[Wii] Xenoblade Chronicles - "Mechanical Rhythm" by Maelstrom

Started by Zeta, July 12, 2020, 04:06:57 PM

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Zeta

Submission Information:

Series: Xeno
Game: Xenoblade Chronicles
Console: Nintendo Wii
Title: Mechanical Rhythm
Instrumentation Solo Piano
Arranger: Maelstrom

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Maelstrom

I took quite a few liberties with this one to make it function properly on piano, not unlike Jompa did with my You Will Know Our Names sheet.
I also referenced the DE rerecording a few times for strings and other voices to add in. All guitar solos are from the original.

Dekkadeci

Man, I've been waiting for a piano transcription of this theme for so long!
...And the wait has paid off!

A smattering of concerns, though:
  • I hear the last two 8th notes in the melody of Bar 15 and Bar 53 as C-C# instead of your A-C.
  • In Beat 4 of Bar 19 and Beat 4 of Bar 58, I hear the guitar's F in the original drown out your A-C melody portion.
  • I'm hearing the 1st 8th note of the RH of Beat 4 of Bar 79, and likewise of Bar 83, as a C in the original instead of a D.

Maelstrom

Replaced all of the 'a-c's with 'c-c#'s. I don't personally feel comfortable leaving the RH on the F for m19, as I really like the punch it can add to the c-c#-d as opposed to just ... playing the same note.
Everything else has been updated and fixed. Also fixed a ped mark collision.

mastersuperfan

Very solid sheet of a great track.

- The dynamic in m1 is too high up and should be roughly aligned with the forte in m3, closer to the center of the space between the staves.
- In m7/10/45/49, the RH rhythm should be dotted half - quarter (i.e. like m8) instead of (half tied to dotted quarter) - eighth.
- The LH chords are a bit muddy in m10 and in m26-27/35-36/etc. It might be worth cutting out one of the middle notes in these chords, if you wanted.
- In m9/47 RH, I'm hearing the bottom note on beat 3 as an A instead of a G, and the bottom note on beat 4 as a C instead of a A. IMO I think the arrangement would sound best with both an F and an A under beat 3 and both an A and a C under beat 4:
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- The top note of m13/51 RH beat 1 sounds like it should be a D instead of an F, and beats 3 and 4 sound like what I described above for m9/47 (see image). In other words, m13/51 RH sound to me exactly like m9/47 and I can't tell why they're written differently.
- m16/54 RH beat 3.5 should be an E instead of a D.
- IMO I think m22 RH goes a bit too high for my liking and loses some of the punch in that high register. I think I would prefer the power chords in m21-22 all to be lowered an octave. The obvious downside to this is that m20 doesn't transition into m21 as smoothly, so it's fine if you'd rather leave it as is.
- Beat 4.75 of m30/68 would make more sense as En's rather than Fb's.
- I'm not hearing the Bb on RH beat 3 of m32/70. However, I very clearly hear the G from beat 1 still there.
- m60 LH 8va is kinda close to the noteheads and could be nudged down a bit.
- In the pentuplet on m66 RH beat 2, the flat on the second note is clashing with the first note.
- The inner ties in m66 LH could probably be manually widened a bit so that they look like actual ties instead of tiny little arrowheads pointing up.
- m67: I'm used to seeing ossias labeled "ossia" and with no line connecting it to the main staff. The line looks kind of weird to me, but that might just be a normal way of writing it I'm not used to. Regardless, though, I would suggest shrinking the size of the ossia measure a bit, both to make it clearer that it's an ossia and also because m68 is being cramped by how much space m67 is occupying.
- The second-to-last note in the m67 ossia seems like it would make more sense written as Dn rather than Ebb.
- The slur in m85 RH looks a little bit too flattened.
- I'm not used to seeing pedal markings so close to the notes as in m27-28/65-66/73-74... I guess it saves space (especially in m27-28), but it still couldn't hurt to move them down a bit more?
Quote from: NocturneOfShadow on February 11, 2016, 03:00:36 PMthere's also a huge difference in quality between 2000 songs and 2010 songs
Quote from: Latios212 on February 11, 2016, 03:29:24 PMThe difference between 2000 songs and 2010 songs is 10 songs.

