Arrangement Contest No. 8 in B# "Mix"olydian "Amalgamation"

[InsigTurtle]

Who's tetrahydrocannabinol?

[ThatHiddenCharacter]

Who's tetrahydrocannabinol?

Isn't that the chemical in marriage you wanna? Nice joke, though.

[Dekkadeci]

My goal is to have this done by the end of April, and the sooner, the better.

Right now, are we on track to have results for this contest by May 1 of this year?

[ThatHiddenCharacter]

Right now, are we on track to have results for this contest by May 1 of this year?

E. Gadd has AP tests and a lot of them. It probably won't be until May 10th at the least.

[E. Gadd Industries]

^^Yea. I tried to get them all ready, but the studying and prep for the AP Tests came suddenly and quickly, and I figuratively dropped everything else I was doing. So yeah, you can expect them...
Hmmmm...
We'll shoot for a release of the results on May 13th at approx. 4 PM CST.
Will that work for everyone?

[Dekkadeci]

We'll shoot for a release of the results on May 13th at approx. 4 PM CST.
Will that work for everyone?

That works for me.

[Dekkadeci]

I can't wait for the results of this contest tomorrow--I've been saving up an elaborate explanation of the structure of my entry (relative to the two VGM themes it's derived from) for a long time!

[E. Gadd Industries]

Woohoo!
I freaked out Thursday because I thought I had said it was that day & I was completely unprepared XD
That said, I'm getting a physical here in a bit for CC my senior year, and once I get back from that, I'll start tallying up scores & such.

[E. Gadd Industries]

Alright, everyone! It's the time you've all been waiting for! It's been LONG overdue, and I apologize for any inconveniences that may have caused!

A few things before I get started:
-This is not going to be the traditional results post because of limitations I was given. As such, the only explanations I have for specific scores are from myself. Of course, in the defense of the other judges, I was kinda pushing to get the scores in ASAP.
-We only had 8 votes in the popular vote, and with 8 entries, that makes it difficult to determine who gets what (as 2 people got 2 votes, and those were the highest). Because of this, I am awarding the two people the full 15 points and and the people who got 1 vote each will receive 8 points.
-The scoring was all across the board for this contest from the judges, and so instead of doing an average, I'll just add the scores together in the "Total" section.

I want to thank everyone who played a part in this Contest. This includes:
Brainy and Maelstrom (for leading the contest)
The judges (both that originally signed up and that stepped in)
And the entrants

I had fun being able to evaluate all the entries; they were all really well done, and we had 8 of them!
But now that I'm done saying things that no one cares about, let's get on with the show!

Results!

Bloop:

E. Gadd Industries:

Criteria: 15
The songs were combined rather well! I think the motif itself was the main reason behind how/why the two songs did work so well together.

Creativity: 13
I think the piece was very distinct in how it progressed, and I thoroughly enjoyed how the instruments were added throughout. The time sig changes were a bit hard to follow, but that just added to the complexity of the creativity. (When I listened to the original pieces, I didn't perceive that many time sig changes.) Also, the idea of creepy gloomy things is very well projected in the piece.

Preservation: 10
Both themes are definitely present in the piece, and the way they alternate in dominance is pretty cool.

Orchestration: 10
The song pulled instruments from both pieces (and added some of its own!), creating a variety of different sounds and "flavors".

Presentation: 7
General presentation was nice. Formatting was easy to follow and logical, which is good. Legibility is a bit crowded in certain places where the slurs and Ped markings intersect (like at m66-the next few measures), and this deducted a point or two. Playability was generally within reason, although there were a few "yellow note" instances, indicating a note couldn't be played by the traditional instrument.

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AmpharosAndy

Criteria - 14
Creativity - 12
Preservation - 8
Orchestration - 9
Presentation - 9

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ThatHiddenCharacter

Criteria - 15
Creativity - 15
Preservation - 10
Orchestration - 10
Presentation - 10

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Vote Bonus

+15

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Total

Criteria - 44/45
Creativity - 40/45
Preservation - 28/30
Orchestration - 29/30
Presentation - 26/30
Popular Vote - 15/15
Grand Total - 182/195

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Lkjhgfdsa_77:

E. Gadd Industries

Criteria: 9 points
The two songs the arranger chose have a lot of potential to go far as a mix; they're in the same game, so I was expecting this. The arrangement improves on the two songs SOME with the addition of a cello. That's what saved the score as it was. "Overworld" was improved upon the most, given that "Underground" (although I believe it is supposed to be "Underworld") was only heard for a short time throughout the entire song.

