ReMix:Final Fantasy VI "Fiddlesticks Rag" 3:26

diotrans, ReMixer AND violinist for OverClocked University, contributed this nifty piano + violin rag that turns spinach into fiddlesticks; Amy writes:

"I have such a deep love for FFVI and its soundtrack for so many reasons, and am so honored to be a part of this album to pay homage to Nobuo Uematsu's stellar work, as it has had a profound influence on me as a musician. I chose "Spinach Rag" because of my love also for ragtime music. For an audition in high school, I played a fantastic arrangement of Scott Joplin's "Pine Apple Rag" on viola, which was full of little tricks like slides which can't be done on piano. Since then, I have always felt that ragtime is as fitting for violin or viola as it is for piano. So when I arranged this remix, I wanted to not only play the Spinach Rag on the violin, but to utilize the wide range of possibilities of what a violin can do: slides, double-stops, arco and pizzicato, etc. This arrangement is for 2 violins and piano, and intended to be fully playable as a live ensemble piece.

Many thanks to zircon for his production help, turning my MIDI keyboard playing and raw violin recordings into a polished finish piece. He did a great job of capturing the style I was going for."

Speaking of zircon, he writes:

"There's something so dated yet timeless about ragtime themes, and it's great to see them incorporated in game soundtracks the way they are from time to time. The "Spinach Rag" being among the most memorable rag themes in gaming history, it's nice that this take on it stays close enough to the material while offering instrumentation and flourishes aplenty to keep it fresh and current. A great little theme and the perfect arrangement to capture its quirky goodness."

I think doubling up on violins was really key, here - a duet might certainly have been nice, but the harmony part truly sells it, and makes it a bit more down-home rustic & celebratory. Celebrationally rustic. And of course the myriad articulations that Amy mentions are a huge part of nailing the right touch & feel to the whole thing, too. Adapting the rag for two violins & piano resulted in an arrangement that doesn't attempt to recontextualize the original whatsoever, but instead makes some meaningful tweaks that maintain the rag feel in a more acoustic, immediate setting. Very legit, very cool, sounds like the type of music people might be tempted to drink moonshine to (in a good way), and respects the source while bringing something new to the table!