Maelstrom

Removed the top note in the first chord in m10 instead. Is that fine?
Ah, I know why I wrote m13 differently. It is different in m51 and I copied it over. m57 was not changed, but 13 was.
Just lowering m21 and 21 wasn't enough. I also lowered the 2nd half of m20 while I was at it so it transitions better into that part
I shrank the ossia. I think it normally doesn't have the extra  stuff and the line, but it's at the start of a system and idk how to remove them. If anyone knows, please tell me.
Slur in 85 is actually a default one. Fixed that.
The Bb in m32/70 was to add some flavor. If you want it out, I can take it out, as I just did.

Files updated.

mastersuperfan

Quote from: Maelstrom on August 01, 2020, 02:38:41 PMAh, I know why I wrote m13 differently. It is different in m51 and I copied it over. m57 was not changed, but 13 was.
oh yeah m51 is in fact different, I only checked m13 and assumed it was the same for both

Very nice. Just a few last things to wrap up:
- LH 8va in m60 could still be moved down a bit
- Did you also want to put a crescendo and a forte in m60-61?
- Maybe the last note in the m67 ossia should have an outgoing tie on it
- m10 and m48 RH beat 2 sounds like it has an eighth note rhythm rather than just a quarter note, at least for the note on top (I'm hearing E and then D as eighth notes). If you include this, maybe write the top notes as a separate layer and keep the lower notes on beat 2 as quarters.
- The eighth rest on m19/55 RH beat 2.5 could be filled with a note to mimic the guitar part if you wanted.
- To make the chords fuller, you could add an F under beat 3 and an Ab under beat 4 of m51 if you wanted.

Quote from: Maelstrom on August 01, 2020, 02:38:41 PMThe Bb in m32/70 was to add some flavor. If you want it out, I can take it out, as I just did.
If you wanted to keep it, I think it works fine. I would just rather that the G also be there as well.
Quote from: NocturneOfShadow on February 11, 2016, 03:00:36 PMthere's also a huge difference in quality between 2000 songs and 2010 songs
Quote from: Latios212 on February 11, 2016, 03:29:24 PMThe difference between 2000 songs and 2010 songs is 10 songs.

Maelstrom

Quote from: mastersuperfan on August 01, 2020, 04:42:16 PM- m10 and m48 RH beat 2 sounds like it has an eighth note rhythm rather than just a quarter note, at least for the note on top (I'm hearing E and then D as eighth notes). If you include this, maybe write the top notes as a separate layer and keep the lower notes on beat 2 as quarters.
I don't hear this and, as such, did not change it.

I'd prefer to leave 19 how it is.

added the Bb in and kept the G in as well.

Files updated.

mastersuperfan

Nice. I approve, as long as someone else can double-check whether this is actually there or if my ears are just failing me:

Quote from: mastersuperfan on August 01, 2020, 04:42:16 PM- m10 and m48 RH beat 2 sounds like it has an eighth note rhythm rather than just a quarter note, at least for the note on top (I'm hearing E and then D as eighth notes). If you include this, maybe write the top notes as a separate layer and keep the lower notes on beat 2 as quarters.
Quote from: NocturneOfShadow on February 11, 2016, 03:00:36 PMthere's also a huge difference in quality between 2000 songs and 2010 songs
Quote from: Latios212 on February 11, 2016, 03:29:24 PMThe difference between 2000 songs and 2010 songs is 10 songs.

Libera

Quote from: mastersuperfan on August 02, 2020, 10:42:49 AMas long as someone else can double-check whether this is actually there or if my ears are just failing me:

I agree with msf on this point about bars 10 and 48.

