The session started with minor biographical stuff -- he learned to play music on his grandfather's guitar, and was inspired by pop -- and quickly moved to games. Uematsu noted that just because we have CD audio now, it doesn't mean that game music is better. "Just because the hardware was developed, doesn't mean game music has evolved," he said.
In fact, Uematsu revealed a soft spot for NES / Famicom music, in all its three-note glory. He cited Super Mario Bros. as his all-time favorite, calling it "the beginning of all game music." "What I'm trying to do is write good melodies," he said, "no matter what the abilities of the host platform. As long as the melody is really nice you can listen to it on anything. Could technological barriers actually be good? The more limits there are, the more creativity will come out." He went on to compliment Koichi Sugiyama for his groundbreaking Dragon Quest music, and mentioned that each software house had a unique sound back in the Famicom days -- everyone always wondered how Konami coaxed its distinctive tones out of Nintendo's classic system.
Final Fantasy X
But what of the future? Uematsu noted that the music in current games is often akin to that of movies, with static fanfares and cues to punctuate certain points, pre-planned and pre-scripted. He thinks that games, being an interactive medium, should employ new, somehow different techniques in their music. Like what? Uematsu-san confessed that he hasn't thought about it much, and expected such a breakthrough to come from the USA or Europe, anyway.
Speaking of the West, Uematsu was asked if there were any Western game music composers he enjoyed, and, predictably, he said that he didn't really play Western games. The biggest laugh of the interview came about when he described a French journalist telling him that he simply had to hear the music of Halo. The only problem, he said, is that, "I don't have an Xbox." Nor do many Japanese, of course. Uematsu does enjoy foreign music of other persuasions, though, and mentioned Simon & Garfunkle, The Carpenters, and Tchaikovsky as favorites. Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony, in particular, is always in his iPod.
Discussion moved to the topic of up-and-coming composers. What advice could he offer? "I taught myself so I don't see how I could teach you to compose music," he said. "I've met people who want to be my disciples, but what could I teach them? I could drink sake with them ..." He continued with more concrete advice. "You need a long-term goal: keep trying and make a small step every day. Don't give up! Keep going, and that will be the shortcut to success."
