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Performances => Other Performance Videos => Topic started by: daj on June 12, 2016, 07:47:54 PM

Title: dajwxp - Quick-Learns! ^^ (SSBB Fire Emblem Theme! [Latios212])
Post by: daj on June 12, 2016, 07:47:54 PM

performance thingies!
i.e. my quick-learn funsies thread~

the channel! (https://www.youtube.com/user/DAJWxP)

the performance playlist! (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl9PKd84tpZuDzRXsTBTfDcdLam4zRS63)




The Quick-Learn.
me can read your arrangements! ^^

The title says it all. I pick up a piece, turn on 110% focus for as long as required, and polish it to at least 80% performance standard. It is really intense, and I love it. Haha. :p

I used to scavenge Classical collections for easy-ish pieces for this purpose last time, but it happens that I'm in a site that publishes VGM arrangements online, most of which are infinitely more fun to play than Classical stuff. So yes! I will gladly take requests for this ^^

My objective is to give you the best possible rendition of your awesome arrangement using the power of focus and concentration. Aaand it's good training for me, so I kinda benefit too :)




Pokemon DPPt - Route 201 (Day)
Latios212
70 mins / Quite Tough

Spoiler
[close]



Pokemon XY - Route 1
Latios212
30 minutes / Not Too Bad ^^

Spoiler
[close]



Mario Kart Wii - No Trophy For You!
Sebastian
10 minutes / Fun-Read :)

Spoiler
[close]



Pokemon DPPt - Snowpoint City
me ^^
75 minutes / Quite Tough

Spoiler
[close]



Chrono Trigger - Wind Scene
G-Han
50 minutes / Moderate

Spoiler
[close]



Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Starship Mario 1
Sebastian
90 minutes / Difficult

Spoiler
[close]



Chrono Trigger - Ocean Palace
The Deku Trombonist
120 minutes / Difficult

Spoiler
[close]



Kirby's Epic Yarn - Green Greens
Onionleaf
175 minutes / Difficult

Spoiler
[close]



Pokemon DPPt - Valor Lakefront (Night)
me!~
105 minutes / Moderate

Spoiler
[close]



Undertale - Fallen Down
braixen1264
60 minutes / Moderate

Spoiler
[close]



Undertale - Snowdin Town
braixen1264
120 minutes / Moderate-Tough

Spoiler
[close]






Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: cashwarrior1 on June 12, 2016, 07:51:21 PM
Don't push yourself too hard on these, you want to make sure you can perform the song well and do it justice!
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: mikey on June 12, 2016, 07:59:18 PM
Hey that's really good
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: Latios212 on June 12, 2016, 08:42:33 PM
W-WHAT

HOW DO YOU SIGHT READ THAT IN NO TIME AT ALL

AMAZE
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: daj on June 12, 2016, 09:09:23 PM
Quote from: NocturneOfShadow on June 12, 2016, 07:59:18 PMHey that's really good

Haha, thank you so much ^^

Quote from: Latios212 on June 12, 2016, 08:42:33 PMW-WHAT

HOW DO YOU SIGHT READ THAT IN NO TIME AT ALL

AMAZE

Through pain and the fires of hell, materialising in the form of frikkin middle voice triplets in the last four bars. What the heck were you thinking? >:(

Haha nah, bad joke. The writing was intricate, but not as illogical as a Bach Fugue, and extremely fun to work out. You could probably see it in the video! ^^ I was really into the playing, and that's a good arrangement you have there. The clear writing helped a lot with the learning and you gave me, as a performer, lots of liberty to mess around with the expressions. Which was awesome~

A good performance begins with a good score, no? :)

One more thing! If you'd like, I can scan the the score that I read and mutilated in the process - if you're into those things ^^


Quote from: cashwarrior1 on June 12, 2016, 07:51:21 PMDon't push yourself too hard on these, you want to make sure you can perform the song well and do it justice!

Definitely! :) Doing a piece justice is a given. But not pushing hard is against my core values haha. So yeah~
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: FireArrow on June 13, 2016, 08:53:33 PM
Waiiiiit, this is so cool. Besides that one slip up you made the triplets flow perfectly with the piece im so jealous

Now onto the more important matter...
Quote from: dajwxp on June 12, 2016, 09:09:23 PMHaha nah, bad joke. The writing was intricate, but not as illogical as a Bach Fugue, and extremely fun to work out.

Woah there buddy, I'll have you not insult my bf like that. I'll have you know bach is amazing - and highly logical - and his fugues are the greatest things to ever bless this earth.
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: daj on June 13, 2016, 09:11:36 PM
Quote from: FireArrow on June 13, 2016, 08:53:33 PMNow onto the more important matter...
Woah there buddy, I'll have you not insult my bf like that. I'll have you know bach is amazing - and highly logical - and his fugues are the greatest things to ever bless this earth.