Other things:

-The final phrase in bar 6 has fifth harmonies above what you've currently written in.
-Why does the lower layer in 7-8 double the guitar part and then start following the bass part (loosely) in bar 9?  I think it'd be better to be consistent here but maybe there's a reason I'm missing.
-The D in the third left hand chord in bar 10 sounds like it should be a C#.
-En in the third chord of bar 14 should be an Eb, right?
-There is more harmony in the RH of bar 19-20 that you could add in if you wanted to, starting (A -> F -> G -> A etc.)  I think it would help to distinguish those bars from the previous iteration where there was less harmony, but maybe you left it out for ease of playing.
-Not hearing the An octave on beat 2.5 of bar 16.  It sounds like a low Dn hit that you left out of the sheet in bar 15.  Same for bar 20 where it's written differently again. 
-You're missing a G/A on beat 3.5/4.5 of bar 20 as well as the guitar plays another En on beat 4 there.
-Missing bass riff at the end of bar 21 which might be worth including.  And again at the end of bar 22.
-I'm not hearing the harmony you wrote in for the end of bar 25 and bar 26.  The Bb sounds like it's held through the three notes at the end of bar 25 and I'm hearing something more like F -> Eb -> C -> Ab under the melody in bar 26.
-I'm not so sure about the low chords in bar 27-28; would it not be better to just use octaves there since you already have the harmony on the chords in the right hand in these bars?
-In lots of places you don't seem to follow the bass line in the left hand which is reasonable, but the end of bar 34 seems to me to be a good place to follow it more closely.
-Same comment as before about the low chords in 35-36.  Also, the motion of the bass isn't the same in 36 as it is in 35.
-The chord in bar 38 is missing an Ab.  39 is missing a Bb.  40 is missing a Db and then an Eb.
-Similarly to the above, bar 42 is missing an F and bar 43 is missing a G.
-The chord in bar 44 changes on beat 3 up a step to C major.
-My earlier comments apply to bars 45-60 also.
-There's a little ornament on the guitar while holding the C in bar 61 that you might want to include.  Even if you don't, that chord should be a dotted minim rather than a minim tied to crotchet.
-I think the F on beat 4 of bar 62 should be tied to the previous F.
-The Ab in the second septuplet in bar 67's ossia sounds like a Bb like the previous ones to me.
-Why not also write in the solo for bar 68?  You've already had to accommodate for the ossia space anyway so it won't take up any extra room.
-Similar comments to before for bars 69-78, including missing harmonies in 76-78.
-Any reason why the final D in bar 84 doesn't tie over like it does in bar 80?
-Missing bass movement in bar 85.  The bass restrikes the D on beat 3 and the moves up to an E and back down again before going to the A.
-I think it would be cool for the left hand in the final bar to follow the percussion rhythms since they're so striking in the original.

Hope some of this helps.  This is a tricky one to get to work on piano so nice job making the sheet.

