[SW] Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition - "Beyond the Sky (Acoustic Arrangement)" by JZ

[Latios212]

Sorry for the wait haven't forgotten about this one

The first was adding pedal markings to the sheet. I couldn't find a way to hide them.

Don't worry, I can hide them for you when I do a formatting pass once I check the whole thing.

Continuing where I left off at m. 51:
- Would suggest tying over the melody F between m. 51-52
- I don't hear the Bb in the LH on beat 2.5 in m. 52
- The RH G in m. 55 beat 2.5 distracts a bit much from the main melody in my opinion. I would suggest taking it out since you already have the G motion in the left hand
- Not sure I hear the D in the RH of m. 58 beat 1.5
- The end of m. 75 RH should be D-C descending 16th notes instead of just an eighth note D
- I would suggest having the RH follow the main melody more closely in m. 77-78 - the rhythm of the main melodic line in m. 77 and making the last note of 78 D instead of G
- Check the arpeggios in m. 78 again - the bass starts on Bb on beat 1
- You would also include a G in the first chord of m. 83
- I would suggest removing the key change in m. 85-92 - it doesn't seem too necessary.
- The dynamic (f, I would actually recommend ff) would be better placed in m. 92, at the end the crescendo, rather than in 93. You also don't need both the "cresc." and the hairpin (<), just the hairpin will do.

Almost done. Just the last page for me to check after this

[MomoQca]

Awesome! Thanks for the feedback.

Sadly I won't be able to implement the changes for a while. I don't have access to my computer 😭

I will get to it as soon as I have a fully functional computer.

[Latios212]

If you like, I can make edits for you as I go along checking the rest and doing the formatting at the same time.

[MomoQca]

@Latios212 — I don't mind if you're up for it.

[Latios212]

Continuing where I left off at m. 51:
- Would suggest tying over the melody F between m. 51-52
- I don't hear the Bb in the LH on beat 2.5 in m. 52
- The RH G in m. 55 beat 2.5 distracts a bit much from the main melody in my opinion. I would suggest taking it out since you already have the G motion in the left hand
- Not sure I hear the D in the RH of m. 58 beat 1.5
- The end of m. 75 RH should be D-C descending 16th notes instead of just an eighth note D
- I would suggest having the RH follow the main melody more closely in m. 77-78 - the rhythm of the main melodic line in m. 77 and making the last note of 78 D instead of G
- Check the arpeggios in m. 78 again - the bass starts on Bb on beat 1
- You would also include a G in the first chord of m. 83
- I would suggest removing the key change in m. 85-92 - it doesn't seem too necessary.
- The dynamic (f, I would actually recommend ff) would be better placed in m. 92, at the end the crescendo, rather than in 93. You also don't need both the "cresc." and the hairpin (<), just the hairpin will do.

Got this stuff, plus a few more things:
- Combined the Bb and D in beat 4.5 of m. 70 into one dyad
- Adjusted the ties in m. 72 to not collide with stuff
- Fixed the Db's to be Dn in m. 92
- Started adjusting a few minor spacing things here and there (space between LH/RH in m. 63-66, for example)

Files are updated with the above! Let me know if anything looks off or if you've got your computer situation sorted out yet. I'll get to the last page soon~

[Latios212]

I'll get to the last page soon~

This already looks great, just a few minor changes:
- It sounds like the last three eighth notes in m. 98 go Bb-D-Bb descending
- I think the last note in m. 99 LH would make more sense as an Eb (from the Ab harmony, the RH is playing the D)
- I'm not hearing Bb's in the LH chord in m. 104 - would suggest changing to Ab
- It's a little difficult to hear exactly what's going on in the original due to the dense orchestration and voice-over but what you've written in does a good job of outlining the harmony so I think it all looks good.

Files updated, and approved Again, let me know if anything doesn't look right to you in the new files.

[Static]

Looks really good! Just some extra details/nitpicks from me. I'm making the changes for you and uploading the files, so if you disagree with anything let me know and I'll change it back.

• I don't think "? ? ?" (Edit: intentional spaces, those damn auto-emojis I swear...) is very helpful as a character indication. Do you have any ideas of what you'd want? 
• The arpeggio marking in m29 is still split in two, so I've fixed that for you.
• I only hear the low LH octave in m63, not in 64-66.
• The flourish in m67 RH is missing a few notes. It should be a 32nd-note sextuplet starting on Eb (Eb-F-Bb-C-Eb-F).
• m68 LH sounds like an F instead of Bb. It also sounds like there's an Eb above it (Bbsus4/F chord).
• Is there a reason you don't have the LH chord hits in m103? It's fine to keep it but it just sounds kinda inconsistent with m104-106,
• I made a few general spacing adjustments throughout.

