Melodies and Motifs: Pokemon Red/Blue Quiz

Answer: Viridian Forest

The staccato dissonant notes (the accidentals) can set players on edge when they enter the dangerous Viridian Forest between Viridian City and Pewter City. The first interval is a tritone (an augmented fourth or diminished fifth). It is the half-way point between a note and its octave, but does not occur in the major or minor key, making it sound unnerving and great for building tension.

Answer: Cycling

Many songs in these games are tied to specific locations, but this song always plays when riding the bicycle, regardless of where the player is. There is one place, Cycling Road (Route 17) between Celadon City and Fuchsia City, that the player must ride a bike.

Answer: Opening

These are the bars that are heard immediately after the Game Freak logo when turning on the game. It's played over a battle between a Gengar and a Nidorino ("Pokémon Red") or a Jigglypuff ("Pokémon Blue").

Answer: Pallet Town

Once players have gone through the introduction and created their player character, this is the first song they hear. They start the game in a house with their mother in the sleepy Pallet Town. This song is pleasant and pastoral. Each City in Kanto has its own song.

Answer: Pokemon Centre

There is a Pokémon Centre in nearly every town and city in Kanto, and they all look the same and sound the same. The Pokémon Centre is where players can heal all their Pokémon for free after being outside adventuring. The music reinforces that the centre is a safe place.

Answer: Surfing

This is the only 3/4 song in this quiz, and it sounds like a waltz. This trend is continued in later "Pokémon" games. The surfing tunes for "Pokémon Gold/Silver" (Generation II), "Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire" (Generation III), "Pokémon Diampnde/Pearl" (Generation IV), "Pokémon X/Y" (Generation VI) are all in 3/4 time.

Answer: Mt. Moon

This song is used in both Mt. Moon and Rock Tunnel. This tune is in 4/4 time, but instead of dividing the bar into four sets of two eighth notes, the bar is divided into two sets of three eighth notes, and one set of two eighth notes. This gives a slightly off-balance feel. A similar pattern is used in the song "Clocks" by British rock band Coldplay.

Answer: Route 1

There were a lot of different songs written for the routes connecting the cities of Kanto. They all had a similar, up-beat feel to them, and this was the first one players heard, marking their journey away from sleepy Pallet Town.

Answer: Trainer Battle

This is the recognizable melody of the "Trainer Battle" tune, which has long held notes. What's missing from this image are the driving rhythmic sixteenth notes underneath that add a sense of excitement and tension to the tune. A similar driving sixteenth note rhythm is used in the tunes when fighting wild Pokémon or gym leaders (each of which have their own songs, too).

Answer: Lavender Town

Lavender Town was one of the few places without a Pokémon gym. Instead, it had Lavender Tower, which was a mausoleum for Pokémon. This dour building was the only place to find ghost-type Pokémon. In the sequel game, "Pokémon Gold/Silver," the tower was callously turned into a radio tower playing hip tunes and talk radio.