[PC] Minecraft - "Sweden" by PlayfulPiano

[Zeta]

Submission Information:
Series: Other
Game: Minecraft
Console: PC
Title: Sweden
Instrumentation Solo Piano
Arranger: PlayfulPiano

[attachment deleted by admin]

[PlayfulPiano]

might've did this entire arrangement in 4.5 hours.... oops

Ok so for reference, there are many different sweden arrangements out there in the internet. But like the majority of them stop before the pizzicato section, and those who don't tend to not be of the best quality in terms of legibility. Plus this track isn't on NSM even though it's probably the most recognizable Minecraft tracks out there. So yeah, here's my stab at it.

There is probably one notable section that will be scrutinized, and that's m15-m18. I've always felt that this section was uncharacteristically "quiet/empty" in most arrangements compared to the 4 measure phrase right before and right after it. So I incorporated a bit of the strings in a unique style to fit with the rest of the arrangement. Only issue is that I'm not quite sure how to do layering/beaming for this, so let me know what would look the best. I do hope something similar to what I wrote here can be kept with the strings, though.

Edit (like 15min later): whoops just realized that the staccatos weren't centered right, fixed that.

Edit (like...8 hours later): Realized after having some time to play when waking up that there were two physically unplayable sections (m27 RH and m32 LH), fixed both cases.

Edit (2021/07/31 4PM ET): Fixed the tempo expression to use Melancholic instead of Melancholy.

[Zeila]

I didn't really go over notes but here are my thoughts

• m7+ I think it would be better if you wrote the top notes of the 2nd layer chords in the 1st layer as part of the melody instead. You do this briefly in measures 11 and 12 but then stop. I think this example looks neater than what you currently have written:
  You cannot view this attachment.
• m11/12 I think the quarter note + eighth rests should be replaced with dotted quarter notes because they sound held in the original
• m15+ I think the extra voice you added here is too distracting. With the strings in the original, the attack isn't as pronounced and it blends better there, but on a piano it just seems off. Maybe you could try incorporating it differently?
• m17/18 LH I think the quarter notes should be written as half notes to match with the chords in the RH (and because the pedal lasts that long)
• m23 the original sounds like it crescendos up to measure 27
• m34 RH beat 1 there's a missing E in the melody here; you're missing a B in measure 35 too but if you want to prioritize the chord there then that's okay

[PlayfulPiano]

I didn't really go over notes but here are my thoughts

• m7+ I think it would be better if you wrote the top notes of the 2nd layer chords in the 1st layer as part of the melody instead. You do this briefly in measures 11 and 12 but then stop. I think this example looks neater than what you currently have written:
  You cannot view this attachment.
• m11/12 I think the quarter note + eighth rests should be replaced with dotted quarter notes because they sound held in the original
• m15+ I think the extra voice you added here is too distracting. With the strings in the original, the attack isn't as pronounced and it blends better there, but on a piano it just seems off. Maybe you could try incorporating it differently?
• m17/18 LH I think the quarter notes should be written as half notes to match with the chords in the RH (and because the pedal lasts that long)
• m23 the original sounds like it crescendos up to measure 27
• m34 RH beat 1 there's a missing E in the melody here; you're missing a B in measure 35 too but if you want to prioritize the chord there then that's okay

Updated with all changes mentioned.

[Whoppybones]

It seems pretty good to me! There were a couple things I noticed, but I'm also not a professional, so take these with a grain of salt:

1. m. 24 first note, I hear an F# as the top note.
2. m. 33-34, I feel that you could make those rests invisible and it wouldn't cause a problem.

Overall, wonderful arrangement of the song! Glad I'm not the only Minecraft enthusiast here!

[PlayfulPiano]

It seems pretty good to me! There were a couple things I noticed, but I'm also not a professional, so take these with a grain of salt:

1. m. 24 first note, I hear an F# as the top note.
2. m. 33-34, I feel that you could make those rests invisible and it wouldn't cause a problem.

Overall, wonderful arrangement of the song! Glad I'm not the only Minecraft enthusiast here!

I can't really hear that for #1 that well. And #2 iirc it's pretty much formatting standard to keep rests in place.

[mastersuperfan]

