Leitmotifs

Leitmotifs are defined as recurring musical ideas associated with a person, idea, event or place. In many Kjolt projects, leitmotifs take form in melodies, and sometimes in instrumentation. This page will serve to catalogue all notable instances of them across various projects that feature original music. While most were made by Kjolt, some tracks contain leitmotifs from other artists like cflip's Signature Ball Adventure music.

The audio files on this page are simple piano renditions of each leitmotif, using their "base forms" that are iterated upon in various tracks.

Boss A and B

This leitmotif is the first part of a recurring melody that frequently appears in boss music. It is a brief four-part melody where the first three have a similar ending, and the last is a variation. It is sometimes played by a chiptune-adjacent or softer instrument, and commonly appears after a track's tonal shift or drop. Usage of this melody may also allude to a character's alignment, in this case usually being toward a larger antagonistic entity or idea.

The second part to the Boss melody also frequently appears in boss music. It is composed of four parts, but the first and third are usually identical. It is often a very pronounced part of a track that it is part of, regardless of whether it is played more subtly. Usage of this melody could allude to a character's alignment with the protagonist's intentions, or if the context is implied to be a more directly personal confrontation between forces.

Boss A appears in the following tracks:

• "Yopersong" (0:19-1:16)
• "Soured Sour Soul" (1:25-1:46)

Boss B appears in the following tracks:

• "Soured Sour Soul" (0:42-1:03)
• "That is it, Binny!" (1:42-2:05)
• "I AM THE RED MAN" (2:47-3:12)

Yopersong

The Yopersong motif is a melody originating in the first rendition of "Yoper's Banana Juice" and recurring throughout music related to the Yoper. It is a fairly mischievous-sounding and fast-paced melody where the notes alternate up and down before ascending high in the final part. However, it can be heard in a more ominous tone, such as in "Yopersong" based on its pitch and instrumentation. Additionally, due to the empty space it leaves at its beginning, it is often preceded by one or more (often three) quick low-octave notes.

The Yopersong leitmotif appears in the following tracks:

• "Yoper's Banana Juice" (0:23-0:40), (1:04-1:32)
• "Between Ricky Hills" (0:38-1:16)
• "Yopersong" (0:09-0:18), (0:57-1:36)

Signature Ball

The Signature Ball leitmotif refers to two melodies found in tracks related to Signature Ball Adventure. The first melody (A) is a simple looping pattern of some long and short notes, usually played by an electronic lead instrument. The second (B), originating from the music heard in the very first Signature Ball Adventure game, is another very simple melody that is often heard in the form of a light, high-pitched chiptune or keyboard instrument.

Signature Ball leitmotif A appears in the following tracks:

• "MusicGame02" (0:04-0:32), (0:52-1:10)
• "VOTE THIS GUY" (0:14-0:35), (0:49-1:03), (1:50-2:08)
• "I AM THE RED MAN" (0:46-0:58)

Signature Ball leitmotif B appears in the following tracks:

• Original Signature Ball Adventure Music (0:04-0:12)
• "MusicGame02" (0:32-1:10)
• "VOTE THIS GUY" (0:00-0:14), (1:04-1:16), (1:50-2:08)
• "I AM THE RED MAN" (0:39-0:52)

Gaming

The Gaming leitmotif is a melody associated with gamings and characters related to gamings. However, it originated in "VOTE THIS GUY" where the correlation is nigh absent. It is usually played by and alongside samples that are explicitly robotic and digital. The motif is somewhat foreboding, building anticipation toward or during a challenge. It can also appear in many variations, with certain notes beginning in different places or extra notes filling in.

The Gaming leitmotif appears in the following tracks:

• "VOTE THIS GUY" (1:21-1:49)
• "Gaming Tunnel" (0:00-0:52)

Red Cran

The Red Cran leitmotif is a melody found in original tracks directly related to Red Cran and Rodney. It originates from "Singing Kran" by cflip, which was then remixed by jprik as "hey cran gotem" and then again by Kjolt in the form of "That is it, Binny!". It is most often played using the Krab Bass, an instrument sampled from Cran's own voice. The instrument is always present for the leitmotif even if it is not playing the melody. The melody itself can be described as sporadic and agitated, matching the emotional energy of its associated character.

The Red Cran leitmotif appears in the following tracks:

• "Singing Kran" (Full Duration)
• "hey cran gotem" (Full Duration)
• "That is it, Binny!" (0:48-1:36), (2:06-2:18)
• "I AM THE RED MAN" (0:00-0:26)

Forest

The Forest leitmotif is an old melody that typically is used in forest music, especially that which is for a secluded and calm setting. It is comprised of slow natural notes somewhat sporadically progressing up and down, then rising before a gentle descent and returning to the starting note. It is usually played by or alongside a triangle wave and strings. It originates from old BeepBox experiments by Kjolt around 2018, who was just getting a grip on how to compose.

While not quite a substantial melody of its own, this one is often accompanied by short arpeggios alternating up and down in a 3 note range. It is often played with a quiet bell instrument.

The Forest leitmotif appears in the following tracks:

• "Squiroma" by jprik (0:00-0:56), (1:39-1:52), (2:00-2:51)
• "Black Forest" (0:13-0:55), (1:15-1:49)

Trivia

• Currently, the oldest documented leitmotif is Signature Ball B, dating back before the completion of Signature Ball Adventure. Second to this record is Krubera, then third is Forest. Notably old but not the oldest is Red Cran's leitmotif, having originated in mid 2020 when the krats were made.