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The Rat Apprentice's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Overall | #4 | 4.025 | 4.500 |
| Correlation to theme | #4 | 4.249 | 4.750 |
| Creativity | #4 | 3.801 | 4.250 |
| Composition | #5 | 4.025 | 4.500 |
| Quality | #6 | 4.025 | 4.500 |
Ranked from 8 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Theme
Correlation to theme
Music link:
https://youtu.be/dRFQcm4OyKc
I started off with the Challenge of Reduction, and ended up also doing the Challenge of the Stair after finding out changing time signatures is a neat way of creating magical atmospheres!
Squeak is an aspiring wizard at the Rodent Academy of the Magical Arts. He's an enthusiastic learner, always busy scurrying between classes, studying, and practicing his magic. Sometimes though, he can be a bit TOO eager...but it's not like anything can go wrong...right?
The music starts in 4/4, and as we get to know Squeak, he shows off a bit of his magic, making the music shift from 4/4 -> 5/4 -> 6/4 -> 4/4. After this introduction, Squeak scurries off to class, always eager to learn, even if he stumbles into challenges from time to time.
As classes really get going, the music shifts to 5/4, and Squeak is scurrying between the countless classes he's signed up for. Maybe it was a bit too many in hindsight...? Yup, it was definitely too many! A stressed and tired Squeak mis-squeaks an incantation, causing a huge bloom of magic to envelope the area.
In this magical bubble, the music shifts to a lilting 6/4, and Squeak is kinda knocked out. He really messed up this time, huh? But as usual, he shakes it off, gradually coming back to reality as the magic wears off. And it's back to learning for him! Though he might take things a bit easier going forward...
Being limited to just 3 instruments at a time, I explored a bunch of different instruments that I could use to get a mouse/rat like feeling and ended up with a violin using a lot of trills, tremolos, and ricochets. This violin represents Squeak throughout the piece as he spends his day at the Academy. Other instruments include the harpsichord, accordion, clarinet, marimba, music box, bassoon, and some bells, all played in combinations of 3 throughout the piece. To introduce some variety in timbre in sections, I created deliberate 'gaps' in the music where I could temporarily introduce other instruments while respecting the challenge's limit on 3 instruments playing at a time. These gaps also serve to convey Squeak, despite his best efforts, still being an apprentice and student of the magical arts, and nowhere near a master wizard... for now. He'll get there some day!
Thanks for listening! I hope you enjoyed the music.
Challenge portal
Streaming service
https://youtu.be/dRFQcm4OyKc https://soundcloud.com/yujisatomusic/the-rat-apprentice
Last words
I kinda joined last minute, but I hope team bird pulls off a comeback!
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Comments
Superb use of modulations that give it a film score feel. With so few instruments, you've achieved three things:
It's very impressive.
I see I'm not the only one who struggles with making videos.
Question: at 1'33" there's a violin tremolo that moves from right to left (it's a really nice effect). Which soundbank did you use?
Thank you for your kind comment! I actually started making videos with my submissions after the cool stuff I saw you do in the rmcc jams haha. The violin I used is the Stradivari Violin from Native Instruments!
I had a full smile during the whole track, congratulations. Super beautiful, very well composed, one of the best-fitting ones, and a winner for narration. You were really intelligent in making a full video for it.
If you listened the song without the video however, it still works as a great piece of narrative composition. Fantastic job, keep on keeping on!!!
Thanks so much for your kind words!
The setting was immediately conveyed by the harpsichord right at the start - it describes the arcane, renaissance-y, whimsy of the Rodent Academy of the Magical Arts so well. Exploring all of those 3 instrument combinations led to a well-organized and engaging story that flows naturally and impressively, and even makes sense that it would loop since Squeak is bound to make the same mistakes again. I’m glad you joined this jam and decided to align with Team Bird! It’s always fun jamming with you and listening to all the high-quality music you come up with. Great work and thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much for your kind comment. I always look forward to jams you join, since I get to hear your awesome work! I hope team bird can pull off a comeback this round!
A very fun story that is super well portrayed in the music! You nailed the magical vibes! The harpsichord especially I think sells it.
The animation with the story is also very engaging and cute!
Thanks so much! Glad you liked the animation, it might've taken longer than the composition itself haha