[NDS] Pokémon Ranger - "Entei Battle" by Oronoco

[Zeta]

Submission Information:
Series: Pokémon
Game: Pokémon Ranger
Console: Nintendo DS
Title: Entei Battle
Instrumentation Solo Piano
Arranger: Oronoco

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Oronoco]

I'll get the video of this up in a bit.

Also, I'll re-submit the Krokka Tunnel Arrangement when I can. I have it ready for feedback, but I didn't know about the submission limit.

Here it is!

[Latios212]

Whoa, really neat stuff!

In the meantime since you have more arrangements you can make a topic in the Personal Arrangement Threads board for now

[Bespinben]

I'm now finally not alone in the PKMN Ranger arranging department! Thank you Oronoco

[Oronoco]

Alright! I'm glad. I really love working on these.

[Bespinben]

While your sheet is very clean, I feel like it could be a little more tastefully arranged. The first half of the half the song is grand and bombastic (this you did well), while the second half of the song takes on a different color, almost tragic in nature, with a subtle sense of hope. I can tell you realized this already because of the dynamics you indicated for this section (mp/mf) as compared to the former (ff). However, because you decided to transpose the parallel thirds ostinato down an octave, the resulting sound was muddy. Of course, you didn't want that to overlap with the brass section, so that's why I propose keeping the parallel thirds in their original octave and transpose the melody down an octave, like so:



Whether or not you actually take up this idea, I still must recommend that you review the melody chords, as the spacing of them usually were triadic.

[Oronoco]

Alright! I love your idea; I like having the ostinato back in the right hand, and I think moving the melody down is appropriate.

But, I need help with something if it's applicable: moving the melody to the left hand made some of the right hand fingerings very tricky, especially at the fast tempo. For example, in measures 23-24, while my right thumb grabs the extra notes, my other fingers must scramble to reach all of the thirds. I got around this in measure 19 where my second finger has to shimmy from the E flat to the F, but it's pretty sloppy.



Should I cut out the bass notes to free up both hands? Or not worry at all?

[Pianist Da Sootopolis]

Alright, pausing my Thalberg to listen to this..
And you made it worth it.
As for your concerns about playability, the thirds in the RH are actually on the more playable ends of the thirds. The LH can be played using standard techniques like rolling with pedal on the chords that cannot be played in one fell swoop.

[Oronoco]

Alright! The files are updated with some rollage in the left hand, so the right hand is nice and free now.

[Bespinben]

I know NSM doesn't specifically require fingerings, but it's my personal opinion that for exceptionally large rolls, some should be provided. The main reason is that I think it's important to know whether or not one should do the roll in "one fell swoop" (i.e. from pinky to thumb) or to cross some fingers over each other. For example, measure 20 beats 1-2, because of the 9th interval between the bass low Db and the brass Eb, can't be played as 5-2-1, but would have to be some variant of 5-1-3. I think you should also be conscious of the tempo in regards to size of yours rolls.

[Oronoco]

Good idea! I practiced the rolls a lot earlier; I'll see what I can do about fingerings.

[Oronoco]

Alright! The files are updated with fingerings.

I think the rolls are pretty doable with good forearm technique. To accurately hit some of the top notes, it helps to strike with the second and third finger simultaneously. Playing the top note with both fingers nicely brings out the melody, too. A couple of the larger rolls that are played without crossing over can be played well with good forearm motion and a stable middle finger (I won't forget my piano instructor stressing that on Chopin pieces!).

See what you think!



--How do the fingerings look concerning their placement on the page?

[Bespinben]

The fingerings look very well positioned. I actually use a different notation for "two fingers on one note" (see this arrangement of mine), but I think you're good to go!

[Pianist Da Sootopolis]

+1 to the notion of forearm motion based fingerings
IMO at faster tempi crossing over fingers doesn't usually work.
There are some examples where you have to, for example, in the Chopin nocturne provided below; at around 2:20 or so there are some chords that require crossing over to be rolled. The tempo here is also piu lento, so not nearly as speedy as your arrangement.

[Oronoco]

I re-arranged the chord at the forte in measure 29 so that it would lay under the fingers better. The crossing-over may help add some flare to the already powerful chord. It's fun, too!

I've been getting along all right with the cross-overs. The tricky ones are in places like measure 19 and the last measure: the LH's gotta jump to the bass notes after playing the eighth note melody in the previous measure. This can be done more cleanly with a little give-and-take of the tempo. There's none of that in the original, but in a piano arrangement, I think it could help the performer grab the notes as well as establish the "different", "almost tragic" color of the second half of the piece that Bespinben mentioned earlier.

See what you think!