Topics

[Zelda: Link's Awakening:]

Thought of participating to this.


Zelda: Link's Awakening:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3qky19rr5e2o03l/Zelda%20Link%27s%20Awakening%20Fixed%20Sheets.zip?dl=0
Ost:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5o_UOPNaQQ&list=PLDF2556A8C45BF850

Zelda: Oracle of Seasaons/Ages:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pbnqrhcr1s1t0ut/Zelda%20Oracles%20URL%20Fix.zip?dl=0
Ost:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNHrUBooqrg&list=PLD7475F03564D42CA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3LXEInpQCc&list=PL2F0B084555138765

Yoshi's Story - Baby Bowser's Lullaby:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1xsku6h5xka2lhx/Baby%20Bowser%27s%20Lullaby.zip?dl=0
Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf76B8W38eQ

Also I've edited my own arrangements as well:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cdam9rrz595g5yg/AADcls_u7E-y0Jy9D8bgAw7-a?dl=0

The songs:
K.K. Bazaar (Aircheck) - Youtube
Voyager Youtube
Dark Covenant Youtube
Successor of Fate Youtube
Eternal Bond Youtube
Red Wings Youtube
Clair Youtube
Victory Road Youtube
Courage (Dungeon) Youtube
Courage (Dungeon) (Duet) Youtube
Into The Wilderness Youtube
Zed's Theme Youtube
A Person's Warmth Youtube
Zelda Awakens Youtube
A Siege of Worlds Youtube

look here for a more detailed log of what I fixed

Hi. I wonder, concerning the release date (in the copyright info). Should you take the first year it was released, or the North American release date?

Edit: looked a bit on the sheets (and the pokémon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum project) and it seems like we go with the first release year (which ever that is, if it's JP or something else (usually JP)). So I go with that.

Hi I'm arranging Requiem for the Gods from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. And there's 1 note that I don't know if it's right or not.

[Sheet Music]

At m.47 (second measure in part E), does the bass change to E (from F) or does it not change at all. Does the bass go down F-E-D (m.46-48), or does it stay still on F for 2 measures (m.46-47), and then D (m.48). It would make sense harmonically if it went down to E (F-E-D), but I don't think it does it, but I don't know. So would be nice if someone helped me out. And y, I think that it stays still on F (or fades away the F, and then the organ plays Bb-A-G (then D)) but I have trouble hearing which one is correct.

(it's around 1:40)

Ok so I'm feeling so social on this site, I basically stopped care about arranging much at this point. So I though, how about creating a funny topic where I can show some funny facts, the site needs some humor after all .

So I hope I'll continue to post some funny things here but you never know.

Fact 1:

Sweden's most tragic, horrendous and bad political scandal: The Toblerone Affair!

Back in 1990, Socialdemocrate party-member Mona Sahlin bought a Toblerone (that costed like 1 dollar) by using the states money! It is horrendous! You can't buy some candy with the money owned by the government. It's illegal, you know. 

So I'm probably being really bored creating all this topics. But I think this one is pretty cool and also really fun since all people on this site probably more or less loves music! So the idea or game is simple, you express yourself with a song or maybe a few, if you really need more than 1. You could write a small comment as well, but the idea is that you are going to express yourself and your feelings through music and songs!

I can start:


Me at (and after) the fun DHL Christmas party:

So I've been getting A LOT of energy in the last 3 month or so. And I've become increasingly active, not only on this site, but pretty much everywhere in expressing my opinions on things. So I thought, if I don't want to end up in jail (banned for lifetime on NSM for spamming) like King Sammer, I'll have to create a thread where I can post a bunch of stuff and people can come in and out and look if and see if there is anything "of reason" that I write. This "project" in itself is kind of a joke as I actually bought a "diary" to write down all my crazy thoughts I got in my head, but apparently it's not enough, I need a digital diary as well .

To start things of I just wondered if I'm the only one who has a song that I both Hate and Love, crazy enough on the same time!?

It's this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rITt4yTz-zo

I hate the pic with the "bloody scar", but I like the water and the bubbles. Also dislike the Japanease lyrics, but I do like the rock and piano, fits really well. And I also like the dissonant nature of the song. It constantly shifts, lots of time signature changes, the only thing remaining is a bunch of tritones,2nds,7ths etc. it's harmonically very calm, imo.
It sort of reminds of a calmer version of an improvisation I use to play:

Spoiler

[close]

That "improvisation" was supposed to be a full song but... I can't write full songs , . Or I can, but it's hard. People don't tell you this, but composing songs/pieces is not just "expressing your creativity", it a craftsmanship like any other job, a profession. When Beethoven was making his symphonies, it was the same philosophy as when a let's say wood-worker works on building a for example a chair, or maybe something more fancy like a chest. It's not only "go out in the nature and feel the atmosphere engulf you with inspiration", It's a TON of work to. If you're interessted, I think this website is a really good one, especially classical composing: https://www.artofcomposing.com/
Anyway I'd tried to compose songs, but I usually end up with a really good but short piece of written material. I guess I'm bad at "expanding" my piece of art. If I'd look more on that site and "studied the secret techniques of the great grand-masters" I'd probably have the tools to write great music, ...but it's not that easy, I don't really have the will-force and I try focusing on arranging, youtube videos, playing games and now I of course got my job which I have to do, I just have to. So I might compose something in the future, but it's really up to me.

