I've had requests to send my scores here

[Keeper]

I'm a ragtime fan and composer, and over the past few years I've been discovering how much videogame music is ragtime. Unfortunately, practically none of the existing scores I find for these tunes is particularly readable, so I've been making my own scores that can be read by ragtime musicians. (And some tunes I'm transcribing from scratch.) A couple other folks have sent me their arrangements to have me make scores for them.

Recently I've had some people ask me to post my scores here, so... here they are. Some are left in their simplified versions while others are scored the way you'd expect that type of tune to be arranged for the piano.

Animal Crossing; Town Hall theme -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/acwwhall.pdf
(Transcribed myself, but left in simplified form.)

Animal Crossing (WW & CF) Theme -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/acwwthemep.pdf
(Arranged for piano by me from an existing band arrangement.)
Here's a performance on YouTube of it being played: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJJM5H6s5GI

Super Mario Land Birabuto Kingdom -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/birabuto.pdf
(just a basic three-voice arrangement someone else had done but re-done by me in the correct time signature)

Conker's Bad Fur Day; Windy Overworld -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/conkerwind2.pdf
(Arranged by someone else who asked me to make the score. I did some re-arranging but it's mostly his.)
Here's a MIDI file of it: http://www.keeper1st.com/music/conkerwindy.mid

Earthworm Jim; Who Turned Out the Lights? -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/ewjlights.pdf
A friend of mine reading it (his second time through): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIYYO9x51eQ

Ghosts 'n Goblins theme -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/gandg1.pdf
(Arranged in ragtime by a couple of guys who asked me to make the score.)

Sonic 3; Gumball Machine -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/gumballsonic3.pdf
(Arranged in ragtime by someone who asked me to make the score. I did some re-arranging and additional ragging.)
Here's a MIDI file of it: http://www.keeper1st.com/music/gumballsonic.mid

Earthbound / Mother; Humoresque of a Little Dog -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/hoald.pdf
(Transcribed myself using some of the original and the Smash Bros. version.)
Here's my friend reading it for the first time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B0UGq1Cu3g
(He doesn't do the tempo changes as in the score, choosing instead of do the whole thing slowly first then fast the second time. And of course he embellishes a lot as he plays.)

Hopping Mappy theme -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/hoppingmappy1.pdf
(Transcribed myself.)
Here's one person playing it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nFIaLE15K8
Here's Mr Brier's first time through it complete with embellishments: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9OsldxZjBI

The Incredible Machine 3; Ragtime -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/incmach3.pdf
(Transcribed using the original MIDI file.)
Here it is being played: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqv78j4qn1w

Phantasy Star IV; Jijy no Rag -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/jijynorag.pdf
(Started with a vague attempt someone else did but then basically re-transcribed it myself to fix a lot of wrong notes, then fleshed out the arrangement to how it would sound as a piano rag.)

Animal Crossing: K.K. Ragtime -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/kkragtime2.pdf
(Transcribed and arranged myself; the only score of mine in which I put my own name as arranger.)
Here's a very rough, horrible-sounding MIDI file: http://www.keeper1st.com/music/kkragtime2.mid
(It doesn't even do the last chord an octave high. It's completely unedited from the scoring program's output.)

Mario Kart 64/DS; Yoshi Valley / Moo Moo Farm -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/moomoo.pdf
Here's Mr Brier's second read-through (again, many embellishments added): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odnnxVVXJos

Ms. Pac-Man; The Chase -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/mspacman.pdf
(Transcribed myself; left in simple two-note form as in the original game.)

Nocturnal Illusion; Ragtime -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/noctilrag.pdf
(Condensed by me to piano from the original band arrangement. I had no idea what kind of game this was when I stumbled across the game's original MIDI file!)
I have a video of Tom reading this, but have not posted it yet.

Final Fantasy VIII; Slideshow Part 2 -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/slideshowp2.pdf
(A corrected version of a horrible score that someone had sent to me. Correct key signatures, time signature and accidentals, and added some missing notes.)
Here's Mr Brier's first read-through: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlWbY_-tfQo

Super Mario Bros. theme -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/smbtitle.pdf
(Existing versions had wrong time signature and notated the syncopation poorly, so I made this readable version.)

Animal Crossing; The Roost -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/theroost.pdf
(Transcribed myself. I've since seen others' attempts but no one puts it in the correct compound-meter time signature of 12/8, nor notates the syncopation properly.)

