Arrangement Contest No. 9 in C-triple-flat major “An Odd Time for a Contest!”

[Dekkadeci]

Votes close this upcoming Tuesday, Apr. 17 right now. Hoping all the judges submit their stuff before the popular vote is revealed...

...are we on track for none of the judges spoiling themselves?

[Olimar12345]

Bump. How's this coming along, guys?

[BrainyLucario]

Well, no ones really sent me their scores yet sooo...

[Olimar12345]

I think this died

[BrainyLucario]

So far I've only received E. Gadd's scoring

[BrainyLucario]

Tallying up the votes and stuff The winner will finally be announced today!

[BrainyLucario]

Here they are! The long awaited results of this delayed contest!

Bloop

E. Gadd Industries

Criteria (15/15 pts): GAH COMPOUND TIME SIGNATURES AHHHHHHHHHHHHH I still don't understand how those things work. But! Your piece implemented them (among the many other time sig changes and just general off time sigs altogether) very well (I think...). The piece was really well done, and I did not detect any awkwardness (although there's a lot of chaos, I feel, at certain points. But with practice I believe that feeling would go away.)
Creativity (15/15 pts): Yeah, the rhythm was DEFINITELY varied throughout; it changed to produce some very wild rhythmic structures. The string quartet was a good, creative choice for this piece, but that'll be discussed two items down.
Preservation (10/10 pts): The piece was recognizable throughout, and I could easily tell it was a derivative of "Waterfall". Uhhhhh... yeah. That's all I got.
Orchestration (10/10 pts): The piece worked really well as a string quartet! I'm very pleased with how it turned out. It was definitely a creative pick, as that's something I would never have thought of. The original song itself doesn't offer a lot of suggestions with what would work well, and while there are strings halfway through, I wasn't expecting something to work all the way through a piece.
Presentation (10/10 pts):
Formatting: ...this is literally the same thing for every person. Uhhhhh... you got everything, yey?
Legibility: Everything's clear and easy to understand, expressions and such. Although I will say, someone who doesn't quite grasp compound time signatures might start doing this

Spoiler

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internally when they reach those points.
Playability: Despite the fact that compound time sigs can easily bamboozle people that don't deal with them, I'm choosing to not dock points because the members of the quartet that aren't familiar with how they work can just follow the measures and play the music instead of worrying about how the beats are distributed. And ultimately that's what they will do. And plus, the rhythms aren't all that difficult to read, you just have to keep a steady count and don't focus on what you count to. (I guess? I would be the one freaking out and screeching confusedly upon reaching those, ultimately screwing everyone else up. But that's what practice is for, right?) Oh, and uh... nothing too crazy with techniques and things. Average people with appropriate strings experience could play this.


Total: 60/60 points

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Andy

Criteria - 12
Creativity - 10
Preservation - 8
Orchestration - 8
Presentation - 10

Total: 48/60

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MasterSuperFan

Criteria (11/15): I like the attempt at variety with all the changing time signatures and the sections with alternating time signatures, but honestly I think you've lost me for most of this piece. I don't think some of these rhythms lend themselves well to being fit in such a variety of time signatures, particularly because those rhythms themselves don't very clearly indicate what notes are on the downbeat or not. For instance, the downbeat of m10 (the G) is part of an ascending pattern of constant eighth notes. When the melody comes in, I feel like the sense of meter is thrown off a bit because the melody itself does not indicate the downbeat—based on the rhythm, I just wouldn't guess that that G would be the first beat of a measure. To show a contrasting example, the sixteenth note pickups at the end of m11 do a better job of indicating the downbeat of m12 in the rhythm. I think a way to restructure the melody to be more varied than rhythms with consecutive eighth notes and some longer held notes would alleviate this.

My ear never really got the hang of the time signature beyond the 5/8 parts with the same ostinato as the beginning—I think everything just changed too often for me to get accustomed to it, and I felt all over the place listening through the more complex sections. Kudos for creativity, though.

