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16

Project Archive / Re: Code_Name_Geek's "Too Hot To Handle" Project Sheet(s)

« on: September 12, 2023, 11:28:45 PM »

Final Fantasy VII - Costa del Sol

Didn't actually take as long as expected to get to this, so here goes.

• If going by exact tempos, this one actually times to q=117

Done.

• m1 RH 4.5, all of m2, and elsewhere: hearing E stay E as opposed to moving to D. So cluster is C-E-F#. LMK if I need to be more specific for this feedback, because this does apply for a bunch of measures on page 1.

Spoiler

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I think I got everything, but let me know if I missed anything.

• m9, m13, m17, and m21 RH top layer the first note could be held out for half note length. It is a bit more of a reach in the lower layer for m9 and m17, but entirely possible

Ah yeah I wrote that out the way I'd have to play it with my small hands, but I don't mind changing that since pianists like me are good at knowing how to modify spots like that.

• m26 and m28 RH lower layer hearing D-Bb-A-F for beat 1.0-2.0.

I think I actually had something more like this before but second-guessed myself. Fixed anyways.

Something is a bit off with m29-32, outside of melody part most of the notes are wrong. Did you move a key signature here at one point?
• m29-32 LH which notes are these supposed to be? m29 and 31 the bass that has these rhythms is G's and m30 and 32 are A's
• m30 and 32 RH lower layer hearing C#-A-G-E for beat 1.0-2.0.
• m29 and 31 RH lower layer, the F#'s are good, but given this is in G major, Bn is gonna work better than An.  However, for beat 4.5, you could do A and C# or just A given the part this layer is changes key before the measure is over. Fixed measure could look like this for m29:

Spoiler

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This part is entirely on me, something about these bars must have been tricking my ears. Thanks in particular for these corrections, they should all be done.

Wanted to leave some comments on this as well, one of my favs from FF7!

Same here, I couldn't believe it wasn't on the site already! Thanks again for all the feedback!

17

Project Archive / Re: Code_Name_Geek's "Too Hot To Handle" Project Sheet(s)

« on: September 12, 2023, 09:58:28 PM »

Ham-Ham Heartbreak - Sandy Bay

Yeah I see what you mean with the pitch bend. I think you could make the first note a Gn and then have the second current G# be a G#/Ab.

I like this option the best, great suggestion!

Yeah it's really not all that easy to make out lol. I did relisten, and this is what I came up with

Spoiler

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Changed again, thanks for the help on the part.

• m7 RH 2.0 these F's are G's
• m8 RH 3.5 these E's are F's

Don't know how I missed these, fixed.

Thank you once again! I see the feedback for Costa del Sol as well, I'll get to it later but wanted to get these edits done asap.

18

Project Archive / Re: Code_Name_Geek's "Too Hot To Handle" Project Sheet(s)

« on: September 08, 2023, 07:49:48 PM »

• Believe it or not, counted tempo to be q = 159

Yeah surprisingly it does count out to that. Normally I prefer rounding tempo markings to more standard markings but in this case it's really consistently 159 so I'll go with that.

• m1 You could move the first pedal mark a little to the left so it's more centered under note head. Just for clarity is the pedal supposed to lift up right before beat 3?

That was the idea, but listening again I don't think the pedal sounds good with the chromatic notes so I removed it entirely. Playback still isn't right (beat 2 should be longer) and I can't figure out how to fix that, but I don't like the pedal either lol.

• m9 LH beat 4 hearing this A as an 8th note, with an A down an octave on 4.5

Yeah you're right, fixed.

• m13 RH beat 3 the triplet hearing the G's as G#'s

I think what's happening on the first note is a bend from Gn into G#, but that would be unwieldy to play on piano so I'm fine with making them both G#s.

• m14 RH lower layer did you ever consider writing out more of this part or did you find it difficult with the top layer? If you already did and didn't like the results (I didn't try myself to check) you could hide the second layer rests, and maybe flip the slurs down on beat 2-3.

I did consider this, but decided not to both for difficulty and because I don't think that slide would translate well to piano. Fixed the rests and slurs though.

• m17 beat 3.0 this 8th rest could be normal height

Done.

• m17 run... this is quite hard to tell because of the somewhat off key nature of the run's pitches. But this is what I'm hearing:

Spoiler

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Yeah that part is really difficult to hear. Made the adjustments and it's sounding closer now, thanks!

Thanks again for the feedback!

