The UNOFFICIAL Undertale Arrangement Project

[Sebastian]

Curious, why do you have parentheses around some notes?

[Sebastian]

Feedback for "Alphys" - Arranged by Yug Guy.
Great Job! You did a really awesome job with this song
Just a couple things:
- The 5th note A in measure 4, 8, & 9 is a G.
- In measure 10, use a glissando from beat 3 to 4.
- Avoid using two dotted quarters in a row. It should be dotted quarter - eighth tied to quarter.
- Where you have 2/4-3/4 you can just put 5/4 measures. It looks much cleaner that way.
- The E's are D's in measure 20 on beats 1.5 & 2.0.
- The A in measure 3 on beat 3.5 is an G.
- The D's are Eb's in measure 21 on beat 2.5 & 3.0.
- From measures 19-25, you're missing a melody part.
- Most importantly, don't forget to put staccatos and slurs where needed.
Other than this^ Excellent work!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qhd2p759dwnmon0/Undertale%20-%20%20Alphys.mus?dl=1
Please tell me if you disagree with anything or if you have any questions.

[Yug_Guy]

Great Job! You did a really awesome job with this song

Thanks!

- Avoid using two dotted quarters in a row. It should be dotted quarter - eighth tied to quarter.

Duly noted. I didn't know if there was a rule similar to the half&half in 4/4.

- Where you have 2/4-3/4 you can just put 5/4 measures. It looks much cleaner that way.

While I was debating using 5/4 for that reason, I'm going to have to disagree with you here. At least for the latter half of the song, the first three beats have a separate "feel" from the latter two. The first three being more legato and the latter two being shorter and more poignant. I believe it's an easier way for the player to better separate the two styles in the song.

But hey, that's just my opinion.    Otherwise, good work!

[Enaryok]

Curious, why do you have parentheses around some notes?

These are optional notes from the trumpet-like thing. I find them hard to play with the rest of the song, and you can play the song fine without them. So the player can easily discern the layer he can choose not to play. Even if these notes aren't played, there are the accents to remember the presence of the trumpet voice.

[Sebastian]

While I was debating using 5/4 for that reason, I'm going to have to disagree with you here. At least for the latter half of the song, the first three beats have a separate "feel" from the latter two. The first three being more legato and the latter two being shorter and more poignant. I believe it's an easier way for the player to better separate the two styles in the song.

If you want them to have a separate feel, as you say, from the latter two, you can just use articulations for that. You don't do that with a time change

These are optional notes from the trumpet-like thing. I find them hard to play with the rest of the song, and you can play the song fine without them. So the player can easily discern the layer he can choose not to play. Even if these notes aren't played, there are the accents to remember the presence of the trumpet voice.

Ah, makes sense.

[Enaryok]

I finished Stronger Monsters, and I feel confident about it, except for the last part maybe.
So I submitted it: 053 - Stronger Monsters

[mastersuperfan]

Argh, why can't humans have three hands? I swear, the majority of these themes could be arranged perfectly for three... Now I have to debate on which parts to keep and which parts to omit.

[dinos24SP]

This doesn't really have to do with the arrangement project, but here's a cool secret I found involving "The Choice": https://youtu.be/C84vU--lymw

[dinos24SP]

And I completely agree, mastersuperfan 

[mastersuperfan]

I have a question about playability:

At 0:25, is the melody playable in octaves? Or would it be too difficult that I should just leave it out?

Also, what about 0:51?

[mastersuperfan]

This doesn't really have to do with the arrangement project, but here's a cool secret I found involving "The Choice": https://youtu.be/C84vU--lymw

O.O

Oh, and I've finished most of Death by Glamour. Not all, though.

Not sure if those octaves are playable in m13-16 and m28-37, but without them... it just feels so empty. This theme in general sounds a bit off on piano to me.

I already took out octaves between m21-28 because it seemed way too difficult to play them there... This piece isn't coming out as well as I'd imagined.