You...would be completely right to say that. :p. Man, now that I read back what I wrote I realised I messed up something, haha. I think I was thinking about intricacy with regards to messed-up fingering, and that wasn't the right way to put it. At all. Forgive me, Bach! >< forgive the asians, for my asian engrish limits me actually not really at all it was just ignorant haha take that bach

Mm, hope it clarifies something! Was a slip-up on my part ^^;. Thought about intricacy, somehow linked to crazy fingerings, and the writing skipped a step there. Sorry bout that, we all love Bach :)

(and yes i loved studying his fugues too! playing them was a completely different experience though.)
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: Olimar12345 on June 14, 2016, 09:17:45 AM
Just FYI: "sight reading" refers to the first time you read and play something without practicing it. Technically you did aight read this at the beginning, but performing this after an hour of practicing it doesn't really make it a "sight-reading" exercise anymore, lol.
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: daj on June 14, 2016, 05:00:13 PM
Quote from: Olimar12345 on June 14, 2016, 09:17:45 AMJust FYI: "sight reading" refers to the first time you read and play something without practicing it. Technically you did aight read this at the beginning, but performing this after an hour of practicing it doesn't really make it a "sight-reading" exercise anymore, lol.

Ooh. You're right, hehe. Wasn't taught it that way haha, but now I know! Thanks for pointing it out! :)

Changed the title to "1-Hour Learn"! :) Doesn't have as cool a ring to it, but oh well~

Will change the youtube name once i get proper wifi!
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: Onionleaf on June 16, 2016, 04:16:30 AM
That was great! Would love to hear more NSM performances from you. :)
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: daj on June 18, 2016, 03:50:38 AM
Quote from: Onionleaf on June 16, 2016, 04:16:30 AMThat was great! Would love to hear more NSM performances from you. :)

Thank you so much man ^^

~

Oh yes! I intend to do at least one quick-learn either tomorrow or on Monday. Currently completely open and undecided; if you guys have scores that you want read and you think are fun to play hehe that would be a nice bonus please feel free to drop me PMs with scores! ^^ Would love to read your sheets :)

Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: daj on June 20, 2016, 03:05:22 AM

Latios212's Route 1, from Pokemon XY! :) Really fun (and much easier haha the route 201 was tough) little work there.

Don't mind the little bit of messing around at the end, hehe.
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: DS on June 20, 2016, 04:51:14 AM
Oh my gosh LOL when you started playing the "Athletic" theme at the end :*)

That was really cute (um, don't take that in a creepy way plz), I love messing around with songs and adding different harmonies or rhythms, it's just so great to be able to put your own spin on a song
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: Latios212 on June 20, 2016, 09:21:28 PM
Hey this is pretty perfect for just an hour, yet again ^^ Thanks again for taking the time to play my sheet!
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: daj on June 21, 2016, 01:44:34 AM
Quote from: DS on June 20, 2016, 04:51:14 AMOh my gosh LOL when you started playing the "Athletic" theme at the end :*)

That was really cute (um, don't take that in a creepy way plz), I love messing around with songs and adding different harmonies or rhythms, it's just so great to be able to put your own spin on a song

Didn't intend to play the "Athletic" theme specifically, but whee! Nice to know that something materialised out of it :p

Also yes! Improvisation is fun. Very fun :)

Quote from: Latios212 on June 20, 2016, 09:21:28 PMHey this is pretty perfect for just an hour, yet again ^^ Thanks again for taking the time to play my sheet!

No problem :)

Once again, thank you for a fantastic sheet!~
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: cashwarrior1 on June 21, 2016, 04:48:28 AM
Quote from: dajwxp on June 21, 2016, 01:44:34 AMDidn't intend to play the "Athletic" theme specifically, but whee!
Latios?
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: FireArrow on June 21, 2016, 08:14:53 PM
That was really cute (take that in the creepy way plz) when you started dancing to it about 8 seconds in.
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: daj on June 22, 2016, 04:27:54 AM
Quote from: cashwarrior1 on June 21, 2016, 04:48:28 AMLatios?

More like, Mr. Kageyama?
(the guy who composed the original route 1)

Quote from: FireArrow on June 21, 2016, 08:14:53 PMThat was really cute (take that in the creepy way plz) when you started dancing to it about 8 seconds in.

Haha xD *blush*

I knew that I was dancing a little in the recording haha, buuut having someone point that out was...awesome in a weird way? :p Thanks for the comment haha! ^^ If you ever see any weird antics appearing in future videos, know that your comment made them possible :)

Though, I'm not sure how you can NOT dance to a fun little piece like that. It's so happy! Argh! It's like the kind of song that makes you want to smash innocent tiny pokes without regret :')

-

P.s. Doing one read tomorrow! If you guys have stuff that you want read (preferably on site haha) then feel free to shoot me one ^^
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: daj on June 22, 2016, 08:57:37 PM
Did on ultra-quick read of Sebastian's "No Trophy For You!" from Mario Kart Wii. It was so quick that i thought I could do a much tougher one, so for the funsies and because DS brought it up, I went for the Athletic Rag...and I failed miserably.