I'm surprised nobody's arranged this before...
- I'm getting eighth=88 instead of 89 for the tempo. It might be simpler just to write it as q=44.
- Your dynamics in m7-9, m27-29, and m33 are a bit low and really close to touching the LH staff; you have room to move them up a little.
- The rests on m7/9/11/13 RH beat 1 should be moved down to center staff, like in Zeila's screenshot above. m15/17 could go either way but I would personally recommend moving them down there too for consistency's sake.
- Beats 2 and 2.5 of m18 RH should be beamed; otherwise it looks like they belong to different layers.
- Be consistent with your rest placement in the LH. Right now, in m11-18, the rests are above the staff, whereas in m27-32 they're under the first line of the staff.
- There's an A at the bottom of the chord in the RH on m19 beat 1.
- I don't hear the G# at the top of the chord on m21 beat 3. You might be hearing an overtone instead.
- On m21 RH beat 3, m22 RH beat 1, and m30 RH beat 1, I think it would make more sense to turn those quarter notes + eighth rests into dotted quarter notes because the pedal will sustain them.
- You could add an E between the C#'s on m22 RH beat 1 to complete the chord.
- How about a "senza pedale" in m23?
- Staccato half notes (m23-26) don't make much sense to me and are pretty ambiguous in how they should be played. I would just make them staccato quarters instead.
- Also, in m23-26 RH, you have some dotted quarters in Layer 1 that aren't staccato, but in the original, all the notes sound staccato.
- I hear the B in the LH doubled an octave higher on m27 beat 4.
- Quarter rest on m29 beat 1 could be moved down to center staff.
- On m32 beat 1, you don't have the C# (half-step above middle C) that belongs to the melody. IMO that's the most important note to include on that beat (being part of the main melody and all) and I would highly recommend moving the top F# down an octave so that the RH can also play the C#. Otherwise, the melody in m31 has nowhere to go and disappears in m32.
- On m29 and m31 RH beat 3, I would suggest making the F# part of Layer 1 to indicate that it's continuous with the melody on beats 1-2. Regardless of whether you do or don't, you might also consider using dashed lines to indicate continuity between the F# on RH beat 3, the 16ths on LH beat 4.5, and the C# on RH beat 1 of the next measure.
- m33/35 RH beat 1—I'd suggest writing the chords in a way that doesn't require a 10th, as lots of people can't play that interval (I myself can't even play a 9th consistently). For example, you could make the RH B-G-B.
- On m33 RH beat 3, it would probably be better to move the F# to Layer 1, to be consistent with how the RH is written in the rest of the sheet.
- If you want to include the notes played by the strings, there's an additional F at the top of the chord on m34 RH beat 1 and an additional A on top of the chord on m34 RH beat 3.
- There's an additional A at the top of the chord on m36 RH beat 3 that you're missing.
- The crescendo gets very close to touching the stems in m35-36; I would suggest increasing the space between the LH and RH staves a bit.
- What dynamic should the player decrescendo to at the end, in m38?
- I'm assuming this track loops in-game; if so, could you add a repeat or D.C./D.S. to reflect that?

[PlayfulPiano]

I'm surprised nobody's arranged this before...

i knowwww

- I'm getting eighth=88 instead of 89 for the tempo. It might be simpler just to write it as q=44.
- Your dynamics in m7-9, m27-29, and m33 are a bit low and really close to touching the LH staff; you have room to move them up a little.
- The rests on m7/9/11/13 RH beat 1 should be moved down to center staff, like in Zeila's screenshot above. m15/17 could go either way but I would personally recommend moving them down there too for consistency's sake.
- Beats 2 and 2.5 of m18 RH should be beamed; otherwise it looks like they belong to different layers.
- Be consistent with your rest placement in the LH. Right now, in m11-18, the rests are above the staff, whereas in m27-32 they're under the first line of the staff.
- There's an A at the bottom of the chord in the RH on m19 beat 1.
- I don't hear the G# at the top of the chord on m21 beat 3. You might be hearing an overtone instead.
- On m21 RH beat 3, m22 RH beat 1, and m30 RH beat 1, I think it would make more sense to turn those quarter notes + eighth rests into dotted quarter notes because the pedal will sustain them.
- You could add an E between the C#'s on m22 RH beat 1 to complete the chord.
- How about a "senza pedale" in m23?
- Staccato half notes (m23-26) don't make much sense to me and are pretty ambiguous in how they should be played. I would just make them staccato quarters instead.
- Also, in m23-26 RH, you have some dotted quarters in Layer 1 that aren't staccato, but in the original, all the notes sound staccato.
- I hear the B in the LH doubled an octave higher on m27 beat 4.
- Quarter rest on m29 beat 1 could be moved down to center staff.
- On m32 beat 1, you don't have the C# (half-step above middle C) that belongs to the melody. IMO that's the most important note to include on that beat (being part of the main melody and all) and I would highly recommend moving the top F# down an octave so that the RH can also play the C#. Otherwise, the melody in m31 has nowhere to go and disappears in m32.
- On m29 and m31 RH beat 3, I would suggest making the F# part of Layer 1 to indicate that it's continuous with the melody on beats 1-2. Regardless of whether you do or don't, you might also consider using dashed lines to indicate continuity between the F# on RH beat 3, the 16ths on LH beat 4.5, and the C# on RH beat 1 of the next measure.
- m33/35 RH beat 1—I'd suggest writing the chords in a way that doesn't require a 10th, as lots of people can't play that interval (I myself can't even play a 9th consistently). For example, you could make the RH B-G-B.
- On m33 RH beat 3, it would probably be better to move the F# to Layer 1, to be consistent with how the RH is written in the rest of the sheet.
- If you want to include the notes played by the strings, there's an additional F at the top of the chord on m34 RH beat 1 and an additional A on top of the chord on m34 RH beat 3.
- There's an additional A at the top of the chord on m36 RH beat 3 that you're missing.
- The crescendo gets very close to touching the stems in m35-36; I would suggest increasing the space between the LH and RH staves a bit.
- What dynamic should the player decrescendo to at the end, in m38?
- I'm assuming this track loops in-game; if so, could you add a repeat or D.C./D.S. to reflect that?