19

Project Archive / Re: Code_Name_Geek's "Too Hot To Handle" Project Sheet(s)

« on: August 22, 2023, 07:52:33 PM »

For the intro, it sounds an octave lower than where you have it now. It's also a pitch bend so it would make more sense to write something in chromatic than diatonic given it doesn't stray far from the A-D dyad - try something like this instead? Similar comment about m. 9.

Makes sense. The chromatic option sounds more dissonant with the pedal but without the pedal the playback cuts off the last note instead of holding it the full value... if anyone knows how to fix that let me know. For m. 9, I think the bend is slightly deeper (approximately a third rather than a second) so I did three notes, Fn-G-G# (Fn rather than F# because I think that's the lowest pitch in the bend).

Thanks!

20

Project Archive / Code_Name_Geek's "Too Hot To Handle" Project Sheet(s)

« on: August 15, 2023, 05:59:33 AM »

Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak - Sandy Bay
Link to Dropbox file

Here's my first submission for this project! This is the theme for the beach area in the game. It shouldn't be very complicated but one thing I wasn't sure about were the chord voicings in the second-last measure.

Edit: Woke up and had a bad feeling about the 16th note runs so I took a second pass at them. Not so sure about the one in the last measure anymore but it's as close as I could manage.

Final Fantasy VII - Costa del Sol
Link to Dropbox file

And here's my second submission, the theme for the sunny resort town of Costa del Sol in FFVII. I made some minor omissions to the accompaniment for playability but otherwise it's fairly straightforward.

21

Project Archive / Re: 🔥Too Hot To Handle🔥Update

« on: August 13, 2023, 06:47:05 AM »

Just want to double check - would sunny beach levels/settings be hot enough for this theme?

22

Submission Archive / Re: [GB] Tetris - "B-Type Fanfares (Trepak Variations)" by Code_Name_Geek

« on: May 29, 2023, 04:50:42 AM »

I'm not certain about some of the repeated notes in the left hand in some of the variations, but I can't be confident they're not there either

I wasn't sure about those with all voices together, but when splitting the channels it was more obvious that they were there.

- Level 9 High 2 and 3 last measure:  the lower layer in the RH goes A-C#-C# (with the first A overlapping the melody). This’d also avoid an awkward crossover on beat 1.

Checked those again and I mostly agree, but I think the first A is in octaves instead of unison. It made more sense to put that in the left hand for playability so it avoids the awkward jump either way. (It's fast enough that I don't think the 16th vs 8th difference in High 3 will make much of a difference.)

- Level 9 High 4 measure 7: The A’s in the RH in the second half should be B’s. This is also the case in Level 9 High 5 but only for the second pass, so the 1st/2nd endings will need to be two measures long each.

Oh yeah, I hear that too. Done and adjusted the measure distribution to keep it from getting cramped.

Thanks for catching those note fixes, it's much appreciated!

23

Submission Archive / Re: [GB] Tetris - "B-Type Fanfares (Trepak Variations)" by Code_Name_Geek

« on: May 23, 2023, 10:11:04 PM »

• Level 9 High 5 is missing a time signature

Done, and noticed that Level 9 High 4 was missing the final bar line so I fixed that as well.

• I would recommend capitalizing 'Piano' in 'Arranged for Piano...' We don't have any guidelines to go off for this but using conventional capitalization rules it should be capitalized.

What conventional capitalization rule would be applicable here? Instrument names usually aren't capitalized in written English. It could be capitalized in a subtitle (following standard title capitalization rules) but I don't think that rule is necessary here. I've seen it both ways in on-site sheets like this and this. But if there's a rule I'm not aware of I'm open to hearing it.

• For the LH in 'Level 9 High 4', is there a reason you used eighths in m1 and m3 but staccato quarters in m2 and m4? I don't think there's an audible difference in the original so you should keep what you use consistent (which in this case means staccato quarters, like elsewhere in the sheet).

No objections here, done.

Thanks again for the feedback!

24

Submission Archive / Re: [GB] Tetris - "B-Type Fanfares (Trepak Variations)" by Code_Name_Geek

« on: May 01, 2023, 11:05:40 PM »

• Even though I usually prefer indenting new tracks within a collection, I think it looks a little odd here, especially on the first page where every track starts on a new system. Maybe it's worth removing all indents?
• 'Level 9 High 5' is missing articulation in m8 of the LH and overall in the RH. I think it's less obvious to hear at first due to the difference in upload quality, but the play style should be the same as 'Level 9 High 4'.

-Done, I'm assuming you meant keeping the first indent so that's what I did.
-Oh yeah you're right, the more active accompaniment also covers that up a bit. Fixed.

Thanks for the feedback!

