Exploring Features in the “Composer” Program in Mario Paint

I previously discussed the significance behind the multimedia edutainment program known as Mario Paint for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) as part of my ongoing “Iberian, Latin American, and Caribbean Elements in Video Game Music” compilation. The purpose for the current blog post will expand upon that discussion by offering more insight regarding the “Composer” feature located within Mario Paint. Writing music through the “Composer” feature serves as a distinct and unconventional introduction to music notation software programs: whether for younger audiences just beginning to learn about music or for seasoned composers. It also functions as part of the larger scope of the Mario Paint program in allowing people to created and synchronize musical tracks with short animation. Players can access the “Composer” feature by toggling through the visual arts choices on the bottom of the screen, left-clicking the arrow on the far-ride side for more options, and left-clicking the “Piano Keyboard” in the middle of the bottom of the bar.[1] Concerning the Graphical User Interface (GUI) for the “Composer” feature in Mario Paint, it is structured in a format that simplifies navigation and writing music. It is presented as follows:

• Fifteen Instruments and sound effects (top bar)- mostly represented as characters from the Super Mario games, animals, humans, vehicles, and other objects

1. Mario Head = Pitched Percussion
2. Mushroom = Drum
3. Yoshi = “Yoshi” riding sound effect from Super Mario World[2]
4. Star = Pitched Percussion
5. Flower = Brass (Trumpet)
6. Game Boy = Keyboard/Synthesizer
7. Dog = Animal sound effect
8. Cat = Animal sound effect
9. Pig = Animal sound effect
10. Duck/Goose = Animal sound effect/”Orchestra Hit” effect
11. Baby = Human sound effect
12. Plane = Guitar
13. Boat = Unpitched Percussion
14. Car = Keyboard/Organ
15. Heart = Electric Bass

• Also includes a Double-Barline tool to end a created track at a specific point
• Sound effects can be played at different high or low pitches
• One musical staff (center) – features a treble clef to the left, but no accompanying bass cleff at the bottom of the screen
• Note range and pitches extend from “B3” (low) to “G5” (high) – Most written and sounding pitches are structed in the “Composer” program like a keyboard instrument, except for the Boat and a few other instruments:
• Plane and Heart sound one octave lower than written.
• Duck/Goose and Car feature an octave-doubling effect.

 
Playback Controls (Below Staff: Buttons organized as they appear from left to right)

• Stop – Ends the track
• Play – Begins the track
• Loop – Repeats the track indefinitely when activated
• Tempo (Knob, with “+” and “-" icons) – Increases or decreases the speed of the track and can be adjusted from left (slow) to right (fast)
• Scroll – Enables navigating a track and moving to a specific measure by left-clicking the left or right arrow on the sides of the bar
• “Clear” – Erases the entire track

Other Icons (Bottom: Buttons organized as they appear from left to right)

• Bomb – Functions as an “Exit” or “Back” button that leaves the “Composer” program – also featured throughout other areas in Mario Paint
• Eraser - Removes note, double-bar lines, or mistakes in a track in the “Composer” program – also featured throughout other areas in Mario Paint
• “3/4” and “4/4” – Time signature buttons that determine whether the track is played in three beats (quarter notes) per measure or in four beats (quarter notes) per measure
• “Yoshi Face,” “Diamond,” and “Mushroom” – Demo songs that show the capabilities of the “Composer” program
• Dog – Functions as an “Undo” button to fix a previous mistake – can be used only once - also featured throughout other areas in Mario Paint

Limitations
The “Composer” program serves as one of several features in Mario Paint. Because this program initially worked via a 16-bit video game cartridge on a console instead of a computer, several features are missing due to the hardware limitations (even through emulation on the Switch and Switch 2 consoles). It is still possible to create music despite the gaps.  Here is what I have encountered when working with the Mario Paint “Composer”:

• It features a treble clef to the left, but it excludes an accompanying staff with a bass clef at the bottom of the screen. That means that whatever track that people create gets restricted to only one musical staff and clef.
• “Composer” allows up to three simultaneous instrumental layers and no more.
• The note ranges and pitches cannot exceed below “B3” or above “G5”
• Musical notes entered in the staff are presented diatonically in the key of C Major. “Composer” does not include a “Sharp” or “Flat” button to change notes. While it technically “is” possible to write tracks that are not in C Major, that approach requires some experimentation and a basic understanding of key relationships and modes.
• Musical notes in “Composer” are limited to quarter notes and do not feature any other note durations. It also does not include any musical rest symbols. Creating complex rhythms in the program, while possible, requires physically counting each beat in each measure and ensuring that the desired beat is in the correct spot within the track.
• “Composer” features only two available time signatures: 3/4 time and 4/4 time. These time signatures also affect the total measures allowed for a given track. Tracks that use the 3/4 time signature feature up to thirty-two measures, while tracks that use the 4/4 time signature only permit up to twenty-four measures. This discrepancy possibly results from the hardware limitations on the cartridge.
• Every action in the “Composer” program, like the rest of Mario Paint, relies strictly on the mouse for control and does not feature computer keyboard support or shortcuts.  

[1] The same bar includes a “Treble Clef” icon, but that refers to the “Select Music” option, which allows people to change the background music when using the visual arts workstation. Players can choose up to three different tracks for background music or choose a mostly muted option, occasionally interrupted by brief sneezes from a virtual dog.

[2] This sound effect can be used for percussive means.