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Music => Music => Topic started by: fingerz on August 04, 2011, 07:38:28 PM

Title: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: fingerz on August 04, 2011, 07:38:28 PM
I'm sure all of us start arranging a song and regret it soon after starting. I'd like to hear about the hardest song you've arranged, why it was hard and how you overcame the problem (or something like that). Did you finish the song? RageQuit? Get help? LET'S HERE IT! :D
If you've got more than one, that's fine too.

Here's mine:
Dusk Forest - Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky
By far the hardest song I've arranged at the time. It was the 4th song I was going to arrange in my career and it took me a month and a half to finish. The song had a heavy use of chords, and at that time I had little experience with them. I had no trouble with most of the right hand, it was straight forward. The left hand was my problem. I had to figure out all those bloody chords! Pretty much, everyday I worked on that song I went back and check those chords everyday, changing them slightly so they sounded CORRECT! *Sigh*... that song was so damn time consuming and I'm happy the song turned out well. If it didn't I'd kill someone.
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: SlowPokemon on August 04, 2011, 08:02:32 PM
Apple Woods was annoying because of the lack of instrumentation (which made it harder)... Pokemon Contest from RS was pretty rough as was Exploration Team Theme. I know the easiest--probably Route 6 or Route 4 from BW :3
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: Bespinben on August 04, 2011, 08:09:34 PM
Hehe, the title is a little misleading XD. I'm guessing based on your guys' posts however that you mean "What's the was the song you had the most trouble arranging?" In that case, I had a lot of trouble arranging my two piano duet of "Kanto Wild Pokémon Battle" from the anime, due to the fact that it was hard to pick out all the instruments in the anime orchestra. I managed to catch all the instruments in the end though.
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: Clanker37 on August 10, 2011, 01:07:06 AM
Bowser's Castle

It almost had no left hand D: Also those stupid rythms! >8O Almost rage Quit


Also Sinister Woods was also very technical and I used many things I hadn't used in arranging before so thanks Bespinben -_-
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: Bespinben on August 10, 2011, 01:18:10 AM
Things like tremolos XD You're welcome Clanker  ;)
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: Shadoninja on August 10, 2011, 01:49:43 AM
Amber Valley for four hands. mainly because with four hands arrangements you have to double check that the right hand bass clef and left hand treble clef aren't clashing parts and even the primo and secondo parts can be a bit annoying. and no I will never convert to arranging for two pianos.
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: Bespinben on August 10, 2011, 02:24:09 AM
On the contrary Shadoninja, I like arranging for two pianos because it allows me more options in arranging, as sometimes there is a lot of note overlap between sections in an OST, and two pianos allows me to recreate that. Two pianos also allows me to choose combinations of left-hand and right-hand parts that are not rhythmically juxtaposed, as sometimes with four-hands arrangements, one player must play a hand that, when coupled with another, is challenging.
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: Clanker37 on August 10, 2011, 06:56:52 AM
^And yet your arrangements are so hard to play DX
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: Bespinben on August 10, 2011, 12:57:14 PM
Yes, but they could be a lot more than they already are if I didn't do that as described above.
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: Cobraroll on August 10, 2011, 03:05:49 PM
Guess it is "Countdown to Race Start" from Mario Kart Double Dash. Figuring out those chords... gah!
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: dahans on August 12, 2011, 03:01:34 AM
Guess, I had lots of trouble arranging my 3 medleys^^. It's pretty hard to have appropriate bridges between the songs (MODULATION!).
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: Greg on August 12, 2011, 08:27:52 AM
I'm working on the NSMBW credits right now. Definitely the hardest thing I've arranged. The accompanying trumpet in particular is really annoying :/
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: Jub3r7 on August 12, 2011, 12:18:57 PM
Quote from: Bespinben on August 10, 2011, 02:24:09 AMOn the contrary Shadoninja, I like arranging for two pianos because it allows me more options in arranging, as sometimes there is a lot of note overlap between sections in an OST, and two pianos allows me to recreate that. Two pianos also allows me to choose combinations of left-hand and right-hand parts that are not rhythmically juxtaposed, as sometimes with four-hands arrangements, one player must play a hand that, when coupled with another, is challenging.
Name one person that uses NSM who has two pianos, side by side, in their living room. -.-

