cacabish's Halloween Sheets

[cacabish]

I finally went back and finished Yoshi's Crafted World this year and, while it's soundtrack can't hold a candle to its predecessor, Yoshi's Woolly World, it's not to bad (just a bit too simple and too repetitive). And this track in particular is quite spooky and plays during one of the scariest levels I've ever played. And given it's relative simplicity, it was a no-brainer!

"Nighttime Crafts"
[SWITCH] Yoshi's Crafted World
[PDF] [MUSX]
(Note: PDF not guaranteed to be up-to-date)

Yes, its subtitle is "Track 1". I looked on the in-game music player and that's what they call it. Real boring if you ask me, but that's what it is.

"The Great Stage - Track 1"
[SWITCH] Luigi's Mansion 3
[PDF] [MUSX]
(Note: PDF not guaranteed to be up-to-date)

[Bloop]

Nighttime Crafts
I think key-signature wise it would look a bit more straightforward for a pianist to read it in Eb minor rather than D# minor, so 6 flats instead of 6 sharps. It will cause more naturals to appear and less double sharps. I'll check the exact enharmonic spelling after the change tho ^^ Aside from that I have nothing to say about it, looks great!

Because of that, I'm totally fine with the Luigi's Mansion track as an additional sub!
The Great Stage
-m3: Maybe the mf dynamic marking isn't that necessary: the melody is pretty loud compared to the accompaniment, but that's pretty common for classical(-sounding) pieces like this. If you look up any performance of this prelude from Chopin, you'll see the melody is also more in a mf-range, even though the dynamic marking is still p.
-m4 and 6: I think you can extend the R.H. notes to be held for the full bar: the pedal will do that anyway, and it looks a bit cleaner and more straightforward.
-m10: Maybe you could add a courtesy accidental to the Ab in the R.H. and the Cb in the L.H.? Also, the En's in the L.H. should be Fb's

[cacabish]

Nighttime Crafts
I think key-signature wise it would look a bit more straightforward for a pianist to read it in Eb minor rather than D# minor, so 6 flats instead of 6 sharps. It will cause more naturals to appear and less double sharps. I'll check the exact enharmonic spelling after the change tho ^^ Aside from that I have nothing to say about it, looks great!

Alright, I've transposed it! I do agree it reads easier this way, probably because most of the melody lines are "falling" in some fashion. And... please do look over the accidentals; they're giving me vertigo with this many flats in the key signature.

Because of that, I'm totally fine with the Luigi's Mansion track as an additional sub!

Yay! :squirt_happy:

The Great Stage
-m3: Maybe the mf dynamic marking isn't that necessary: the melody is pretty loud compared to the accompaniment, but that's pretty common for classical(-sounding) pieces like this. If you look up any performance of this prelude from Chopin, you'll see the melody is also more in a mf-range, even though the dynamic marking is still p.

A very good point (and a good example from one of my favorite Chopin pieces). I suppose the Moonlight Sonata (which I believe this piece draws main inspiration from) also has that. As such, I've changed it to just piano for now, with the mezzo forte hidden for the playback. Let me know if you think it should be different.

-m4 and 6: I think you can extend the R.H. notes to be held for the full bar: the pedal will do that anyway, and it looks a bit cleaner and more straightforward.
-m10: Maybe you could add a courtesy accidental to the Ab in the R.H. and the Cb in the L.H.? Also, the En's in the L.H. should be Fb's

Check, check, and double check! All added.

Alright, I've updated the files! I've also moved the .musx for the Luigi's Mansion 3 piece into the Halloween folder. Thanks, Bloop!

[Bloop]

Nighttime Crafts
-m8: You can write the En in the R.H. as Fb (descending towards Eb)
-m22: Technically you could write this dyad as Fb-Ab too, but I think En-G# actually makes more sense in the D minor environment. Just wanted to mention it :p

I think that should be all though! There are more parts that look a bit counter-intuitive than I expected, but I think it's still a bit better than D# minor haha

The Great Stage
There's just an Ab in the R.H. in m6 that should be an An, which I think was like that before, but everything else looks good!

