{"id":3953,"date":"2020-10-27T15:00:48","date_gmt":"2020-10-27T19:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?p=3953"},"modified":"2025-06-20T12:54:06","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T16:54:06","slug":"super-mario-odyssey-bassline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/super-mario-odyssey-bassline\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s walk through the bassline in Super Mario Odyssey\u2019s &#8220;Jump Up, Super Star!&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A 10\/10 on IGN, a 97% on Metacritic, and a 9.5\/10 on Polygon: fans and critics alike had their hats off for <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendo.com\/games\/detail\/super-mario-odyssey-switch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><strong>Super Mario Odyssey<\/strong><\/i>.<\/a><\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>This really doesn\u2019t come as much of a surprise\u2014the visuals are breathtaking, the gameplay is endearing, and of course, the music is delightful as it often is in <em>Mario<\/em> titles. One piece in particular that stands out from the rest is the game\u2019s theme music, &#8220;Jump Up, Super Star!&#8221; The song is in a big band jazz arrangement, which wasn&#8217;t particularly new to <em>Mario<\/em>; what&nbsp;<em>was<\/em> fresh, however, is the inclusion of lyrics, with the piece placing charming vocals by the (perhaps forgotten) damsel-in-distress Pauline, voiced by Kate Higgins, front and center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Super Mario Odyssey - Musical Trailer\" width=\"370\" height=\"208\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4nH13rslscQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>One element that\u2019s crucial to this song\u2019s inexplicably jazzy energy is its <strong>walking bassline<\/strong>. A walking bassline is defined by a consistent (or nearly consistent) one-note-per-beat figure. Its pairing with an often heavily syncopated melody creates a groovy contrast that screams jazz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To celebrate the three-year anniversary of <em>Super Mario Odyssey<\/em>&#8216;s release, let\u2019s take a look at four elements in the bassline in the chorus of &#8220;Jump Up, Super Star!&#8221; to learn how we might begin writing the foundation to our own jazz tune. A transcription and harmonic analysis are below in score notation, as well as MIDI for less sheet music-minded people\u2014the colors and arrows highlight certain compositional techniques that&#8217;ll be explained throughout this post. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Jump-Up-Superstar.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Jump-Up-Super-Star-Sheet-Notation.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3960 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1965px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1965\/767;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"737\" data-id=\"8499\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-01-1024x737.png\" alt=\"Measures 1 - 5 of the chorus of &quot;Jump Up, Super Star!&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-8499 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-01-1024x737.png 1024w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-01-400x288.png 400w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-01-355x255.png 355w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-01-768x553.png 768w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-01-1536x1106.png 1536w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-01-2048x1474.png 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/737;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"737\" data-id=\"8500\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-02-1024x737.png\" alt=\"Measures 6 - 10 of the chorus of &quot;Jump Up, Super Star!&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-8500 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-02-1024x737.png 1024w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-02-400x288.png 400w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-02-355x255.png 355w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-02-768x552.png 768w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-02-1536x1105.png 1536w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-02-2048x1473.png 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/737;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"739\" data-id=\"8501\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-03-1024x739.png\" alt=\"Measures 11 - 16 of the chorus of &quot;Jump Up, Super Star!&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-8501 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-03-1024x739.png 1024w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-03-400x289.png 400w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-03-355x255.png 355w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-03-768x554.png 768w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-03-1536x1108.png 1536w, https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/super-mario-odyssey-in-post-03-2048x1477.png 2048w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/739;\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Outlining a jazzy chord progression<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In pop music, chord progressions often start on the tonic chord; we\u2019ve heard a million songs with four-chord progressions like I-IV-V-I, I-V-vi-IV, or i-VI-III-VII. However, in jazz, the single most ubiquitous chord progression is <strong>ii-V-I<\/strong>, which saves the tonic chord until the end. A walking bassline is only as jazzy as the chord progression it\u2019s outlining, and &#8220;Jump Up, Super Star!&#8221; uses this ii-V-I progression extensively as its harmonic framework, repeating it every four bars (with a slight deviation only on the second iteration).