I’m back to discuss the leitmotif some more, especially how the original theme compares to the one present in Minho’s long walks. This time I’ve brought a handy video-audio clip. If you didn’t read my last leitmotif post and want to know what on earth I’m talking about, click here: https://www.reddit.com/r/XOKittyNetflix/s/N5JRXlS1Bw , as I won’t rehash all the details.

The leitmotif in its most pure form is heard in Minho’s confession of love in season 1. I compared it across the series and it’s the most standard in tempo, instrumentation, and structure. It’s pretty much identical to what you hear during the rain scene, and during the hug in the scene where Minho offers the jet to bring Kitty’s family. Whenever we hear tiny snippets of it, it also seems to be sampled from this original form.

There are two occasions where the leitmotif really is different from the pure form: 1. Minho to the rescue, and 2. Minho’s Long Walks, which is what I’m going to discuss today.

The original leitmotif vs Minho’s long walks:

I strongly encourage you to listen to the video in this post to help you see all these differences :) (goodness knows I’ve listened to it 100 times at this point)

Tempo (speed): the original is 118bpm (like racing heart beat when you’re nervous) and Minho’s Long Walks is 88bpm (likely the speed your heart rate would be if you were taking a casual walk). The more relaxed nature of the bpm in Minho’s Long Walks is much calmer and could represent a much calmer, steady love, that has transformed from the standard fast heart beat into something much more stable and serious. A maturation, if you will.

Instrumentation:

Original: lots of electric guitars, piano (but it’s an electric sound, not pure), very resonant and echoey, lots of synthesizer. This is a youthful and artificial sounding instrumentation compared to what we hear next.

Minho’s Long Walks: soaring strings, a more natural sounding piano, a harp-like sound (I think it’s a synthesizer since it doesn’t sound quite right, but I digress), and sung ooohs. The instrumentation of Minho’s Long Walks is much more classically romantic. Using a strings section, a more natural sounding piano, the ever romantic harp sound, and sung oohs, we have something much more natural and swelling, evoking of more emotion. The sung oohs are like the singing of their hearts.

Rhythm:

Original: piano part moves quite quickly with the whole pattern fitting within 4 beats/1 measure

Minho’s Long Walks: The piano part moves extremely slowly, at approximately 1 measure per note (so 4x slower, not accounting for the fact that the tempo is also slower). As you can tell this is much, much, slower and honestly completely changes the feel of the piece. Rather than loving along quickly with a sense of urgency, these notes hold you. They allow you to breathe, and sit in these notes, sit in this feeling. This is exponentially more calm, peaceful, and emotional. In some ways it’s heavier as well, and more mature.

Now that you’ve heard some breakdown of the parts and had a chance to look at them side by side, what do you think? Do you agree with me that this is a more mature, romantic, solid, settled sound, or do you think something else? I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!