Those of you who read me on my other blogular incarnations might remember I wrote about playing with the sound off, so that I could hear the sounds that are included in the zone, but get covered up by the music.

Somehow, the music got turned on when I turned the sound on when I rolled a new character today. I had to travel to the Undercity to learn daggers, and as I zoned in to Tirisfal Glades, the music changed (naturally).

However, the music was totally blowing my mind.  I guess perhaps since it was a zone I made efforts not to spend time in unless absolutely necessary (you know how I feel about the Forsaken) and also perhaps since I’ve had the music off for months, this was totally new to me.  I surely didn’t remember music like this.  Or perhaps because whenever I had rolled an Undead (I was only experimenting!  It meant nothing!) I was always fighting and the sounds of combat overrode any music that may have been playing.

Somewhere, I had read/heard that when Blizz (or perhaps all games?) have their voices/music made, they don’t let people know, “Hey, btw, your stuff is going to be in a game called World of Warcraft” ’cause it was supposed to be a secret – I guess they didn’t want info leaked even regarding the music.  (I’m just going on the assumption this is true – correct me if that statement is erroneous.)  So, if that is true and they’re trying to keep things on the down low, how do they convey to the composer how the music should sound for each zone/piece they write, what ought to be conveyed, what the music represents?  Since clearly each area needs to sound different, especially the starting areas, since they give a first impression of what a new character is like and about.

The music was really so great that I just stood for a while in front of the entrance to the Undercity, just listening to the music on loop for a while, just soaking it in.  Thinking about how this is really perfect for a new Forsaken to hear as they enter the world.  There are a few accents that really sound Human (a lone, sad trumpet note) then a few that feel more sad, haunting and “Forsaken” – muted harp notes, sad vocal accents, an oboe, suspenseful parts (as if they belonged in a scary movie, like high violin notes), even crows cawing and over all that was a feeling of suspense too, I thought.

A very large part of my process for creating a character and playing them is getting into the right mindset.  All the parts need to make a complete whole that is harmonious.  Did I find myself getting into the mindset of a Forsaken character?  Honestly, I did.  This music was the perfect soundtrack for the creation of some bony¹ fighter and thinking about them and their history.

So, I wonder – if you really want to get a feel for a character of a race (even your old race, if you haven’t been to the starting area in a while!) – should you sit in the starting area for a while, just listening (not fighting) to the music of your race?  I think it would be a great idea.  Setting the tone for the character and their coming adventures with music can only be good.