[Wii] Super Mario Galaxy 2 - "World 2 Map" by Nacho2420

[Zeta]

Submission Information:
Series: Super Mario
Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2
Console: Nintendo Wii
Title: World 2 Map
Instrumentation Solo Piano
Arranger: Nacho2420

[attachment deleted by admin]

[nacho2420]

Original Audio

[Bespinben]

Very pretty. Also, it's nice to see I'm not the only crazy person that puts in invisible pedal markings

Knock off 1 flat from the key signature. The tonic is Ab major. The reason you get those Gb's is because they're borrowed from the mixolydian mode. M. 13-18 is pretty cool. I'm questioning whether or not the key change is necessary, but from the looks of it, if we kept it in Ab for this section you'd get a lot of funky B double-flats, Cb's, and Fb's.

[nacho2420]

Very pretty. Also, it's nice to see I'm not the only crazy person that puts in invisible pedal markings

Knock off 1 flat from the key signature. The tonic is Ab major. The reason you get those Gb's is because they're borrowed from the mixolydian mode. M. 13-18 is pretty cool. I'm questioning whether or not the key change is necessary, but from the looks of it, if we kept it in Ab for this section you'd get a lot of funky B double-flats, Cb's, and Fb's.

I thought about this too, but I wanted to minimize the amount of accidentals. But with all the mode mixture and modulations, I do agree about Ab being the key. Should I stay in one key and use accidentals or leave it as is?

[The Deku Trombonist]

The funky Bbb's etc are from Neapolitan harmonies so it is technically correct. I don't really think the key change is necessary because it's just chromatic harmony, there isn't a modulation.

Also in bar 2, Fb's instead of  E naturals? Augmented 6th type harmonies come to mind when I look there.

[nacho2420]

I uploaded the updated pdf and mus, with the entirety of the piece in Ab major with accidentals. Hope that is better.


-nacho

[Bespinben]

This is how all the accidentals should be spelled in measures 13 through 18:



Also, measure 18 2nd layer has a misaligned rest, so just re-enter the layer to fix it.
(Maybe also consider moving the RH of measure 10 up an octave to better lead into measure 11?)

[nacho2420]

I do agree with the octave move in m.10, thanks. However I strongly believe that although the enharmonic spelling may be correct in the images you posted, I can guarantee you any piano player would prefer to read the accidentals I wrote out, because of the chord changes the piece implies. I can fix it to your interpretation if that's what we are really aiming for, but I fear I'm only going to make the performer upset. About the quarter rest, I have often read professionally published piano pieces where the rest hangs there because of the layer. Again, I can fix that if it's what we're going for.

[Bespinben]

Cool! Glad I could contribute to the arranging end of the song Oh, and the rest being there is fine. Very necessary. I just meant that it is a few spaces to the right farther than it should be, which usually happens when you enter a note at a 2nd interval against layer 1, causing it to shift to the right.

However I strongly believe that although the enharmonic spelling may be correct in the images you posted, I can guarantee you any piano player would prefer to read the accidentals I wrote out, because of the chord changes the piece implies. I can fix it to your interpretation if that's what we are really aiming for, but I fear I'm only going to make the performer upset.

Haha, no worries! Just the thought that someone would say this to me marks a milestone for me, because once upon a time I would have had no clue what to do about those measures. In this set of spelling, I'm not so much trying to adhere to theory (though, I believe it conforms to it, yay!) as I am trying to just be consistent. For one, when I'm running through spellings, I often think "what would this look like transposed to C?" --> if it's different than what I'm writing in the current key sig, then immediately I know something is amiss. Another rule of thumb is that, in a tonal piece, you will never write the enharmonic equivalent of a note that has been pre-defined by the key signature (e.g. if you're in Ab like this, you're never going to write a G#, C#, D#, or A#). And if you do decide to spell like this, apply the "transpose to C" idea, and you'll see these notes equate to things like B#, E#, F double-sharp, and C double-sharp -- nightmarish!

[nacho2420]

That definitely makes sense, but all in all I've learned through experience that the easiest for the performer to read is the way to go. In that case, should I revert to my first version where I use multiple key sigs or leave what I have as is?

[Bespinben]

I would say if you insist on using the sharps and naturals approach, use the key signature change, so that way you're not writing over a key signature (e.g. the whole if-there's-a-flat-in-the-key-sig-you-can't-spell-that-note-as-sharp from the last post). I'll rest my case with a quote from the legend himself:

Accidentals keep the music clean, clear, and focused when used the correct way.

[Bespinben]

Y u delete post Deku!? ლ(ಠ益ಠლ)
(I need your overseership)

Salient points made:
*The "rule" I mentioned is not truly one at all - accidentals are evaluated on case by case basis
*Bespinben's spellings are seconded
*If using key change instead use specifically A instead of E

[nacho2420]

Thanks! I uploaded a new one! I didn't overdue the amount of key sigs like the 1st version..hopefully this one is ready

[The Deku Trombonist]

Y u delete post Deku!? ლ(ಠ益ಠლ)

Because it was a half-assed post written in a hurry on my phone which I thought I might re-do.

I can fix it to your interpretation if that's what we are really aiming for, but I fear I'm only going to make the performer upset.

I'm not a fan of abandoning technical correctness for the sake of pandering to a possible lack of reading ability. Too often performers want music written so it's easy to read and are quite content with having no understanding of the harmonic structure.


Anyway, that's enough ranting from me. Over to you Bespinben 

Also, Ben, with your spellings, F# and E would be better written as Gb and Fb (Gdim7 being vii^o7 of Ab)

[Bespinben]

Also, Ben, with your spellings, F# and E would be better written as Gb and Fb (Gdim7 being vii^o7 of Ab)

Oh! I completely overlooked that. You're right. I just saw the G in the bass and immediately assumed "G-FLAT IS A NO NO", but looking at it again, I think this is one of those rare instances of where this would be acceptable. It's a non-tertian chord to begin with anyway (GdimM7), with the M7 resolving a step downwards, so it boils down to what we would spell beat 3-4 as, which would be Fb, so, working backwards you'd have to write Gb. Cool. I think there's a similar progression in my Primal Dialga solo arrangement somewhere, now that I think about it (key of Em: D#, F#, A, C in LH; B, D natural in RH --> A, C).

How long does Olimar's self-imposed ban last? I'd like his opinion on whether or not to "pander" to the masses. From what I understand, it's really only jazz sheet music that makes these sort of "simplifications" (c.f. "upper structure" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_structure).