Static's Space Travel Project Sheets

[Static]

[PS2] Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra - "Fifth Jerusalem"
[MID] [MUS] [MUSX] [PDF] [Original]

The official soundtrack only contains a handful of tracks from the game, so the majority of them go unnamed, including this one. This is the most commonly-used title. As far as the space theme goes, Fifth Jerusalem is the capital of the Galaxy Federation in the game, and it's on some far away planet. There's a giant elevator to space as well.

[PS1] iS: internal section - "stage7  History repeats itself"
[MID] [MUS] [MUSX] [PDF] [Original]

Title/composer info from here. Seems like a long piece, but it's very repetitive. The stage that this track plays on takes place in outer space.

[Libera]

stage7 History repeats itself

I'm sure this was the point, but this is one of those tracks that I just get lost in constantly.  Just two comments from me.

-With these C-E/E-C dyads that pop up starting in bar 17 and are there for lots of the sheet afterwards, they sound kind of off to me.  Trying it out on piano changing the Es to Gs seems like the original (I personally can't hear the Es at all).  In a vacuum the sheet sounds like it has a very different feel to the original with the Es, at least in my opinion.  It also helps with the Eb against En later on, which sounds very odd.
-For the part that comes in at bar 41, it seems like you're missing the movement to Bb in bars 46/48.

[Static]

With these C-E/E-C dyads that pop up starting in bar 17 and are there for lots of the sheet afterwards, they sound kind of off to me.  Trying it out on piano changing the Es to Gs seems like the original (I personally can't hear the Es at all).  In a vacuum the sheet sounds like it has a very different feel to the original with the Es, at least in my opinion.  It also helps with the Eb against En later on, which sounds very odd.

Since I started arranging this, I've been very conflicted on this part. On one hand, C-G definitely has a more "neutral" tone that blends better with the rest of the arrangement. But at the same time, the Es are very pronounced to me throughout, especially in m17-24 and 45-48. I've opted to keep the Es there, but change the other parts to G.

Added the Bbs to m46/48 as well.

Edit: Chatted with Libera a bit and decided to changed all those measures to C-G for consistency with the rest of the sheet, and also since it fits the feel of the arrangement better. Would like some other thoughts and opinions though

[Libera]

Looks great, approved!

[Bloop]

-There's this little 8th note pickup before the piece begins, did you leave that out intentionally or is that a weird ost thingy?
-m41: The glissando here is way too long to be played as a convincing pitchslide effect, assuming it was meant as a white key glissando: the length of each note will just be an 8th note. If you meant it as an chromatic mordent, it would be a bit slower than a 16th per note, as doing a 16th would end up a bit too high. I think I'd write 'chromatic glissando' at the start of the gliss, and end somewhat higher than you have now (or, alternatively, just write it all out like a 16th note chromatic run).
-m65: With "sost" you mean using the middle pedal to hold the R.H. notes, right? Note that this will also hold the L.H. C on beat 1, even after restriking again, which doesn't sound like something you intended :p You could move that bass note over a 16th, so it won't be held too, but otherwise you might wanna think of an alternative solution to holding those chords (like toning down on the amount of notes in the chord to make it playable).

[Libera]

Fifth Jerusalem

Nothing much to say here.

-Have you considered writing this in 7 sharps?  All of the accidentals become naturals and its easier for me to read, personally (avoids the Bbbs).
-The pedal markings could do with some tidying up (if they're meant to be visible).

[Static]

stage 7  History repeats itself

There's this little 8th note pickup before the piece begins, did you leave that out intentionally or is that a weird ost thingy?

Not sure if the soundtrack album is like that since I haven't been able to find a download for it yet, but the in-game playback (here at 36:00) and the source sound file (here) do not have that pickup. I assumed whoever uploaded the video I posted ripped it from the game and looped and/or recorded it incorrectly.

m41: The glissando here is way too long to be played as a convincing pitchslide effect, assuming it was meant as a white key glissando: the length of each note will just be an 8th note. If you meant it as an chromatic mordent, it would be a bit slower than a 16th per note, as doing a 16th would end up a bit too high. I think I'd write 'chromatic glissando' at the start of the gliss, and end somewhat higher than you have now (or, alternatively, just write it all out like a 16th note chromatic run).

After messing around with this a bunch and trying out 16th notes and other things, I've decided this section sounds best without a glissando at all.

m65: With "sost" you mean using the middle pedal to hold the R.H. notes, right? Note that this will also hold the L.H. C on beat 1, even after restriking again, which doesn't sound like something you intended :p You could move that bass note over a 16th, so it won't be held too, but otherwise you might wanna think of an alternative solution to holding those chords (like toning down on the amount of notes in the chord to make it playable)

Ah yeah good point. I'd like to keep the harmonies there, but also still emphasize beat 1 (instead of beat 1.25), so I just removed the first bass note in those measures. Also changed m72 LH to match the previous bars in that section and adjusted the pedal marking in m73.

Fifth Jerusalem
But I like flats more...
Changed anyway though.

Both files have been reuploaded

[Libera]

Fifth Jerusalem

Looks great, approved!

[Bloop]

After messing around with this a bunch and trying out 16th notes and other things, I've decided this section sounds best without a glissando at all.

That works too haha, then I'll accept!
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[Latios212]

Fifth Jerusalem

This looks terrific, just one question. Should beat 4 of m. 4 match the last measure instead due to when the "upper" percussive part hits? Perhaps m. 8 as well.

[Static]

Should beat 4 of m. 4 match the last measure instead due to when the "upper" percussive part hits? Perhaps m. 8 as well.

Ah good catch, it should actually be the other way around, m29 should match m4. The kick drum only plays on beat 4.25 there, while the snare plays on beat 4. There is another upper percussive hit on beat 4.25, but I wanted to emphasize the kick drum more there.
In m8, the snare plays on both 4 and 4.5, while the kick drum plays on beat 4, so I've left it as is.

[Latios212]

Okay sounds good! It also makes sense from a consistency standpoint since the rest of the measures in the section play the upper C# on beat 4.

Accepted