Making of Angry Birds music

This blog is propably a long overdue, but better later than never! As Angry Birds composer (and sound designer), I would like to shed a light to the making of Angry Birds music. First of all I would like to address how I was inspired – I literally lived and worked the whole summer in my summer cabin in the shores of lake Saimaa, in the town of Puumala. Now, this place is really quiet and comfortably placed on the most beautiful countryside in Finland. Anyway – also the nature is really close to you. And the Birds.

This is me, having an inspirational brake from composing Angry Birds theme in 2009, floating in a lake, surrounded by a flock of ducks. (and having a beer)
Ari relaxing while making Angry Birds Theme

OK. Now, The Angry Birds theme was actually the first version of the song that I wrote after getting the design documents of the game. There was a small debate about it beeing too annoying (oh really?), but eventually me and Rovio decided that it was actually a good thing (I also wanted Angry Birds to have a really memorable theme). See, when you are making as crazy and unique game as Angry Birds, there cannot be any generic music going on – it has to be memorable, somewhat silly and highlighting, underlining the feelings of the birds. And about talking about the feelings of these silly, really angry birds – the song is composed to have three parts: the first part is when the Birds are happy and doing their usual stuff like singing, being cute, just caring about the eggs. Second part is when the Birds realize that their eggs have been stolen – they became angry, confused and crazy. The third part is when the Angry Birds have noticed the pigs are stealing their eggs, and then started chasing/bombing/war against the pigs – a war that only Angry Birds can have: silly, out of control, excessive and Angry. And how militaristic sounding war can really cute, cuddly and crazy birds have? Mi-mi mim-mi, mi-mi mimmi….

Oh, this my view from the summer studio.Rovio producer didn’t like it (while he was tormented by heat and view of concrete blocks in an office back in Helsinki)
A view from Ari's summer studio

So, Angry Birds theme must be one of the most known and memorable themes out there right now. If my calculations are correct, way over 100 million people have already heard the Angry Birds theme song, making me the most listened composer in the world right now. Really. I’m also continuing to make new versions of the Theme – many of you have propably heard the different versions of the Theme in Angry Birds Seasons (Halloween, Happy Holidays, Hugs & Kisses, St.Patrics Day etc) and the latest AB Rio. There were also really fun to make and a subject of a different blog article that I will write down later.

I’m also gonna address about the singing of the Angry Birds – most of you don’t propably know but I’m also the main voice behind the Birds and Pigs. In the Original game there is 5 voice actors including me and Rovio guys, and my voice covers most of the Red bird and pigs. In the Angry Birds trailers, it’s mostly my voice heard – in the AB Rio Trailer, I’m the voice of Red Bird and Blue Bird (man that was funny to make). “Mi-mi-mimmi, mi-mi-mimmi” -singing cracked me up every time. 😉

This is me playing Angry Birds tunes in my summer cabin studio. Or just showing off in a fake situation.
Ari playing inside summer cabin studio

Anyway, if you have any questions about making of the Angry Birds music, post a question here and I’ll try to get back to you. I’ll post a blog about Angry Birds sound design later, so lets just stick to the music for now. (Note: I use Cubase 5 and loads of VST -instruments, can use both Mac and PC platforms. AB sheets are coming in the near future!)

54 Responses to “Making of Angry Birds music”

  1. Kadir Teke

    Great tune. I really love it.

    Reply
  2. Albert Frischmann

    Please!!!! Please!!! Please!!!
    If there only be a way for you to provide piano sheet (notes) for this incredible OST for download or sell!!!!
    I would buy it for my son, who is now learning piano. I guess, parents of piano learning kids all over the world would be happy to buy the sheet, this would make you RICH!!!!! ))))
    Oh please!!!! PDF! Sibelius scorch! Whatsoever!

    Albert

    Reply
  3. Pierce O'Brien

    Are you interested in selling the music? I would definitely buy a copy, my band wants to play it just for kicks and giggles.

    Reply
  4. Ari Pulkkinen

    Thank you guys! SHEETS FOR ANGRY BIRDS ARE COMING SOON ! I can promise you next month.

    Reply
  5. Albert Frischmann

    Oh man! Kiitos! You made my day!
    My son has his 10th birthday on 12. May, so if I only could have the sheet just before the date 😛
    O happy day!

    Reply
  6. Ari Pulkkinen

    I’ll try, but it might take a while before the publisher can get the sheets out!

    Reply
  7. Albert Frischmann

    Just for your info: there are online publishers, like http://www.musicnotes.com/.

    Reply
  8. Albert Frischmann

    And you surely have seen this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC5lFMu2Qak

    Reply
  9. Megan

    Oh, I am so excited to have sheet music! Some of my friends and I have discussed transcribing it for Orff instruments, just recorders or even percussion ensemble. Having even just a piano score would be fantastic. 🙂 Thanks for the fun music!!