Creativity: 7 points
The reality of it is, this sheet wasn't very creative. Sure, the cello was a nice addition, but overall, the songs are exactly the same with a tempo change, a few rhythms taken out, and minor things like that. Don't get me wrong, the original songs are still VERY present (which can be good), but the arranger could've taken things a bit further, remixed them a bit more. I'm sure time constraint played into this, though, and the fact that it was a medley, not a blending of songs.

Preservation: 10 points
Yes, the original pieces are easily recognizable, but the first time I listened to it, I didn't know when to expect Underworld to be integrated in, and so I was questioning myself as to whether or not I knew Underworld that well.

Orchestration: 8 points
At least it wasn't JUST piano. The cello complements the piano and the song overall in a very nice way, although, like has been expressed above, the song could've been taken further, and one way to do so is through integration of additional instruments. That said, the piece is good about not requiring a full-blown orchestra to play; only 2 people are required.

Presentation: 6 points
Formatting- Firstly, there are no measure numbers. Also, no composers are given. Other than that, formatting is fine.
Legibility- This is okay. One massive thing I would like to point out, the very last measure of the song: That glissando needs to be an arpeggio. That really struck me as off. General legibility is generally present, although there are several locations where the "Ped." marking overlaps on a staff line (I would give measure numbers, but there aren't any). One good thing about the piece is that there is a lot of space between the systems, making for an easy read, not overcrowded.
Playability- A slow tempo, basic chords and rhythms, all make for a very easy play. I'd say performers would have no difficult time playing this. One thing, though, there are some places where yellow noteheads are seen for the cello, indicating that the instrument is incapable of playing those notes on its own.

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AmpharosAndy

Criteria - 5
Creativity - 6
Preservation - 6
Orchestration - 2
Presentation - 7

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ThatHiddenCharacter

Criteria - 5
Creativity - 7
Preservation - 7
Orchestration - 5
Presentation - 10

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Vote Bonus

+0

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Total

Criteria - 19/45
Creativity - 20/45
Preservation - 23/30
Orchestration - 15/30
Presentation - 23/30
Popular Vote - 0/15
Grand Total - 100/195

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Static:

E. Gadd Industries

Criteria: 15 points
I'm addressing the questions in reverse. Both songs for this piece are almost identical, and so they are both easy to "improve." Now, that being said, the piece is carried out very nicely and is improved upon, especially in the middle of the piece/second half. Now, I almost docked points for the first question because the songs are so similar, but then I started thinking, with their similarity, there's no way they couldn't complement each other (unless the arrangement was a swing-and-a-miss, which this was far from). I just want to know if this song choice was intentional for the similarity of the songs.

Creativity: 12 points
I'm very impressed with where the arranger takes the piece, especially m24 on. It was a nice addition to the two songs. Had it just been the two songs and nothing more, it technically would've been a remix still, but not as many points would've been awarded because it'd be technically and not creatively. Now, something could've been done to perhaps add a little more variance. All told, I'm giving this score out of understanding that there's a time constraint involved.

Preservation: 7 points
This category is especially difficult for this piece. The themes almost blend together so much that it's difficult to tell which theme is what, and this is where it's dangerous to pick two almost-identical songs. The themes are still there, they can be heard, but they seem to just sound like one theme.

Orchestration: 10 points
I like how there're all these seemingly classical instruments and such, and then right in the middle is an electric bass. It surprised me. Both songs are both really tied to string instrumentation, so it's good to see all the string instruments integrated into the song. There were some points where one or two instruments overwhelmed everything else, not sure if that was intentional or not, but it didn't interfere with the song as a whole.