To get back to point A about hating and loving songs at the same time.
This one comes close:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MshUFnfEfeA

and this one comes Really close (used to be my "anger song", then my "sadness song", and now it's just my "painful feelings-that-I-don't-want-to-have song":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoVAUUFjl0I

btw sorry for creating lot's of different topics. It won't happen more I promise, Unless I have a great reason to do so. I personally think that the Climate Change topic has had great value to not only me but that it has lead to some discussions and raised questions in peoples mind about the climate and planet earth. The "don't read this thread" topic was really unnecessary and I could have started this thread with that post, but it's really no problem as it'll slowly disappear into the archive of forgotten NSM topics sooner or later (if you really hate you have my permission to simply delete it, don't want to cause any fear on this website). But plz do not delete this thread as I think will have importance for me, and also perhaps other people on the site  .

Hi I've recently been more involved with the "environmental movement", have myself donated some money to some environmental organisations and have started reading some interesting articles about it. And I thought that I want to have some discussion about it here on NSM, as I don't think I'm the only one concerned about it. I also think it's a topic that is lacking on the site, I mean we got a politics topic, a religion topic and various other topics, but not one dedicated to the serious threat of global warming. So if people are interested feel free to express your opinions about it.  

I remembered Scar and Toph saying something like "I think the choice of your main says a lot f your personality". And I thought about it and think that it's very true and interesting. So I'd like to start a small discussion about it, just for fun.

There are certain stereotypes within Smash like how CF mains often play aggressive and Sheiks often play Defensive. And even if you look at top level you see Mang0 playing Falco, Mew2King playing Sheik, PPMD playing Marth/Falco, Hungrybox Playing Puff, Armada playing Peach/Fox, and Leffen playing Fox. And I thought a long time of what type of character I am and I think I'm either an aggressive player like Mang0 or a balanced player like PPMD. First main I got was actually Marth after hearing about M2K, but later I heard about Falcon and how Isai could just triple-knee combo and take a stock and I thought it was nice strategy; all the way back in 64 I played Kirby, because he was happy and had fun moves, lol. So I started Falcon, and was way to aggressive (and dumb) with Falcon. Then later I learned that I needed to be more calm in order to win and do well. I think I'm very similar to PPMD or Scar actually, how I try to play the most hype character, even though I don't always like him, but also try to chill down a bit, and not be as crazy as mang0. So I like playing hype characters just for fun, but I also like doing well and succeeding when playing, I don't only play to style but I don't only play to win.

If I ever get back to the Melee scene I'm thinking of picking up Marth, as I think he plays in way that matches my personality. But I also got a Falco, which is a character I really like, so I don't think it's necessary.

[Also, if you bought your Finale 2014 copy within 30 days from when it was released, August 16 I think, you can get a free upgrade to the new Finale Version 25!]

So I just noticed that a new version of Finale has come out, or more so a "Paid Update" it seems. It nothing too crazy but it does have some nice new features such as:

-Larger and better library of instruments. Notably a better piano sound (Concert D Grand Piano), which sounds slightly more mellow than the Garritan Steinway but way more realistic, better sound quality and just better in general. Listen to it here: http://www.finalemusic.com/products/finale/whats-new/

-They also edited the Garritan Ambience effect. I kind of felt like it sounded kind of weird when I tried using it, too "churchy", which lead me to download a reverb VST for my arrangements. But now they have brushed it up to be a more realistic reverb, and also include a new feature to the reverb called the "Convolution Rooms and Effects". i haven't tried it or heard it but it's probably going to be more deep and more realistic.

-The new version is 64-bit supported! This means that if you have a 64-bit computer, Finale can take advantage of that and for example reduce loading speed.

-Easier to make "tall time signatures". Tig time signatures have become more popular for composers and conductors as the conductors easier can see what time signature it is if they are big. So it can be really handy if you like arranging bigger orchestral pieces.

-Dashed slur. You can now write dashed slurs with ease. It's common in engravings of older music where you want to differentiate what the original composer wrote and what are additions by the copyist.

I've also heard that they will try to make more frequent updates so that they can fix errors and stuff more frequent. One problem that still remains a pain for us arranging for piano is the fact that their pedal lines doesn't connect automatically, so you have to drag them manually , they got to fix this... and also, ossias are still a hassle to make... 