Watch me fail at ragtime: https://www.instagram.com/ord061117/BG-1_uEM_F4

You can't learn that in an hour, haha. I'll hold on to it for some time :p


Though, this little track here is something I'd definitely play to someone who's failed miserably in something ^^

*plays to myself*



also changed the name of these fast projects from "1-hr Learn" to "Quick-Learn", because that's what I started calling it after I realised that you couldn't always jam your sessions within an hour.

just to clear the muck, the reason why i termed it a "one-hour read" at first was because i usually spent the first hour of each practice session on learning simple pieces for performance. usually it stops after one piece, so i assume it takes up the full hour~
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: daj on June 23, 2016, 10:48:37 PM
Did my own Snowpoint City today! Also found some mistakes haha, buuut that's for me to fix.

Anyway, video! ^^

Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: DS on June 25, 2016, 03:34:17 AM
Oh hey, you look like a guy I know... do you just happen to have amazing handwriting or be very skilled in calligraphy, perchance?
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: daj on June 25, 2016, 06:38:58 AM
Quote from: DS on June 25, 2016, 03:34:17 AMOh hey, you look like a guy I know... do you just happen to have amazing handwriting or be very skilled in calligraphy, perchance?

Mm, good handwriting, kinda. That's what people say, along with the fact that I write for ants to read. If you'd like, the route 216 art on my arrangement thread has a pretty accurate sample ^^

Nothing about calligraphy though! :)

(pm me if you'd like toguess bwahahaha)
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: daj on June 25, 2016, 08:42:38 PM
Quick-Read: "Wind Scene" from Chrono Trigger
by G-Han, with a bunch of edits


Did a new read! ^^ It was actually much tougher than I thought it would be haha. Learning it was easy, but getting it recorded was not - the blips in the bassline have to be hit perfectly. And that took a while. Would have given a little more practice time to those if I had a chance to try this again~
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: daj on June 30, 2016, 11:18:53 PM
Quick-Read: "Starship Mario" from Super Mario Galaxy 2
Sebastian



HOLY CRUD THAT WAS HARD. and awesome ^^

Eh, not a perfect recording; you probably can hear a bunch of mistakes. Buuuut it's the best I could pull off in ninety minutes and dragging the session any longer would by bad.
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: WaluigiTime64 on July 01, 2016, 12:03:22 AM
Jeez, some people are so awesome. In 90 minutes? Wow. It would take me days to learn a song like that.
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: Onionleaf on July 01, 2016, 04:07:28 AM
I second that! Wish it would only take me that long to learn a piece and bring it up to such a high standard.
Love coming back here and seeing your choice of arrangements, you're doing a superb job!
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: DS on July 01, 2016, 04:26:56 AM
OK now I have to learn to play this 0_o

Loving the bounce you have in your technique, just reminds me so much of the OST when I used to play SMG2 and just screw around by jumping on everyone's heads and throwing Starbits at them :P My favorite part though had to be 2:39
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: daj on July 01, 2016, 04:41:59 AM
Quote from: WaluigiTime64 on July 01, 2016, 12:03:22 AMJeez, some people are so awesome. In 90 minutes? Wow. It would take me days to learn a song like that.

Quote from: Onionleaf on July 01, 2016, 04:07:28 AMI second that! Wish it would only take me that long to learn a piece and bring it up to such a high standard.

Ahh, you're all too kind. I'm flattered, ahh, thank you so much <3

It doesn't come easy at all though, haha. Maybe in the future I'll post a little video on the learning process, where you'll see me mumbling to myself and defacing the score. And then all the flop recordings too, haha. Hard work over talent, skill over flair ^^

But heck, I won't discount your kind remarks - thank you so much, I promise to deliver more and better ^^

QuoteLove coming back here and seeing your choice of arrangements, you're doing a superb job!

This comment made my day and my next few days! ^^ I love you man~

If you'd like feel free to send me scores that you'd like read! I mean, it's open to everyone, buuuut i feel some kind of need to resiprocate your kind words and playing something you wrote would be a nice start ^^. No shame~

Quote from: DS on July 01, 2016, 04:26:56 AMOK now I have to learn to play this 0_o

haha didn't you, latios and I call dibs on this at some point? ;)

It is -very- hard, I promise you. Spent around forty minutes just working on that left-hand part, fifteen minutes on everything else, and the rest of the time on recording. It is tough. If you wanna learn it though, definitely start from the left hand and build up! ^^ After you've secured your left hand pattern then work on your right hand notes, then your right hand phrasing - the phrasing is very different in both hands, hehe.