Presentation: 9 points
The formatting is very good in this arrangement! Concerning legibility, everything is good there, too. I was expecting things to get crowded after m24, but I was pleasantly surprised. The spacing between the systems also helps keep things from getting chaotic. The only issue I have is playability. It's a very easy piece, although it does get more difficult as the song progresses. But it's nothing no reasonably skilled group of musicians can't handle. Where my beef lies is with the abundance of yellow notes found all throughout m25-31 in the violin track. These yellow notes mean that the average violin can't play that high (in this case). This, however, doesn't cause the loss of too many points.

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AmpharosAndy

Criteria - 13
Creativity - 11
Preservation - 10
Orchestration - 10
Presentation - 9

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ThatHiddenCharacter

Criteria - 15
Creativity - 15
Preservation - 10
Orchestration - 10
Presentation - 10

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Vote Bonus

+15

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Total

Criteria - 43/45
Creativity - 38/45
Preservation - 27/30
Orchestration - 30/30
Presentation - 28/30
Popular Vote - 15/15
Grand Total - 181/195

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Echo:

E. Gadd Industries

Criteria: 15 points
This piece was great! I did have some trouble picking out the songs at first, as I was unfamiliar with both of them, but upon further review, I was able to pick out both distinctly in the piece. The way they are remixed is very successfully done. I also believe both songs are greatly improved upon, and they fit together/complement each other well enough on their own.

Creativity: 15 points
The way the song transitions is very smooth and well-structured. Also, the title is one of the more creative I've seen. Both songs convey an upbeat feeling, one of being PUMPED!! The piece captures this idea very perfectly, as I was very into the beat.

Preservation: 10 points
Both songs are equally present and noticeable.

Orchestration: 10 points
This instrumentation was very innovative and clever, as both songs are more electronic in nature. They were fit well to violins (although the violin soundfont in Finale is GAHHHHHHH), and I was also pleased to see a drum set, which contributed much to the upbeatness of the piece.

Presentation: 9 points
The only issue was in playability. For Violin 1, m60-end, yellow notes are present, indicating normal violins can't reach those notes. The same with electric bass in m5, 9-11, 17-19, 25-27, 35, 43, 51, 57-59, and 62.

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AmpharosAndy

Criteria - 13
Creativity - 9
Preservation - 9
Orchestration - 7
Presentation - 10

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ThatHiddenCharacter

Criteria - 15
Creativity - 15
Preservation - 10
Orchestration - 10
Presentation - 10

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Vote Bonus

+8

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Total

Criteria - 43/45
Creativity - 39/45
Preservation - 29/30
Orchestration - 27/30
Presentation - 29/30
Popular Vote - 8/15
Grand Total - 175/195

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InsigTurtle:

E. Gadd Industries

Criteria: 15 points
Not only does the arranger combine the two themes, they combine them to make a story. Despite the very morbid ending to the story, I found this piece to be AMAZING as I imagined "The Town that Once Was" being destroyed as told through the song. The criteria went above and beyond what was required.

Creativity: 15 points
This piece, is extremely unique and creative. The songs are manipulated in such ways that multiple different reactions are evoked all throughout the song, and at appropriate times. Everything is bright and lively at the start, and then it all slows down when the messengers arrive and give their news, but what really impressed me was when the heroes are brought into the plot, and the music picked up, only to fall back into darkness once again.

Preservation: 10 points
Treasure Town can be heard throughout in varying degrees of manipulation, and with varying degrees of Lavos' Theme to create the different story components.

Orchestration: 10 points
This was one of the main contributors to much of the atmosphere throughout the piece. Had the instruments chosen been any different, the story presented wouldn't have been as involved/submersive. With that many instruments to keep up with, I was surprised a big error wasn't made, given the time constraints.

Presentation: 7 points
There were a few things missing, such as double bar lines at key changes and the like, and there were a few yellow notes that I saw. Legibility was also a bit crowded in some places, which is to be expected with that many staves in one system. The legibility issue became especially a problem in the violin's staff near the end of the piece.

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AmpharosAndy

Criteria - 14
Creativity - 15
Preservation - 10
Orchestration - 9
Presentation - 9

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ThatHiddenCharacter

Criteria - 15
Creativity - 15
Preservation - 10
Orchestration - 10
Presentation - 10

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Vote Bonus

+8

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Total

Criteria - 44/45
Creativity - 45/45
Preservation - 30/30
Orchestration - 29/30
Presentation - 26/30
Popular Vote - 8/15
Grand Total - 182/195

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Dekkadeci:

E. Gadd Industries

Criteria: 15 points
Both songs were presented separately at first, and then blended together throughout the remainder of the piece. In addition, the piece transitions effectively from section to section, which are defined clearly in the PDF file.