[cacabish]

Nighttime Crafts
-m8: You can write the En in the R.H. as Fb (descending towards Eb)

Since they're chromatically descending tritones, wouldn't it make sense to keep the intervals the same for parallel's sake? Because changing the En to an Fb would make the first tritone an interval of 4, compared to the others which are 5.

-m22: Technically you could write this dyad as Fb-Ab too, but I think En-G# actually makes more sense in the D minor environment. Just wanted to mention it :p

Yeah, MuseScore kept recommending that, and while I agree it's simpler that way, I chose it to E-G# to (a) keep it parallel with m.25-26 and (b) it shows visual contrast indicating to the player to definitely move their hand. Now, I think the system break helps Fb-Ab not look visually confusing compared to if they were juxtaposed on the same system, but I still prefer the clear visual contrast between the two dyads.

There are more parts that look a bit counter-intuitive than I expected, but I think it's still a bit better than D# minor haha

Agreed. Any particular examples that "look a bit counter-intuitive than [you] expected"? Just curious what you see, compared to what I see.

The Great Stage
There's just an Ab in the R.H. in m6 that should be an An, which I think was like that before, but everything else looks good!

Herp derp. Fixed that. Good catch!

[Bloop]

Since they're chromatically descending tritones, wouldn't it make sense to keep the intervals the same for parallel's sake? Because changing the En to an Fb would make the first tritone an interval of 4, compared to the others which are 5.

I don't have a reliable source about this other than my own thoughts, but I think in the case of the tritone, it's more ok to switch between the a4 and d5 intervals, maybe because they are both about as common and more easily recognizable than (for example) switching between a major third and a diminished fourth. I did the same thing on this sheet of mine on the second page, and to quote another Chopin example, this piece. In your case it's not that much of a problem to have them all as diminished fifths if you prefer it, but from my own experience I've usually seen them alternating a bit more between the two.

Agreed. Any particular examples that "look a bit counter-intuitive than [you] expected"? Just curious what you see, compared to what I see.

Most notably for me is the Cb minor that appeared now in m25. You could maybe get away with writing it with all naturals and sharps, so it kinda mirrors the Dm part.

The Great Stage is approved now!

[cacabish]

I don't have a reliable source about this other than my own thoughts, but I think in the case of the tritone, it's more ok to switch between the a4 and d5 intervals, maybe because they are both about as common and more easily recognizable than (for example) switching between a major third and a diminished fourth. I did the same thing on this sheet of mine on the second page, and to quote another Chopin example, this piece. In your case it's not that much of a problem to have them all as diminished fifths if you prefer it, but from my own experience I've usually seen them alternating a bit more between the two.

Fair enough. You make a good case. I'm happy to change it to an En then.

Most notably for me is the Cb minor that appeared now in m25. You could maybe get away with writing it with all naturals and sharps, so it kinda mirrors the Dm part.

Alright then, I've reworked it to be in B minor. Take a look at it and let me know if you think it looks good this way or if it was better as Cb minor.

[Bloop]

Nice, I think it looks good!

[XiaoMigros]

The Great Stage
_{I was gonna do this one..}

Nothing to say here except maybe changing the repeat barline to a D.C. marking? It's a completely personal preference and either way is totally acceptable, but using D.C. would avoid the performer trying to look for a non-existent 'repeat from' barline.

Nighttime Crafts

While I agree with Bloop that it's not necessary to write tritone sequences as different intervals, I think it's good to do when possible. I would prioritise interval consistency over the lead-in descent here, so En instead of Fb. Might be a good idea to get another opinion on this before changing it back and forth again though...

And were you to want it, the same point I mentioned in The Great Stage would apply here as well.

[cacabish]

Nothing to say here except maybe changing the repeat barline to a D.C. marking? It's a completely personal preference and either way is totally acceptable, but using D.C. would avoid the performer trying to look for a non-existent 'repeat from' barline.