All the best! Looking forward to awesomeness <3

QuoteLoving the bounce you have in your technique, just reminds me so much of the OST when I used to play SMG2 and just screw around by jumping on everyone's heads and throwing Starbits at them :P

Haha, thank you! ^^ Worked on that a lot; it warms me to hear you say that, thank you again :)

QuoteMy favorite part though had to be 2:39

Haha yes! Don't we all love some screwing around? ^^
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: DS on July 01, 2016, 06:02:15 PM
Quote from: dajwxp on July 01, 2016, 04:41:59 AMIt is -very- hard, I promise you. Spent around forty minutes just working on that left-hand part, fifteen minutes on everything else, and the rest of the time on recording. It is tough. If you wanna learn it though, definitely start from the left hand and build up! ^^ After you've secured your left hand pattern then work on your right hand notes, then your right hand phrasing - the phrasing is very different in both hands, hehe.

Yeah I just started working on it today, that LH is tough but once I got it, it just felt so  ::)
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: DS on July 02, 2016, 06:27:06 AM
Quote from: dajwxp on July 01, 2016, 04:41:59 AMhaha didn't you, latios and I call dibs on this at some point? ;)

Probably, but I call dibs on "World S", I've already gotten started on it :P
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: daj on July 02, 2016, 06:38:08 AM
Quote from: DS on July 01, 2016, 06:02:15 PMYeah I just started working on it today, that LH is tough but once I got it, it just felt so  ::)

Yes! Absolutely :)
The feeling is so sweet, haha~

Quote from: DS on July 02, 2016, 06:27:06 AMProbably, but I call dibs on "World S", I've already gotten started on it :P

Yes, you may have your world s ;)
i'll just go learn the gusty garden bwahaha

Haha but anyway don't worry too much about overlapping, because we have different styles, different recording methods and all of that. So yeah~
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: Latios212 on July 03, 2016, 05:57:05 PM
Quote from: dajwxp on July 01, 2016, 04:41:59 AMhaha didn't you, latios and I call dibs on this at some point? ;)
Haha yeah... well... I've played it on and off for a week or two and I don't think it sounds as good as this yet lol xD
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies! ^^
Post by: daj on July 04, 2016, 03:39:14 AM
Quote from: Latios212 on July 03, 2016, 05:57:05 PMHaha yeah... well... I've played it on and off for a week or two and I don't think it sounds as good as this yet lol xD

It's a tough, tough piece, haha. Was as gone as a drunk man after I pulled off that recording, haha. Yes! Do stagger your load. :p




Quick-Read: "Ocean Palace" from Chrono Trigger
The Deku Trombonist


Two hours! Holy crud, this was really tough.
A beautiful arrangement, though. It's not too technically difficult, but it's a hell of a piece to wrap your mind around.

But still, really well-written, clear direction, so much yes. That was fun :)
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies: Quick-Learns! ^^
Post by: The Deku Trombonist on July 04, 2016, 08:51:45 PM
Hehe yeah I had a little go on the piano when I was writing it and it is a bit of a brain-bender.

Nice work though, it sounds great!

If I might make two little suggestions: Perhaps less (or even no) pedal at 53? Just to milk the most that you absolutely can out of the contrast of that section.
And in the LH at bar 41, less of the low octaves and more of the accented notes? I think it keeps it driving to the next bar. Up to you though, they're both different effects, each with their merits.

But as I said, awesome playing!
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies: Quick-Learns! ^^
Post by: daj on July 04, 2016, 09:13:29 PM
Quote from: Deku Trombonist on July 04, 2016, 08:51:45 PMHehe yeah I had a little go on the piano when I was writing it and it is a bit of a brain-bender.

Nice work though, it sounds great!

Thank you! And thank you once again for a phenomenal arrangement :)

QuoteIf I might make two little suggestions: Perhaps less (or even no) pedal at 53? Just to milk the most that you absolutely can out of the contrast of that section.

You sir, have found a little technical flaw in my playing that I was actually aware of, haha :)

Yes, you can and should use close to no pedal or no pedal in that section to make the contrast a lot more effective. But you need to: 1) do a beautiful transition from the previous pedal-heavy section involving pedal gradation (very easy to botch completely) and 2) be confident that you can do the octave leaps (which are okay normally, but I'm not used to the 4ths yet). And in a recording setting I wasn't too confident in executing these moves.

So yes, you've found a little weak spot which I winged over. Hehe.

QuoteAnd in the LH at bar 41, less of the low octaves and more of the accented notes? I think it keeps it driving to the next bar. Up to you though, they're both different effects, each with their merits.

Ahh. This comes as a little surprise. Thought you would have wanted a little more melodic shape than forward progression haha, but now I know ^^

If I ever pull out this sheet again (which i probably will) and it comes out good enough for another recording then I'll go take some time to work these parts :)

Thanks for the comments and suggestions! ^^
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies: Quick-Learns! ^^
Post by: daj on July 07, 2016, 01:49:41 AM
Quick-Learn: "Green Greens" from Kirby's Epic Yarn
Onionleaf

Haha, spent a lot more time than I should have on this xD. Ahh, it's such a wonderful piece, though. Onionleaf brings sunshine to your day, and I'm glad I can be a middle man (as a performer, haha) in this exchange ^^

It's a good arrangement! It sounds good when played. It's not at the standard which I will start throwing in lots of praise, but it's definitely worth a read if you want some happiness in your soul. Provided you're not the one performing it, haha. It's not so easy.