Creativity (12/15): The strings are definitely an interesting take on the original track. The time signature, while confusing (to my ear, at least), offers a sense of disturbance and distortion that lends the arrangement an eerie feel. But I also think that I would have appreciated some more variety in terms of voicing, rhythms, and mood. There are points when you do change it up: a sudden quiet section, parts with added staccatos and ornamentations, higher violin melodies. And those are good. But I feel that the piece might also be relying on the changes in time signature too much for variety, and when I can't follow the meter all that well, those changes don't really do much for me.

I feel like there could be other twists to add that would keep me more engaged and give me more of a reason to listen for all seven minutes other than listening for a bit and thinking I've heard it all. You could change the rhythm of the melody beyond how it has to adjust to fit changing time signatures. You could change which instruments play the melody for a bit; give the cello an opportunity to play it slowly during a quiet lull, for instance. Or you could at one point let one of the strings play the opening chimes of the original Waterfall track pizzicato. There are a lot of possibilities here—I'll touch on this again in the next section.

Preservation (9/10): It's recognizable quickly and easily, which is a good thing. But I also feel like the melody doesn't quite match up with the original—which is perhaps to be expected, given the odd time signature, but at times it does feel awkward, rushed, and all-over-the-place nonetheless, making it a bit more difficult to appreciate Toby Fox's melody here. But it's not always that this is the case and for the most part the original does shine through.

The other thing here—and it is a bit nitpicky to critique your arrangement for something that it doesn't have nor doesn't need to have, so I won't really consider it heavily scorewise, but I want to mention it nonetheless—is that I sorely missed the chimes at the beginning of the original track. I do wish it could have been incorporated somehow—I mentioned pizzicato earlier, and I believe that could work, although it might be much harder than expected with the weird time signature in the mix. But overall, you do this theme justice. Heh. Heheh. Get it? No? ...I'll stop.

Orchestration (7/10): The strings give the track a very somber, flowing feel that helps to accentuate the sorrow in the original track. I'm especially fond of when the cello part is pronounced, adding a rich, low sound to the arrangement. I feel that sometimes the violin melody undermines the mournful mood a bit sometimes when it plays a moving line with high notes—but there are plenty of times when the violin also definitely contributes to the piece's tone.

Besides the first violin, however, I feel like the other instruments don't carve out much of an identify for themselves. I mentioned how I liked the cello–I really wish I could see more of that, like as if it could play the melody at one point while the violin is resting. And I think the second violin and viola could be given some uniqueness to their lines, too. As it stands now, I feel like the other instruments other than the first violin just kind of blend together into an amorphous background ambience—which does help the piece feel more eerie and desolate, but I don't think it needs to be that way all the time. As it is, the instrumentation feels too similar and unchanging across the whole seven minutes. This isn't to say that a string quartet doesn't work—but I think that, to succeed, it requires an extra push of creativity and tinkering beyond what you normally might need in order to make up for the limitations of using four similar-sounding instruments (see, for example, the suggestions I mentioned in the Creativity section).

I will admit, though, the MP3 playback here isn't doing you any favors.

Presentation (9/10): For the most part, everything is good: title, formatting, dynamics, articulations... The one thing that's confusing is the 7/8+5/8+6/8 time signature. I was expecting it to be one measure of 7/8, followed by one measure of 5/8 and then one measure of 6/8, but actually it seems like 7/8+5/8 for three pairs of measures and then 7/8+6/8? I think it could be notated more clearly; I don't quite follow the current time signature marking as is.