Creativity: 15 points
The piece is most creative in how it is structured. The piece is well-organized overall. It also utilizes improvisation to help the songs flow together to ultimately make the piece how it is.

Preservation: 10 points
The piece preserves both songs well, as it even distinctively shows where the original songs are in the first parts of the song, so the listener/reader can hear each song in the piece and know what they are listening to.

Orchestration: 9 points
Instrumentation seems fitting in that the piece is rather fast, and reasonably-skilled violinists can play at such speeds.  In addition, the piece is well-suited for a string quartet. It would've added more effect to the piece to have perhaps a flute accompaniment throughout, so as to nod to "Victory's Delight." I am not saying it wasn't mentioned enough. I am just saying it would've added more color to the piece.

Presentation: 9 points
Legibility is generally good, although there are some points where things get crowded, such as m46 & 47, 53, 57, et al. Formatting is also sufficient, although a bit crowded. Finally, playability seems good, provided Violinist 1 has a moderate amount of skill.

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AmpharosAndy

Criteria - 14
Creativity - 12
Preservation - 9
Orchestration - 7
Presentation - 6

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ThatHiddenCharacter

Criteria - 15
Creativity - 15
Preservation - 10
Orchestration - 10
Presentation - 10

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Vote Bonus

+0

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Total

Criteria - 44/45
Creativity - 42/45
Preservation - 29/30
Orchestration - 26/30
Presentation - 25/30
Popular Vote - 0/15
Grand Total - 166/195

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Daj:

E. Gadd Industries

Criteria: 15 points
The two songs were combined in a skillful way that both improves on both songs and makes the overall piece enjoyable to listen to.

Creativity: 15 points
The rhythms of both songs are manipulated in a variety of ways that produce a very formal and almost foreboding effect that definitely strikes a tone with anyone listening to the piece.

Preservation: 8 points
While both themes are present, they are difficult to pick out among all the elaborate rhythms and performance methods utilized.

Orchestration: 10 points
The instrumentation chosen is highly effective in making the piece all the more interesting, and it captures the mood of the piece will. No one instrument is overused, and likewise, no one instrument is neglected. Each instrument is also played in a variety of methods, making it seem like there are more than just 5 instruments being played in a performance.

Presentation: 5 points
Firstly, there are two different names for this piece. In the PDF file, it is called "Heroes Are No Better.", while in the AV file, it is title "Heroes Are NO Different". This could cause confusion. Another point of confusion is the lack of instrument labels. It is understood to be a piano and string quartet, but not everyone may understand that. Also, playability is an issue, especially for the pianist in m97-111, as this passage requires much from the person who plays at that point. Legibility is generally good, and not much crowding occurs, except in places such as m22, and 109 (accidentals).

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AmpharosAndy

Criteria - 13
Creativity - 12
Preservation - 9
Orchestration - 8
Presentation - 7

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ThatHiddenCharacter

Criteria - 3
Creativity - 7
Preservation - 10
Orchestration - 7
Presentation - 10

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Vote Bonus

+8

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Total

Criteria - 31/45
Creativity - 34/45
Preservation - 27/30
Orchestration - 25/30
Presentation - 22/30
Popular Vote - 8/15
Grand Total - 147/195

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JDMEK5:

E. Gadd Industries

Criteria: 13 points
While the two songs are blended well, one takes the melody and the other takes the accompaniment, meaning "Powerful Mario" takes a backseat while "Zelda's Lullaby" plays to PM's background. So it doesn't necessarily "improve" upon the two.

Creativity: 14 points
The piece doesn't really go anywhere with the two songs; they are exactly as presented. One thing that saved this score, specifically, was the use of memery at the end of the piece.

Preservation: 10 points
Both themes are easily recognizable.

Orchestration: 10 points
Instrumentation was tailored well to fit each song's needs/effects, and even more was added with the vocals. The only issue: The violin was a bit overpowering.