Yeah, I've noticed that some arrangers prefer to use D.C. compared to a repeat barline. However, I was taught that there's nothing wrong with using a repeating barline to signify returning to the beginning. That said, I could definitely see preferring a D.C. on a sheet that's like 4+ pages or very dense, because there's just so much music you'd have to scour to find where to go back to, mainly if you're unfamiliar with the piece. But given that this is a one-pager, I really don't think it's necessary to have a D.C. (though, there's nothing wrong with it) and a repeating barline works just fine.

While I agree with Bloop that it's not necessary to write tritone sequences as different intervals, I think it's good to do when possible. I would prioritise interval consistency over the lead-in descent here, so En instead of Fb. Might be a good idea to get another opinion on this before changing it back and forth again though...

Yeah, I'll wait until I hear from the accepter updater to get their opinion. As you likely read above, I am in agreement with you, but it really does seem this is one of the innumerable "it's a matter of opinion" music notation questions, so, given my novice-ness in the subject, I'm always keen to hear more opinions -- including yours!

Thanks for the feedback, Xiao!

[Libera]

Nighttime Crafts

-I'm normally pretty lenient when it comes to tempo markings, but "If he sees you, run away..." doesn't really tell me anything at all about how to play the piece, and is just a reference to the game (I'm assuming).  I don't mind references to the games, but I think they should also actually give the performer some information on how to ... perform the sheet.
-Honestly I don't really hear these chromatic descents in bars 20 and 24.  It's a little out of tune but it still pretty solidly sounds like Fb _> Eb -> Eb -> Db -> Db -> Cb -> Cb -> Bb to me (for bar 20, and then similarly for bar 24).

Yeah, I'll wait until I hear from the accepter updater to get their opinion.

I agree with Bloop that it's fine to modify these intervals if you need to, and here I don't really like the En over the Fb, so I think it would be better to adjust the intervals to avoid using it.  Similarly, I think you could also get away with those Bbbs as Ans, but I don't really mind.

Yeah, I've noticed that some arrangers prefer to use D.C. compared to a repeat barline. However, I was taught that there's nothing wrong with using a repeating barline to signify returning to the beginning. That said, I could definitely see preferring a D.C. on a sheet that's like 4+ pages or very dense, because there's just so much music you'd have to scour to find where to go back to, mainly if you're unfamiliar with the piece. But given that this is a one-pager, I really don't think it's necessary to have a D.C. (though, there's nothing wrong with it) and a repeating barline works just fine.

Honestly I feel like a D.C. on a one-page sheet looks kind of clumsy.  I definitely prefer the repeat marking.


The Great Stage - Track 1

This looks good to me.  The only thing I'd say is that the second to last note is completely measured, just like the rhythm at the end of bar 8, and so I don't really think the grace note is appropriate to use here.

Why all the hidden slurs?

[cacabish]

Sorry about the delay! I expected to get a notif email, but it never came...

-I'm normally pretty lenient when it comes to tempo markings, but "If he sees you, run away..." doesn't really tell me anything at all about how to play the piece, and is just a reference to the game (I'm assuming).  I don't mind references to the games, but I think they should also actually give the performer some information on how to ... perform the sheet.

Fair point. I've changed it to just "Eerily" as I couldn't come up with something wittier.

-Honestly I don't really hear these chromatic descents in bars 20 and 24.  It's a little out of tune but it still pretty solidly sounds like Fb _> Eb -> Eb -> Db -> Db -> Cb -> Cb -> Bb to me (for bar 20, and then similarly for bar 24).

Hmmm. Where applicable, the first half of the note is slide-y, whereas the latter half of the duration they settle on the pitches you spelled out. I guess if we take the notion of "what they settle on" as guidance, then yeah, you're right. I still prefer the chromaticism because I feel it flows better (because it better captures the leading pitch instead of the trailing pitch), but I've changed them anyway.

I agree with Bloop that it's fine to modify these intervals if you need to, and here I don't really like the En over the Fb, so I think it would be better to adjust the intervals to avoid using it.  Similarly, I think you could also get away with those Bbbs as Ans, but I don't really mind.

Alright then! I'll keep the Fb's then. I'll also just keep the B double flats -- they mesh better with my brain over the A naturals.

The only thing I'd say is that the second to last note is completely measured, just like the rhythm at the end of bar 8, and so I don't really think the grace note is appropriate to use here.

