"I figured out why the Lavender Town Theme sounds so unnerving"

This discussion is gonna involve some music theory, so if you can't wrap your head around that stuff, then move alongThe gist though, is that the song is written in the Key of E Minor which already sounds kind of dark and gloomy. But those four notes repeated over and over again in the high register are what really take it to a whole other level. Those notes are C, G, B, and F# repeated ad nausium. In theory terms, that would be vi, iii, v, ii.Because of the way that pattern is formatted, it gets interpreted as having the same function as a backing track (which would usually be in the base) despite the high pitch. For a good comparison, to illustrate what I mean, look up His Theme from Undertale. It kind of does the same thing, but in a less dissonant way.However, because that repeated four note pattern doesn't actually include the tonic note (E) and because it jumps up from C to G instead of going from the high C down to to G, and because the C note keeps getting emphasized right on the down beat, it tricks your brain into thinking the entire song is actually in C Major rather than the true key which is E Minor.Now that creates some dissonance which otherwise wouldn't exist. Because the melody includes notes that don't belong in C Major, namely F# and C#. In the key of C Major, F# creates a tritone which is very dissonant. And C#, only a half step up from C, is so dissonant that it's almost painful to listen to.Combine that with the fact that the repeated 4 note pattern is so high pitched that it sounds like nails on a chalkboard, and I can see why so many kids thought the song was creepyIt's essentially taking an already gloomy melody, and then confusing your brain to make it seem even more disorientingAs an experiment though, try playing the main melody on a piano, just above middle C, and then instead of doing all the high notes, just play a basic I, V, I, arpeggio in E in the base underneath it. It changes the whole vibe. I found that suddenly, the song lost that disorienting, otherworldly character, and instead, it just sounded kind of sad via /r/pokemon https://ift.tt/UBwCeib