FunkyEntropy

Update: Does not translate well, especially at tempo. Also, nuances were not brought to the fore. SIgh. We gave it a try at a slower tempo, but that just exacerbates the issue of repetitiveness. On the other hand, on our second read-through we had mike doing improv over the ostinato and that was much more fun.

Yeah, I'm not looking forward to it. Not sure if I should write in breaths or not, but I already have planned out where they'll go when I need to take them.

Thanks for the feedback. The repetitive nature of the first two minutes has been a concern of mine. I was going for a sort of minimalist-style buildup where small alterations build up over time until they demand change, and when that happens its a bit of a musical/emotional relief. The piece as a whole is sort of one big crescendo (sort of like Bolero, which is something we can mention as an educational tie-in, now that I think of it) but there's surprisingly little repetition in how the phrases are written. Hopefully live performance will highlight the nuances so it doesn't sound so repetitive in the aggregate.

After a long hiatus, I decided to take another crank at one of the first arrangements I ever did, the Brinstar theme from the original Metroid. Definitely a lot more sonorous than the last time around, and I was even able to sneak in places for the trumpets to rest. Improvement! The ostinato in the tuba is going to be a pain to play, but I don't think it's going to be too rough. Anyway, this'll go in front of the group the next time we rehearse. See how it goes then. If it translates as well as I hope it does, it might even make it onto the program that we're developing as part of a kiddie show for a non-profit outreach project (school performances where we play music from video games to get kids interested in music). Fingers crossed.

Bump with update. Using the Sibelius 7 orchestra sounds, should be a much better idea of what I'm after. Made some minor changes, such as muted trumpets for the slower A' section, as well as more articulation markings so players will have a better understanding of how it should go. Final section remains an "oh shit" moment for all involved. I'll be flying to Chicago tomorrow, so I might not get an opportunity to respond to folks right away.

Been a while since I posted something. I finally got a new computer and, to go along with it, Sibelius 7. Fancy. So no longer will I be stuck using crappy MIDI samples, now I get to complain about how the guys they recorded didn't properly articulate the tenuto slurs. This hews pretty close to the source aside from some minor time signature alterations and rhythmic aids at the transitions for ease of performance, as well as a modulation at the end with a repeat of the Liber Fatali theme. Not quite sure how I feel about the end - I couldn't think of a way to climatically finish the piece and having it fade down to a minor chord (I guess the bad guys won) does kinda work. Anyway, I'll flying out to Chicago tomorrow so I might not be able to respond to everyone quickly.

Update with the C theme that serves as a transition to the calmer 2nd half of the source.

Update with the A' section finished. Notes: Nearly finished with the first half of the piece. Opening, A theme, B theme, A' are pretty much done (note to self - go back and add slurs + more dynamics). Transition to the 2nd half is next. Hopefully I'll have more later today. Note on instruments: it's kind of hard to hear the tuba at the bottom of the track, and there's not a whole lot I can do about it. Kontact Player sucks, and at least this time it's keeping a fairly steady rhythm.

Don't go selling yourself short. Your 'incidental' comment is actually quite helpful, because it tells me that: - Sections exist as separate entities rather than a more coherent whole. - Meaning transitions need to be less abrupt - I need to go back and figure out how sections fit within the whole piece, rather than just how they work by themselves. This is really useful. Not that I'm sure how or if I'll be able address all of this, but this is a good place to start. Thanks!

Are there any particular sections that you would apply the 'incidental' label to? If I were to use that particular critique I'd apply it to 1:32, which I've always felt was a little lacking. Part of it is that we just need to practice that section a little more (particularly the transition into it, as it always starts way too slow). I'll try straight eights in the tuba the next time we play it, maybe that'll help add some energy and drive to that section. Kefka section at 6:00? You mean the quartal chord? If you're not convinced that brass (in general, or just for this piece?) is your cup of tea, that means we're not doing a good enough job selling it. The chorale at the very end with the trombone solo was MADE for brass. Thanks for the feedback!

Bump with a new version. I changed some of the parts a bit, see the OP for more details.

Latest version: 7-13-11 Notes: The parts are pretty much finalized. The 7/8 +4/4 section issues have been pretty much ironed out by removing the horn from the mix. While this unfortunately removes some color and variance, it is so much easier to coordinate that that's an acceptable loss. Our regular trombonist, Lee, is out of town for the month so we're using a sub for this recording. He's sightreading, so be nice. He also plays a lot less aggressively than Lee so it might be kind of hard to pick his solo out at the end. Hopefully we'll get another crack at this with Lee, who'll be back in town for a brief period, on Monday.

Bump with new version. See OP for more details.

Just so we're all on the same page, here's the portion of the score for the B section plus the opening of "Aveh". http://www.mediafire.com/?1qdxl4k62b47k23 I really, really like what you did for the moving line. I think part of my problem is that I get stuck on "this is how the piece goes" and that prevents me from doing anything that would deviate from that cherished ideal. So using the B section as an example, we can see the trumpets trading off on the melody, the horn in the harmonic movement, and the trombone doing the base line (adding tuba at the end for that extra oomph).

Bump with a few things: - Added a fireslash link. - Issue #2 has been resolved. I use them so rarely that I forgot I could just use duples. DERP. - "Aveh, the ancient dance" is going to be fun. I'm seriously considering adding some clapping segments to the parts, hopefully this won't come across as cliche. [edit] @docnano - Yes, that's french horn. I couldn't figure out a way to break up the harp part from the source without severely impacting the overall flow of that section. Some of the stuff is too low for trumpets (giving them breaks is also important) and it's too fast to be elegant for a trombone, sooo....horn it is. And yes, like 95% of my own arrangements, it's closer to a cover than a remix. Hopefully the second segment will differ enough to take it out of basic transcription territory (minor editing of arpeggios doesn't cut it), but I'm not completely worried. OCR standards for live instruments (for non-guitar stuff, anyway) seems to be that you can get away with either (a) halfassed performance or ( halfassed arrangement, but not both. As long as you do a good job in one of those things, it seems like you're given a bit of discretion. Since I've got your attention, two things - do you think the part just before the transition (2:12~2:14) works? I'm not completely happy with it - it strikes me as being a little awkward and abrupt. Second, my offer for a collab still stands. Since you mentioned that you couldn't think of any pieces to do, I've got some suggestions that might spark your imagination: Radical Dreamers - Distant Promise, Chrono Cross - Star Stealing Girl. I did fairly strict transposition for both and I can see the potential in both of them but, as previously noted, writing new material can give me fits. [/edit]