Best Nintendo Songs to Arrange for Concert Band? - MUS file up!

[Tangy]

At our school everyone has to do a concert band arrangement project. For mine I was thinking of doing a Nintendo video game medley. It's not due until June, but I want to get a head start now. Especially since we're forced to use Sibelius and I've never used that before..

I'm looking for more well-known/ nostalgic music. I already have a good idea of music from Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Pikmin, and Animal Crossing.

I'm thinking of starting with the "Night Comes" music from Pikmin (arranged to sound more like the one from Pikmin 2 when you collect 1000 pokos or more during that day... brass-y.) and possibly ending with part of the title theme from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In between the overworld theme and windmill hut themes from Zelda, pallet town, ss anne, route 4 and Viridian forest from pokemon R/B/Y, and... SOMETHING from mario bros. 2 or 3. plus the forest maze theme from super mario RPG and the tetris A theme are all my favourite possibilities. I want to include as much as possible, perhaps using parts of music as connectors between two pieces.

I really don't know much music outside of the games I've played, which is why I'm making this board... What is your favourite/ most nostalgic nintendo video game music? Anything suggested outside of the five games I listed above is much appreciated!

[The Deku Trombonist]

If you need any help with Sibelius, I've been using it for ages, so feel free to ask me anything.

As for song choice, you probably should think of songs that flow well from one to another as opposed to trying to include songs from X number of games because you like them.

And as for my preferences: I do have quite a liking for Secret of Mana (SNES) music. I guess to me it seems less "jingle-like" than some of the other standard Mario/Zelda stuff. I think most of it could work reasonably well as a woodwind section feature. But that's just what I think.

[MaestroUGC]

Question: Is there a limit on how long, or how short, it has to be?

[Tangy]

Thanks DekuTrombonist And I agree, that's why I need to know more than the music I'm familiar with.

And I don't believe there is any limit.

[SlowPokemon]

From Pokemon RBY, you should include Route 11... That's my favorite Route music in the game. And probably do Viridian/Pewter/Saffron City rather than S.S. Anne.

In my opinion, that song is all over, so it's more nostalgic...

But it doesn't really matter.

[DrP]

Well, if you don't mind me suggesting, but...

For Pokémon, I would personally choose Vermilion City since it seems like the best for a concert band score with the parts filled and such.

For LoZ, Though the Windmill Hut may be a good song and all, the Overworld is the most recognizable out of them and has a great "UMPH" that comes with it that makes it sound Stately

Also, you can compose the sheet in Finale, save it as a XML file and then open that XML file in Sibelius and save it as a .sib file!

[Tangy]

Thanks for the suggestions.

@SlowPokemon - Well, a lot of the route music from the first two pokemon games are very similar in style... so honestly it wouldn't matter too much. I picked route 4 because to me it sounded the most nostalgic and most powerful. I think route 24/25 played at the beginning of the game when you pressed "new game", so that would be cool too. I like route 11, but I just like the others more. xD.

And I've always had something against the Saffron City music. I guess as a kid I found it annoying. I'd do Pallet Town over SS Anne though. SS Anne I think has a lot of potential... but isn't as recognizable since you're only there once.

@drpamplemousse - Yeah, Vermilion definitely sounds like a typical concert band piece and would be easy to arrange and play, but it doesn't have that much to it, really. Although maybe that's a good thing. @_@

And since the Windmill theme's tune is so short, I was thinking of adding it for only a couple bars or something. It would be easy to transition to or from something like the boo's merry-go-round from super mario 64 that has the same time sig and rhythm. I'm very excited to put the overworld somewhere in the middle and feel that UMPH.

[SlowPokemon]

I would do the Animal Crossing Wild World title screen (here). That song is really cool and nostalgic for me... but perhaps too peaceful and slow for this?

And also the Super Mario 64 main theme... EVERYONE knows that.

That song is here, by the way, but I'm assuming you already know it. Because EVERYONE does.

[Tangy]

Ohh I completely forgot about the title theme. @_@ Yeah that would be awesome. There has to be some slow stuff in there. xD And of course the bomb-omb battlefield.

[SlowPokemon]

Possibly the Hyrule Field theme from OoT, as well. Very nostalgic.

[Sekter77]

There's definitely a lot of options to choose from here! I think that if you picked the songs that really have the most emotion and memories behind them it might make it easier to want to arrange them. I agree choices from pokemon. Route 4 is one of my favorites too and Pallet Town definitely brings on the nostalgia. If you're doing Pikmin music, I've always really enjoyed the Forest of Hope and Perplexing Pool cause they are really pretty songs that accurately represent the feelings of their respective areas and are quite slow-tempoed as well. But everyone else here has really great ideas too!

[garlicbananas]

Definitely Pallet Town, I've played it on my french horn and other instruments and it sounds like it was made for concert band.  Most routes would make a nice up-beat bridge between songs.  Tetris Theme A?  I don't know, I think it feels rather too "Techno" but it could work.  I think you also might want to look into Donkey Kong music, it would have some great percussion lines (obviously) and I really like DK Country's Map theme, could be a nice high reed feature.  I also think the intro to Super Mario World would go nicely.  I'll let you know if I have any other ideas. 

[Maretocks]

Anything Zelda. Really.

You could epic up Final Bowser from SM64.

Token Tango from DKC2. Also the song used in the DK stage in Super Smash Bros. Klubba's Reveille would be good too, I just noticed.

Zero-Two from Kirby 64.

[Winter]

I always liked the Winter theme from the original Harvest Moon, it's catchy. It'd be hard to fit in though, it's repetitive. It's also not in submitted on this site which NEEDS to happen!

[Tangy]

I've looked up all the songs everyone suggested. Sorry for forgetting about this thread and thanks for the suggestions everyone!

@SlowPokemon - Yesss the one from OoT. ^__^ I love that. xD

@Sekter77 - I absolutely adore the pikmin 1 soundtrack. :3 I don't think forest of hope would fit too well though, it's more piano arrangement material, and perplexing pool isn't very recognizable, even to people who've played the game (which is unfortunate because it's absolutely gorgeous :<). I really like the impact site and final trial music too, but I don't think I'll put them in. Really complex rhythms there. xD

@garlicbananas - I think the tetris a theme could be arranged pretty easily for concert band actually, with some adjustments. ^^ That map theme could have been an epic clarinet solo if I thought someone in our band would be good enough to play it. @_@ And yesss the super mario world intro is awesome. ^__^ And thanks, definitely let me know!

@Maretocks - Your un reminds me of a ski hill near here called Martock. xD. Anyways, I think if I combined the final bowser with something else it would turn out pretty well. By itself it's a little plain. And yeah, that's the jungle japes theme from ssb! xD The good thing about music featured on ssb is that even people who haven't played the games the music is originally from will still recognize it from ssb. I liked the Klubba's Reveille! I've never played any DK games besides a bit of DK64 and donkey konga/ jungle beats so I don't know much. Zero-Two is really interesting, not sure how well it would fit with concert band though.

@winterkid09 - Ohh wow I wasn't expecting that minor key @_@ The only harvest moon I've played is magical melody so I was expecting an upbeat jingly tune. xD It's really awesome! If I have spare time I'll see if I can arrange it for the site.