Toy Pop theme -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/toypop1.pdf
Brier's first read-through: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Np94Ot-HYY

Final Fantasy IX; Treno, The City that Never Sleeps -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/treno.pdf
Brier's first read-through (note his addition of tenths in the left hand -- beautiful!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBjY67PSOPI

Wario Blast; Level 3 -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/warblal3.pdf
(I just threw this together. Someone sent me a MIDI file of it, but that file had some errors I noticed when compared to the original score, so I did some re-transcribing of my own. I also wrote the bass line in octaves because it's easier to read that way. It's a bit of a mess as I tried to get it to fit on one page. I'll probably re-do it on two pages eventually. No filling out of chords or anything were done here. I did make some arrangement choices, such as forgoing the bass notes to have the left hand play the tenor notes in a few spots.)

Super Mario World 2 Yoshi's Island; Athletic Theme -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/yoshiath.pdf
Here is Brier and some of my other friends reading it for the first time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffwVKDP8nzQ
And here's their whole band playing it, for good measure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CB8OSnJfiU

Legend of Zelda; Ending theme -- http://www.keeper1st.com/music/zeldaend.pdf
(Left in a simple arrangement because it's a tune that can be embellished upon in so many ways.)
Here is Brier's first run-through, which shows just how much it can be embellished: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhRBGCS8mlc

Final Fantasy VI; Spinach Rag -- http://www.keeper1st.com/spinach.pdf
(A very basic and not actually finished arrangement I did way back on a different scoring program.)
Here's Brier's second (and third!) time through it, but first in about five or six years: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYzq0am3B4I

I think that's all of them that are in a decent enough quality, for now.

[Winter]

That's quite a collection there! Although I think that NSM won't be able to accept these sheets until it follows a few guidelines, I sure would like to see these sheets here.

On the top right, it will have to specifically say

Composer: ________
Arrangement by: YOU

and on the bottom of the pages (see other NSM sheets) it will say Copyright Ninsheetm.us

And so forth. We have a thread explaining all the requirements.

Once all the sheets are fixed, I recommend submitting them in the Sumbission thread, and they will be looked over by an uploader.

From there, he will tell you exactly what needs to be fixed.

There's also a page specifically for PDF submissions here

I'm not quite sure what EXACTLY you will need to do, somebody else will get back to you though.

Welcome to the forums, and nice job on your arrangements!
 

[GaryOak]

Heyheyhey...it's you! I've seen all those videos many times and the arrangements are great. It was actually I who sent that Jijy no Rag sheet to you.

[PianoMan]

Much of this we already have pristine versions of, but the ones we don't I'm sure will be welcome additions. Yes, you will have to follow a few guidlines. Namely these.

[Keeper]

Much of this we already have pristine versions of, but the ones we don't I'm sure will be welcome additions.

If you had pristine versions, I wouldn't have had to make my own scores. Most scores I see of game music have time signature issues, accidental issues (it's important to have the right accidental for a given chord; e.g. I saw one today where the chord playing was harmonically an augmented E, but it was scored as E, A-flat, C instead of E, G-sharp, B-sharp -- take the Slideshow Part 2 tune above as an example: there's an F-flat Major chord in it, but everybody tries to write it as an E-natural Major chord -- it's not; it's the flatted sixth degree in the key of A-flat, which is F-flat -- it's like using an A-flat chord in the key of C; it's quite common and never written as a G-sharp!), notation of syncopation issues, or they try to write shuffle rhythm in a series of broken triplets (sheet music should be readable -- not an attempt at an exact re-creation of the sound. You don't write a sentence using IPA symbols; it may give you the exact pronunciations, but it's a lot harder to read than using words), use a lot of rests where the music is inherently bouncy, a complete lack of triplets or double-sharps and double-flats where required, etc.

(Speaking of difficult to read, that paragraph is a doozy!)

Maybe the average person who has a basic grasp of notation -- but little/no grasp of music theory -- might not notice these things, but a musician certainly does. As I wanted to share these tunes with musicians, I needed to make scores that musicians could read.

Copyright for all these belongs to the original publishers -- even when you re-arrange a tune. That's how the Berne Convention works. I did an arrangement of a tune as a MIDI file in the mid-1990s, and it was downloaded by Warner Bros. (I saw the hit logs) and ended up on every copy of Windows 98 ever sold as part of the "Warner Bros. Channel" active desktop. It was entirely within their rights to do so. (My name and email address remain embedded in the track data!)

