I am on a quest to learn how to make music like Toby Fox. Why? Because he taught himself how to do it. And if he can do it, I can do it too! I don't have the funds to commission music for my games.
Some links I've found which I think are neat:
Decomposing Undertale’s Music Composition Structure by lefthanded-sans is a super insightful read. They break down the common structures and techniques used in most of Undertale's music. Surprisingly (or not surprisingly?), nearly every track follows the same pattern: introduce a catchy hook, layer on a mid-ground, and then introduce the melody and drum parts, while repeating the hook in the background. Every eight bars is a question and answer period. Ruins, Snowy... Megalovania... it's all ostinatos all the way down???!!! If you want a practical look on how to make Toby Fox-like songs, see this article!
How do i get good at music by Toby Fox: advice from the man himself on how to get started. It's worth a read. I would add that transcribing existing music (like public domain classical music) into a DAW is a great way to train yourself to read sheet music and learn how to use a DAW. Then, you can play around with the song in real time as you analyze it!
An Examination of Leitmotifs and Their Use to Shape Narrative in UNDERTALE by Jason M. Yu: This article looks at how Toby Fox associates leitmotifs with characters, places, ideas, and themes. Expands on the role of ostinatos vs melodies as described in the first link. Lots of great ideas that you can take with you when you make music for your games!
Other links:
For general music theory, the Open Music Theory online textbook has been an invaluable resource for learning the basics. I recommend reading the Fundamentals and Popular Music sections first if you're brand new to composing.
Hopefully some day I'll come back and make a proper writeup on my process/findings. If anyone has tips on learning composition in general, lmk!