Another fair point, and one I hadn't thought of. However, that leaves me unsure what to use. I originally chose the grace note because the duration is shorter than a 16th note, but a 32nd note was (a) technically too short and (b) made things messy, so I picked that instead. I've changed it to a sixteenth note for now, but I'm not satisfied. Do you have a preference? Perhaps just embrace a 32nd note? Or does it not matter?

Why all the hidden slurs?

An artifact when I was working out legatos/con pedale. I was just too lazy to delete them originally. They're cleaned up now.

And, one last thing not addressed, I realized that the tempo marking was errantly using "quarter note = 64", when we're in 12/8 and should've been using "dotted quarter = ____", so I changed that. Just wanted to make a note of that.

Alright, that should be all the feedback.  Files are updated. Thanks Libera! And, again, my apologies for my tardiness.

[Libera]

Sorry about the delay! I expected to get a notif email, but it never came...

No worries!  Not sure about why the notification didn't send...

Another fair point, and one I hadn't thought of. However, that leaves me unsure what to use. I originally chose the grace note because the duration is shorter than a 16th note, but a 32nd note was (a) technically too short and (b) made things messy, so I picked that instead. I've changed it to a sixteenth note for now, but I'm not satisfied. Do you have a preference? Perhaps just embrace a 32nd note? Or does it not matter?

Honestly, even if it is a little shorter than a sixteenth, it's still very close to that.  I think a 32nd is too short and also looks a lot messier.  I definitely prefer it how it is now.

An artifact when I was working out legatos/con pedale. I was just too lazy to delete them originally. They're cleaned up now.

That makes sense, I was just curious.

Hmmm. Where applicable, the first half of the note is slide-y, whereas the latter half of the duration they settle on the pitches you spelled out. I guess if we take the notion of "what they settle on" as guidance, then yeah, you're right. I still prefer the chromaticism because I feel it flows better (because it better captures the leading pitch instead of the trailing pitch), but I've changed them anyway.

I can see where you're coming from, although I think this is an improvement over the chromatics from before.  Have you considered something like this?  The playback doesn't sound very good, but it works pretty well on the piano.  Just a thought.

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And, one last thing not addressed, I realized that the tempo marking was errantly using "quarter note = 64", when we're in 12/8 and should've been using "dotted quarter = ____", so I changed that. Just wanted to make a note of that.

Oh yeah, nice catch.  Looks good!

I'll accept them both, but I'll hold off actually clearing out Nighttime Crafts so you can respond on the above point.

[cacabish]

No worries!  Not sure about why the notification didn't send...

No clue, but it happened again (i.e. I wasn't notified about this). However, I was anticipating your response, so it didn't matter in the end.

Honestly, even if it is a little shorter than a sixteenth, it's still very close to that.  I think a 32nd is too short and also looks a lot messier.  I definitely prefer it how it is now.

Alright then! We'll just leave it to the performer to make the length shorter.

I can see where you're coming from, although I think this is an improvement over the chromatics from before.  Have you considered something like this?  The playback doesn't sound very good, but it works pretty well on the piano.  Just a thought.

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Oooh! Yeah, I quite like this. I vaguely remember considering grace notes, but I think I shied away from it because it makes the measures longer, particularly compared to what I had before, which I felt was satisfactory, but I can't remember. Nevertheless, as you said, it doesn't sound very good on the playback (neither in Finale nor MuseScore), but having plonked it out on a keyboard, it's quite natural and actually quite fun! Plus, it does sound pretty good against the original.
With that said, I've committed to this, so look for it in the update .musx. Do also look in the area to make sure I didn't accidentally break something whilst implementing it -- Finale tried to split the beams when I put in the grace notes, but I corrected those, yet there's still a small chance something else might've broke that I didn't notice.

Thanks, Libera!

[Libera]

Yes, finale likes to do that with the beams for some reason.

One thing I'd suggest is maybe messing around with the spacing, or perhaps the distribution to give those bars a little more space.  I did something like that with mine to get the picture I sent, which looks a lot less cramped than yours does currently.  I probably should have mentioned that in my previous post.