25

Music / Re: What's Your Music Transcription Process (If You've Got One)?

« on: April 25, 2023, 01:21:50 AM »

The tool that helps me the most is my midi keyboard that I plug into my laptop so I can try out notes alongside the track in my headphones. I also try to match pitch by singing if I'm having trouble - I'm sure that sounds quite strange to those around me.

Audio-wise I mainly use YouTube and its slowdown options, or foobar2000 for chiptune soundtracks like Levi mentioned to split channels. However, I try to do as much as I can without splitting channels and mostly use that as a last resort for tricky spots or to check everything at the end (not that it's bad to split channels, I just want to practice hearing voices together as well). If a bass part is hard to hear, I'll import the track into Audacity and pitch it up an octave to put it in an easier range, but that's as much as I do as far as modifying the actual audio.

I definitely agree that practice makes it better. Transcribing is something I really struggled with at first and it's still not really easy for me, but it's gotten better and I can hear more complex things than I could before. Starting with some early console soundtracks with limited channels (or similarly simple pieces) can be a little less daunting than full orchestral pieces as well.

26

Submission Archive / Re: [GB] Tetris - "B-Type Fanfares (Trepak Variations)" by Code_Name_Geek

« on: April 25, 2023, 12:53:03 AM »

I hope posting multiple videos is okay, I haven't been able to find all the correct versions in one video.

Level 9 High 0

Level 9 High 1

Level 9 High 2

Level 9 High 3

Level 9 High 4

Level 9 High 5

27

Submission Archive / Re: [NDS] Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies - "The Sun-Gathering Village" by Code_Name_

« on: April 25, 2023, 12:36:33 AM »

I usually take 2-3 ledger lines for an upper limit for suddenly reading ledger lines, or 4-5 when there's an arpeggio or other run going towards it (like here). By this rule of thumb you could actually leave out of the 8va's here, but since it's pretty long in ledger line material too, it's nice to have them around still. For consistency it's probably nice to have one at m36 too then ^^

As for another tiny thing, you could move the dim. marking in m29 up a bit so it's aligned with the forte at the start of the par

Makes sense! In that case, I decided to extend the 8va at m36 through the next section as well to minimize the jumping back and forth. Fixed the dim. as well, good call.

Thanks again!

28

Submission Archive / Re: [NDS] Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies - "The Sun-Gathering Village" by Code_Name_

« on: April 09, 2023, 12:56:31 AM »

-m28: It feels kinda weird to me to put the D# in m26 in parentheses for the tenth interval in the R.H., but not the C here for the L.H. though in this case, you do lose a bit of harmonic information if the C is optional. After some thinking, you could add a C in beat 1 and a D in beat 2 in the R.H., so a bit more notes of the L.H. are doubled, which makes the C in the L.H. optional:
I can hear the C and D I added in the R.H. in the original too btw

Makes sense to me, done. I think that leads nicely into the triads after that bar as well.

-m35: These E's in the L.H. are a bit stretchy too to not be notified as optional, but I think it might be better to move them down an octave, so they're more in the same area as the rest of the L.H. in this section, and follow the same voice leading as in m43.

Yeah that also makes sense, done.

-m38: It might be a bit better to start the 8va at the two 16ths in m37, so there isn't a sudden octave jump in the middle of a phrase. It makes the phrase easier to read. Make sure the 8 of the 8va starts a bit before the first note too btw, it's currently a bit too much to the right.

Did that, but speaking of 8vas, I noticed I'm using them kind of inconsistently in this section (ex: m. 36 and m. 44 go up to the same line but only m. 44 has an 8va). So I'm wondering if the 1-bar 8vas are necessary or if some of them could be removed to make those phrases easier to read - I assumed having an 8va over this whole section would have some of those arpeggios starting a bit low? But I'm used to reading ledger lines so I'm not sure what's considered reasonable for piano.

-m39 and 40: The R.H. half note in m39 and the L.H. half note in m40 aren't possible to hold while playing the other voices without using a pedal. Using a pedal, however, takes away the staccatoness of the flute and violin notes. There's a few things you can do:
  -Still use pedal and use the staccatos in the R.H. more as a sound thing (mostly noticeable on acoustic or grand pianos). In that case it's best to add a pedal marking.
  -Shorten the half notes to 8ths, which will cause nearly all notes in these two bars to be short (my least preferred option)
  -Take some arrangers freedom to imitate the general contour of this part, while keeping the long and short notes (mostly) intact, for example something like this:
I edited the second 8th in both bars to a single note which is still reachable by both hands, and shortened the R.H. and L.H. halves to quarter notes, so they're shorter but not too much shorter.
I actually think the first option might be my preferred option haha. In all options, the L.H. D in m40 can be moved down an octave either way, as there won't be any stretching issues with the other voice.