That being said, I kinda messed up this time. If you want to know how i messed up (and why I didn't do the repeat) you may open the spoiler below, buuuuut my mistakes don't really kill the quality of the recording or speak anything about Onionleaf's arrangement~

Either way, enjoy!~

Spoiler
Basically, I was lazy. Hehe. I severely underestimated the difficulty of the score. Could have done it in an hour, but I chose to get recording faster than I had finished learning the piece, so I was winging a lot of parts. And you know, it's hard to control being afraid when you reach a part that you haven't really worked to the best yet.

In the end I wasted a lot of time re-recording (90 minutes, haha, that's longer than my Route 216) because there were always those weak spots. It got tiring and frustrating, but every run had to begin with utter confidence and happiness, so I did some flourishes to psyche myself up, haha.

Case in point, learn your pieces well before recording ^^
[close]

Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies: Quick-Learns! ^^
Post by: Onionleaf on July 11, 2016, 04:22:07 AM
Aaah, that put a big smile on my face, thanks for sharing! :D I hope learning the piece wasn't too frustrating for you. If not for your comments I would not have guessed from watching your performance that it was a challenge. Performing music always means to make it look like it was easy, so it sounds like this music sheet is a great exercise for this.

(Feel free to throw in some changes to the sheet and send them to me if you'd like. I sometimes take my sheets to the piano to see how well they sound and feel with a "live performance", so any comments would surely be of help)

Best of luck for your next Quick Learn project!
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies: Quick-Learns! ^^
Post by: daj on July 11, 2016, 05:31:46 AM
Quote from: Onionleaf on July 11, 2016, 04:22:07 AMAaah, that put a big smile on my face, thanks for sharing! :D I hope learning the piece wasn't too frustrating for you. If not for your comments I would not have guessed from watching your performance that it was a challenge. Performing music always means to make it look like it was easy, so it sounds like this music sheet is a great exercise for this.

(Feel free to throw in some changes to the sheet and send them to me if you'd like. I sometimes take my sheets to the piano to see how well they sound and feel with a "live performance", so any comments would surely be of help)

Best of luck for your next Quick Learn project!

Glad to know! ^^ It was probably the most memorable and most meaningful live recording I've had in a while. Man, the video was supposed to be a lot more energetic than this too, buuut after one hour of recording you kinda naturally get over-careful. And then things tense up and, ironically, make your playing worse. Ahh, it's weird.

Anyway, I'll drop you a PM regarding this sheet, but thank you so much for the fun! It was really awesome.



Quick-Learn: "Valor Lakefront (Night)" from Pokemon DPPt
me!~


Dang, it was tougher than I thought. Took longer than the Snowpoint, haha, which was weird. Think it's hard for me to stay relaxed or something, because on my last take (the one that ended up getting uploaded, whee) I did a little relaxation mantra at the beginning and suddenly everything worked. Hmm, problems.

Anyway, enjoy!



Oh, and important stuff!

I'll be adding links to the sheet music downloads of the scores in the descriptions of my quick-read videos! Think it makes more sense that way. We are, after all, a sheet music database, and I'm stealing sheets to read from a sheet music database, so we should be recognised as such! Or something. Idk. Sent a message to the ones who've I've read scores from asking for permission - because hey, in the creative industries, nothing is cool if no permission is given.

much love!
Title: Re: dajwxp - Performance Thingies: Quick-Learns! ^^
Post by: daj on July 18, 2016, 12:23:04 AM
Quick-Learn: "Fallen Down" from Undertale
braixen1264


So I never played Undertale, and I think I sub-consciously underrated the game by a lot...just because people do that to indie games. And then this track shows up. It looks easy enough, it looks simple, and it seems like it's good but not anything impressive. The magic only starts once I play the first few bars and work the second section, and I realise how frikkin beautiful this is and how well the entire track is constructed. Holy crud, I loved it so much. I felt like I was some sheep mother caressing her child (yeah, I read a little about the game too and heard boss themes HOLY SHIT THE BOSS THEMES ARE GOOD) and it was passionate, yet homely and simple.

Argh, such a good soundtrack. Can't believe it flew under my radar. Definitely keeping my eyes open for more of this game, and maybe I'll go get it on Steam. Hmm.

pokemon dppt is still the best btw. that is forever undisputed in my heart
Title: Re: dajwxp - Quick-Learns! ^^ (180716: Undertale - "Fallen Down" [braixen1264])
Post by: PetrifiedLasagna on August 10, 2016, 10:29:41 PM
I discovered your thread while doing some awful audio editing and it really lifted my mood. You are pretty amazing on the piano and have my utmost respect. Keep up the good work.  :)
Title: Re: dajwxp - Quick-Learns! ^^ (040916: "Snowdin Town", Undertale! [braixen1264])
Post by: daj on September 03, 2016, 06:48:34 PM
Quote from: PetrifiedLasagna on August 10, 2016, 10:29:41 PMI discovered your thread while doing some awful audio editing and it really lifted my mood. You are pretty amazing on the piano and have my utmost respect. Keep up the good work.  :)

Ahh, I was sure i replied to this at some point. Sorry to leave ya hanging.

