[SNES] Star Fox - "Venom Base (Level 2)" by Fantastic Ike

[Zeta]

Submission Information:
Series: Star Fox
Game: Star Fox
Console: Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Title: Venom Base (Level 2)
Instrumentation Solo Piano
Arranger: Fantastic Ike

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[Fantastic Ike]

Definitely gonna have to fiddle with some of the sixteenth note stuff, but not too difficult I don't think.

[Zeila]

This looks good!

• Just a tip, but you could just use the 8vb expression (shortcut W for Finale 26 at least) instead of the smart shape tool so you don't have to drag it everywhere. If you ever wanted to cancel it out, then "loco" would do the trick
• m. 1 LH - beat 2 Eb could use a staccato too
• m. 2 RH - beat 1 feels like the same as the two power chords before it, so a staccato marking might be more appropriate here. That would also contrast a bit more with the triplets
• m. 18 RH - beat 3 low F sounds like Gb instead
• m. 24/26/28/30 RH - beat 1 I think it would be nice to add 4ths below the first note; I also think that you could add staccato-accents to them and add regular accents to the preceding sixteenth notes (i.e. something like the following picture)
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[Fantastic Ike]

Just a tip, but you could just use the 8vb expression (shortcut W for Finale 26 at least) instead of the smart shape tool so you don't have to drag it everywhere. If you ever wanted to cancel it out, then "loco" would do the trick

Thanks! Although I can't find a way to keep it on just one staff, it affects both for playback.

m. 2 RH - beat 1 feels like the same as the two power chords before it, so a staccato marking might be more appropriate here. That would also contrast a bit more with the triplets

Does this include the first note on LH too? I kept it unaccented

m. 18 RH - beat 3 low F sounds like Gb instead

Assuming you mean 17?

But everything else should be fixed

[Zeila]

Thanks! Although I can't find a way to keep it on just one staff, it affects both for playback.

If you change the LH staff to a different channel in the Score Manager, then the 8vb should only affect that one. I forgot that you would have to apply all expressions/smart shapes to each staff individually, so that would actually be more work for you depending on the amount of dynamic changes, hairpins, and pedal markings. It would just be less visual clutter unless you already completely disable hidden markings from view.

Does this include the first note on LH too? I kept it unaccented

I think it's fine without any articulations. At the very least, I don't think it really needs a staccato. You could possibly add accents to the bigger chord hits (and the same spots for the LH too), but you don't have to change it.

Actually, looking at this part again, both this triplet and the one in measure 21 should really be a dotted eighth->dotted eighth->eighth rhythm (broken up so that beat 4 is visible). They match the timpani that way too. Also, I'm not entirely sure, but it sounds like there's some instrument that descends chromatically following each accented note in the last two beats of measure 2 (so basically G->Gb->F, D->Db->C, A->Ab in that order). You don't have to include any of that at all, or you could just include the Ab at the very end
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Assuming you mean 17?

I did, oops

Three more things, sorry!

- I think the low Bn in the very first chord is actually a Cn
- it sounds like there's an A instead of the low G in measure 3/22 as a continuation of the stacked 4ths
- you don't need to keep the courtesy accidentals on the Bb and Fn in measure 21 because it's on a new staff right next to the key signature, but I think it's okay if you want to keep them

[Fantastic Ike]

If you change the LH staff to a different channel in the Score Manager, then the 8vb should only affect that one. I forgot that you would have to apply all expressions/smart shapes to each staff individually, so that would actually be more work for you depending on the amount of dynamic changes, hairpins, and pedal markings. It would just be less visual clutter unless you already completely disable hidden markings from view.

Is it not disabled already? Good to know though.

I think that's everything

[XiaoMigros]

Hi! Sorry for the wait on this one..

• m2 (& m21): I hear the second half of the LH a little differently:
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  [close]
  Like this it's also easier to play, because there are fewer repeating notes
• m3+: I'm not sure how you split the layers here, shouldn't the timpani all be in the upper one?
• m13: I don't think I hear the low Fn in the RH, at beat 3.5
• m17 beat 1.5: I'd prefer the Bn be written as Cb, to preserve the intervals across chords
• m6-20: The timpani plays more than just at beat 4.5 every two measures, do you think you could include more of it?
• m22-29: I think the quarter notes would be better as pairs of legato eighths, to keep the driving motion of the bass. I'd recommend adding tenuto markings to them, to make them stand out from the other stuff that's staccato.
• m30+: Same comment about the tenuto markings, also applies to m3-5
• m30+ RH: I think you should add the G tremolo back in here, even if it starts a beat later than in m3

Lastly, look out for the beaming: the eighth rest in m22 is beamed over, but you don't do that anywhere else...

[Fantastic Ike]

Think that's everything!

[XiaoMigros]

Almost!

• I think beat 4 of m4 would be better in the lower layer, also do you want to make it staccato?
• Any reason why the 16ths are not staccato in m4-5, but are staccato in other places?
• The rests in the upper layer of m3-5 could use some repositioning: The bottom hook of quarter rests should always cross through a staff line (when possible) You cannot view this attachment.
  The half rest in m3 should be on a similar height as the other rests, it's too low down at the moment
• The same comments apply to m30-32
• I hear the timpani play on beat 3 in m13, do you want to incorporate that
• Also, it plays on beat 1 of m22, 24, 26 & 28. You could turn the existing notes into octaves, or add the timpani part in another layer like you do for m3-5.

The rest looks great!

[Fantastic Ike]

Fixed everything!

[XiaoMigros]

Thanks! I think I wasn't clear enough with beat 4 of m4 & m31; the Ds should be in the upper layer but the G should stay in the lower layer. Everything else looks great

[Fantastic Ike]

Updated

[XiaoMigros]

Perfect! I approve

[Bloop]

Nice sheet! Just a couple of things:

-I actually missed the "play L.H. octave lower" marking until I opened the piece, might just be me haha, but maybe you could increase the font size with 1 or 2 points so it stands out a bit more?
-m4: The fast 16ths at the end of the bar aren't impossible to play, but just a bit uncomfortable together with the G below. Though, maybe you could write m3-5 and 30-32 similar to how you arranged the L.H. like in m6-9?
-m24-25 and 28-29: I hear Ab's instead of G's when there's a low G in the R.H. (like m24 beat 1.5 and 4.5)
-m23, 25, 27 and 29: The R.H. tremolo at beat 4 feels a bit uncomfortable to play when I need to play the dyad on beat 1 in the following measure, but maybe you could do something like this for a similar effect?
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[Fantastic Ike]

-m4: The fast 16ths at the end of the bar aren't impossible to play, but just a bit uncomfortable together with the G below. Though, maybe you could write m3-5 and 30-32 similar to how you arranged the L.H. like in m6-9?

Yeah that works better. Updated