TOTAL SCORE: 48/60

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Dekkadeci

E. Gadd Industries

Criteria (13/15 pts): The time signature was different indeed for the parts that pulled from "Magolor the Wayfarer", although this was the native time signature for "My Friend and the Setting Sun...". This is what docked the entrant two points. That said, 12/8 was used fairly well, no awkwardness was present. It felt like a solid rock ballad (not sure if that's what the entrant was going for, but that's what I took it as).
Creativity (8/15 pts): I'm not quite sure what was going on in this piece. I saw names of other songs in the .PDF, and while most are related to the Meta Knight's theme and whatnot, I was thoroughly confused by their presence, given the PM only mentioned "Magalor the Wayfarer" and "My Friend and the Setting Sun..." Additionally, the singular time signature wasn't all that impacting in terms of creativity (if that makes any sense), as stated above: one of the two main(?) themes used in this piece is natively in 12/8. What saved this piece is the entrant's ability to turn "Magalor" into the ballad it became, that was very skillfully done and implemented with quite flawlessly.
Preservation (8/10 pts): Okay, lemme say I had an extremely difficult time finding "Magalor". It was nothing on the entrant's fault, but I was turning YouTube upside-down trying to find the correct song. (Yes, Dekka, I am aware that you mentioned it was the main menu theme in the PM... now.) Anyway, on to relevant matters, I struggled picking up on the "Magalor" track of the piece, even after listening to the original quite a few times in a row (I would listen to the first few seconds of the piece and then go back and listen to the original, and try and compare). Maybe it's just the time signature? Perhaps it has something to do with an imbalance in theme, favoring Meta Knight's Revenge & related? I'm not sure as for the reason, but I believe that has something to do with it. BUT, the Meta Knight's Revenge, "My Friend..." and the other related themes were definitely recognizable!
Orchestration (10/10 pts): As soon as I heard the organ, I knew I would be in for a fun ride, and indeed it was! The orchestration fit well for the piece and the mood, what more is there to say?
Presentation (10/10 pts):
Formatting: Everything's there, title, subtitle, measure numbers, page numbers, it's exactly what it needs to be!
Legibility: Everything is clear, nothing all that confusing, and that's all needing to be said here.
Playbility: Looks good to me! I don't play strings (wait, yeah I do, a small amount. I just don't know what I'm doing), so I wouldn't know about the playability of the geetars, but I mean, none of the measures for any system looks difficult. So gj yey.

Total: 49/60 points

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Andy

Criteria - 8
Creativity - 11
Preservation - 9
Orchestration - 10
Presentation - 9

Total: 47/60

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MasterSuperFan

Criteria (9/15): Hmmmm. 12/8 isn't a particularly odd time signature, but, in terms of sounding good, it works for the most part. I think by "weird time sig" we were going for something stranger, though. As it is now, it sounds less like someone wanted to snazz it up with a weird time signature and more like someone just wanted a more Western feel to the track, with 12/8 and My Friend and the Setting Sun arpeggios being a convenient way to go about it.

Which leads me to my other point: with the background arpeggios, the similar instrumentation, and even the melody itself all from My Friend and Setting Sun, it sounds less like a 12/8 rendition of Magolor's theme in particular and more like a medley of various melodies incorporated into My Friend and the Setting Sun, one of which happens to be Magolor's theme—like a HQ rip of My Friend and the Setting Sun, almost, if that makes sense. I feel like the 12/8 starts to lose its novelty there—largely, you haven't really changed that much. But I do like the way Magolor's theme sounds in this new rhythm, I'll give you that.

Creativity (13/15): Definitely the most creative parts about your arrangement are the instrumentation and the references to so many different themes—which you're going to see me talk about more in the next two sections. The way you've incorporated both Magolor the Wayfarer and My Friend and the Setting Sun together really paint this new picture of Magolor and his motif with the way they sound together, reminiscent of Distant Traveler from Kirby's Dream Collection with its minor scale, yet slower and more reflective. One of the reasons this works so well is because of the somber mood you have in this arrangement with the slow guitar arpeggios—but it's also important to note that this is heavily taken directly from My Friend and the Setting Sun, and without developing the arrangement more thoroughly in a new direction throughout, I feel that it could use an extra bit of inspiration (as mentioned above, kind of like a HQ rip on the track rather than a totally new take on it). But your take on all the other Kirby themes incorporated into this mood is creative and engaging, and that's definitely a plus.

