[SW] Super Mario Bros. Wonder - "Dark Forest (Normal)" by Bloop

[Zeta]

Submission Information:
Series: Super Mario
Game: Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Console: Nintendo Switch
Title: Dark Forest (Normal)
Instrumentation Solo Piano
Arranger: Bloop

[Bloop]

There isn't an official soundtrack release of this game yet, but both gamerips on khinsider use a filename like Dark Forest, so that's probably the closest to an official title that we're gonna get for the time being. Other names I've seen used are Mushroom Forest or Fungi Mines Theme.

[Kricketune54]

Gourmet Race if it was slow and spooky amiright?

• m3 RH layer 1 4.0 hearing a Dn
• m7 m9 m15 RH 2nd layer 4.5 hearing as Eb I think?
• m17 RH 2nd layer 4.5 hearing as En
• It's a small thing I noticed, but maybe you could indicate small notes for m3-4 RH are only played first time? Seems like those parts are absent on the second go through

[Bloop]

• m3 RH layer 1 4.0 hearing a Dn

Ah yeah, and apparently G and Bb before that too instead of Ab and C, fixed!

• m7 m9 m15 RH 2nd layer 4.5 hearing as Eb I think?
• m17 RH 2nd layer 4.5 hearing as En

I actually hear both, the Eb/En is the next note in the voice that starts in the L.H. (the F-Ab-C one). I think I might've left it out so that R.H. voice stays the top voice, but I think it's fine to put them in too. Looking back at this I also switched some voices around/made some of them optional in the R.H., as I've found them to be a bit too awkward to play with the R.H.

• It's a small thing I noticed, but maybe you could indicate small notes for m3-4 RH are only played first time? Seems like those parts are absent on the second go through

Huh yeah, I didn't notice at first. I added a performance note about the small notes (as well as the new ones I added)!

[Kricketune54]

Ah yeah, and apparently G and Bb before that too instead of Ab and C, fixed!

Good catch

I actually hear both, the Eb/En is the next note in the voice that starts in the L.H. (the F-Ab-C one). I think I might've left it out so that R.H. voice stays the top voice, but I think it's fine to put them in too. Looking back at this I also switched some voices around/made some of them optional in the R.H., as I've found them to be a bit too awkward to play with the R.H.

Gotcha - I would do the top note for these parts if you were to only have one pitch instead of two because I think it would be better to have an additional different pitch (considering LH is playing Cn for example already at m9), and it also is slightly easier if you were trying to hold an upper layer note.

Huh yeah, I didn't notice at first. I added a performance note about the small notes (as well as the new ones I added)!

Yeah it is kind of a weird detail I noticed when listening repeatedly. If someone has played this game and has heard to the contrary in game, def speak up haha


• m18 LH 3.0 and 3.5 hearing this as Bn followed by Dn
• m35 Would the G#'s not be Ab as well like m36?

[Bloop]

Gotcha - I would do the top note for these parts if you were to only have one pitch instead of two because I think it would be better to have an additional different pitch (considering LH is playing Cn for example already at m9), and it also is slightly easier if you were trying to hold an upper layer note.

Good point! That made me actually un-shrink those notes except for the C haha. I noticed the extra Eb is in m5 as well btw, so I added one there too.

• m18 LH 3.0 and 3.5 hearing this as Bn followed by Dn

Fixed this one!

• m35 Would the G#'s not be Ab as well like m36?

Technically it could be yeah, but harmonically the chord in m35 is an E augmented (or I guess C+/E) chord, that you'd expect to resolve back to Am (G# as leading tone to A). But m36-37, like m1-2, is a C augmented (or Ab+/C) chord that resolves back to Fm instead (En as leading tone to F, Ab being a note in the key of Fm). It did feel weird to have both Ab and G# in these 3 measures, but G# made more sense in m35 (mostly because of the thirds in beat 2 r.h. and beat 4 l.h.), and Ab more sense in m36-37 (resolving back to Fm, also the melody going C-Bb-Ab in m37).

[Kricketune54]

Technically it could be yeah, but harmonically the chord in m35 is an E augmented (or I guess C+/E) chord, that you'd expect to resolve back to Am (G# as leading tone to A). But m36-37, like m1-2, is a C augmented (or Ab+/C) chord that resolves back to Fm instead (En as leading tone to F, Ab being a note in the key of Fm). It did feel weird to have both Ab and G# in these 3 measures, but G# made more sense in m35 (mostly because of the thirds in beat 2 r.h. and beat 4 l.h.), and Ab more sense in m36-37 (resolving back to Fm, also the melody going C-Bb-Ab in m37).

Appreciate the explanation here. I thought it had something to do with the E sounding chord of m35, and that the key is Cn for this section .

