[GBA] Fire Emblem - "Black Fang" by Libera

[Zeta]

Submission Information:
Series: Fire Emblem
Game: Fire Emblem
Console: Game Boy Advance
Title: Black Fang
Instrumentation Solo Piano
Arranger: Libera

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[Libera]

I had to move the bass into the right hand since it would be impossible to play all three lines at their actual pitch and the piece sounds really weird if you leave it out.

Edit: I realised that there were some slight mistakes in the sheet (some staccatos were missing and a clef change was missing also).  I've made the appropriate changes.

Edit 2: Removed the Pno. on subsequent staves, not sure how that crept in.

[Bespinben]

Excited to review your first submission!

I tend to judge things in terms of their sum effect, and the feeling I get from this arrangement is that it lacks the emotive weight of the original piece. I think the main contributor to this is your decision to invert the bass above the ostinato, which, while I can see your reasoning for doing so, comes at a loss.

I'd first double the timpani in octaves in places where it would be most idiomatic, and I'd move the string ostinato to the right hand:

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When the solo (brass?) instrument comes in, I'd actually opt to lower it below the ostinato, for reasons of making it playable with the bass, and because it has an effect of giving it a mellower tone that seems more in line with the original piece.

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This pattern works fairly well for the rest of the song, although I do feel perhaps this texture may downplay the string melody's tense and urgent mood. Definitely interested in seeing what you do next.

[Libera]

I agree with you that by moving the bass above the ostinato something is lost in the feel of the piece, but I also think that either way you resolve the issue (not having three hands) something is lost.  I don't agree that moving the melodic lines below the ostinato keeps in line with the original piece at all, as in my opinion doing that causes them to lose their 'haunting' quality.  I thought about this before I submitted, and the thing that sold me on putting the bass above the ostinato is that in the high register you can fully put in both the bass line and the melody without turning it into a harmonic mess.  I tried moving the melody into the bass and it sounds awful in places with all the close harmonies, and so you have to do what you did in your example (removing some of the bass line and only putting in certain notes).  I also tried to combine the bass and the ostinato in one hand, but I feel like its too awkward to play and you end up having to miss out notes from the bass as well.

All in all, I agree that there are problems but I tried to choose the lesser of two evils.

Also, on a separate note, I feel like doubling the bass in the opening makes it sound rather more ... grand than the original?  That might just be me, though.

Edit:  Partly to show I'm not disagreeing out of laziness and also partly because I wanted to try out your suggestion, I redid the piece as you asked.  [Mus].  I haven't resubmitted it as this as I'm really not convinced this is better, but you can have a look.  Also, while doing this I noticed that to sustain the lower notes in the rolls you would need either sustain or sost. pedal but either of those are going to mess up the ostinato to some degree. 

[Libera]

(Bump.)

[Libera]

(Bump (redux).)

[Latios212]

Whoops, sorry for the wait. Thanks for taking the time to really consider your options! Since you thought it out carefully, I'd say go for it and leave the parts written as you have. Only thing I'm not sure of is beat 6 of m. 8, just check that I'm not mishearing that as a Ab in the melody (it's so quiet haha) instead of the Gb you wrote in. Other than that, all good

[Libera]

It's strange looking back on one of my first arrangements now...

Anyway, I agree it's an Ab there.  I've fixed it and updated the files.

Thanks for going through it! (and all of the other submissions you did last night!)

[Latios212]

No problem! Haha you've started so recently and still

Approved on my end.

[Maelstrom]

it good

[Zeta]

This submission has been accepted by Maelstrom.

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