Preservation (10/10): I'm a little puzzled by the fact that you chose to put Magolor's theme in the subtitle and not My Friend and the Setting Sun—because I think your best achievement of preservation here is with the latter. You keep the feel of the track while incorporating Magolor's theme in a new, lonely way (see above in the Orchestration section) and reference so many other Kirby themes without breaking the mood of the grave credits theme. This is undoubtedly one of the greatest aspects of your arrangement, and it shows the thought and care you put into making this piece work.

Orchestration (8/10): I love how the guitar is reminiscent of My Friend and the Setting Sun and its Western feel, while the trumpet playing Magolor's theme stands out while almost feeling isolated from the other instruments, evoking a rather desolate image of Magolor himself. The bass is also really nice, especially when it plays its own part in the middle of the arrangement. I will say that the chords of the organ feel a little too thick for this lonely-sounding piece. And as much as I like the combination of trumpet and guitar here, I still wish that maybe the instrumentation could be varied a little more throughout, just to develop the piece further and add some variety. But the orchestration here does what it needs to do and does it well.

Presentation (9/10): Formatting, legibility, and notation all seem good. I just think that the sheet could use a couple more articulations and/or some slurs throughout. As it is, most of the notes are bare aside from some staccatos sprinkled through. (Also, a very minor gripe, but I noticed a quarter tied to a sixteenth in the organ part in m8 and I'm not sure why it's there. I guess maybe it's for playback? But I feel like it's a little unnecessarily complex and it would be better just to have a simple dotted quarter there.)


TOTAL SCORE: 49/60

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[BrainyLucario]

InsigTurtle

E. Gadd Industries

Criteria (15/15 pts):
Many time sigs were used, although they tended to stay ⅝ and ⅞. Both of these are odd, and neither are native to either piece, so this is good. No awkwardness is present, but the line played by the Violins in m11-17 is repeated quite a bit. That said, such repetitiveness keeps the piece grounded, as it is a major part of "Chasm Cave".
Creativity (13/15 pts):
I felt as though the piece did not go anywhere, as though it favored the Static* side of the spectrum, if you will. Now, the piece is very rhythmically diverse and dynamic, two big components in this particular competition. So the piece did well in that regard!
*Side note, I'm not fixing that typo. I absentmindedly capitalized that, which probably means I've been spending too much time on NSM. But that's okay, and I'm fine with that.
Preservation (10/10 pts):
Both themes were definitely recognizable throughout the piece, and they didn't clash.
Orchestration (10/10 pts):
Three words describe the orchestration: dark, dreary, depressing. And it fits, especially "Chasm Cave". I especially appreciated the flute and varied use of percussion.
Presentation (10/10 pts)
Formatting:
Everything appears as it is needed. Measure numbers, page numbers, title, subtitle. What more could be asked?
Legibility
Playing directions were very clear, expressions were straightforward, and almost nothing was clashing. The only issue present was a small amount of clashing between the de/crescendo and the dynamics markings, and even with the clashing, it was still readable. It might not sit well with the OCD folk, though. Just warning you.
Playability
I had to look up the highest notes playable on flute and violin, but everything seems to be playable within a natural instrument's range. And everything generally looks playable, especially with the tempo.


Total: 58/60 points

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Andy

Criteria - 15
Creativity - 14
Preservation - 9
Orchestration - 10
Presentation - 9

Total: 57/60

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MasterSuperFan

Criteria (12/15): The 5/8 part works relatively well, I think. The simple dotted quarter-eighth-eighth rhythm makes the 5/8 feel natural and easy to understand to the listener; when it came to the 5/8 parts, I understood the rhythm very quickly and never felt lost. I do think that, given the constant rhythm of the original, it makes the 5/8 feel a bit dull after a while—I feel that it would sound more interesting in this time signature if you did something different with the melody other than "long note at beginning of measure" + "pickup note(s) to next measure." Other instruments do help when they play different parts, but that line is always there with a very heavy presence.