I only put my name on the K.K. Ragtime score because that was the only one that was truly an arrangement. A transcription is not an arrangement, even if you're filling out the chords, like my transcription of the Hopping Mappy theme. But with K.K. Ragtime, I had some of my own figures in there, and wrote a filled-out version of the second strain in the new key. In the game, that strain is never played in that key.  I suppose my piano reductions qualify as arrangements too. But heck, I'm not in it for glory or anything; I just wanted to make readable scores for people. Whether they end up on this site or not doesn't matter to me. I'm just submitting them here because some folks asked me to do so, thinking that people here would like them too.

[Winter]

Can we accept Transcriptions?

[Keeper]

Can we accept Transcriptions?

Everything I've seen on this site is a transcription. An arrangement involves a lot more than just putting down the notes that are playing in the original tune. As I said, that's why I only put my name on the one that truly had arranging done to it. (And put the names of arrangers in those cases where other people did arranging and asked me to score them.)

[SlowPokemon]

Blah blah blah technical arrangements transcriptions, etc.

A transcription is a type of arrangement, actually. Transcription would, you are correct, be a more accurate term to use for this site, but arrangement is used because the arrangers have no references to work with and must figure out everything themselves--therefore, it is technically also an arrangement.

Please don't think we're musical ignoramuses, because most of us (Winterkid included) are very intelligent in this matter.

[Winter]

You know, you're also more than welcome to send in your "better sheets" (the ones that you said our versions of did not reach your expectations) as submissions as well.

Submit them as revisions. You will probably need an MUS file though, because our Mod would probably see it as pointless to remove a sheet to simply put up one MUS.

What program are you using for your "Transcriptions"?

[Keeper]

arrangement is used because the arrangers have no references to work with and must figure out everything themselves

That's the very definition of a transcription.  It's all semantics in the end, I suppose, but as I know arrangers and have done actual arranging myself as well as transcribing, the distinction means something to me, thus I didn't put my name down when all I did was write down what the notes and chords are (even if that requires more time and effort than arranging!).

These scores (except for one) were made in Sibelius. The other was made with Encore about 12 years ago or so.

[The Deku Trombonist]

First off, Welcome to NSM! I too have seen a number of Tom Brier's videos and I'd have to say I'm a fan.

Secondly, I'm not sure what people are on about here with transcriptions vs. arrangements, but we just call them arrangements because people are said to "arrange a song for piano." I'm well aware that arranging something is generally viewed as doing alot more than just changing the instrumentation but we refer to them as arrangements. In theory, they should essentially be transcriptions anyway. Also, I know you may not agree with crediting yourself, seeing as you haven't really changed anything, but you put the effort in, so why not put your name down? Pleny of other people credit themselves for their trancriptions of other things (e.g. jazz solos, etc).

Also, it's great to have some around who properly understands music theory.

As far as submitting stuff goes, for the moment, we require a Finale file. If you can't get your hands on a copy of some kind of Finale product, I guess I could make the Mus files for you.

I'm really tired right now so hopefully you can make sense of some of the nonsensical babble in there. 

[Cobraroll]

Hey, it's you!

I've seen quite a few of your YouTube videos. Amazing to watch...

Welcome to NSM!

[pumpy_heart]

Welcome to the site. I've seen some of this done on youtube as well. Good work.
Though in order for your work to get uploaded here, no matter if you call it arrangements or transcriptions, the proper guidelines will have to be followed. That's the true way to have your stuff posted here so it goes onto the site.
And as Deku said, I don't see any reason as to why you shouldn't credit yourself.
Thanks for posting them here. I hope you'll continue to see that they are uploaded to the site.

Also, it's great to have some around who properly understands music theory.

But Deku... I properly understand music theory too.

[Olimar12345]

Hey, it's you!

I've seen quite a few of your YouTube videos. Amazing to watch...

Welcome to NSM!

kewl nice to have u here

Also, it's great to have some around who properly understands music theory.

Im taking tha classes! im just not as far as u guys yet-i know enough to get by tho...

[PianoMan]

kewl nice to have u here

Im taking tha classes! im just not as far as u guys yet-i know enough to get by tho...

I've read two books and like ten websites. But since everyone at my school is a tasteless idiot nobody knows what I mean when I say Dorian I have no idea how to really tell how much I know.