But thank you so much for your compliment, brother! :) Much love~



Quick-Learn: "Snowdin Town" from Undertale
braixen1264


So I'm going to do more polished quick-learns now! ^^ These are still almost-raw takes, except with proper mic-ing and very minor edits.

Time taken: 120 minutes
- 60 minutes familiarisation + refining
- 60 minutes recording, five takes done

Edits made: 1 note ;)
(if you can spot it you get a prize!)



Extra kudos to braix for a fantastic, clean score which is automatically the best on the internet~
Title: Re: dajwxp - Quick-Learns! ^^ (040916: "Snowdin Town" from Undertale! [braixen1264])
Post by: cashwarrior1 on September 03, 2016, 07:05:46 PM
I guess I quick-learn all the songs I play. Usually when I learn a song, it takes from 1 to 2 hours. Albeit, they're not ready to perform like you, but it still is done pretty fast. I usually learn a section of the song, replay it through, learn the next and repeat. I then play it all the way through with the music then do it memorized.
Title: Re: dajwxp - Quick-Learns! ^^ (040916: "Snowdin Town" from Undertale! [braixen1264])
Post by: Oronoco on September 03, 2016, 07:50:21 PM
I missed all these videos when I disappeared over the summer, but I'm really enjoying them now. You're really gifted, and it makes me so happy to see some great sheets from NSM being performed. Snowdin sounds so light and cheerful! Great job!
Title: Re: dajwxp - Quick-Learns! ^^ (040916: "Snowdin Town" from Undertale! [braixen1264])
Post by: daj on September 04, 2016, 06:45:01 AM
Quote from: Oronoco on September 03, 2016, 07:50:21 PMI missed all these videos when I disappeared over the summer, but I'm really enjoying them now. You're really gifted, and it makes me so happy to see some great sheets from NSM being performed. Snowdin sounds so light and cheerful! Great job!

Ah, humbled. Thank you for your kind comments, promise that these will only get better in quality over time as I figure out my techniques and stuff ^^

You've also reminded me about the whole reading-NSM-scores thing. I'll always be open to trying out arrangements from any and all franchises! ^^ Opening up to new styles is awesome, and sometimes it rewards amazingly. The Fallen Down quick-learn braix suggested was my first and most decisive step into the Undertale OST, haha, and that was a fantastic experience <3

So yeah! Always open to try your scores if you'd like to hear them live :) Not all scores will work out but I've only turned down one so far, whoop~

Quote from: cashwarrior1 on September 03, 2016, 07:05:46 PMI guess I quick-learn all the songs I play. Usually when I learn a song, it takes from 1 to 2 hours. Albeit, they're not ready to perform like you, but it still is done pretty fast. I usually learn a section of the song, replay it through, learn the next and repeat. I then play it all the way through with the music then do it memorized.

Haha, being able to learn pieces in really short amounts of time is great! :) But um, don't mind some sharing - the whole purpose for me doing quick-reads/learns was to train focus. Learning a score quick isn't really about doing it until you've got it right. For the Snowdin I spent 60 minutes on the learning, but half of that time was spent on tiny details like the mordents, accompaniment phrasing, same-note-finger-changing, pedalling and all. The rest of the time was spent doing what I call "familiarisation" - i.e. play slow, then build speed; this works for sections which I know are well within my technical reach and I just need to learn the basic stuff well for.

In essence, quick-learns are, to me, about efficiently pinpointing the parts that are to be refined and distinguishing them from those that only need familiarisation, drilling the potential shortfalls (shortcomings/pitfalls) as efficiently as possible, and settling as many rough edges as possible, all that within a short time. That needs immense focus, and that was the whole goal of doing these when I was drilling Classical stuff.

But y'know, VGM is different. You're going to have fun, and you're going to feel awesome. So if you've accomplished that in two hours you've done it right ^^
Title: Re: dajwxp - Quick-Learns! ^^ (040916: "Snowdin Town" from Undertale! [braixen1264])
Post by: cashwarrior1 on September 04, 2016, 09:09:27 AM
Quote from: dajwxp on September 04, 2016, 06:45:01 AMIn essence, quick-learns are, to me, about efficiently pinpointing the parts that are to be refined and distinguishing them from those that only need familiarisation, drilling the potential shortfalls (shortcomings/pitfalls) as efficiently as possible, and settling as many rough edges as possible, all that within a short time. That needs immense focus, and that was the whole goal of doing these when I was drilling Classical stuff.
Well, I've never tried it like that, maybe there's something I can do when learning a new song.
Title: Re: dajwxp - Quick-Learns! ^^ (091016: "Sympathy and Sincerity" [Bespinben])
Post by: daj on October 09, 2016, 02:44:49 AM
Draft Record: "Sympathy and Sincerity" from PMD: GtI
Bespinben


You may stop watching after the first repeat, ahaha. Second round was a mess :p

Not a proper recording because I couldn't make the recording by the end of the weekend. Audio equipment was ready and the technical bits were more or less settled, buuuut I played too much Overwatch and I wanted to do a really good job on this one.