I like the switch to time signatures to change things up, but, unlike in the 5/8 sections, I could never really get the hang of where the beat or measure breaks were in the 7/8 section without having to count aloud with the sheet music. It's not hard to listen to, but I just stopped keeping track of the measures and listened to what I felt like was just a free-flowing section without much of a set meter. I think that does hurt it a bit when the theme is about time signatures.

Creativity (13/15): I definitely like your slow, solemn take on two of the more urgent, faster-paced tracks that play in the dark future.  The time signature definitely helps with this too—the dropped eighth note from the original (in 3/4) ensures that the first held note of each measure isn't prolonged too much so that the track doesn't lose the forward motion it once had, even if the tempo is much slower now. I like the variety of unique voices and melodies—and the references to Hidden Highland are a special touch.

I think that maybe the best way to improve this further (and I'm starting to notice that I've been saying this quite a bit across all the arrangements now!) is to develop some more variety as the piece progresses. I love how the Chasm Cave sections are broken by the quieter, mellower Barren Valley part in the middle. But some part of me desperately wants to hear that the same peak the piece hits in the second Chasm Cave section at around 4:40 is something different and new from the first peak 1:00 other than some more added blaring horns and other background instruments. Perhaps I'm missing some nuance here, but I wish there was something more to keep me engaged the second time around after the Barren Valley section was over. (See also: what I mentioned about the dull, repetitive rhythm in the Criteria section.)

I like the ending, though.

Preservation (8/10): I can definitely hear Chasm Cave in there, but to be honest, I'm not sure someone would be able to recognize it with certainty without knowing beforehand that it was based off of it until, say, measure 45. I'd say this is likely attributable to the fact that Chasm Cave has such a simple, repetitive rhythmic pattern—and you don't really go beyond that first melody until you're right about to transition into the Barren Valley section. Maybe there was a way to incorporate the intro or some of the other melodies from Chasm Cave as well?

The Barren Valley section is more recognizable, but I did have to go back and check the original to make sure I placed the melody correctly. Admittedly, though, I'm not as familiar with the whole track as I am with Chasm Cave.

Orchestration (9/10): I really like the variety of instruments you've included in here; they definitely help to increase the tension and drama of the arrangement, and I like how the melody switches from the violins in the Chasm Cave section to the woodwinds in the Barren Valley section. But part of me wishes for a little more variety in the roles of these instruments within the sections themselves, rather than just changing what part gets the melody depending on which of the two themes you're using. Give the violins and their high-pitched line a break during one of the Chasm Cave parts and allow another instrument to take the spotlight. The ending begins to go there—giving the flute and trumpet their own parts after the violins have dropped out—but I really would have liked to see something like that during part of the buildup or climax itself, not just the finale as the arrangement calms down to its resolution.

Presentation (10/10): Formatting, legibility, and playability all seem good here. Nice use of dynamics, articulations, slurs, and double barlines.


TOTAL SCORE: 52/60

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Lkjhgfdsa

E. Gadd Industries

Criteria (15/15 pts):
Not only did the entrant effectively use one time signature, the entrant masterfully incorporated a total of 16 signature changes throughout the entire piece (plus or minus a few, I might have lost count in the last 3-4 pages). There was no awkwardness detected, and the piece flowed very smoothly for the full 8 minutes. Very well done! (This is the first piece I judged, and if all of them are this good, which I am anticipating, this will be a fun round of scoring!)
Creativity (15/15 pts):
Much of the creativity found in this piece was found in the effective combination of three different songs from the game's OST. And not only that, but all 3 are in 4/4 time naturally, so to see all of them weave in and out of the various time signatures (and each other) so easily shows me the entrant really tried hard to pull this together, and they did extremely well. And yeah, all that other stuff goes in as well. Rhythmic structure, variation, dynamics. I didn't quite catch any specific feeling, but I am attributing that to my lack of familiarity with the game, and not on the fault of the entrant.
Preservation (10/10 pts):
All three tracks are quite well-preserved in the piece, and someone familiar with the game will easily be able to identify them.
Orchestration (10/10 pts):
The orchestration is well-varied and it fits the piece very naturally. And it is reasonably well-balanced. I especially liked the call-and-response style utilized throughout.
Presentation (10/10 pts):
Formatting: It's all there, section headings, measure numbers, page numbers, a title, and everything else asked of the entrant.
Legibility: The piece is more-than-sufficiently legible, with no overcrowding of expressions, articulations, and the like, and it is very clear what to play and how.
Playability: Every part seems to be playable, no yellow notes are present. Nothing seems to be overbearingly difficult for a person to play.

