[SW] Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - "Nia - Toward the Heavens" by Latios212

[Zeta]

Submission Information:
Series: Xeno
Game: Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Console: Nintendo Switch
Title: Nia - Toward the Heavens
Instrumentation Solo Piano
Arranger: Latios212

[Latios212]

[cashwarrior1]

whaaat I didn't realize ACE wrote this one (the original, and this arrangement), that's really cool

[Latios212]

Yeah, it's easy to forget the vocal songs aren't all by Mitsuda xD

This was a really fun piece to do

[TheZeldaPianist275]

This was a pleasant surprise to wake up to--I love this one, hearing it slowly fade in in-game was unforgettable. This is a really elegant arrangement Latios.

[Latios212]

Thank you very much! I had a lot of fun writing the arrangement and am very happy with how it sounds on piano overall. Reaching this point in this game was also surreal with the first really in-your-face musical callbacks ^^

[Bloop]

Looking pretty good, just a few things:
-m5: I hear A-G in 8ths in the cello on beat 1. Also, maybe forte is a bit more appropiate at the end of this bar? The next few bars seem similarly gracefully strong as the part starting at m37
-m14: I hear another G in the harp on beat 4
-m17: Beat 3 here is rolled too
-m31: I hear a D on beat 2.25 in the L.H., it's a bit hard to hear when slowed down on youtube but I can hear it a bit more clearly at full speed. Also, I hear the A-B dyad re-struck on beat 3

[Latios212]

Thanks for giving it a look!

-m5: I hear A-G in 8ths in the cello on beat 1. Also, maybe forte is a bit more appropiate at the end of this bar? The next few bars seem similarly gracefully strong as the part starting at m37

Forte sounds good! About the A, I feel like the original is still playing a G quarter but it's just very quiet at the beginning which is why the A feels like it hangs over perhaps?

-m14: I hear another G in the harp on beat 4

Ah yeah, that is there. I didn't want it to get confused with the melody pickup at the end of the measure, but I think any other way of writing it would look even weirder so I added it in and left the 16th rest before beat 4.75.

-m17: Beat 3 here is rolled too

Yep!

-m31: I hear a D on beat 2.25 in the L.H., it's a bit hard to hear when slowed down on youtube but I can hear it a bit more clearly at full speed. Also, I hear the A-B dyad re-struck on beat 3

Thanks, this measure did strike me as a bit empty before. Although listening again, I feel like beat 2.25 is an E and beat 3 is just the A. Thoughts?

Files updated

[Bloop]

Forte sounds good! About the A, I feel like the original is still playing a G quarter but it's just very quiet at the beginning which is why the A feels like it hangs over perhaps?

I still have a hard time hearing the G start on beat 1, it sounds like it only gets an attack on 1.5. I could see the A lingering on as reverb, so you could also tie the A from beat 4.5 over to this bar and have the G on beat 1.5? If not we can defer it to another updater :p

Ah yeah, that is there. I didn't want it to get confused with the melody pickup at the end of the measure, but I think any other way of writing it would look even weirder so I added it in and left the 16th rest before beat 4.75.

I guess that works yeah! I'm usually a fun if incorporating a lot of slurs as a phrasing indication, which would help to differentiate here (either as the start of the melody in beat 4.75, or just putting the harp part in one slur), but it'd be weird to have it at just this measure.

Thanks, this measure did strike me as a bit empty before. Although listening again, I feel like beat 2.25 is an E and beat 3 is just the A. Thoughts?

Ah yeah, you're right! I think there's a quiet higher harp line that plays the B on beat 2.5 and converges with the lower one on beat 3 (I had a hard time hearing the B first time around in general), so you could also leave out the B if you want.

I'll approve whatever you decide on doing for the first and third points ^^

[Latios212]

I still have a hard time hearing the G start on beat 1, it sounds like it only gets an attack on 1.5. I could see the A lingering on as reverb, so you could also tie the A from beat 4.5 over to this bar and have the G on beat 1.5? If not we can defer it to another updater :p

Yeah, I think I prefer this as I have it, can wait for another opinion ^^

I guess that works yeah! I'm usually a fun if incorporating a lot of slurs as a phrasing indication, which would help to differentiate here (either as the start of the melody in beat 4.75, or just putting the harp part in one slur), but it'd be weird to have it at just this measure.

Yeah, I'd normally do something like that but it'd look kind of out of place here.

Ah yeah, you're right! I think there's a quiet higher harp line that plays the B on beat 2.5 and converges with the lower one on beat 3 (I had a hard time hearing the B first time around in general), so you could also leave out the B if you want.

Ah, I hadn't thought about that harp line at all! All the same, I did hear that major second dyad pretty prominently in the original so I think I'll leave it for now, but maybe change my mind later if someone else thinks otherwise too.

Thanks again for checking! (I haven't made any additional changes)

[Bloop]

Alrighty, then I'll approve! For the next updater, we'd love a comment on the cello in m5 beat 1 ^^

[Kricketune54]

• m33 RH 2nd layer beat 3 hearing not tied and a Cn
• m37 given the harp rolls quite prominently here, I think you could add a roll to the notes as well. Seems grander and more inline with original idk
• m46 RH 4.0 hearing Dn in middle not E.
• m48 getting a little cluttered, but I think the audible F# here (F#3 specifically) could be pulled up an octave and put in the RH and it would fill out the chord that much more. Will leave up to you

[Latios212]

• m33 RH 2nd layer beat 3 hearing not tied and a Cn

Ah thanks, that sounds much better!

• m37 given the harp rolls quite prominently here, I think you could add a roll to the notes as well. Seems grander and more inline with original idk

Ooh, that didn't occur to me, I like that a lot! I added to a few chords in m. 37-38 where I heard it most prominently. Hopefully it doesn't sound too strange with them dropping off after that as I don't hear the harp rolls much after those first few times.

• m46 RH 4.0 hearing Dn in middle not E.

That's an Eb (not too easy to miss, is it?), and I still hear it as such

• m48 getting a little cluttered, but I think the audible F# here (F#3 specifically) could be pulled up an octave and put in the RH and it would fill out the chord that much more. Will leave up to you

Good point, I'll swap the G out for it, listening again this sounds like a D7. The G I was hearing might be a remnant of the previous measure and it's not as important as the F# anyway.

Files updated, thank you for the check! Also, did you have any comment on the last item Bloop wasn't sure about above? (The G in the LH of m. 5 beat 1)

[Kricketune54]

Ah thanks, that sounds much better!
Ooh, that didn't occur to me, I like that a lot! I added to a few chords in m. 37-38 where I heard it most prominently. Hopefully it doesn't sound too strange with them dropping off after that as I don't hear the harp rolls much after those first few times.

Good additions, though I think you could potentially also add one at m45 RH?

That's an Eb (not too easy to miss, is it?), and I still hear it as such

Yeah relistening it's Eb, was hard to tell...

Files updated, thank you for the check! Also, did you have any comment on the last item Bloop wasn't sure about above? (The G in the LH of m. 5 beat 1)

Thank you for the reminder. I pitched up and hear G as a quarter note pretty clearly

Just let me know if you think that roll makes sense to add, I don't have anything else

[Latios212]

Good additions, though I think you could potentially also add one at m45 RH?

Oh yeah, sounds good to me, added!

Yeah relistening it's Eb, was hard to tell...

Cool. I was also wondering if you thought that was easy to misread on the sheet. It doesn't need a courtesy accidental, but just wanted to mention in case omitting one makes it easy to misread.

Thanks for checking m. 5 as well. Files are up to date!