Oracle_Link

Okay, I just uploaded what is probably my last major update. I added a LOT of articulations to the Hyrule Castle theme and a few more triangle and suspended cymbal bits and changed up the harmony rhythms on the Palace theme. I think it's basically done now, so I hope it sounds good. I realized I going to have a heck of a time with this oboe part though, lol, since I'm the one playing and it's only my double instrument, so I'm not that great with it. It'll be fun to practice though, so I'm not complaining (too much ).

Oh, okay. I see what you mean about the bass drum. I kinda thought about it before but not really, if you know what I mean. I'll make sure they use the marching bass drum for that part. We have a drum set but the sixteenths would be hard to play on a kick with only one pedal. And I'll try to see what harmony parts I can make play the snare rhythm, but there are some parts I wanted like that on purpose because there is a similar part in the originals (specifically on the Hyrule Castle part). But I'll change it up on the Palace theme. Oh, and thanks again for all the input everyone!

Okay, I have now basically finished and so I'm re-uploading it, this time to the OCRemix WIP thing at fireslash.net. (Check first post for new upload.) Anyway, comments are especially appreciated now since it's more fine-tuning then anything now. Please keep in mind the things I mentioned about our ensemble when replying. Oh, and if you want a MIDI or MusicXML file to look at, just mention it and I'll be happy to upload.

Okay, I'm going to cut this reply down some since I typed it all up and then got logged out, so I lost it all. Basically, I'm working with a limited band as far as skill-level goes for many of the players. So my basslines are going to be a bit weak except for the trombone, which I'm trying to work on. Thanks for pointing it out though. And I'm doing my best to work in more countermelodies and harmonies in the oboe and clarinet, but it's somewhat difficult since this is my first arranging task of this caliber. The only other stuff I've arranged was for pep band, so it wasn't high-scale stuff. And DEFINITELY thanks for the percussion tips. I fixed the four-beat stuff, so the bass drum mainly accents certain parts now. And I changed up the snare drum to match the triplets in the melody. And I also already made sure that the timpani didn't stray beyond two notes (specifically the B-flat below middle C and the F below that) because we only have two. I'm hoping that the high B-flat is reachable for the ones we have since that FAQ listed it as one of the extrema of the typical range. As far as glock, I'll keep what you said in mind. I wasn't planning on writing it in, but I will use that to decide where they will play (if they do). And I found a few spots to stick in triangle. As far as the second piece goes, the percussion is supposed to imitate a drum set. The cymbalist is going to hold the cymbals together and another percussionist will strike the cymbals with snare sticks to imitate a high-hat (since the only section we are NOT lacking in is percussionists, lol) And the winds in that section I was trying to keep close to unison for the certain effect it gives. Oh, and unfortunately, as far as pitched percussion, I think we are limited to the two timpani and the glock, so we don't have the option of a vibraphone or xylophone since the school has a really low budget for music (which sucks). Maybe I'll ask if we can borrow some stuff from another school in the area for our concert. Thanks again for all the comments, especially the percussion ones since I was kinda floundering around with it, not being a percussionist myself.

Yeah, the limited-ness of the instrumentation bums me out too, but there's nothing I can do about it unfortunately. We're lucky to even have Trombone and Tuba this semester, since no one wants to play brass for some reason. The caesura at 2:59 is where the other song needs to go, which is why the big break is there because I haven't figured out what to put there yet. Thanks for the other tip, I wasn't really sure what to put between Zelda's Theme and the finale; I'll keep working on it. And the dynamics do need work, so I'll keep that in mind. Oh, and some more tips on what to do with percussion would be great. I'm very inexperienced with it. We have some other percussion like Triangle and Glockenspiel available, but I wasn't sure if I should include them or not. Thanks for replying though! (And I wish I could just post attachments so everyone doesn't have to download it from megaupload, but I just joined so I don't think I have that option.)

My band director said that if I could put together a couple decent video game medleys, then we could play them at our winter concert. Well, I'm working on the Zelda one right now. I was wondering if you all could critique it and give me some pointers on improving it and making it a bit more unique. The instrumentation will have to be basically what it is right now though because our band is pretty small. Tthe songs are: Title Theme ~ Palace Theme from Zelda II ~ Hyrule Castle Theme from Zelda III ~ Zelda's Theme (ALttP/OoT) ~ Triforce Fanfare (Ending) The instrumentation is this: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet in Bb, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Bari Sax, Trumpet in Bb, Trombone, Tuba, Bass Drum (Concert & Marching), Snare Drum, Cymbals (Crash & Suspended), Timpani, Triangle. I'm also thinking about having someone play bells on a few parts, like Zelda's Theme.