Maelstrom

I'd like to avoid adding more notes to m6. You may notice that I tried to keep the sections like that as clear of other notes as possible, and only using octave harmonies. That way it will sound much clearer and distinctive, like in the original.
-Yeah m7-8 bass 2nd layer, this was intentional and the result of multiple iterations. I just belive that keeping the F there better emphasizes  the tension created by the song here (and is in the bass guitar), which is then resolved in the next measure. I would have done this elsewhere, but doing that would have made the song unplayable so I resolved to only do it here.
-m10 - If I listen closely, I can hear the resolution of *something* in there, even if it's hard to make out. I found that this best replicated that resolution.
-Thanks for the suggestion for m19-20, but I did leave that out intentionally. Like Electric heritage, it was between oversimplifying the first section which would remove the impact, or adding too much to the later section which would make it harder to play and muddier.
-Made RH b2.5 of m16 a rest, same for where it repeats. I feel like it's much clearer in 20 so I want to keep it in.
-m20 I think the guitar plays an  A on beat 4, directly followed by the F in 4.5. Added in the G and A tho.
-m21 - I'd prefer to keep the bass riff out, because doing so highetens the silence between chords, and also because that kind of sound is impossible to emulate properly on the piano. I think it's fine how it is.
-m25-26 harmonies. Yep, those are not in the song in this exact form. I added a bunch of harmonies places to fill it out and provide more weight to the motion. I like what I have and believe it remains true to the original tone and want to keep it how it is.
-m28 - These low chords are also a bit of my own creation. I played around with them a lot to get them to sound satisfying, and this was the result. I prefer to keep them as is.
-m34 - Added in the Eb on b4.25, left the rest as is because it follows the original.
-m35-36 - see above. To be honest, the rhythm I have written down doesn't follow original exactly to a t for any part of it. However, it is the most satisfying to listen to and lines nicely up with the rhythms of the other hand, so I wrote it how it is. I would prefer not to change it.
-missing notes in chords from m38-44. Added the suggested ones before the key change, but not after. I think leaving them out for 42 and 43 is for the best, as it emphasizes the minimal change from 41 to 42, since now only once note (albeity doubled) changes. I like this effect and want to keep it. I did add the extra cord in m44, nice  catch.
-m61 - Changed the half+q into a dotted half, oops. I don't really want to add in the tremolo, as it's not as strong as those on other instruments and doesn't have the performer actually play a different note, they just bend the string up and down to cause a minute change in pitch.
-m62 - I hear that F on beat 4 pretty clearly, and that is why I wrote it in.
-ossia- yep, that's a mistake. Great catch.
-m68 solo - This was a conscious decision. I think that the treble clef in 68 is 100% vital to the piece as whole and want the performer to play it. It's selfish, but I think that's how it should be. Also it's even more daunting to a person who can't play the first measure.
-m84 tie - oops. fixed.
-m85 - added bass movement.
-last measure - added some percussion rhythms.

thanks for taking the time to listen to this, sorry I didn't implement a number of your suggestions.

Libera

Quote from: Maelstrom on August 03, 2020, 06:18:58 PM-m25-26 harmonies. Yep, those are not in the song in this exact form. I added a bunch of harmonies places to fill it out and provide more weight to the motion. I like what I have and believe it remains true to the original tone and want to keep it how it is.

Not really sure I understand this choice.  The melody has harmonies in the original (the ones I mentioned) so there's no need to add them in for weight since you can just take them directly from the original.  Why change the harmonies to sixths when they're thirds/fourths in the original?  How is this 'true to the original tone'?  I don't get it.  You use the original's harmony in 33-34, so why not here also?
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Quote from: Maelstrom on August 03, 2020, 06:18:58 PM-m28 - These low chords are also a bit of my own creation. I played around with them a lot to get them to sound satisfying, and this was the result. I prefer to keep them as is.

They still sound overly muddy to me but if you really want to keep them then at least tidy up the inner ties on these chords (and in 35-36, 65-66 and 73-74) which are currently very squished (especially in the the second of each of these pairs of bars).

Quote from: Maelstrom on August 03, 2020, 06:18:58 PM-missing notes in chords from m38-44. Added the suggested ones before the key change, but not after. I think leaving them out for 42 and 43 is for the best, as it emphasizes the minimal change from 41 to 42, since now only once note (albeity doubled) changes. I like this effect and want to keep it. I did add the extra cord in m44, nice  catch.

I don't really understand this either.  It's only a minimal change because you haven't written in the full harmony from the original.  If you wanted the chords to be weaker after the key change you could leave out the bottom note since it's doubled above.

Quote from: Libera on August 03, 2020, 04:44:04 PM-The D in the third left hand chord in bar 10 sounds like it should be a C#.
-En in the third chord of bar 14 should be an Eb, right?

You missed these / didn't mention them in your post.

All of the other changes / not changes look good.

Maelstrom

m10:
Quote from: Maelstrom on August 03, 2020, 06:18:58 PM-m10 - If I listen closely, I can hear the resolution of *something* in there, even if it's hard to make out. I found that this best replicated that resolution.
Quote-En in the third chord of bar 14 should be an Eb, right?
Oops, missed this line. Thanks, that's been fixed.

made the other changes you disagreed with, and fixed up even more ties that were painfully squished.

for m41-44, I think my idea was that adding more notes helped the chord to build, but I have since realized that is counterproductive, since there's actually a diminuendo there.

files updated

Libera


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