    Reply
  10. Rich

    PLEASE announce when it comes out! i’m trying to learn it for tin whistle. i’ve got the beginning part ok but i really need some music to learn the rest

    Reply
  11. Albert Frischmann

    any update on this? Tx

    Reply
  12. Alvin Ko

    It is a very famous song. We also want to play it in coming events.

    Reply
  13. Lorna Murphy

    most listened to? Yeah that is probably correct. I really enjoy this crazy annoying tune and I want my very small but very talented high school band to play it at their next concert. If you have a band arrangment for it I would love to buy it. Let me know. Thank you,
    Lorna Murphy,
    Music Specialist
    Reedsport, Oregon

    Reply
  14. Ryan Boggs

    About how much longer until the sheets come out? I would love to buy a copy so I could transcribe my own hard rock version.

    Reply
  15. Rolly

    I am also waiting for the sheet music. The plan is to have a group of talented young percussionists to perform the piece on their annual concert event in June. I am certain that Angry Bird Rio theme song will be a huge hit performed by the percussion ensemble. Please please please make it available soon so we have time to reherse before the concert. Thank you very much.

    Reply
  16. Chui Tey

    Oh yes, sheets please. I’m painstakingly transcribing them for a four hands version for my kids at the moment. They are so motivated. 🙂

    Reply
  17. Town Idiot25

    Next month? I want the music 🙁

    Reply
  18. Town Idiot25

    Is the music available yet?

    Reply
  19. Ari Pulkkinen

    Should not take too long anymore, apologies! There is something new and interesting also on the way… 😉

    Reply
  20. Eric Shen

    This is literally the bestest song in the worldz!! Whenever I hear it, I instantly start farting

    Reply
  21. Andy Sloane

    Just curious: Why did you choose the E dorian? (minor?) scale instead of the D dorian scale? A little easier to play on piano that way…

    Reply
  22. Angry Birds: una canzoncina tra la Finlandia, le Marche e Brooklyn | dueaccordi

    […] cognome finlandese che ricorda una maschera napoletana. Per forza che poi esce fuori Angry Birds). Sul suo blog, spiega di averla composta d’estate, nella quiete di una casetta di legno immersa nella […]

    Reply
  23. Chui Tey

    The Angry Birds duet is up here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKyF-BPvN7I

    Reply
  24. Pedro the Angry Bird

    I want to play the theme on my flute….. =3

    Reply
  25. Malcolm (is mad) jones

    where can get the piano sheet music!?!HUH!?! i am freekin out man, FREEKIN OUT! >:(

    Reply
  26. Jens Wilms

    Hello,
    Can you please tell me when the sheets are come out?
    I lovee the music, and I want it to play it with my percussion ensamble.
    Sorry for my realy bad English :$

    Reply
  27. Jamaal Rogers

    Please make sheet music for the Samba version! I would love to have my school band play that song!

    Reply
  28. Argie

    I really like its music,,, I really want to have the music sheet,,, I wanna play with my ELB01 ^.^

    Reply
  29. Oran

    hi,
    i’m wondering if you can give any advice on equipment a beginning composer should buy, as writing music for games is a long term goal of mine,
    any advice you give will be greatly appreciated 😀

    Reply
  30. Goh

    hi, i was tempted to buy the music sheet from engraving studio, but i want to support you!
    please if possible make the music sheet!

    Reply
  31. Rron Karahoda

    Ahh, the beautiful power of dictation.

    Reply
  32. glanceup

    Can you talk about how the music is constructed? Key, tone, time signatures etc? It’s a very unusual piece with a modern feel.

    Reply
  33. Wmjclark

    One of the sounds (I think it’s when a pig bites the dust), sounds like the word “hool”. Is this a Finnish word?

    Reply
  34. darin andrade

    hi, is it okay to use your music in a youtube videos?

    Reply
  35. Joshua Carey

    Looking to find the information for mechanical license to do a cover of the angry birds theme song. What are the specifics as far as payment to get you paid the 9.10 Cents per copy as set as the statutory standard rate for licensing according to the harry fox agency. Please contact me and let me know and so that I can make sure that your payment is sent in full. Please contact me at jaicarey@gmail.com with all information to make sure that I can get this taken care of for you

    Joshua Carey

    Reply
  36. Angry nerd

    > Ari Pulkkinen says:
    > 2011/03/23 at 12:20
    > Thank you guys! SHEETS FOR ANGRY BIRDS ARE COMING SOON ! I can promise you
    > next month.

    Do NOT promise if you can’t deliver.

    Reply
  37. Iain Stewart

    Mr Pulkkinen,
    I love the theme for “Wreck the halls”! When I heard it at first I thought there must have been a proper live jazz band!! Fantastic stuff. I have an accordion show band and I would like to perform this arrangement or something similar to it with your permission. by ear i may be able to pick up most of the chords and melody line.

    Yours Faithfully,

    Iain Stewart (Scotland)

    Reply
  38. Stephanie Ciccarelli

    Happy New Year, all!