The hardest song I've ever arranged would probably actually be very easy for any of you.
But I never finished it and my trial ran out. :|
Glee Club from Rhythm Heaven.
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: Brassman388 on August 12, 2011, 01:38:12 PM
Quote from: Jub3r7 on August 12, 2011, 12:18:57 PMName one person that uses NSM who has two pianos, side by side, in their living room. -.-

Uhh, me?
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: Winter on August 12, 2011, 03:16:03 PM
I will soon.
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: SlowPokemon on August 12, 2011, 06:23:20 PM
My piano teacher does, we've played Rowdy Rumble and attempted Spinda's Cafe.
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: fingerz on August 12, 2011, 07:36:38 PM
Quote from: SlowPokemon on August 12, 2011, 06:23:20 PMMy piano teacher does, we've played Rowdy Rumble and attempted Spinda's Cafe.
I love the attempted. It's a very hard song with all its leaps and stuff. :)
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: SlowPokemon on August 12, 2011, 07:43:48 PM
Oh yeah of course...ooh! Now that I have finale notepad I can demonstrate where I think found an error in the melody!
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: fingerz on August 12, 2011, 07:48:34 PM
Quote from: SlowPokemon on August 12, 2011, 07:43:48 PMOh yeah of course...ooh! Now that I have finale notepad I can demonstrate where I think found an error in the melody!
Lovely! What kind of Finale Notepad do you have?
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: SlowPokemon on August 12, 2011, 07:50:28 PM
2008, the only free version, but I can set up a measure with the melody by itself even though I can't edit the actual file.
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: fingerz on August 12, 2011, 07:57:10 PM
Awesome! Just let me know when you've done it. :)
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: Fleetstar The Flygon on August 19, 2011, 11:47:45 AM
I've been arranging a few songs, but I lack the skill to write them down and submit them; I mostly play by ear. I haven't gone into theory yet. Some songs I have so far are just something I pulled from mah head, not really good work:

Super Mario Galaxy: Rolling Greens Galaxy
New Super Mario Bros.: Athletic (Which is already on here, so I can't post it anyways)
Super Mario Nintendo 64: Love Me, Love Me Not
...The hardest one I've got is Checker Knights, from Kirby Air Ride.

This leads on to a question I have: I've heard of sites where you just connect the piano to the computer with this cord, and you can play the music and it is transferred to a sheet music form. What site is it?
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: Oritendo on August 19, 2011, 11:59:49 AM
Quote from: SlowPokemon on August 04, 2011, 08:02:32 PMApple Woods was annoying because of the lack of instrumentation (which made it harder)... Pokemon Contest from RS was pretty rough as was Exploration Team Theme. I know the easiest--probably Route 6 or Route 4 from BW :3
btw thanks for making Apple woods Slow  ;)
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: Greg on August 19, 2011, 03:41:17 PM
Finale can do that with a MIDI keyboard.
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: Fleetstar The Flygon on August 27, 2011, 08:34:28 AM
Thanks! =3 I'll check it out..
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: SlowPokemon on August 27, 2011, 09:06:11 AM
Quote from: Fleetstar The Flygon on August 19, 2011, 11:47:45 AMNew Super Mario Bros.: Athletic (Which is already on here, so I can't post it anyways)

You can submit it for a replacement, and if they deem yours is better, they will replace the existing one on the site.
Title: Re: What's the hardest song you've arranged?
Post by: Fleetstar The Flygon on August 29, 2011, 08:54:25 PM
Trust me, mine sounds TERRORific. I doubt it would even get in even if there wasn't a second. XD