[XBOX] Halo 2 - "The Last Spartan" (Replacement) by Fantastic Ike

[Zeta]

Submission Information:
Series: Other
Game: Halo 2
Console: Xbox
Title: The Last Spartan
Instrumentation Solo Piano
Arranger: Fantastic Ike


Replacement Information:
Links to Existing Sheet: MUS | MIDI | PDF
Replacement Type: Challenge (new arranger)

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Fantastic Ike]

For anyone not in the loop, the sheet onsite is listed as "Menu," but the actual composition is lifted from a track called "The Last Spartan." This apparently plays in snippets in the actual game's menu, but I have arranged Last Spartan in full. Although this is still a replacement, I do recommend the name onsite being changed to The Last Spartan as listed in the OST. Hope that clears up any confusion!

[Latios212]

Yes, thanks for clarifying I've updated the submission title accordingly!

[Fantastic Ike]

Bumping only to say that the original source video was taken down and that I've subsequently replaced it. Given that this new one is from one of those "Artist - Topic" channels, it should stay up though.

[Latios212]

Thanks and sorry for the wait! Here's feedback:

Some visual feedback:
- Watch your dynamic placement (see "Alignment" in this guide). The ones in the pickup and m. 8/14/36 need a bit of repositioning.
- The "Alla marcia" would be better lowered a bit to be closer to the staff it's above (it's a bit close to the system above). It would also be good to use a double barline at this section change.
- I don't think the slurs add much in the left hand of m. 14-17. If you really want to keep them though, it would probably be best to put them in m. 18 and 20 to be consistent.
- I hear the chord strikes in the LH of m. 19 as triads (F-A-C) instead of dyads (D-F) you have written. Similarly I think I hear C's on top of the dyads you have in m. 20.
- The Gb in m. 23 should be an F# because the piece resolves to a D major chord there. I'm not totally sure how to explain the jump from Bb-Ab in the melody though...
- Double barline at key/section changes between m. 23-24
- I'm assuming you don't want pedal to be used in the m. 24+ section because of the staccatos in the left hand. If so, you should write the RH of m. 27 in one layer so as to not confuse the reader since you can't sustain the initial chord and hit the lower layer chord without pedal.
- The beat 2 chord in m. 27, I'm not sure I hear the Bb on top. I think I'm hearing Bb-D-Eb (ascending) but not sure if the D is just from the other voice, or if the F you wrote in is there.
- 16th notes at the end of m. 27 RH shouldn't be staccato
- Are you sure you want octaves in the right hand of m. 30-32? It's a bit troublesome to play the octaves that quickly I think...
- D's in the RH of m. 32 should be C's
- About the bass in m. 32... I think raising the G's up an octave makes it feel way too light here. Perhaps leave it lowered and omit it on beats 2.5-3 when it's too far to reach with the other voice? Try playing around with this a bit.
- About the break at m. 34-35... is the noise from the original part of the actual music or is it some sort of sound effect associated with the game? I don't know about writing it in, but I think if you're leaving it empty a single empty measure with fermatas would be better since this is of indefinite length.
- Flip the tie between m. 42-43 downwards, away from the middle layer.

[Fantastic Ike]

And hopefully this all should be done too! Thanks for the feedback.

[Latios212]

Looks good! Just a couple of small visual things to adjust:
- You can space out your systems a bit more on page 2 since there's space at the bottom (in particular, the bottom stuff in m. 29 is pretty close to the top stuff in m. 31)
- Fermata can go over the left hand part in m. 34 too

I'll approve

[Fantastic Ike]

Thank you!

[Bloop]

-m3: The A-D dyad in the lower layer in the R.H. should be dotted. This means the quarter rest on beat 4 can go to its normal position too (like in m2). Lastly, maybe it'd make sense to write the Ab and Gb as G# and F#? It's a D major chord (D-F#-A) with the G# as a lydian 4th. The Ab also looks a bit weird above the An in the lower layer.
-m5: I think I hear a D as well (in the upper layer, one step above the C from the lower layer)
-m7: Same thing as m3 about the Ab and Gb to G# and F#, also I think I hear an An in the upper layer (one step above the now G#)
-m23: Maybe on beats 3-6, you can add an octave tremolo in the L.H. (tremolo being D octave below + D you have now), to imitate the timpani roll and continue the crescendo into m24?
-m24: I hear the 16th note stuff on beat 3-3.5 like you have in m25 too.
-m26: It doesn't really matter as much, but maybe the top note in the L.H. may look neater as a dotted half tied to an 8th note, instead of a half tied to a dotted quarter.
-m27: I think you meant these last two notes in the L.H. to have staccatos as well?
-m32: The L.H. notes on beat 3.5-4.5 aren't really playable without using pedal, but I don't think using the pedal was intended here, as that would defeat the purpose of the staccato notes. Maybe you could move these G's up an octave? If you want them to have a little extra punch, you could add D's underneath the G's too.
-m34: I can see you left out that creepy strings+choir effect out, which is totally understandable :p If you want, I could maybe help try figuring out a way to notate a similar-sounding effect on piano? I had to deal with these kind of things in my Legend of Hyrule sheet from Twilight Princess, so I at least have some familiarity with it haha. If you'd rather just keep it at a fermate, that's fine too!
-m35: Maybe for this part you could add a "con pedale" marking? The notes don't necessarily all get held, but it kinda seems to be orchestrated as the choir-equivalent of holding a pedal.
-m38: The rests of the lower layer in the R.H. should be unhidden.
-m42-m43: The line starting here is a quarter note too late, the E on beat 1 should be in m41 beat 4, and it should end with the D on beat 1 of m43.

[Fantastic Ike]

Should be fixed!

[Bloop]

Great! There's a few things that popped up though:
-m3 and 5: The quarter rest on beat 4 can go in its standard position (like m4 and 6)
-m35: The con pedale mark should go below the L.H., not in-between staves.
-m40-43: I think you misunderstood what I meant here, this is what I hear:
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I left out some of the high E's from the violin, as they get restriked in the melody and held by the pedal now as well.

Also, did you give this some thought?

-m34: I can see you left out that creepy strings+choir effect out, which is totally understandable :p If you want, I could maybe help try figuring out a way to notate a similar-sounding effect on piano? I had to deal with these kind of things in my Legend of Hyrule sheet from Twilight Princess, so I at least have some familiarity with it haha. If you'd rather just keep it at a fermate, that's fine too!

It's fine without it of course, just wanted to know if you would've liked to include it or not ^^

[Fantastic Ike]

Should be fixed!

Also, did you give this some thought?
Quote from: Bloop on February 21, 2022, 12:47:22 PM
-m34: I can see you left out that creepy strings+choir effect out, which is totally understandable :p If you want, I could maybe help try figuring out a way to notate a similar-sounding effect on piano? I had to deal with these kind of things in my Legend of Hyrule sheet from Twilight Princess, so I at least have some familiarity with it haha. If you'd rather just keep it at a fermate, that's fine too!
It's fine without it of course, just wanted to know if you would've liked to include it or not ^^

Oh right, forgot to respond to that. I think it'd be better off not including it if that's alright.

[Bloop]

Alrighty! Then I'll accept ^^
You cannot view this attachment.

[Zeta]

This submission has been accepted by Bloop.

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