[N64] Mario Kart 64 - "Staff Roll (Duet)" by Nine Lives

[NineLives]

Well, this was a long time coming for a simple left margin drag... Well, I'm slowly starting to figure out how to use PrintMusic, so hopefully I won't give up so easily next time. Any more fixes or changes needed, I'm here to work on 'em!

[mastersuperfan]

Very nice. Just some last things:

- I would strongly suggest doubling the primo RH from m50-66 an octave below to give the melody some extra emphasis.
- The E on beat 4 of RH primo m62 sounds like a quarter note, with the B starting on the downbeat of m63.
- You might consider adding a glissando in the primo RH from m58 beat 4 (F#) to m59 beat 1 (B). At the least, it sounds similar to a glissando in the original to me.
- Beat 4 of m2/4/6/etc. might be worth simplifying to an eighth-sixteenth-sixteenth rhythm, since it's pretty difficult to play six sixteenths on the same note in a row.
- Some of the rests between notes feel kind of arbitrary (e.g. m4, m8, m12, m16, etc.) since it never really feels like there's a clear cutoff or break in each part, and this is going to be played with pedal, too. The fact that the primo RH has a half note in m16 while the primo LH has a dotted half note seems particularly arbitrary. Perhaps just make everything continuous without rests?
- You might consider knocking all the dynamics down a level, since I think fortissimo seems too powerful for a track like this.
- The 8va elevation is still pretty erratic and inconsistent throughout the sheet. It's too high above the staff in places like m1-3, m25-30, and m37-41, and m51-56, while it's clashing with the notes in m42-47. You should be able to adjust the height of individual 8vas in Finale by clicking and dragging, but if PrintMusic can't do that, let me know.
- Some of the measures are spaced/squished a bit erratically, such as m50 and m57. I know full Finale can fix spacing across the whole sheet if you highlight all the measures and go to Utilities > Music Spacing > Apply Note Spacing to Current Part/Score, but if you can't do it with PrintMusic, someone can get it for you once everything else has been edited.

[NineLives]

I've got all of the changes done, but I'm unsure about this one:

- Some of the measures are spaced/squished a bit erratically, such as m50 and m57. I know full Finale can fix spacing across the whole sheet if you highlight all the measures and go to Utilities > Music Spacing > Apply Note Spacing to Current Part/Score, but if you can't do it with PrintMusic, someone can get it for you once everything else has been edited.

I applied the music spacing throughout, but it looks about the same as it did before in the section you were concerned about.
In addition, I was wanting to move some 8va lines above the ending marks, but for some reason, they snapped back down, which is weird because the other ones that were moved stayed.

[mastersuperfan]

Here's a MUSX file with the 8va's fixed (you seemed to have already fixed the music spacing in your own files; also, I'm assuming you can open MUSX files?), among other changes:

- Changed the tied eighth note on beat 1 of m22 primo LH to a dotted quarter note to fill the rest.
- Changed the measure distribution to be 3 measures in every system (a few of them had 2 measures or 4 measures and were looking very widened or cramped, respectively).
- Added parentheses to the repeated E's in the primo LH that were also played simultaneously by the RH, to indicate overlap.

Make sure everything imports correctly and looks good on your end. Feel free to bring up any other changes you have in mind; if you like it as is, I will approve.

[NineLives]

It seems to have transferred over well. Thanks for the help MSF! I'll update the files!

[Latios212]

Thanks you two for getting this one in shape! I have a number of small corrections to point out:
- The 8va at the beginning is a bit too far to the left. Same for 25
- 8va end bracket extends past the barline in m. 9
- Overlap between 8va lines and repeat # brackets in page 4 and 7
- Opening dynamics are a bit too close to the top staff. Same with a few dynamics/hairpins later
- Repeat number left brackets aren't aligned with the barlines in m. 32, 59
- 8va should have a right bracket ending on the penultimate measure

File with the above fixes: [FILE]

Regarding notes:
- The rhythm (bottom) in every second measure plays four 16ths on beat 4 instead of eighth + two 16ths.
- Melody: I am not hearing a note on beat 2.5 of m. 26/51.

If this all sounds good to you, you can just make the note fixes on the file above or I can do it for you.

[mastersuperfan]

- The rhythm (bottom) in every second measure plays four 16ths on beat 4 instead of eighth + two 16ths.

This was my recommendation:

- Beat 4 of m2/4/6/etc. might be worth simplifying to an eighth-sixteenth-sixteenth rhythm, since it's pretty difficult to play six sixteenths on the same note in a row.

[NineLives]

Thanks much for the small corrections, Latios.

Regarding notes:
- The rhythm (bottom) in every second measure plays four 16ths on beat 4 instead of eighth + two 16ths.
- Melody: I am not hearing a note on beat 2.5 of m. 26/51.

Refer to MSF's comment for the first concern. For the second, I've been listening closely and I think that note is just a bit hard to hear. Maybe the first note is still going and the one on beat 2.5 is a bit overshadowed by it, 'cause I definitely hear it. It seems like there's two instruments at work there and the one aside from the really high strings is playing it.

[Latios212]

You're welcome!

Sorry, I missed MSF's comment. I still think it'd be good to write those notes in - the performer can easily skip them if they want. Thoughts?

About those melody notes, still don't really hear them but they make total sense, maybe I'm missing them. If they're alright with everyone else then looks good to me.

[Latios212]

Sorry, I missed MSF's comment. I still think it'd be good to write those notes in - the performer can easily skip them if they want. Thoughts?

poke

[NineLives]

I still think it'd be good to write those notes in - the performer can easily skip them if they want. Thoughts?

Sorry for late reply. Um... I'd rather keep it as is still. I mean, if the performer would want to play 'em, I guess they'd be worth putting in, but the notes, when put to tempo, would be pretty hard to do constantly like that regardless, so many'd be skipping anyhow. I could maybe see alternating between octaves, but that may be a bit odd.

[Latios212]

Fair enough, sounds good. Accepting!

[Zeta]

This submission has been accepted by Latios212.

~Zeta, your friendly NSM-Bot