I think I like the pedal option best too, so did that.

-m53: The D# and E in the R.H. should be 16ths on beat 2.5, not triplet 8ths.

Oh yeah you're right, done.

-m57: This R.H. 16th run is pretty hard to play, and doesn't really convey the flute melody that well, since it's mostly buried underneath the string line. Here's an alternative idea, moving the flute up an octave, and adding a bit of the string line in the L.H.
You could add the A in the R.H. on beat 1.75, but I felt it might be a bit hard to play with everything else going on while not adding that much effect.

I really like this suggestion, it makes the melody more prominent and it still works resolution-wise since it leads into the higher octave. I did add the A on beat 1.75 though. I also swapped the hairpins for "cres." and "dim." markings, both to reduce visual clutter and keep it consistent with what I used before in m. 25.

-m60: You can add the harmony flute G and F# on beat 2.5 in the R.H. here too, like in the pickup measure.

Done.

Just to note, I also noticed that I had forgotten the natural sign on the trill in m. 36 so I changed that as well.

Thanks for looking it over! Glad to sort out playability issues since it means it'll be easier for me to play too.

29

Submission Archive / Re: [NDS] Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies - "The Sun-Gathering Village" by Code_Name_

« on: April 04, 2023, 11:04:44 PM »

My bad, I meant that that F# should be a D

Got it, done.

They all look (and sound) pretty accurate to me! For some reason the staccato at beat 1.5 is on the wrong side of the note, just make sure to get that

Whoops, no idea why it decided to do that. Fixed as well.

Thanks!

30

Submission Archive / Re: [NDS] Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies - "The Sun-Gathering Village" by Code_Name_

« on: April 04, 2023, 08:21:19 PM »

No problem! For the most part it's looking pretty good but here's some things I found (all referring to the harmony):

• m1 beat 2.5: I hear G instead of B here
• m5 beat 2.75: The G here is sharpened
• m7: Beat 2 should be B and beat 2.5 should be G
• m8: I hear F# at beat 1
• The same points apply to the repeated section, m9+, where needed
• If you want you can remove the harmony note in m15 b1.75 for playability purposes

Made all these changes, except m8 where I think it was already an F#? And I decided to keep the harmony note in m15. Thanks!

Interesting, because I can get it with my LH but not with my RH... Parentheses is the best option then.

Oh that is interesting, I have pretty small hands so I always assume everyone can play something if I can haha. Maybe my left hand is less flexible since piano isn't my main instrument? Either way, I agree that parentheses is the best option and I'll leave that note up to the performer.

Pretty much, though I hear the middle notes in m29 b2.5 and m30 b1-1.5 one step higher than you have written (so E, D & C respectively)

Done.

That's a valid way of seeing it, let's keep the key change then!
PS Spoilered images don't seem to show in post previews but I can see them fine :p

Sounds good! The images weren't showing in the post either for me but I think it was something with my adblocker because it worked on another browser. (Oh but they're working on this one now, go figure.)

This looks better, yeah! I think there's an extra voice in the flutes, like so:

Spoiler

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Also done.

I think what you have is correct, it's just harder to make out because of the echo in this track. That said, you might want to omit some of either part to make it a little easier to play..

I took out one note that seemed particularly difficult to play. I'd rather keep the melody over that trill here so if there's any other parts of it I should leave out lmk.

Here's some other points that came up:

• m2-10: Finale seems to have ignored some of the accidentals in its measure spacing, it fixed itself when I removed & readded them
• m32 beat 2: There's a chord missing here in the RH lower layer
• m46: I hear the harmony note at beat 1.25 as Cx. For beat 2 you should preserve the 3rd interval, I recommend changing the B# to Cn
• m47-48: I can hear some harmony here, do you want to add it in?

-Oh yeah, I'm actually familiar with that issue - another way to fix it is to click on the measure with the note entry tool and it will automatically respace it. Must have missed those measures though
-Oops not sure what happened to that chord, I must have deleted it accidentally. Fixed.
-Keeping it as 3rds makes sense, done. I also wrote the bass note as a B# instead of a Cn to keep the measure more internally consistent (and did the same with m. 36).
-Tried to add that harmony, I'm not confident on the notes in m. 48 though.

The rest of the changes look great! Thanks for taking the time to look over the sheet again

Thanks again for the feedback, it was really helpful!