My biggest issue with this arrangement is m48-49 and 54-62. In my opinion, the string countermelody is important here since it's a new part joining in (the piano melody was heard earlier). It might be worth trying including a bit of this part, but up to you I suppose. I just think it's really distinctive in the original.

[MomoQca]

Still no computer. Lol. I plan on getting a new laptop soon! So yay!

Thanks Latios212 and Static. The sheet looks great. I don't think I have any objection to the changes. I will see what I can do with the string countermelody.

Also...

- The first RH chord in m. 12 I think should also have a C in it

...can someone put this in? I never got around to updating the file before my computer broke down.

[Static]

Still no computer. Lol. I plan on getting a new laptop soon! So yay!

Thanks Latios212 and Static. The sheet looks great. I don't think I have any objection to the changes. I will see what I can do with the string countermelody.

Awesome! I added in the C in m12, as well as the chord in m103. I can wait until you have your laptop so you can experiment with that countermelody, if you'd like. Or if you have any specific ideas before you get the laptop, feel free to post (maybe write something out on paper and take a picture?) and I can made the edits for you. Otherwise, I have nothing else to say here, really fantastic arrangement!

[MomoQca]

Psst, Static...you uploaded the wrong file. I'm seeing Final Fantasy instead of Xenoblade hehe 

Thank you for your time!

[Static]

Psst, Static...you uploaded the wrong file. I'm seeing Final Fantasy instead of Xenoblade hehe 

Sorry about that, it should be fixed now!

[Latios212]

I was just giving this a final look and noticed a few small things, updated the files once again:
- There was an extra space in the tempo marking
- I had forgotten to add a pedal indication (con pedale) at the beginning after hiding all the pedal/release articulation marks
- Minor adjustments to the roll symbols in m. 37-38
- There was a diminuendo in m. 42 with no end dynamic, so I put a mf there
- Moved the mf in m. 51 right a couple clicks away from the barline
- Slightly raised the 8va up away from the ties in m. 104

Anything last comments before we call it a day on this one?

[Static]

Anything last comments before we call it a day on this one?

My biggest issue with this arrangement is m48-49 and 54-62. In my opinion, the string countermelody is important here since it's a new part joining in (the piano melody was heard earlier). It might be worth trying including a bit of this part, but up to you I suppose. I just think it's really distinctive in the original.

I will see what I can do with the string countermelody.

I'd like to address this first, although the sheet is fine as it is currently. But if you have any ideas, let us know and we can implement them in the sheet.
Otherwise, I have nothing else to add.

[MomoQca]

Files updated. Sorry for the wait!

[Static]

I think this looks a lot closer to what I was thinking, but you can simplify some of the measures if you'd like. Some of them are a bit of a stretch to play (m57-59) or perhaps sound more dissonant than expected (m48-49).

- For m48, you can just include the strings on beat 4, since they're more prominent than the piano. Including both parts results in a G-Ab clash and a restruck Ab, which doesn't sound as natural or consonant when it's all played by the piano.
- Then in m49, just include the first note so that the LH and RH don't cross over each other so much.

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- In m54, you can remove the Ebs, since these are the trickiest notes to play here, and the contour of the line is still preserved. With both layers playing at once, it still sounds really close to the original line.
- Then, in m56 the lower harmonies can be removed.
- m57 can be lowered an octave so it all fits within one handspan. Also, the D on beat 1 could be removed to emphasize the Bb.
- m59 beats 3-4 I think would be fine to exclude considering they're doubled in the LH.
- I would remove the last 8th note in m61 since the repeated Gs can be kind of annoying to play.
- Lastly, the first 2nd layer chord in m62 can be removed since the C and G are doubled in the LH and RH (5-note chords are also just awkward to play especially in the middle of a phrase).
With all of the above in mind, here's what it could look like:

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Even though the parts are simplified, I think they get the same ideas across and it still allows the string countermelody to shine through. Here's the files with all the changes made, so feel free to upload them if they look good to you!

Thanks for working with me on this section. That string line really adds something special to the piece imo