Will approve this one (which I have enjoyed listening to a bit more over past few days, neat track), do you have any thoughts on adding a courtesy key change indication for F major at the end of m37? For when the performer goes back to m3. Maybe that's overkill considering the key is listed just a bit to the left when the performer repeats, but a closing thought.

[Bloop]

do you have any thoughts on adding a courtesy key change indication for F major at the end of m37? For when the performer goes back to m3. Maybe that's overkill considering the key is listed just a bit to the left when the performer repeats, but a closing thought.

I added one! Seems I forgot to this time, I usually wanna make sure D.S.'s have cautionary time signature changes too.

[XiaoMigros]

Here goes nothing...

• m1 beat 1: The Ab sounds an octave lower, the En an octave higher
• m2: The LH Ab sounds like a Bb
• m3-4: I think this can be easily played if distributed between hands, no need to make these notes optional
• m5-6: I think the line starting on beat 3 in the LH can be kept to its original pitches
• m7: The 'optional' C can be left out imo, there are 2 Cs in the LH that make up for it in sound
• m8: same comment as m5-6
• Was the pizz. strings harmony omitted intentionally? I think it could make a nice addition, especially in the second measures of the pattern, where the RH doesnt have as much to do
• m13-14: You could include the full harmony in the lower RH layer
• m15-19: See previous
• m26: beat 3.5 RH sounds like an eighth note
• m28: I think including the 2nd on beat 4 would add more character, in the original its quite distinct as well
• m37: beat 3.5 I hear E5
• m37: The key sig is a little close to the barline, could it be moved slightly left? The DS should be right-aligned to the barline as well

[Bloop]

• m1 beat 1: The Ab sounds an octave lower, the En an octave higher
• m2: The LH Ab sounds like a Bb

Fixed these!

• m3-4: I think this can be easily played if distributed between hands, no need to make these notes optional

In m3 beat 4 to beat 4.5, both hands need to jump down about two octaves to reach the C's, which is possible but definitely on the harder side. Also, the arrangement doesn't necessarily need this voice, and it only appears in this part in the sheet. Since it's possible I didn't wanna exclude them per se, but wanted to notate that they're not needed to play the sheet.

• m5-6: I think the line starting on beat 3 in the LH can be kept to its original pitches
• m8: same comment as m5-6

Aren't they already in their original pitches? Moving them an octave lower sounds like it's too low,

• m7: The 'optional' C can be left out imo, there are 2 Cs in the LH that make up for it in sound

Good point! I left the one that wasn't optional in in m9, as it's easier to get to and also to mirror m17.

• Was the pizz. strings harmony omitted intentionally? I think it could make a nice addition, especially in the second measures of the pattern, where the RH doesnt have as much to do

The harmony gets in the way of the clarinet parts, which I especially wanted to let ring to contrast the staccatoness of the main themes. Also, assuming you meant the L.H. in the second measures, I found it nice to have the L.H. take a little break of the pattern in the main themes haha

• m13-14: You could include the full harmony in the lower RH layer

Tbh I might just have missed the lower harmony haha, it's pretty quiet but I can hear it. I added it in the L.H. though, as the R.H. can't really comfortably hold the low C when going to the high Eb

• m26: beat 3.5 RH sounds like an eighth note

I think you're right yeah (similarly in m34 I think), but it feels like the extra pedalling required to make sure the note doesn't ring feels a bit weird for such a small effect (and it gives the L.H. less time to jump up to the high E afterwards :p)

• m37: beat 3.5 I hear E5

That seems to be part of a different voice (the rising woob woob voice that's the same as the small notes in m3-4), which I chose to exclude here.

• m28: I think including the 2nd on beat 4 would add more character, in the original its quite distinct as well
• m37: The key sig is a little close to the barline, could it be moved slightly left? The DS should be right-aligned to the barline as well

Fixed these!

[XiaoMigros]

Aren't they already in their original pitches? Moving them an octave lower sounds like it's too low,

I think the notes in m4 are an octave higher, for example.

Everything else looks good to me!

[LowQualityTunes]

Erm, what the sigma

[Bloop]

I think the notes in m4 are an octave higher, for example.

now it's m4? ;p I hear everything in m4, m5 and m6 in the octave I wrote it in, except for the G-Bb in m6 beat 1.5, which I wrote an octave lower than the original. I think I originally did this to keep the R.H. line as the top line, but also to keep the sound consistent when the melody enters. It's sometimes hard to distinguish which octave marimba parts are really in, but I'm pretty sure I hear the middle to low range being played.

[XiaoMigros]

Sorry, I meant something like this:
You cannot view this attachment.

[Bloop]

Ah yeah, so it's just about the G and Bb in m6 then. I'd prefer keeping them lower as to have them consistent throughout the sheet (as I can't move them up as comfortably in m10 and in m31 for example), so that the player doesn't have to slightly change the accompaniment every two bars or so, and so that the arrangement sounds a bit more cohesive (i suppose it's a small detail but still)