Jump to content

Distant Thunder (Secret of Mana)


imabubble
 Share

Recommended Posts

Here is a cello arrangement of Distant Thunder, from Secret of Mana. It's one of my favourite songs from the game, and sits so nicely on the cello. I did transpose it a fourth down so that it would sound more "open."

I also tried to apply music theory knowledge to this one. I'm pretty happy with the beginning, but not sure how to continue (like, what parts I should repeat/extend), or if there are any technical issues (like...does it sound okay?!).

SO ANYWAY here it is on tumblr:

http://umadashibayashi.tumblr.com/post/29644379579/distant-thunder-from-secret-of-mana-cello

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aw, I love the cello. I'm definitely a sucker for it. I don't know the original but this is lovely. It could just do with a little more reverb. Adding a some more would really enhance the performances. I can't give you a time-mark but around 1/3 of the way in, on some of the higher and faster passages you need to just be careful of the intonation. The same goes for about 2/3s in too. Other than that though its lovely and the sort of piece that could just wash over you. As far as repeats and such go, I'm not sure. Extend what you feel needs extending. Without hearing the source I can't really suggest anything more :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Distant Thunder is a weird pick for a cello theme, considering it has some small "solos" with high pitched instruments... The theme is great though.

Anyway, on the first section, the melody is played too low. I don't know if you can actually play it an octave higher on a cello though :pretzel:

The second section is probably the one that fits the cello the most.

The third section is pretty good. I think the bass could be a little more upbeat.

The last section adds interesting stuff with the percussive elements. Nice. The duo at the end sounds a bit off, maybe it'd work better with some harmonies.

Source usage is fine in my opinion. I don't really have many complaints about the arrangement, maybe you could add the percussive elements from the end to the first sections, since it feels a bit slow at times. The length is also okay in my opinion.

Recording could be a bit cleaner (and by that, I mean less noisy).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very lovely piece so far. It's got that charming, folksy feel, like the Bastion soundtrack, which is one of my favorites. Very interesting choice to apply this style to this particular source-- interesting in a good way; I would have never thought of this combo, but it works well, imo.

Issues to work on:

1. Noise in the recording: there's a constant hiss under the track. Also a little bit of stage noise in a few places, but by far the hiss is the larger issue.

2. Panning: Some may disagree with me here, but I'm not a huge fan of panning strings 100% in one channel or the other... maybe 80% is where I'd draw the line, personally. It's definitely wise to split them somehow so they don't run into each other, but there are a few sections (sorry, can't find the play-times on the site you hosted on) where only one Cello is playing for maybe like 10 seconds, and I can't speak for everyone, but my ears get annoyed with that harsh of a pan very quickly.

3. A few places where the timing doesn't quite lock-up and a few intonation issues.

Very musical, very unique/stylized writing. I like where this piece is going!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...