[GG] Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - "Aquatic Ruin Zone" by Cashwarrior1

Started by Zeta, June 19, 2017, 04:04:17 PM

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Zeta

Submission Information:

Series: Sonic
Game: Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Console: Sega Game Gear
Title: Aquatic Ruin Zone
Instrumentation Solo Piano
Arranger: Cashwarrior1

[attachment deleted by admin]

cashwarrior1

What? I'm posting a sheet and not just commenting pointless things on the forums?!?


Sebastian

Quote from: cashwarrior1 on June 19, 2017, 04:04:59 PMWhat? I'm posting a sheet and not just commenting pointless things on the forums?!?
Sounds like a good plan!

I'm not able to note check or go in-depth at the moment. I plan on doing that later tonight when I get to my piano and stuff.
There is a question I have though. Forgive me...I should know who and who does not have Finale Notepad by now. xD
But are you using Notepad or importing? I know there are some a lot of things you can't do with Notepad, so I could help you out.
One thing that stuck out to me was the first and last measures. You could make the first measure a pickup measure (which would not make it, technically, M. 1) and then just make the last measure as a 4/4 time measure. Again, I can't really go in depth. As I recall from previous play of this game and hearing of this song, I do know it's challenging. So, kudos to you for arranging it! I'll gladly go in depth (check note accuracy, rhythm, etc.) when I get to my piano/keyboard. I'll also be able to help with any help with fixes as well (assuming you import or use Notepad).



cashwarrior1

I have finale print music now, which is why I made an arrangement. I still don't know how to do exactly everything, so that's just me making up for not knowing how to make a pick-up measure XP

Sebastian

Oh, sweet! That's awesome, man. I can show you how to do whatever you need to do, especially if you are someone who likes tutorials and things of that nature (personally, I like learning in real time. I don't know about you specifically :P). If you are someone who likes to learn on their own, you can google "[what you need to know] - Finale [whichever version you have]."
For example, "Pick-up measures Finale 2014."
But, yeah. I can show you via screen share (skype), pics, chat, etc. or help you with anything you need later today when I get to my PC.



cashwarrior1

Thanks! Though, I'm more of a real time learner. I like to figure things out by myself :P

Sebastian




Sebastian

Here's the deal...how about a compromise. ; )
Instead of just making an edit for you, just showing you how to change the stuff, or just pointing what's incorrect out, I'll do all three!

Here goes:
- You can change M. 1 into a pickup measure and change the time signature to 4/4. For the pickup, highlight the measure > go to Document > Pickup Measure...you can specify parameters there. For the time signature edit, highlight specified measure > go to Time Signature Tool > specify parameters once that tool opens (the Time Signature Tool looks like a 4/4 time symbol).

The difficulty level of this song is pretty high and I'm actually very glad with how you did with this arrangement! Your note values and most of the notes are almost spot on. Very good!
Now, what makes this song most challenging would probably be what voices to use, how to use them, where to put them, what octave to put them in, and which to include. That being said, I'm gonna need some answers to some questions. To save us both time and energy, I went ahead and made an unadulterated, straight transcription of the first page. Obviously, this transcription isn't playable by a human being and isn't NSM worthy...yet, so I will need you to make some choices. Here is the unadulterated, straight transcription I'm talking about, and below that are some viable options we can go with:



EDIT: Ugh. My screenshots are being stupid today lol. You can view the .mus below near the end of the post.


There are 3 potential options we could with for this first page. It really depends on how challenging or simple you want this arrangement to be.

1. We could take out the syncopated "middle" voice that falls between the bass and melody.
Pros: Would make this piece much easier to play.
Cons: Might make it a little empty sounding.

2. We could take out the bass and leave the middle voice.
Pros: Would definitely make give the piece more pizzazz.
Cons: It would make the piece a bit more difficult and it may be a little dry without the bass.

3. We could try to make all three work by rearranging some voices or moving some notes around octave-wise.
Pros: Would make the piece the best sound-wise
Cons: It would take a lot of creativity and note moving and would definitely take some work.

