Arrangement Contest No. 5 in E-sharp "Variable Mix"

[MaestroUGC]

ENTRIES!!!!!!
Bloop
Olimar [mp3]
Clanker
FierceDiety SoundCloud
them
FireArrow

And welcome back to the semi-regular NSM Arrangement Contest, where our wonderful arrangers test their creativity in reworking some VGM classics into new and exciting form and styles. I'll be your gracious host this time around, and after careful consideration the folks here at NSM Enterprises and Maestro Inc. have come to a consensus of the theme for this contest:

Theme and Variations

This time you will choose any theme you'd like to work with, and present the judges with a series of variations. (Exact number of variations required will be determined and announced at the start of the contest.)

Scoring Criteria

Your score will be based on the following criteria:
1) Orchestration: Do the instruments serve the music? A simple copy/paste would result in a low score, while a dynamic orchestration would yield something higher.
2) Preservation: does the arrangement make it clear what the original was while meeting the criteria? If the arrangement only makes a single reference to the original while it does something else entirely, then it'll get a low score.
3) Creativity: does the arrangement go beyond the criteria? If it only does the basic change, low score.
4) Criteria: does the arrangement meet the criteria for the challenge? If no, low score; barely, middle; totally, high.
5) Formatting: make sure your piece has the following information: a title, a subtitle(including the original song title and the game it's from), the composers name, and the arrangers name (either your NSM alias or real name). You get more points if you arrangement had other standard things such as measure numbers, dynamics, etc. (if such things apply to your piece). This category should result in easy points.
6) Popular vote: each entry gets a corresponding score from everyone who votes, an average from the votes for the piece out of all the votes.

[close]

Previous Contests:
Arrangement Contest No. 1 in A "Praeludium"
Arrangement Contest No.2 in C "The Grand Dance"
Arrangement Contest No. 3 in G minor "Going Solo"
Arrangement Contest No. 4 in F diminished "Nightmarish Visions"
Sign up and perish.
Judges:
1. Maestro
2. MaryHadALittleFan
3. EnsignTruffle
4.

Players:
1. SlewPekomanz
2. Oblimartin11111111111111111
3. Eck
4. Blumpth
5. Friararrwwo
6. Clancey
7. Fracediet
8. Dansbabydans
9. CSNY
10. they

Wait. Sign up or perish.
Once you've signed up, PM me with your song choice as soon as you decide. Cut-off times for sign-ups and song choices will be determined soon. Song choices are first come, first served. Anonymity of judging will be determined if the players want it.

Sign-up cut-off: Dec 26th.
Start: Dec 28th
Due date: Jan 23rd
Results: Jan 28th



Theme and Variations:
 - You must transcribe the original theme, unchanged and unaltered, before any of the variations.
 - You must have a minimum of 5 variations. Anything less will result in a score of "0".
 - You may not have more than 12 variations. Really anything more than 10 would probably be considered excessive (I would know), so anything more than 12 will result in a reduced score.
 - At least one variation must have a mode change from Major/Minor (depending on your piece's original key/mode) to the opposite. Major>Minor or Minor>Major.
 - At least one variation must be a significant meter change from the original, it cannot be a simple change in the pulse. For ex: 4/4>3/4; not 3/4>6/8. 2/4>6/8; not 2/2>4/4. If you have a question about this please ask me.

Also a couple of formatting things:
 - Please number your variations; it will help us keep track of each of them and allow us to comment on them better.
 - Please define the ends of the variations and transition sections with double bar lines, for the above reason.
 - I will update the grading rubric to reflect these additional formatting requirements.

A few reminders as well:
 - Please send your entries to me via PM, I will forward them to the other judges.
 - All you need to send me is an MUS file. Any supplemental materials (PDF, Audio file, Program, etc.) are appreciated but unnecessary.

[SlowPokemon]

In.

[mikey]

Knowing now that we're supposed to do orchestral arrangements I don't think I can do this one

[Olimar12345]

^You can pick any ensemble you want. I'll probably make some odd non-traditional chamber ensemble ^^

Oh, and In.

[MaestroUGC]

You aren't supposed to make an orchestral arrangement, but the instrumentation you use must be practical and consistent. If you think you can do your best work for a solo piano or a string quartet, etc. Then use those ensembles for your arrangement.

[Sebastian]

I'll be a judge....

[Echo]

I'm in.

[Bloop]

In x2, will think of a song later today

[MaestroUGC]

Just a reminder, please send me a link to the original piece you'd like to work with so I know what you're doing. Given the nature of this contest there's pretty much nothing off limits except for really long pieces.

Once I get a third judge we'll start figuring out the details of the exact requirements (how many variations minimum, anything specific we would like to see like a meter change, etc.) and proposed dates are:

Sign-up cut-off: Dec 26th.
Start: Dec 28th
Due date: Jan 16th
Results: Sometime between Jan 20-23rd, depends on if all the judges can get their stuff in sooner.

[Olimar12345]

Start: Dec 28th
Due date: Jan 9th

I'd suggest we increase the arranging time. Less than two weeks is the shortest it's ever been.

[MaestroUGC]

What, can't handle it?

[Olimar12345]

Last time we had a month to do it and 3/7 people didn't finish theirs. And two of them that did turned it in the week of the deadline.

[MaestroUGC]

True, but I also think this is a much easier contest this time around. We're not having to rework something into an exact style, you guys really have carte blanche this time around. This is also during a period free from school, which is why we've historically needed to make these contests so long since people were busy.

[mikey]

There's no way I could do it in 2 weeks lol
last time I had 3 hours every other day to do it
it would probably be a good idea for a longer deadline, esp. with people spending a lot of these 2 particular weeks with family.

[MaestroUGC]

I already extended it an additional week.