Also, if you bought your Finale 2014 copy within 30 days from when it was released, August 16 I think, you can get a free upgrade to the new Finale Version 25!

More on the new features:
http://www.finalemusic.com/products/finale/whats-new/   

Finale's website:
http://www.finalemusic.com/products/finale/

I never got around what key signature to use for modes. If you should use the one that is correct in respect to the amount of sharps/flats, or if you should use the one with the modes Major/Minor scales key signature. For example if you have song in D-Dorian, should you use the key signature with no flats/sharps (same as A-minor/C-major), or the one with 1 flat (as D-minor). I think you could use both depending on the case, which makes the most sense, as I have, intuitively, sometimes wanted the 1st method, and sometimes the 2nd method. The 1st seems good when dealing with a lot of sharps/flats as it makes it easier to read and requires less accidentals, it can seem redundant constantly having sharps/flats where it wouldn't be needed. The 2nd method makes more sense on a theoretical level, as if you see the key signature with 1 flat, you probably would think that the songs tonic either is F-major or D-minor.

So I wonder are both methods OK, or is one right and the other one wrong? 

I wonder how do you remove the "+" sign in  composite time signature. I'm arranging a song that alters between 12/8 and 10/8 and I want it to look like this: http://www.ninsheetmusic.org/download/pdf/2431

Does anyone knows how to do it??

Is there a neat way of notating a pattern like D-F#-A-C-D-F#-A-C etc. instead of just writing it down? Is there some sort of tremolo notation you can use to notate that?

Hi I'm about to arrange a song from Castlevania: Harmony of DIssonance. But the thing is that I have seen multiple translations of, like: "Chapel of Dissonance", "Chapel in the Air", "Sky Chapel", "Chapel Sky" etc. and i'm wondering which is the most accurate.

The Japanese title is "礼拝堂の空" 
You can also find the title here it's number 28 http://vgmdb.net/album/2947

Hi I have an idea for the submission system, concerning smaller formatting replacements.

So you only get 2 submissions, most people probably will use them wisely, submit their best arrangements, or from a series they think need more arrangements, or replacing a really bad arrangement. The thing is that few people probably want to spend them on smaller replacements (revised replacements).

So my idea is that we first of: to divide the submissions board into 2 boards. One for regular submissions and bigger replacements, and one for smaller replacements. Secondly: keep the submission count at 2 for regular and bigger replacements, and give people 1-2 submissions for smaller replacements.

What this does is that it encourages people to fix/touch up sheets on site that are already fine in musical terms. Rather than now when people often consider submitting other more important arrangements, and arrangements with mediocre formatting will remain as they are.   

[Process of arranging/Tools for arranging]

Hi I been thinking of making a new topic/thread where people can share their arranging tips and tricks. As an arranger you might come across very different types of music and scenarios that you might not now how to arrange well and thought it would be great to create a topic where people can share some tips and tricks for other people to learn. The idea of this topic is not to tell people how to do it "correctly" but more for people to share their ideas for other people to get inspired by.

To give a more concrete example of what I mean, I thought of dividing this OP into different sections, these sections could be stuff like "how to: include many voices, arranging for certain instruments to the piano (like guitar, percaussion etc.), different ways of notating, arrange for different genres (rock, orchestral, 8-bit etc.), use of articulations, dynamics etc.

So if you have a neat way of let's say transcribing guitar parts to piano, or maybe you where very satisfied how you handled multiple voices in one of your arrangements you can write down in a comment and I'll add it to the OP. The goal of this topic is to create like a library or a wiki where people can look how other people have found solutions to various problems concerning arranging and get inspired and create better arrangements.     

I made some examples below to demonstrate the idea.

Process of arranging/Tools for arranging
There are a lot of tools you can use to make arranging much easier. The ones I used are Audiostretch and Audacity.

Audiostretch

Spoiler

Webite: http://www.audiostretch.com/audiostretchforflash/
Audiostretch is an amazing slow-downer that let's you slow down songs to 0% and even beyond, lol. I have it set to a very slow speed 30-0% for picking out notes and sometimes rhythm. But a higher like 70-100% can also be useful for "capturing the bigger picture", often if you want to hear the rhythm of a section for example. This application is can even become better combined with Audacity.

[close]

Audacity

Spoiler

website: http://www.audacityteam.org/
Audacity is a great audio editing software. I use it mainly too boost bass and treble which facilitates hearing certain notes. This program combined with Audiostretch are create a solid platform for arranging. I usually open a the song I'm about to arrange in audacity, edit it there, with some effects mentioned below, and export it afterwards (you'll need to install some plugin to export mp3 files however; but it's pretty easy to do, just follow the steps).