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Grounded in the root<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The blue color in the notation indicates whether the bassline lands on the current chord\u2019s root note at the downbeat of each measure. Interestingly, we find that the bassline is playing the root note at <em>every single downbeat<\/em> without fail. This is a very common practice in walking basslines, since it not only creates a trajectory for the bassline to head towards but also underpins the harmony, which is an element that\u2019s often showcased in jazz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Smooth approaches to the downbeat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Although we\u2019re sticking to root notes on the downbeats, that doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re jumping around drastically from one root to the next. The white arrows in the notation are drawn if the downbeat we discussed above is approached either by <strong>stepwise <\/strong>or<strong> chromatic <\/strong>motion. In other words, we\u2019re looking at whether the downbeat is preceded by a note that\u2019s right nearby it. We find that the bassline adheres to this meticulously during the first half of the progression, and then starts jumping around a bit before returning to the pattern again at the end of the excerpt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In general, stepwise and chromatic motion to the downbeat is a popular practice in walking basslines, since it helps establish a sense of flow among at times distant chord relationships. That said, the leaps included in &#8220;Jump Up, Super Star!&#8221; are a welcome curveball that change things up not only melodically but also rhythmically\u2014the leaps are all anticipated on an offbeat before the downbeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Chromatic passing tones<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We mentioned chromatic motion in our discussion of approaching the downbeat. If you\u2019re unfamiliar with the term, <strong>chromaticism<\/strong> is the idea of using notes that don\u2019t belong in our key (E\u266d major). Chromaticism is a compositional technique seen all over <em>Mario<\/em> music and a lot of video game music at large\u2014old <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/pokemon-most-important-chord-progression\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Pok\u00e9mon<\/em><\/a> battle music, for example, is <em>packed<\/em> with chromatic runs. It\u2019s an extremely versatile technique that can sound playful, eerie, mystical, or even jazzy, as in the case of this bassline. The pitches highlighted in red are chromatic <strong>passing tones<\/strong>, which means they\u2019re notes that the bassline moves through on its journey from one <strong>diatonic<\/strong> note (a pitch that belongs in our key) to the next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While chromaticism doesn\u2019t receive a lot of love in the world of pop, it\u2019s one technique that distinguishes jazz (and video game music) from popular music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The big picture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What ultimately makes this bassline\u2014and the song at large\u2014such an appealing piece of music is that it incorporates standard jazz traditions (a ii-V-I progression, root notes on downbeats, stepwise motion towards the downbeat, and chromaticism) while sprinkling in its own spices: unique chords lead back to the ii chord in each progression, the anticipated leaps momentarily break up the on-beat stepwise approaches to the downbeat, and Pauline makes her unanticipated return as lead vocalist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When writing any piece of music, whether it\u2019s a walking bassline or a pop production, <strong>it\u2019s important to balance satisfying the audience\u2019s expectations with surprising them with less expected choices<\/strong>. This idea transcends the realm of music, and is perhaps what made <em>Super Mario Odyssey<\/em> such a successful game as well\u2014it\u2019s both an introduction of fresh concepts to the <em>Mario<\/em> franchise (such as nonlinear gameplay and a massive T-Rex) and a love letter to past games, incorporating gameplay from entries reaching as far back as the beloved <em>Super Mario Bros<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendo.com\/games\/detail\/super-mario-odyssey-switch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Check out&nbsp;<em>Super Mario Odyssey&nbsp;<\/em>on the Nintendo Store.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Let&#8217;s celebrate the three-year anniversary of Super Mario Odyssey with an analysis of the walking bassline in its theme, &#8220;Jump Up, Super Star!&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":12957,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1699,1696],"tags":[165,488,253,1633,1746,1626],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Music Theory of Mario: Analyzing &quot;Jump Up, Super Star!&quot; - Blog | Splice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We take a look at the music theory of Super Mario Odyssey&#039;s &quot;Jump Up, Super Star!&quot; to learn how to write the foundation to our own jazz tune.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/super-mario-odyssey-bassline\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Music Theory of Mario: Analyzing &quot;Jump Up, Super Star!&quot; - Blog | Splice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We take a look at the music theory of Super Mario Odyssey&#039;s &quot;Jump Up, Super Star!&quot; to learn how to write the foundation to our own jazz tune.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/super-mario-odyssey-bassline\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blog | Splice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Splice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-10-27T19:00:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-20T16:54:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Super_Mario_Odessy_Bassline_BlogPost.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Harrison Shimazu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/bitly.com\/namaboku-twt\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@splice\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Harrison Shimazu\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/super-mario-odyssey-bassline\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/super-mario-odyssey-bassline\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Harrison Shimazu\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1ed73f890efad66c4808440680e9e50d\"},\"headline\":\"Let\u2019s walk through the bassline in Super Mario Odyssey\u2019s &#8220;Jump Up, Super Star!&#8221;\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-10-27T19:00:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-20T16:54:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/super-mario-odyssey-bassline\/\"},\"wordCount\":948,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/super-mario-odyssey-bassline\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Super_Mario_Odessy_Bassline_BlogPost.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"advanced\",\"arrangement\",\"bass\",\"composition\",\"jazz\",\"video games\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Music Theory\",\"Tips &amp; 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