The original Nintendo Entertainment System console didn't have a very powerful sound hardware. However, more than a weakness, that became one of its strengths: with
so few resources available, composers were obliged to squeeze their brains and create the best melodies they could for their primitive sound chips. Some of the most
memorable video game tunes ever composed were for NES games such as the three Mario Bros installments or The Legend of Zelda. They focused in developing a simple
melody with very little or no underlying harmony at all and used to be very rhythmical. The sound those chips produced was very different to anything that had been
heard before; limitations in memory didn't allow for a better sound quality, and the music notes had to be generated by the hardware. This fact, far from reducing the
appeal of this music, gave it a distinctive character which established video game music as a genre.
In this page you can download sheet music from NES games in PDF format as well as an MP3 file which plays the arrangement. Click on the name of the theme if you want
to visit its individual page, where you may find more material and information about it. If you are having problems downloading or opening the files, please visit this
link: How to Use this Website.
