind some of the most beloved classics on the N64 like Banjo Kazooie, Banjo Tooie, Goldeneye 007, and Perfect Dark.

He’s also composed for several modern games including Kingdom of Amalur, Yooka-Laylee, and Viva Pinata.

We talked about his work at Rare, the pros, and cons of working as a freelancer vs. full-time, and some practical tips for crafting melodies.

In this post, I’ll explore eight of the most notable things he taught me when I interviewed him for the podcast. I highly recommend listening to the entire episode, which you can do on this page or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Stay humble and let your work speak for itself

Grant currently lives L.A., which has a reputation for being a bit of a magnet for vain, egotistical artists seeking to climb the ladder of fame and fortune. While there certainly are some jerks out there, he said that the humblest creatives are often the most talented, and the most obnoxious ones aren’t all that great.

There’s something to be said for staying humble and letting your work (and your credits list) speak for you. It may seem counterintuitive, but Grant credits that mindset to a lot of his relational success in the highly competitive composer landscape.

Expose yourself to multiple genres of music

Growing up, Grant was a classically-trained trumpet player. It wasn’t until later in his teenage and young adult years that he got immersed in the world of ’80s metal. He picked up a guitar, grew his hair out long, and started learning the solo from Queen’s Killer Queen.

While the two genres (classical and metal) seem diametrically opposed, Grant said, “having the classical thing over here where I’d be playing in symphony orchestras and the metal thing over here really sculpted the way I write.”

I often hear composers asking how to find “their own voice” when it comes to composition. I think that Grant (and other great composers) accomplished it by simply listening across the entire spectrum of music and synthesizing those influences in their own work.

Use music theory to tell stories

Most video game music doesn’t include lyrics, but that doesn’t mean it can’t tell a story. Composers just have to try a little harder and think a bit more outside the box.

When Grant was writing the Banjo-Kazooie soundtrack, he started out just writing what he referred to as “jolly platformer tracks.” It wasn’t until later in the game that he wanted to explore some dark harmony. But how do you explore dark harmony in a kids’ game? Grant discovered that when he kept the melody and rhythm “bouncy,” he could get away with throwing in some off-the-wall chords (an idea he admittedly nicked from Beetlejuice and Danny Elfman).

Grant wanted to somehow communicate the contrasting personalities of the two main characters. Banjo was a dull, carefree bear, while Kazooie was a wise-cracking, shrewd bird. Their personalities couldn’t be further apart.

Then it hit him: use a tritone.

For those who don’t know, a tritone is an interval that divides an octave perfectly in half. In other words, in a given key, a tritone represents the two notes that are the farthest apart from each other. For example, C and F# (which are the very pitches he used). You can hear this most prominently in the “call and response” portion of the game’s main title music.

Compose yourself into a corner

As Grant continued to explore interesting harmony in Banjo-Kazooie (and its sequel, Banjo-Tooie), he started “composing himself into a corner.” He’d see how far off the beaten path he could get harmonically, and then challenge himself to find his way back to the home key.

Side note: if you’re interested in learning about how to modulate like this, I have a few lessons discussing the circle of fifths and ii – V – I modulations in my course, Making Game Music: The Fundamentals of Composition. Definitely check it out if you’re interested. 🙂

A singable melody covers a multitude of sins

In the same vein of harmonic exploration, Grant discovered that when you have a reasonably singable melody, you put almost whatever you want underneath it harmony-wise and it will still work.

The melody is what most players “remember,” while the harmony is what most players “feel.” When you have a solid melody, you have more leeway to play with oddball harmony without distracting the player.

Immerse yourself in the source material

When Grant was preparing to write an orchestral score, he listened to the Harry Potter soundtrack every day on his commute, back and forth. The continual immersion in John Williams’ scores began to change his subconscious and give him ideas he never would’ve otherwise had.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it many times again: we are all products of our influences. When we immerse ourselves in the reference tracks or source material of what we’re writing, it fills up our creative reservoir. That way, when we finally do sit down at the piano or DAW to write, we’re bursting at the seams with ideas.

Know the common tropes and cliches

There are certain instruments that, for better or worse, evoke particular moods, environments, or scenarios.

Grant says that in all his years writing music for games, these ensembles reflexively come to mind for specific use-cases.

For example, when someone mentions an ice level, Grant immediately starts thinking in terms of celestes, glockenspiels, pizzicato strings, and other “sharp-sounding” instruments.

Another example might be how Koji Kondo uses the harp in his Fairy Fountain themes, leveraging its common association with angelic beings.

Master the fundamentals of melody and harmony

“Back in the ’90s, we didn’t have CD quality,” Grant told me. “All the guys I worked with could just write a great tune. Because that’s what you had to do, you had to write a great tune.”

There’s no doubt that the limitations of the N64 leave some soundtracks from that era sounding “quaint” by today’s standards. Oftentimes, what shines above any fancy production, plugin, or synth engine is just the ability to write a great piece of music.

That’s what makes Grant Kirkhope’s compositions some of the most well-loved and nostalgic pieces from the ’90s “golden era” of gaming.

This philosophy of starting with a great melody, harmony, and arrangement is what my course Making Game Music: The Fundamentals of Composition is all about.

If you’re interested in learning more, you can register and watch a few lessons for free.

I hope this small vignette of Grant’s wisdom is beneficial to all of us. He was such a joy to speak with, and I’m looking forward to when our paths cross again.

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