[Zeila]

I don't have a piano near me (at least until I get home, but even then I'm not the best player out there), but what you could do is take out the bottom octave for the 2 sixteenth notes sandwiched in between the other two (or just remove the last two) if it's too hard to play for some people. Also, I don't know if you just left out harmonies starting at m29 until you finished the song and waited to add them, or if you omitted them for some other reason, but it makes the song sound much fuller.

Here's a picture showing the changes that I made (in blue). You could also apply them to the following measures since the changes are identical



Also, some other things you could edit are places like m19-20 where you have the 32nd notes. You could just choose to use grace notes instead so that it looks slightly neater, but it's up to preference I suppose. In measure 36, some people wouldn't be able to play that 10th interval unless they either arpeggiate it or use their left hand (I don't know if that is worth notating or not)

Other than those details, I think you've done a good job so far! Moreover, there is still time to make changes and improve upon it, so don't worry about it :3

[Zeila]

Feedback for Snowdin Town:

- Do I need to notate the right hand playing the layer 2 part in m.2? If so, how do I do that?

I'm still a noobie in terms of arranging so I wouldn't know, but if you want to notate it (I'm assuming you use finale 2014 because you supplied a .musx file), open up the expression tool and RH and LH will appear under Technique Text

- How do I make it slow down in m.4? I think starts at 103bpm at beat 1 and slows to 71bpm at beat 4, then back to the normal tempo.

You could split the measure (if you don't know how to, just select the desired measure, click on plug-ins -> measures -> split measure) at the 3rd beat. Then place a rit. on the 1st beat and a tempo marking on the 4th. (Although, I tried doing that myself and I don't think it played back correctly, but at least it would be notated) Note that when you split the measure, it messes up with the measure numbers when you want to play the song, but at least they are still numbered correctly

- Articulation in the left hand for the plucked strings and stuff?

That is up to you, but I think it would sound better with a combination of some staccatos, portato notation/mezzo staccatos (staccato + tenuto or slurred staccato, which is actually a bowing technique), and/or marcatos

- Is there a back repeat at the end of the song?

I never actually played the game yet, so I wouldn't really know for sure. I'll go ahead and assume there is since Town is in the OST title. When I saw a youtube video of a 15 minute extension of the song, the whole song started over again (it worked but that tends to happen sometimes instead of picking up at a more suitable spot). You could either put D.C. (and maybe al Fine at the end of the piece), or you could put D.S. as the end and place the "S" on m6

- Endings or no endings?

That is up to personal preference (I'd be fine with a repeat), but if you wish to have a back repeat at the end of the song, what you could do is put D.C. al Coda and have your special ending be the coda

- L.H playability in m.17, m.22-23, m.26-27

I personally cannot play 10th+ intervals, but what you could do is arpeggiate them. As for m22-27/end, you could just write the second layer under the first staff and have the right hand play it. That way it is easier on the eyes and you could just keep the 2nd staff as bass clef


Other notes:

• I don't recall seeing a song where only the 1st ending was notated. It still performs correctly though (unless you split the measure, and in that case you'll have to redo the repeat)
• I don't know if this is just me, but the left hand part in m7,11 is missing a half-rest, and in m19 it is missing an eighth rest
• Nice job!!

[Dudeman]

For the record, the official OST versions of the tracks end at the end of the loop. I think this is because GameMaker can't handle audio files that are constructed to loop somewhere other than back to the beginning, and the OST is literally the audio files used in the game. (This is pretty easy to notice in the ambience that plays at the Boatman's stations; the water rushing has a pretty discernible cut in echo after the second clanging noise.) If you wish to include a back repeat, it should go back to the beginning.

[Tobbeh99]

Death by Glamour:

I'm pretty sure an advanced pianist would be able to play those octaves. But with that said that doesn't make it easy and accessible, if that's what you want. You might want to remove some low octave-notes if you want it easier and more accessible. 

Also make the 32th-notes grace notes. Much easier to read and understand.