Talondor here, composer on League of Legends and reigning Dungeon Master of the Riot Music team! Today we’d like to talk to you all about something that holds musical significance to all of us and is featured throughout much of League’s music… lyrical melodies.

Not all champions, skins, or events call for easily singable melodies—sometimes it’s better to focus on something rhythmically strong, timbrely aggressive, or harmonically rich. For example, if something needs to evoke emotions of fear or uneasiness, then leaning into musical ideas that feel unfamiliar to most people might be the best option. However, a good majority of the time having an easily identifiable and singable melody is the best choice for representing someone or something, especially if the goal is to help it feel more relatable or human. It’s a bit odd, but if you can imagine a champion singing their theme and you can also sing along, then in a way, it helps you connect with that champion.

Today we’d like to highlight what we believe are four of the most melodically lyrical yet individually unique pieces we’ve written for League: the champion themes for Taric, Taliyah, Ornn, and Irelia. Before we get to the sheet music (and a special behind-the-scenes video!), let’s talk a bit about what we take into consideration when composing lyrical melodies.

THE MAKEUP OF A MELODY

If you’ve listened to the theme songs for Taric, Taliyah, Ornn, or Irelia, you might be able to sing (or hum!) the tunes right now. Yet while all of these songs are singable, each one sounds pretty different from the others—why is that?

Part of the reason is that each champion’s personality varies greatly, and the regions in which they live in Runeterra are all different too. The way Bilgewater sounds paints a certain set of musical expectations on a melody for a champion, just as it would for a champion from the Freljord, Shadow Isles, and so on. However, the degree to which it imposes these regional tendencies varies, as it might not be a priority in what we need to express with the music.

In some situations, it may be appropriate to use the colors from specific instruments that feel inherent to a particular place in Runeterra, but then have the melody evoke something polar opposite to the emotion you may tie to that region. For example, Kayn’s music has moments where it uses instrumental colors to invoke Ionian influence, but the message they represent is presented in an ominous and menacing way that, while it represents Kayn well, sits counter to Ionian ideals like beautiful harmony and balance.