Total: 60/60 points

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Andy

Criteria - 14
Creativity - 10
Preservation - 7
Orchestration - 7
Presentation - 4

Total: 42/60

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MasterSuperFan

Criteria (15/15): Holy DAMN, this is good. The varied time signatures work unbelievably well—I always knew where the beat fell, and the rhythms always felt natural. I really have to commend how your rhythms and patterns always make it clear where the beat is so that the time signature doesn't ever get confusing. It's incredible how you can use such a variety of time signatures without ever losing me as a listener. This feels like it could be in a video game, strange time signatures and all, and fit perfectly in place.  Bravo—you really pulled off the theme of this contest.

Creativity (15/15): After listening to the original tracks, I was initially worried that your orchestration would be too similar to the original and not distinctly "you" enough. I was wrong. Yes, many of the instruments might be similar, but the way that you develop so many different sections uniquely and transition between them so well blows me away. From the grandiose trumpets blaring melodies to the snare drum drumming a quiet march, from the flutes singing a melody of triumph to the slow, sorrowful tuba, this really does feel like a quest—a journey, from beginning to end—and I love every moment of it.

Preservation (10/10): Admittedly, this is the only one of the entries whose original tracks I'm not familiar with. But I've gone back and listened to all three of the tracks listed in the title, and their preservation is very clear in your theme—I might've almost thought it too similar, but the extensive variety in your arrangement is far more than enough to make up for that! Also, I think you've got me hooked on the Radiant Historia soundtrack now.

Orchestration (10/10): Beautiful. The strings in the background and the trumpets, flutes, and violins each playing majestic melodies really work together to make this sound absolutely stunning. The timpani gives the theme a very pounding, dramatic feel, and the snare drum adds a steady, march-like feel—and when both of these are absent, the piece becomes slow, somber, emotional. The instrumentation is very reminiscent of the original, but the sheer diversity of how each instrument is used throughout the whole piece to create such a variety of moods makes it so much more unique. This really DOES feel like it belongs in a grand video game already, and I know this is something I'm going to keep coming back to listen to long after this contest has passed.

Presentation (10/10): Formatting, legibility, and playability all seem good here. Lots of helpful articulations throughout; they make it very clear to the performers how you want this played.

TOTAL SCORE: 60/60

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Olimar12345

E. Gadd Industries

Criteria (15/15 pts): The piece definitely did what was asked of it. The time signature is definitely nowhere near a "normal" time signature, and it makes it work very well! Awkwardness is minimal (with the exception of some clashing harmonies, which were intentional, as stated in the entrant's PM containing the piece files).
Creativity (15/15 pts): This piece ties with Bloop's for the craziest time signature of all the entries. Really, I didn't think 27/16 would ever have a chance of working out, and yet here I am, and here this piece is. Brilliant work getting that to work! Not to mention the other creative bits in this piece, from the improv section (which was great) to the chord progression (also a good bit of extra added in)!
Preservation (10/10 pts): They original is easily recognizable throughout the entire piece.
Orchestration (10/10 pts): What is it about jazz and desert themes? This piece, Shamar from Sonic Unleashed, and I know there are more, but it's 11:30 and I'm not going to mess with that. Anyway, the instrumentation was very fitting, it complemented the style very well (and to an extent the crazy time signature!)
Presentation (9/10 pts):
Formatting: Everything's there. Yay.
Legibility: Everything is clear and readable (although the rhythm groupings may be hard to follow upon the first few times reading and practicing it). That is what caused a point to be deducted. They are understandable, however, as they come with the presence of such a complicated time signature.
Playability: The piece is playable by most musicians, although it is best fit for jazz musicians.

