Instructor

Jonny May

Lesson Type

Quick Tip

Skill Level

Intermediate

Duration

11:23

Okay… we need to talk about that chord. You know the one. The “wait—WHAT was that?!” moment. 😄

So I just dropped a new lesson breaking down the score from the Super Mario Galaxy movie, and wow… I was not ready. This soundtrack is doing some sneaky, genius-level things that make it feel epic, emotional, and honestly kinda addictive.

In this lesson, we dig into:

• That opening melody that immediately breaks the “rules” (hello Lydian 👀)
• Some spicy, unexpected chords that shouldn’t work… but absolutely do
• A gorgeous descending bass line that ties everything together
• Those cinematic string patterns (aka ostinatos) that give you chills
• And yes… the wildest chord in the whole piece (you’ll know it when you hear it)

It’s one of those scores where every time you think you know where it’s going, it goes, “nah, let’s make it cooler.”

If you’ve ever wondered how composers make music sound so magical (without it feeling random), this one’s a goldmine.

👉 Dive into the lesson and play along—I promise, your ears are about to level up.

Also… fair warning: you may start hearing Lydian everywhere now. You’re welcome.

Writer

Jonny May

Jonathan May is a pianist from Southern California who specializes in many styles of piano. At age eighteen, Jonny became the youngest pianist to perform at Disneyland. Each week he entertained thousands of guests with his arrangements of American classics and Disney songs. Jonny has also performed with the Youtube...

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