[GB] Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins - "Staff Roll" (Replacement) by Latios212

[Zeta]

Submission Information:
Series: Super Mario
Game: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Console: Game Boy
Title: Staff Roll
Instrumentation Solo Piano
Arranger: Latios212


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

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Latios212]

[Libera]

Looks great!  Only thing I'd suggest is changing the Bbs in bars 22 and 30 to A#s (not bar 33 though).

[Latios212]

Thanks! About that, hmm, I was viewing it in each place as a chromatically descending B > Bb > A in the bass voice. What's the harmonic justification for A#? (I may just be missing that at the moment)

[Static]

The Bb in m22 is part of a diminished chord, so its kind of ambiguous as to whether it should be an A# or not. But normally, Bb-C#-E diminished chords are written with those accidentals, especially in a key like G major. You could use Dbs if you want. The same applies to m30, but its a Bbdim7 (Bb-C#-E-G) instead. If anything, I would maybe change the C# to a Db.

For diminished chords I usually like to use spellings based on what's around it, and generally using the key signature to guide the spellings (i.e. no Fbs or Cbs here). Keeper1st's version I think has a good idea of what chords the notes in the original outline and the general harmonic functions of everything.

Edit: Like you said Lat, the chromatic bassline also points to Bb more, totally forgot about that.

Everything else looks great, maybe just raise the half rest in m28 RH just a hair so its lined up with the ones after it.

[Latios212]

Hm yeah gotcha. I ended up with what I did based on what seems easiest to read since as you mentioned it's a bit ambiguous for diminished chords. Bb and C# are very close to the key signature of G so I felt they'd be the most natural (no pun intended) to read.

Actually now that I think about it though I do like Db more as that would make a parallel chromatic descent D > Db > C, the C which is implied in the Am chord implied by the bass in m. 23/31. I think I'm going to go with that.

(Adjusted the rest height too!)

[Libera]

I still think that spelling the chord as A# C# E (G) is the easiest to read.  It means that it's stacked perfectly in thirds which makes the intervals a bit more consistent to read.  Also, you still get the parallel chromatic movement (B - > A# -> An and D -> C# -> (Cn) ) and using flats for chromatic descending scales is only really preferable when there's nothing else to go off of.  Using C# over Db also matches how you write the same chromatic descent in bars 9 and 34.  Finally, A# (4 steps) and C# (1 step) are also closer to G major than Bb (2 steps) and Db (5 steps) so it makes more sense to me for that reason too.

[Latios212]

I get where you're coming from with the stacked thirds, but since it's a diminished chord here I don't think it's as important and I really like to avoid spelling chromatic descents like that where possible (9/34 is different because there's a constant D in the bass and I wanted to spell out a minor third instead of augmented second with the E).

[Libera]

I still disagree, and I don't really understand what's so bad about showing a chromatic descent with sharps rather than flats when it's only three notes long and makes everything else look nicer, but it's really not that big of a deal.  Approved.

[Latios212]

...and makes everything else look nicer...

That's subjective.

Anyway, thanks for your perspective and looking it over!

[Static]

This is nice.

[Zeta]

This submission has been accepted by Static.

~Zeta, your friendly NSM-Bot