It really is up to you which one you would like to choose. I just gave you a general outline of what you could do. Obviously not inspired or the only way you can do it. I'll leave you with a .mus copy of the straight transcription for you to experiment with:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/f4fed2dw7vxkiap/Sonic%202%20-%20Aqatic%20Ruin%20Zone.mus?dl=1


Before we move on, I'd like to get your opinion on this! Very good so far...if I do say so myself. : )
As for the second page, I have not yet gotten to take a look at that yet. I believe further discussion on the first page would be wise before progression to the second page is commenced.

I'm here if you have any questions. : )



cashwarrior1

Well, I arranged the piece with having the middle voice be my focus. I wanted the middle voice in there and if possible, add in the bass afterwards. That sounds more like 2 and a little of 3. But my focus is including the middle voice.

Sebastian

Ah, ok. Sounds good!

What would you think of this?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/f4fed2dw7vxkiap/Sonic%202%20-%20Aqatic%20Ruin%20Zone.mus?dl=1

Changes I made (combined the ideas of 2 & 3):
Pickup measure:
- Added pickup measure to get rid of the awkward 1/4 time measure.

M. 1-4:
- Got rid of the octave in the melody in M. 1 & 3 to make way for the middle voice and to match the original better.
- Added some left out notes: The fast 16ths in M. 2 and filled in the chord and bass part in M. 2.
- Fixed up some wrong notes in the middle voice.
- Added some articulation to enhance the chords in M. 2.
- Got rid of layer 2 in M. 2 & 4 to give a more simplistic transition for the performer. This will cut down on confusion, especially in M. 4.

M. 5-12:
- Revamped the voices to make it not only playable, but more faithful to the original. I made a balance between ideas 2 & 3 in my previous post by rearranging the bass notes to be playable with the left hand while still having the middle voice present.
- Unhid all the rests so the performer knows when to play the notes. I also consolidated some of the rests to make it cleaner looking. I'd like your opinion on this since I know some people are against/don't like dotted rests.
- Brought beats 3 & 4 of M. 6 & 10 in the right hand up an octave so not to clash with the left hand notes.
- Fixed some incorrect notes.

M. 11-20
- Tweaked some of the rhythms in the left hand to match the original better. There is a slight break in between the eighth and sixteenth notes so I put a sixteenth rest to accommodate for that. Also, some other rhythms were incorrect that I fixed.
- Went ahead and got rid of the notes in the left hand that aren't the bass since those measures are pretty vague. This will simplify any issues that could be caused by this.
- Adjusted some of the harmony notes in the right hand, notwithstanding the difficulty of hearing the harmony notes throughout this section. Even after slowing the song down to 50%, I had a tough time hearing the notes. I believe I have the correct notes now.
- Changed the last measure to 4/4 and added a repeat sign to measure 1.
- Corrected the final chords in the last measure.

Other:
- Aligned all the text.
- Slightly altered the BPM/metronome marking.
- Tweaked the formatting.

Please tell me what you think! I'll gladly answer questions or concerns you may have. : )


EDIT: LOL THERE IS A TYPO IN THE FILE NAME. I'M AN IDIOT. XDD



cashwarrior1

I don't mind dotted rests, it's easier to place :P

I removed some bass notes in the left hand to try to make it a little more friendly, even though this song and stage is the complete opposite of friendly.

cashwarrior1


LeviR.star

Looks good to me.

Say, I think this was in a Top 10 for "Most Frustrating Video Game Levels".
Check out my Youtube channel for remixes and original music! LeviR.star's Remixes

Also check out my piano arrangements here on my PA thread! LeviR.star's Arrangements

cashwarrior1


BlackDragonSlayer

Quote from: cashwarrior1 on July 03, 2017, 04:22:24 PMI was tempted to put the "drowning" music in a coda.
*cough cough chemicalplantzone cough cough*
And the moral of the story: Quit while you're a head.

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