Every now and then, I find myself returning to the game League of Legends (although admittedly, I am NOT that great at it). And for a game where you do pretty much the same thing over and over, the music is surprisingly good. From the virtual K-Pop group K/DA to individual themes for nearly 150 characters, there’s a lot to go through. But my favorite music from League of Legends has to be from one of my favorite mid-laners: Zoe, the Aspect of Twilight (go ahead and judge me). Have a listen:

Lately I’ve been working on a space-inspired composition. And being the Aspect of Twilight, Zoe’s theme is a great source of inspiration. There’s a ton to take away if you have the time for analysis. But for this post, I want to share my favorite part: bVI-bVII substitutions.

Music Theory Level: 8 / 10


This article touches on extended chords, modes, or chromaticism (secondary chords, modulations, etc).

I recommend being thoroughly familiar with diatonic seventh chords and smaller formal structures (binary, ternary, and rondo) before reading through this post.

To learn about this level system and determine what you should be learning, be sure to check my master guide on learning music theory.

bVI-bVII Substitutions

The bVI-bVII-I progression is found a lot in video game soundtracks. There’s tons of ways people analyze it. But I always think of it as being borrowed from the parallel minor key.

In the case of Zoe’s theme, we’re in the key of Bb major. Borrowing from the parallel Bb minor would give us a bVI of Gb major and a bVII of Ab major. We hear these chords numerous times throughout. And in fact, we hear the introduction start on a Gb major before eventually establishing the Bb tonality.

However, there’s something more awesome going on. In Zoe’s theme, we actually have this progression being used a substitute for other chords. Think about secondary dominants or tritone substitutions. We use these tools as ways to introduce a bit of chromaticism and evoke a different mood. Throughout this piece, you can here this being used, but with this little progression.

For example, take the opening. I mentioned earlier that it started on a Gb major. We would expect it to go to Ab major. But instead, we move to a substitute progression: Cb major to Db major. (man, I hate using Cb…) This substitute would point to an Eb major (which happens to be the dominant of the expected Ab). However, we instead resolve it back to the Bb we originally expected. This creates a chromatic mediant movement that is just awesome.

Whole opening progression is:
Gb major -> Cb major -> Db major -> Bb major

Final Thoughts on Zoe’s theme from League of Legends

There’s a good chance I’m waaay over-analyzing this piece. But it’s been a good source of inspiration for my latest piece and led to some cool technique discoveries for me. For that, Zoe, the Aspect of Twilight will probably stay one of my favorite themes from League of Legends for a long while.

Try chaining bVI-bVII progressions, but with half-step increments in between:
C major – D major –> Eb major – F major –> Gb major – Ab major

I’d be curious to hear what other people find throughout this piece. Let us know in the comments below. (Or tell me your favorite League of Legends themes.)