-I'm pretty sure it's a tempo between 88 and 89. It's a bit finicky but I think it's closer to 89 than 88.
-Fixed hopefully.
-Fixed but it might've affected the dynamics positions for some of them idk.
-Fixed
-Fixed
-The A I think you're hearing is coming from the strings of the previous measure. I do not hear any low A note being played.
-Fixed
-Fixed
-Added the E
-While I don't think this would be a bad idea per se, at this point in time I barely have the room to fit all of the systems across these two pages as is and I don't think I can fit in that text.
-I tried it but I don't think it looks better honestly. Might be worth keeping it as half notes just to decrease the # of layer based quarter rests.
-Fixed
-Added the B
-Moved
-Changed, but I also kept the C#5 at least so it doesn't feel as empty in the higher range.
-Changed for m29, but I'm not quite sure what you mean for the rest.
-Changed to remove the 10th.
-Changed, also moved the B3 to the left hand as a second layer to fit with previous patterns of this (and added it to m35 b4).
-Added missing notes.
-Added missing note.
-Yeah it's a tight fit but iirc I don't think I have anymore system room to do so without it going to a 3rd page.
-Complete fadeout more or less, hidden under the musx file is a reduction from p to pp to pppp by the end.
-Nope there's no loop here. Minecraft tracks don't loop in general. It's just a proper fadeout ending.

Updated otherwise. Let me know if there's anything I should do with the aspects I didn't change that I might've not considered.

[mastersuperfan]

- After tapping on this (https://www.all8.com/tools/bpm.htm) 170 times, I got 88.00. I'm pretty sure it's exactly 88 lol
- Even if m23-26 looks slightly more busy with quarter notes and rests, I think clarity is really important here. Staccato half notes at slow tempos are ambiguous ("how long exactly am I supposed to play this note?"), and that kind of uncertainty should be avoided as much as possible. I tried replacing the half notes and dotted quarters with quarters myself and I think it still looks fine:

Image

[close]

- Could you put an ending dynamic on m38 beat 3 then, to indicate how softly the pianist should decrescendo to? Like ppp or n (niente).

[PlayfulPiano]

- After tapping on this (https://www.all8.com/tools/bpm.htm) 170 times, I got 88.00. I'm pretty sure it's exactly 88 lol
- Even if m23-26 looks slightly more busy with quarter notes and rests, I think clarity is really important here. Staccato half notes at slow tempos are ambiguous ("how long exactly am I supposed to play this note?"), and that kind of uncertainty should be avoided as much as possible. I tried replacing the half notes and dotted quarters with quarters myself and I think it still looks fine:

Image

[close]

- Could you put an ending dynamic on m38 beat 3 then, to indicate how softly the pianist should decrescendo to? Like ppp or n (niente).

weird, I normally use this (https://www.beatsperminuteonline.com/) and had it at 89 when I first tried it out, but now it also is 88 exactly.
I'll do what's shown in the image.
Sure, I'll include a niente.

[mastersuperfan]

Looks good, I'll approve. Although one more thing, the crescendo is colliding with the stem in m35.

[PlayfulPiano]

Looks good, I'll approve. Although one more thing, the crescendo is colliding with the stem in m35.

fixed

[mastersuperfan]

fixed

okay one more thing now again lol, since you moved the crescendo up, move the n at the end up too so they're aligned

[PlayfulPiano]

okay one more thing now again lol, since you moved the crescendo up, move the n at the end up too so they're aligned

bruh

fixed

[Latios212]

This is a wonderful sheet - great job Playful for writing it out and many thanks to MSF, Zeila, and others on Discord for the feedback and help polishing it up. The notes look right and I agree with all of the voicing/articulation decisions made.

I only have some minor visual feedback before we call this one done
- Fix the page 2 margins to match page 1. Moving the header within the 0.5" top margin also means less vertical space on page 2 - you may be able to move the top/bottom staff slightly closer together (maybe to a distance of around 1.05"-1.1") in the first and second systems while making sure the dynamics are centered between staves
- Move the left end of the crescendo in the beginning right a bit so it's not so close to the ppp (similar in 23)
- Staccato missing in m. 24 beat 3 top layer
- The dim. in the last system is too close to the stems in m. 35-36. A couple of ways you could deal with this are to increase the LH/RH staff gap or use a text "dim." instead. But what I would suggest is starting the hairpin diminuendo later. It doesn't sound to me in the original that it starts until roughly the middle of measure 36.