I'll say it again - frikkin amazing sheet from Bespinben here. Skip to around 1:40 (wherever the climax is) and you'll see the equivalent of a pianist's trigger-happy mode. I'll do a full write-up + analysis once this comes out, but yeah. Loved learning this, looking forward to the execution ^^

Proper recording + cheating shenanigans coming out next weekend! :)
Title: Re: dajwxp - Quick-Learns! ^^ (091016: "Sympathy and Sincerity", PMD3! [Bespinben])
Post by: daj on October 15, 2016, 07:11:21 AM
"Sympathy and Sincerity" from PMD: GtI
Bespinben


Done!
- around 5 hours went into the project in total, including recording and production time.
- learning + refining took 2 hours-ish
- this is a legit single-take recording ;)

~

Along with the release of this video, I'd just like to say a bunch of things about how awesome working with this piece of music has been. It's a long one, so I've hidden it in a spoiler - but the idea is that Bespinben's pulled off a beautiful one, the PMD plot links in a subtle and wonderful way, and I cried a bit (cuz PMD) many times.

Enjoy! :)

Release Notes:
Spoiler
This was the first Bespinben arrangement I've done, and I'm quite sure it'll be the first of many more. It's amazing, and that's not enough to full express myself. So I wrote some notes. Yeah. Pretty much.

I found this arrangement immediately when Bespinben released it, and it was a beautiful presentation...but it was only after a PMD2 run that re-visiting it truly captivated me.

We'll talk about the arrangement itself first:

Scale-wise, it was perfect for a commonly accessible work, being structurally similar to the original but fresh in every other aspect. The opening two sections took the original sounds and re-interpreted them in a fashion that was perfect for a piano song to be played ("sung") to yourself in a small room. The middle section, with its wavering dynamics and sensitive writing, scrapped the all-encompassing string textures in the original entirely for a vulnerable stage-whisper. The climax was passionate and powerful, yet in an almost Chopin-esque style, small. The whole piece came together as a vulnerable lament in a microcosmic world, which was a brilliant re-interpretation of the expressive cry-out-to-the-world PMD style.

But aside of its musical dimension, Bespinben tied his release to a significant (PMD-moral) plot point. It was a simple in-game quote accompanied with a simple message as a tribute to a certain Virizion's character. At first it was deep and cool, but when I revisited it, I realised how awesome that quote was and I dived head-first into the plot. And that became a core part of my release, while also supplementing my performance delivery and hitting me with a good ol' dose of PMD feels.

(spoilers here)
Spoiler
So based on the way Bespinben presented it, I thought Virizion was the moral heroine of the PMD3 plot, bashful yet firm with her values. I searched up "virizion gates to infinity", spoilt the only good part of the game (i.e. the plot) for myself in Marriland's fantastic voice acting, and it turned out that she was a diva who didn't believe in friends and protected herself from the world by icing out everyone. Including poor Dunsparce. :(

Oh, and the quote he quoted was from the protagonist's partner, who, based on the PMD formula, is always the moral hero/heroine of the world. Welp.

The funny thing was that I didn't hear the soundtrack being played. And if Bespinben tied the release to Virizion's character and "thanked her for the life lessons", I was pretty sure he wasn't making a joke out of it. So, being the perfect PMD fan, I spoilt the whole plot for myself on the wiki to find Virizion's nice-guy appearance.

Something directed me to the final episode when Keldeo makes his appearance (and Virizion expresses her feelings for Emolga, come on Chunsoft seriously?? twas cute though). The secret is revealed, Virizion breaks down and weeps like a baby after a whole game of being cool, and I don't cry. At all. I'm a grown-ass man and cartoons don't make me cry.

(haha who am i kidding every pokemon fan cries at some point when playing pmd. i was dying everywhere.)

Everything came full-circle as a beautiful plot arc. In the world of moral nihilism, Virizion lost her best friend to a really cheesy misunderstanding ("that horrible letter", oh!), and grew to distrust everyone. When she finally broke down, the human-protagonist and moral-hero partner were on the way to crush the essence of negativity from the world, and the effect was just bone-chilling. I cried a lot. ;(
[close]

And so Bespinben's Sympathy and Sincerity delivered itself as Virizion's vulnerable plot arc. From insecure distrust to the extreme of nihilism, a painful loneliness in moments of silence, and finally, the heroic dissolution of all negativity, tailing off with Virizion's broken weeping in the sight of her best friend. That's the way I read it, and needless to say, it was a beautifully fulfilling experience that only the PMD series, along with Bespinben's thoughtful writing, could deliver.

