[GG] Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - "Mystic Cave Zone" (Replacement) by Th3Gavst3r

[Sebastian]

If you combine the A and C into a single voice, I feel like giving both notes their full length puts too much weight on the bass, while making both staccato leaves a gap of silence. So the second layer is there so you can indicate that only the C should be played short, more like in the original.

Cool with me.

EDIT:
I could take a stab at the accidentals, but I don't want to get them wrong and then have an Updater clean up my mess. They are difficult because the second layer is chromatically descending while the first layer is constantly playing a C/E.

[Pianist Da Sootopolis]

I can take a look at them too. I'll try and clean it up right now, why not?
Btw, here's my guiding tip for accidentals in double third passages. Think of each voice of the third as its own line, and notate as such. You wouldn't write a C- C flat in one line, normally speaking, because C flat is enharmonic to a more easily notated note, which we more often use. In the case of the B - B flat, it's more acceptable.
Also- Measures 10 and the like, make the A flats into G sharps. Your key is A minor, and it's the leading tone that's sounding and then resolving downward to its natural seventh, rather than a diminished octave.
I marked the places to fix the thirds. I ended up doing it by alternating thirds with seconds, arranged so that both voices have appropriate lines for themselves. I left notes where I did it the first time, and the rest of the places to do it. (I know you know where to do it, I just felt like being a smartass, lol.)
Here's the file: MUSX

[Sebastian]

That is not the part I was having trouble with.
It's M. 14+ where you have the:

They are difficult because the second layer is chromatically descending while the first layer is constantly playing a C/E.

I also don't agree with your spellings. It's chromatically descending and the spellings I used are much easier, especially for sight-reading.

Spoiler

[close]

[Pianist Da Sootopolis]

Sight reading is almost never easier with C flats, lol. Or the inclusion of sharps and flats in the same passage.
However, I'll take a look at 14.

[Bespinben]

people's obsession with preventing accidentals obfuscates the real issue

the issue is not "oh it's going down so flats bluerhbluergh" or "oh no Cb evil!", but rather harmonic function

before chromatics, the first clearly obvious mistake is the sustained Ab

A minor key, ergo G# leading tone
since it's a G#, you'd probably want to consider that for the chromatics as well



beat 3.5 has a D#dim7 that leads into an E major on beat 3.75
the rest is chromatics going downwards based on E major (beat 4)

same goes for the embellishments -- the grace notes starts one whole step away from the principal note
writing something like A#->B->C makes that interval a diminished 3rd instead of a major 2nd

[Th3Gavst3r]

Ben you're a saint, but you speak in tongues hehe
I guess this is why my accidentals always turn out bad, there's years of theory behind them there sharps and flats. Fixed what you guys mentioned though, thanks for explaining!

Edit: Still fixing gimme a sec
Edit2: Ok that's better. M.14/16 look like a total mess to me now, but if it's notationally correct what can I say

[Bespinben]

Measures 10, 12, 14, and 16 all paraphrase the iconic "Entry of the Gladiators" by Julius Fucik (i.e. the circus song theme that no one knows the name of). Look up an urtext manuscript of the original orchestration on IMSLP, and that should give you a good reference for properly spelling the chromatics there.

[Th3Gavst3r]

Holy cow Ben, you've been busy today lol
Anyway, after looking through Entry of the Gladiators sheets, there's some discrepancy in how people notate that section but it seems like this is the most "reputable" way:


Which (according to Finale) looks like this in A major and C major respectively:


And plugging that into the the song gives this:


I really hope that's right lol

[Sebastian]

Bumpin' this one back up. It's so close!

[Latios212]

Almost there!

- Half rests in 4 and 9 are misaligned. You can also feel free to move the layer 2 rests back to center staff since it's empty there in measures 3, 5, 7, and 9.
- Any particular reason you use one layer (LH) at the end of 2, but two layers at beginning of 3? (And similar places.)
- 14 and 16, RH: I can see why you moved that notehead, but... I think it looks really weird. I'd suggest moving it back to the right side of the stem so you can better see that the G# is part of the parallel descending dyads.

[Th3Gavst3r]

- Half rests in 4 and 9 are misaligned. You can also feel free to move the layer 2 rests back to center staff since it's empty there in measures 3, 5, 7, and 9.

Dun did it

- Any particular reason you use one layer (LH) at the end of 2, but two layers at beginning of 3? (And similar places.)

Talked about this with Sebastian up the thread a bit, basically it's there to indicate only one note of that dyad should be played staccato. I wasn't happy with the texture of making both notes either staccato or full value, so that's what it's for. That makes two people who've gotten confused though, so is there something else I should be doing?

- 14 and 16, RH: I can see why you moved that notehead, but... I think it looks really weird. I'd suggest moving it back to the right side of the stem so you can better see that the G# is part of the parallel descending dyads.

Fixed indirectly, see below change

I've lowered the second layer "ding things" in M. 10-17 down an octave to match the original song better. I used to feel like they got lost when they overlap the melody, but after listening to it on a real piano it might sound alright. Here's the older version with the dings raised an octave for comparison.

[Latios212]

Slight beaming inconsistency - 15 and 17 should mirror 11 and 13, and 19 like 23. I went ahead and fixed that for you.

Aside form that, great!

[Zeta]

This submission has been accepted by Maelstrom.

~Zeta, your friendly NSM-Bot