Some tricks I use:

Boosting Bass and Treble:
Under the "effects" menu you can find "bass and treble". If you click on it a menu will pop up, on which you can choose to boost ether bass or treble. I usually boost one to the max and the other to the very minimum. For example bass to +15db and treble to -15db. And i don't use the level, I don't know what it does honestly.
This is how the window looks like. (my program is in Swedish  don't know if you can change it, but the window should lok the same but in your language)


EQ:
You can also use the equalizer under the "effects" menu for the same purpose as the boost, mentioned above. I rarely use because I found that the boost does the same job but better. With the EQ you get a more extreme sound I feel like (fart-like bass, really sharp treble), rather than boost which is more smooth. It's very easy to use, just raise or lower the notches, maybe raise the bass a lot and lower the treble if you want to hear the bass better.


Raise/Lower pitch:
This last trick is a quite useful one. Under the "effects" menu you can find "change pitch". Click on it and window will pop up. What this effect does is that you can change the pitch of a section or the whole song. How is this useful, then? I usually use it in combination with the boost. let's say I have boosted the bass up but it's still hard to hear some notes in the bass. What you can do now is to change the pitch to one octave higher, making the low bass notes much easier to hear. You can also do this with the treble as well, just do the the other way, lower all notes by one octave.

As you can see in the picture I'm changing the pitch from F1 to F2 (one octave).

[close]

Repeated Notes

Spoiler

Here's an example of how to deal with repeated notes in the bass. There are many songs which have repeated notes in the bass an the best ways usually are simply repeated notes or as a octave tremolo. Changing the octaves of the repeated notes can greatly enhance the playability by making the repeated notes much more comfortable to play (less leaps) and also not alter it to much from the original. Fingerings can also very useful dealing with repeated notes. Below is my arrangement of "New Messiah (Crystal Castle)" from Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge, where I used all techniques mentioned above.

[ZIP]
[Original]

[close]

Including Multiple Voices

Spoiler

Here's an example where I let the LH play a chord at beat 1, and also beat 3, and after play the bass line. Using this method I was able to include the melody, the bass line and the chords.
[Pdf]
[Original]

[close]

Arranging different instruments

Arranging Unpitched Percussion

Spoiler

Sometimes you come across pitched percussion, and they're easy, just hear the notes and write them down. But a lot of times you might come across unpitched percussion, and that's a bit more tricky to arrange. My go-to when it comes to unpitched percussion is to use very consonant intervals, like 1st, 4ths, 5ths and 8ths, and often in a somewhat low register. Below is an example of this.   

[Pdf]
[Original]

[close]

Arranging Guitar Parts

Spoiler

Here's an example where I made a sort of tremolo like method to write down the fast guitar strums. This method can be really useful in guitar strum parts, if you have a triad, play the 2 top notes and then the bottom note and continue - a good way of writing guitar strum rather than just a lot of chords.

[Pdf]
[Original]

[close]

Different Ocatves/Registers

Spoiler

Here's a section where I put the melody in the bass. Usually the melody is often in the treble register, here's an example where it works fine in the bass, having sharp chords in the treble.
[Pdf]
[Original]

[close]

Starting a topic for any discussions about the contest.

[Prologue]

This game is just so amazing and it has so many amazing songs! And there are none on site! I would like to request all but I'm gonna be resonable and only request my favorites.




Prologue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJnfkb1hKv4

Sign of Colossus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUpa5FhBFkA

Grotesque Figures

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt4xI70zC-c

The Opened Way (Most epic song in history!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr2nK06zZkg

A Violent Encounter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93O8a5sOTM4

The Farthest Land

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk5Q7ALNQpc

Counterattack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERW6ePVI-As

Demise of the Ritual

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzbvcsNPEEE

Hope

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wID1uwXDag4

The Sunlit Earth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMlXOPrlGuM

Hello Finale has gotten a new update 2014.5, and I'd like to hear other peoples thoughts on it, as well as expressing mine.

To start of: Isn't the volume generally lower?? Or at least with Garritan Steinway?

Also the articulation box has a 4-columned system rather than the older 5-columned system. I like the older better, you get a bigger view of more of the articulations.

These are 2 things I just noticed at start.

Hi I have a question:

If I'm notating a song in 12/8 and there is a part with 3 quarter notes (not punctuated) in a row (the first one starting on the first beat). Should I notate it as a quarter triplet or as quarter 8th-tied-8th quarter, or just 3 quarter notes??

Same with 6/8, should I notate 3 quarter notes as a triplet or as quarter 8th-tied-8th quarter, or just 3 quarter notes??

Hi I've arranged a lot of songs and now started noticing that my arrangement thread lags. I looked around at other big arrangement threads like Bespinben's, Olimar's and mlf's and they all works fine but mine seem to lag. And I wonder: what is it that makes it lag so much??

My Arrangement Thread