Wii

Now I'd like to introduce the first music video. This is the one we mentioned earlier, by Wii Music producer Tezuka-san.

This is Tezuka-san performing "Occasionally Super Mario Bros." (laughs) I doubt most people would recognize this as "Super Mario Bros." It would be better to say he rarely, rather than occasionally, returns to the Mario theme. It's a peculiar video. What's so astounding about it is that he's not performing randomly here. It's amazing how he breaks down the melody line without ever completely losing sight of the basic rhythm and the original song.

Next is Miyamoto-san. It's a little funky and rock-oriented.

Rather than simply hitting the drums all the time, if you use the B Button at unexpected places, you can get a curveball performance like this clip. Also, during the guitar solo, if you stop the bass, it adds accent and vigor to the song.

Next is my boss Kondo-san's video.

It starts gently and at a leisurely pace with only the shamisen and banjo, then the beat joins along with the whistle. Its lively Okinawan vibe is unique. For the whistle, he holds down the A Button, and on the shamisen he uses fast picking when he want the finer sounds. It's a finely crafted piece. That's why he's the boss! (laughs)

Next is co-producer Eguchi-san. The two of us recorded this together in one take.

This is the theme song for Wii Music. The sound of the trumpet really suits the song, and Eguchi-san plays as if he's having the time of his life! The Totaka Mii on the drums is using some special techniques. I held down the B Button on the Wii Remote to get that light sound on the snare, the drum in the center and right in front of the Mii.

Next is my own video. It's for the song "September."

In order to add in the rhythm guitar, I slowed down the tempo and recorded it in advance. I know, that's a trick under my sleeve! (laughs) Partway through, I cut out the bass for a bit in order to add some contrast. The sudden drop in sound creates a feeling like you're floating weightlessly in space. Once you're used to playing a song, then you can think about trying to play less to bring more changes to the sound. Try it out sometime!

Next is subdirector Wada-san, who likes music with an Irish flavor. Be sure to check out the distinctive jacket design!

I'd summarize this piece by saying it's a fusion of Ireland and outer space. (laughs) Wada-san took "Turkey in the Straw" as his subject and then added a lot of his own twist. Irish music keeps time by stomping one's feet and often uses an accordion, and this video makes good use of such characteristic instrumentation. He's also substituted the recorder in place of the Irish tin whistle. What's more, he nails down the Irish atmosphere perfectly with the repeating triplets. Add all that to the stage, and you've got a polished piece of work that displays a unique grandeur.

Next is a fairly advanced video by subdirector Hikino-san.

This is "From the New World," but the rhythm has been changed. "From the New World" is originally in quadruple time, but this video uses quintuple time. I've turned triple time into duple and duple into triple before, but I'd never turned quadruple into quintuple before. It couldn't have been easy to do this. I'm wondering if he didn't secretly start by laying down a basic 5/4 rhythm by striking the cowbell five times for each revolution of the Be-Bops at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. (laughs) The rhythm is quite bouncy. It's sort of jazzy. This is high-level work. It's something I can't do! (laughs)

Next, let's take a look at subdirector Morii-san, who used to have almost no musical talent at all.

Could you tell the song is "Frere Jacques"? The bass line is completely different, and the way the beat changes is striking! (laughs) This is an example of the kind of performance you can give even if you don't have a background in music. If you tried to perform something like this live, it would be incredibly difficult, but with Wii Music, something like this is easy!

Last but not least, I'd like to present two music videos by female team members. First is designer Iwasawa-san. Pay attention to how she uses rests.

This has plenty of highlights, such as the way everyone suddenly stops playing sometimes. These rests have a nice effect, and the song draws to a solid finish. Also, she doesn't follow the original melody, but comes up with something entirely different. She made a bunch of videos like this!

Next is Hirono-san, another designer. For Wii Music, she worked on the user interface and modeling, among other things. The song is from Animal Crossing: Wild World. Check out these Miis!