Presentation: 8 points
Formatting was clear, although it would've made things simpler to have the specific songs listed, not just the games. Legibility was generally clear, although m3 got a little crowded with the specification of a new instrument. Playability was also good, with only a few yellow notes in the cello's staff, indicating that only the cellist would have difficulty reaching such notes with a normal cello: m10, 18, & 42

Note: The Flintstones definitely caught me off-guard.

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AmpharosAndy

Criteria - 15
Creativity - 13
Preservation - 9
Orchestration - 8
Presentation - 10

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ThatHiddenCharacter

Criteria - 15
Creativity - 15
Preservation - 10
Orchestration - 10
Presentation - 10

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Vote Bonus

+8

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Total

Criteria - 43/45
Creativity - 42/45
Preservation - 29/30
Orchestration - 28/30
Presentation - 28/30
Popular Vote - 8/15
Grand Total - 178/195

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And now, all's left is to announce the winner!
That person's name is...

DRUM ROLL PLEASE

In 8th Place...

Lkjhgfdsa_77, with a score of 100/195!

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In 7th Place...

Daj, with a score of 147/195!

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In 6th Place...

Dekkadeci, with a score of 166/195!

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In 5th Place...

Echo, with a score of 175/195!

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In 4th Place...

JDMEK5, with a score of 178/195!

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In 3rd Place...

Static, with a score of 181/195!

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And the Champion of this Arrangement Contest, with a score of 182/195 is...

Spoiler

Whoa! We have a tie! Bloop AND InsigTurtle are the Champions of Amalgamation!!

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Thanks again for everyone's support & cooperation, and I do apologise for the excessive amount of time you had to wait!

[daj]

Hehe, well played guys! ^^ And once again, thank you E Gadd for taking the time and effort to see this one through, ahaha <3

I gave my vote to Insig, because god damn that is one beautiful work. I'd never have seen the PMD2 theme in a better-presented way, and there was a story to go with it, whoo! But Bloop did a really nice one too, and I'm not surprised that the two of them tied~ ^^

Well done everyone
(p.s. thc why did you give me a 3 for criteria ahaha no hard feelings tho i kinda know why xD)

[E. Gadd Industries]

Hehe, well played guys! ^^ And once again, thank you E Gadd for taking the time and effort to see this one through, ahaha <3

I had fun, and I'm happy to see the event to completion! You are welcome!


Also, the results & everything are fully finalised now! Sorry for the WIP period; parents made me go to bed so I had to sneak over to my phone and continue from it! O_o

[ThatHiddenCharacter]

(p.s. thc why did you give me a 3 for criteria ahaha no hard feelings tho i kinda know why xD)

I don't remember, but I know I had a good reason behind it. Maybe...

[Dekkadeci]

I actually posted most of the details of the full structure of my entry in https://musescore.com/user/9996931/scores/3906481 just now, but I've been having this funny fan-thought of who's playing this piece in my head for a while:

From the Kirby series, Taranza plays Violin I and Magolor plays the Viola. (It's not coincidence that both characters are antagonists in their debut games that mend their ways afterwards but still find ways to muck around with the protagonists' heads.)
From Bravely Default, Edea plays Violin II and Ringabel plays the Cello. (I mainly picked Edea because she's assertive and Ringabel because he has amnesia, but--Bravely Default spoilers incoming--the two are both from Eternia and get involved in a relationship by the end of the game.)

Note where the instruments' parts in the development (Bars 46-72, rehearsal "numbers" B inclusive to D exclusive) come from--Violin I and the Viola both tend to play material from the Prism Plains theme (from Kirby: Squeak Squad), while Violin II and the Cello both tend to play material from "Victory's Delight" (from Bravely Default).

Ringabel has bad enough amnesia that he plays a generic bassline on the Cello fairly often, but he usually snaps out and remembers which series' material he's supposed to be playing.

All 4 characters have strong enough personalities that I think amusing friction goes on between them whenever they play this piece.

[AmpharosAndy]

In regards to daj's entry

E.Gadd: 15, 15
THC: 3, 7

There's got to be some confusion there, right?

[Bloop]

Oh fuck I didn't prepare a victory speech uhm i wanna thank my parents and my boyfriend and uh thank you

Great work everyone and congratz Insig for our shared first place! I personally think you deserved it more!