5. Conclusion

This project is an important contribution to filling the significant gap in music theory scholarship: the field of television music is a burgeoning one, and, given their decades-long omnipresence, game shows form an integral part of this area. Unlike the meticulously timed and edited theme songs and cues of sitcoms, dramas, and soap operas, the music for game shows is executed on the fly in a live-to-tape production scenario. There are therefore multiple different outcomes depending on the needs of the episode on any given day: a day with, for instance, eight measures of vamp and four measures of title music might see that ratio reversed the next day, or the closing credits could be presented either abridged or not, necessitating a different length of musical accompaniment. In any case, the decisions governing music for game shows spring from the shows themselves and from associated actions, much as a pit orchestra would repeat a passage if the dialogue lasted longer than necessary.