    Thanks for the behind the scenes look, Ari! I appreciate it. Would you be interested in doing an email interview about how you did the voices for Angry Birds? I’d love to hear more about it and publish an article or interview on the official Voices.com blog. Let me know!

    With warm regards,

    Stephanie Ciccarelli

    Reply
  39. Corey

    rats, I see rovio holds the music rights and wants full control of the soundtracks. well, still beats the yeti dance craze from years ago. soon we will have angry bird dancing in the clubs. hmm, the goths should love it.
    do the ABD!

    Reply
  40. Jim Lewis

    Do you work for Rovio? How were chosen to write the theme?

    Reply
  41. Marianna Vasoni

    Waaaayyyy back in 1964 oscar award winning Manos Hadjidakis wrote the music for Aristophanis’s comedy “Birds” which was a huge success in Greece and abroad. While listening to angry birds theme song I suddenly realised that it reminded me of the opening song of the play. If you have already heard of it and was inspired by it I think it says a lot about your musical education!!!. If not I think that you both followed the same trail of thought about how birds would sound, especially angry. And Manos Hadjidakis was a real genius! Here is the link, please tell me what you think:

    Reply
  42. Sarah

    Did you have any Mediterranean influences in the making of the angry birds music (at least the one I hear on the homepage of the facebook version)? A lot of the elements remind me of the Greek music I listened to growing up.

    Reply
  43. Herman Hartmann

    I sometimes open angry birds, only to listen to the song. When I am in a bad mood, this makes me happy. I find the song very well composed and can understand and appreciate your explanation. The dissonants that portray the angrynesss are great.

    In general the nice thing about Angry Birds is the characters, the drawings and the music. That is why the game is played by somany people, including those, like myself, that don’t like computer games.

    One thing that is anoying is that when you listen to it completely, it ends abruptly. Could this be changed. Basically it would be nice to have different versions, i.e. with different instruments, that you can change in the settings of the game.

    Reply
  44. Irvandi Yusup

    Now i’m one of your big fan, love your tunes.

    Reply
  45. Muri

    Hi, is it this music copyright free?

    Reply
  46. russ

    I’m wondering about the deal. Did you make seperate deals for porting to different systems, or did you set any markers on sku’s?

    Reply
  47. Margery Simms

    I love this music, lively, cheerful with lots of variations.

    Reply
  48. Sanity Claws Radio: 2013 Music Month Part 3 – Current Gen Music | Demon Lobster

    […] Birds – Rovio – Ari Pulkkinen The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess – Midna’s Theme – Nintendo/Toru Minegishi, […]

    Reply
  49. john

    trumpet ……note (:

    Reply
  50. Jacob L. Downer

    When you DO post the sheet music, may I please ask you for permission to make arrangements of it for other forces (i.e. one or two pianos) and share them via my YouTube account of JupiterIV?

    Reply
  51. Liu Yuling

    Hi,
    We are Taiwan Bamboo Orchestra which is a band full of bamboo-made instruments. We have a project on remaking the theme music of your most popular computer game “Angry Birds” into our music album. We would like to negotiate on the song’s copyright and get the authorization from your company. We also look forward to the possibilities of working with your company? As following, the link is a video which was recorded while TBO playing the theme song of Angry Birds and also the band’s brief introduction, please have a look. We will be anticipating the cooperation with your company. Thanks for your time!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4d9QvNZqUs

    Brief introduction of Taiwan Bamboo Orchestra:
    The band uses bamboo as the material for making musical instruments and has lately become a hit among music groups around the world. The ensemble is known as the “Green Orchestra” and the “Eco Orchestra” due to bamboo’s characteristic traits such as growing quickly, being able to be harvested quickly, its abilities of recycling and reusing, and that it is generally good for the environment. Taiwan Bamboo Orchestra was established earlier in 2011 and was formed by a group of musicians who are well-experienced and have majored in music. Luo Cheng-Hun ,the general director is to introduce Taiwanese Bamboo music to the world and also to raise the impression of Taiwan bamboo music so as to have communications with other music performers from other countries. The percussion instruments of the orchestra are made from bamboo .Several delicately made bamboo instruments are designed by the band and were supervised by chief adviser Professor Wu. Although the orchestra was founded at the beginning of this year, it has already been invited to perform in several occasions and also has received many good reviews.

    Best regards,
    Liu Yuling

    Reply
  52. Balaz Sabo Sipos

    Hello,

    The Angry Birds Theme is Really Cool, can you maybe send me sheet of version for piano, and if you give me permission to transcript it for Accordion?

    My little children would love to play this on accordion 🙂
    or if you have maybe done version for it, for accordion, it would be great.

    Hope Ari Pulkkinen will see this,

    Anyhow, BEST REGARDS and tnx for THIS AWESOME MELODY 🙂

    Balaz Sabo Sipos

    Reply

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