I think this is the way VGM arrangements can truly find beauty. The PMD games happen to be plot-heavy and sensitive, so a good arrangement that finds itself tied in with the plot can really hit home. On a vulnerable piece like this, emphasizing small-ness and emptiness can crystallise the classic PMD feels, rewarding performers for studying their context (bwahahahaha) and doing their fair share of musical reflection.

Now, it's not that this piece would be boring as a standalone work - on the contrary, this is brilliant writing: technically sound, well-balanced, and complete with pianistic flourishes that, when performed, are tantamount to giving pianists happy-drugs. But take a well-written piece, weave it in to a plot that needs no exposition on the composer's part, deliver a message that no one expects, and you've got something beautiful.

Thanks for the journey, man. Really enjoyed it, and more than that I hope I'll get many more of such experiences as I delve into your collection ;)
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Title: Re: dajwxp - Quick-Learns! ^^ (070117: "Lonely Lillie" [Zeila])
Post by: daj on January 07, 2017, 08:36:39 AM
"Lonely Lillie" from Pokemon Sun and Moon
Zeila


Whoop! Didn't want this to be done, but welp.
- 3 hours or so of ultra-space-zoned-in focus time
- 2 hours of prod
- me actually staying on schedule for a project like this for once <3

~

Well, we all love this track. :p Would love to write more but it's late here so yeah ^^;

Also there's a part where I talk to a camera and ask the youtube people if they want an easy version/guided version ^^

Enjoy guys! :)
Title: Re: dajwxp - Quick-Learns! ^^ (070117: "Lonely Lillie" [Zeila])
Post by: Sebastian on January 07, 2017, 09:19:55 AM
Excellent job! Now you are the type of performer that I strive hard to be like haha.
You've got so much skill. Jelly. : )
Title: Re: dajwxp - Quick-Learns! ^^ (070117: "Lonely Lillie" [Zeila])
Post by: Onionleaf on January 07, 2017, 05:12:39 PM
What a beautiful performance! It's nice of you to offer to simplify the arrangement for less confident pianists.
I'll have a go at playing this piece as Zeila wrote it, but I'll definitely need more than 3 hours to bring it up to a decent level!  :o
Title: Re: dajwxp - Quick-Learns! ^^ (070117: "Lonely Lillie" [Zeila])
Post by: daj on January 07, 2017, 06:51:14 PM
Quote from: Sebastian on January 07, 2017, 09:19:55 AMExcellent job! Now you are the type of performer that I strive hard to be like haha.
You've got so much skill. Jelly. : )

Thank you, first and foremost, for using the term "skill" over "talent". <3 I'll never discount the value of hard work and the luck which gave me opportunities to put in said hard work, and it's always nice to hear people who believe in that value system :)

And thank you for the kind comments as always man, much love~

Quote from: Onionleaf on January 07, 2017, 05:12:39 PMWhat a beautiful performance! It's nice of you to offer to simplify the arrangement for less confident pianists.
I'll have a go at playing this piece as Zeila wrote it, but I'll definitely need more than 3 hours to bring it up to a decent level!  :o

Hehe, people shouldn't be sad because of hard arrangements. Finding a little calling in the whole easy arrangement thing I'm doing honestly, haha ^^

And yeah, go for it! :) Feel free to skype me if you want some fingerings and tips, or if you ever get stuck! It's not that straightforward, and the technical challengge is fun until you get stuck, so yeah' ^^

(and if you ever record this and would like some audio cheating my skype is open huehue)
Title: Re: dajwxp - Quick-Learns! ^^ (SSBB Fire Emblem Theme! [Latios212])
Post by: daj on March 18, 2017, 06:56:59 PM
"Fire Emblem Theme", the Brawl Version! :D
Latios212

Fresh out of the updater's oven! ^^

 ...jk haha i'm not that good :p


- about three hours of practice, one hour of which was on the single note tremolo in the middle section :p
- did a quick production, a bunch of edits. took about an hour plus.

~

I'd recommend this sheet for anyone who wants a not-so-challenging, yet beautiful piece that lets them slam their piano without guilt. It was such a blast to learn and so fun to perform. ^^

Lat sent me this sheet even before it was completed, and he told me he was really proud of what he had made - and indeed, it looked amazing even when it wasn't complete. In fact, it was only written up to the soprano solo part, and from that point I knew I wanted to play this.

So do give this a try! ^^ You probably won't regret it :)
Title: Re: dajwxp - Quick-Learns! ^^ (SSBB Fire Emblem Theme! [Latios212])
Post by: LeviR.star on August 09, 2017, 03:24:41 PM
This is extraordinary, daj! Remarkable that you learned that entire sheet in a measly 3 hours! I'm impressed. :)