Total: 59/60 points

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Andy

Criteria - 14
Creativity - 14
Preservation - 10
Orchestration - 10
Presentation - 10

Total: 58/60

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MasterSuperFan

Criteria (14/15): Now this time signature is out there, but you make it work well. With it being so unorthodox, it did throw me off for a bit, but I got used to it after listening to the piano for only a few measures, and that's a plus—with a time signature like this it's bound to be strange at first, but I like the way you make it feel natural than I thought it even could. I really am a fan of the funky, jazzy feel that this time signature gives, dropping a beat at the end too. The one thing that continues to throws me off is the main melody—it still throws me off listening to it in some places, and I feel like it doesn't really line up with the time signature the way the rest of the parts do. But I really have to applaud you for going so far with the weird time signature idea—I approve.

Creativity (15/15): Apart from the occasional wonkiness of the melody as mentioned above, there's nothing at all disagreeable in this arrangement. I'm not the biggest fan of all types of jazz, but I do love some pieces in a jazzy style—and this is absolutely one of them. The improvised solo section between the melodies is a great break from the original track, and you vary the instrumentation, melody, and mood enough throughout that each part feels fresh and never repetitive. You clearly came into this project with a clear idea of what direction you wanted to take this theme in—and made it happen spectacularly.

Preservation (10/10): All parts of the melody are stand out well and are very easy to recognize, even as you put your own twist on them with this time signature. Even the piano chords, despite being different, are reminiscent of the original as well. Good work here.

Orchestration (10/10): The instrumentation here absolutely fits the jazzy style of the funky time signature you've chosen. I'm in love with those piano chords, and the trumpets here hearken back to the original while the sax brings a totally new feel to the track. I love that short section when the piano plays the melody before the end, too. I almost wonder if the bass should be louder, but I get the feeling that it's a personal preference and it still does its job well as is—and it's playback anyways, so not worth worrying about.

Presentation (10/10): Formatting, legibility, and playability all seem good here. The articulations on the piano part really bring out the jazzy feel, and the chords written throughout are helpful as well–particularly at the improvised solo section. You definitely know what you're doing when it comes to notation in this style of music.


TOTAL SCORE: 59/60

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[BrainyLucario]

And now I'd like to congratulate the winner of this contest! May he be showered with fan-art and meme edits!

Spoiler

Olimar12345!!!!

and a shout out to our runner up

Spoiler

Insigturtle!!!

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A big thanks to everyone who participated, despite the long wait.

[Bloop]

@Mastersuperfan I actually did put in the chimes, although a bit sneaky: they're in m. 43-52.

Also, the flow and lack of downbeat in my piece was intended. I wanted it to just flow like a waterfall, as a big inspiration of this piece was Isle of the Dead and the wavy sound of that piece. Because something has complex time signatures, it doesn't have to be rhythmically easy of clear to listen to: take Stravinsky's Rite of Spring as example.

As for the mixed time signatures @EGadd: composers use these so they won't have to change time signatures every time. The way I interpret them is: until the next time signature change, these bars contain 5/8, 7/8, and 6/8 bars.
A compound time signature is a time signature that has dotted notes as beats, like 6/8, 9/8, 12/16, etc.

[E. Gadd Industries]

As for the mixed time signatures @EGadd: composers use these so they won't have to change time signatures every time. The way I interpret them is: until the next time signature change, these bars contain 5/8, 7/8, and 6/8 bars.
A compound time signature is a time signature that has dotted notes as beats, like 6/8, 9/8, 12/16, etc.

XDDD I'm so dumb I swear... but that does make a lot of sense!

[Olimar12345]

Oh hey this is still a thing six months later. Woop woop gg everyone! I had fun and hope you did too.