[PS2] Wild Arms Alter Code: F - "Introduction" by Tobbeh99

[Zeta]

Submission Information:
Series: Other
Game: Wild Arms Alter Code: F
Console: PlayStation 2
Title: Introduction
Instrumentation Solo Piano
Arranger: Tobbeh99

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[Tobbeh99]

The introduction theme from Wild Arms ACF. Funny how it's quite an unpopular theme from the game (my youtube video of it is one of my videos with least amount of views), but I, personally, think it's greatly suited for the piano.

-Some of the chords in the beginning are questionable as they are large intervals, and I don't know if it could be arranged in a better more pianistic way.

-The very last chord - I tried a lot of ways to imitate the guitar harmonic, and I think this is "the best". I like having it in the higher register (one octave higher), rather than, as in the original, in the middle octave. And that's because how strong, dynamically, it sounds as it is in the middle of the piano. And having it one octave higher makes it softer dynamically and makes it get an effect that it's "flying away", which is what I strove for. That it builds up in a cresc. and then suddenly disappears and then a subtle but silent chord rings out as the last chord of the song.
 

[Static]

Really nice song, and it sounds really nice on piano the way you have it. Just some small things:

- m10, beat 4, LH, layer 1: D-A instead of F#-A
- grace note should be on beat 2.5 RH in m11
- m11, beat 3, RH, layer 1: D-F#
- m11, beat 4, RH, layer 1: F#-A
- m14: top 2 notes in LH beat 4 should be an octave lower
- m18 in 5/8 section: first RH chord should be D-A instead of C-A
- melody in 18: should resolve on E in m. 19.
- there's a tie leading to nowhere in m. 20
- measure number unnecessary in bar 21
- grace note on beat 4 in m. 24?
- m. 25 RH beat 1: D not Bb
- LH there as well, beats 3-4 sound like C-D-F-C/F-C
- 26 RH beat 1: Sounds like D in the middle not C, and A in the middle for 27.
- Flip tie in 35
- m. 36 beat 3: bass changes to D
- Last chord: would recommend writing this as a single chord in its original register to feel more like the original. The rest of the arrangement, I like what you did with it but the end feels a bit emptier than you have it right now.

Other general things: some of the pedal markings aren't aligned together/neatly; also, section B should all be in 4/4 time instead of a bar of 7/8 at the beginning and a bar of 9/8 at the end

[Tobbeh99]

Fixed most of the things but:

"- there's a tie leading to nowhere in m. 20"

It's supposed to symbolize that you the note should ring for as long as it does sound. (And it's held by the sostenuto pedal.)

"- Last chord: would recommend writing this as a single chord in its original register to feel more like the original. The rest of the arrangement, I like what you did with it but the end feels a bit emptier than you have it right now."

I tried a lot of things on the piano and this is what sounded best. (but it's not supposed to be as big of a break, before the chord, as it is in the playback, but Finale playback sounds kind of bad at times).

[Dudeman]

It's supposed to symbolize that you the note should ring for as long as it does sound. (And it's held by the sostenuto pedal.)

Shouldn't you use a tenuto for that?

[Tobbeh99]

Shouldn't you use a tenuto for that?

I actually got an "accent+tenuto" there as well. Kind of exaggerated, but I rather be too clear with my notation that obscure with it. So I got both the "accent+tenuto" and the ties. I think the ties is kind of modernistic way of writing it, I think Rachmaninoff wrote like that in some of his work, for notes that are supposed to ring. I've also seen it in guitar notation where you're supposed to let an open string ring for a longer duration.

But I think the tie shows it better and more clearly. A tenuto, for me, just tells the performer to "drag" a bit or "delay" the note a bit. The tie makes it more clear that it's supposed to sound out as long as the pedal is held down.

[Latios212]

I figured that's what you meant, but here it feels strange because there's nothing wrong with just inserting the B under the tied D's.

I would suggest taking it out because:
- The bass does a similar thing in the measures before and after (i.e. sustained beat 1 + eighth notes) but it's written normally there.
- Here you have regular pedal indicated so it wouldn't make an audible difference anyway whether you hold it or not.

[Tobbeh99]

I figured that's what you meant, but here it feels strange because there's nothing wrong with just inserting the B under the tied D's.

I would suggest taking it out because:
- The bass does a similar thing in the measures before and after (i.e. sustained beat 1 + eighth notes) but it's written normally there.
- Here you have regular pedal indicated so it wouldn't make an audible difference anyway whether you hold it or not.

Where? What measures are you talking about?

[Latios212]

20 compared to 19 and 21.

Also, some articulations are flipped in 13 (LH).
And is there any reason why 9-10 RH is stemmed upwards?

[Tobbeh99]

Aah I see what you mean. I can fix that.

Also, some articulations are flipped in 13 (LH).

Not sure which way they should be tbh. Can you give me a pic of how it should look. 

And is there any reason why 9-10 RH is stemmed upwards?

I think it looks better that way. Better spaced, leaving some space in between the staves.

I'll fix this when you give me a pic of how the articulations should look (so I can fix everything in one update).

[Latios212]

Oh, you just have them below the notes for beats 2 and 4 instead of above, like in the following measure, that's all.

About 9-10, I think it looks just fine flipped normally (nothing wrong with 11-12 which have RH notes stemmed downwards) but that's up to you I guess.

About m. 18... I was partially talking about how it jumps to a different octave (the E) compared to before.

[Tobbeh99]

Oh, you just have them below the notes for beats 2 and 4 instead of above, like in the following measure, that's all.

You mean like this?

[Latios212]

Yup

[Tobbeh99]

Fixed that.

[Maelstrom]

Just touched up m14's mordent/slur collision.
Accepted.