[MUL] Celeste - "Resurrections" by PlayfulPiano

Started by Zeta, March 29, 2018, 01:26:08 PM

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Zeta

Submission Information:

Series: Other
Game: Celeste
Console: Multiplatform
Title: Resurrections
Instrumentation Solo Piano
Arranger: PlayfulPiano

[attachment deleted by admin]

PlayfulPiano


Alternative if you don't want to download the file (technically the same as the .MUS file): https://musescore.com/user/6765551/scores/5033726


As most of you in Discord probably know, I've been a bit obsessed with Celeste recently. So I've started to work on some arrangements from the game.

Here's Resurrections!
-PlayfulPiano

(Note: I'm expecting some issues with the last few measures, currently tinkering around with some ideas behind the scenes, but I'm still having some issues figuring out how to do it)

Khunjund

#2
  • "Con pedale" isn't necessary, but it's your choice to include or not.
  • You should separate the piano and synth in measures 9-16 into two layers (or at least put accents over the piano notes, though in actually they are held down, but they decay quickly because of the dynamic). The piano should clearly be made to stand out, but the way it's currently notated, it's as if all the notes were supposed to be part of the accompaniment.
  • For the entire first section, I don't know why you didn't include the second arpeggio line; it's not like the left hand has anything else to do at those times.
  • Measures 9-15 aren't actually repeated verbatim. The second time, the bass is held down an octave lower. (I would include it as a half note on beat three of each measure.)
  • For measures 18-26, while I understand moving down the accompaniment, there's no reason you couldn't follow the same pattern as the original, with A-C-E-G# on the first beat, C-E-G#-C on the second, and E-E-G-C# on the third and fourth, etc. This applies to measures 36-43 as well.
  • Again, for measures 27-35, the two "repetitions" aren't identical. For the first, the accompaniment isn't continuous; it's like in the opening, just louder. The second time, you could change beats three and four of the left hand in each measure to include the eighth note alternating octaves bass pattern, since the right hand already covers the accompaniment.
  • For measures 44-51, the significant decrescendo is missing, and doubling the melody in octaves in addition to raising it by an octave works against said decrescendo. You also left out the E, as if to compensate, but I would personally just go back to a simple melody with the E pedal, like in measures 18-26.
  • From measure 52 onward, I would remove the 8va line and move everything up an octave (if you'd use up more ink printing an 8va line than printing ledger lines, you shouldn't use it). For the most part, nothing would go above the third ledger line over the staff, and it would help with clarity if you take into account a few of the following points.
  • For measures 52-69, the repeating A-B-C pattern should be an octave higher. I recommend switching to treble clef for this section. If you decide to differentiate the two "repetitions" of this section and include the lower bass notes on the second pass, you could write this pattern cross-staff instead. (By the way, measure 69 should be in 5/4 time, with left-hand beats 3-5 having E-B-C-D in eighths going up to an upper E quarter note [possibly with a fermata, with the mention "breve" next to it].)
  • In measures 70-77, you could include more of the bass line rhythm. Consider adding in at least the two eighths on beat three of each measure. I would also change beat four of measures 73 and 77 to include the F#-G eighth notes leading back to the A in the following measures.
  • For measures 78-93, the first note of each beat in the left hand should be two octaves lower. I also recommend including the "echo" in measures 78, 80, etc., since it's a lot more audible than that in measures 79, 81, etc.
  • For measures 94-101, I suggest just having the bass (which continues the same A-G#-G-F# walk-down) and the melody in the left hand, which would remove the need for filler notes. Where these need to be played simultaneously (and the interval is too big), just put in an arpeggio sign; it's done quite frequently.
  • For measures 102 to the end, you could play the bass with the left hand, then move up to continue the previous right-hand motif. If you do this, it would also allow you to split the right-hand countermelody between the two hands and make it less awkward to play.
  • For the last few measures in the original, you could just write an alternating crescendo/decrescendo over a tremolo between two G#'s an octave apart in the lower register.

For the entire piece, grace notes should be slurred to the subsequent real note, and you should add in courtesy accidentals. Also, you should revise your dynamics in general (for example, measure 94 doesn't sound louder than the previous section to me, and you write it as going from mezzo forte to fortissimo).
Please stop making lists using hyphens.

PlayfulPiano

#3
Quote from: D3ath3657 on March 31, 2018, 09:03:33 PM
  • "Con pedale" isn't necessary, but it's your choice to include or not.
  • You should separate the piano and synth in measures 9-16 into two layers (or at least put accents over the piano notes, though in actually they are held down, but they decay quickly because of the dynamic). The piano should clearly be made to stand out, but the way it's currently notated, it's as if all the notes were supposed to be part of the accompaniment.
  • For the entire first section, I don't know why you didn't include the second arpeggio line; it's not like the left hand has anything else to do at those times.
  • Measures 9-15 aren't actually repeated verbatim. The second time, the bass is held down an octave lower. (I would include it as a half note on beat three of each measure.)
  • For measures 18-26, while I understand moving down the accompaniment, there's no reason you couldn't follow the same pattern as the original, with A-C-E-G# on the first beat, C-E-G#-C on the second, and E-E-G-C# on the third and fourth, etc. This applies to measures 36-43 as well.
  • Again, for measures 27-35, the two "repetitions" aren't identical. For the first, the accompaniment isn't continuous; it's like in the opening, just louder. The second time, you could change beats three and four of the left hand in each measure to include the eighth note alternating octaves bass pattern, since the right hand already covers the accompaniment.
  • For measures 44-51, the significant decrescendo is missing, and doubling the melody in octaves in addition to raising it by an octave works against said decrescendo. You also left out the E, as if to compensate, but I would personally just go back to a simple melody with the E pedal, like in measures 18-26.
  • From measure 52 onward, I would remove the 8va line and move everything up an octave (if you'd use up more ink printing an 8va line than printing ledger lines, you shouldn't use it). For the most part, nothing would go above the third ledger line over the staff, and it would help with clarity if you take into account a few of the following points.
  • For measures 52-69, the repeating A-B-C pattern should be an octave higher. I recommend switching to treble clef for this section. If you decide to differentiate the two "repetitions" of this section and include the lower bass notes on the second pass, you could write this pattern cross-staff instead. (By the way, measure 69 should be in 5/4 time, with left-hand beats 3-5 having E-B-C-D in eighths going up to an upper E quarter note [possibly with a fermata, with the mention "breve" next to it].)
  • In measures 70-77, you could include more of the bass line rhythm. Consider adding in at least the two eighths on beat three of each measure. I would also change beat four of measures 73 and 77 to include the F#-G eighth notes leading back to the A in the following measures.
  • For measures 78-93, the first note of each beat in the left hand should be two octaves lower. I also recommend including the "echo" in measures 78, 80, etc., since it's a lot more audible than that in measures 79, 81, etc.
  • For measures 94-101, I suggest just having the bass (which continues the same A-G#-G-F# walk-down) and the melody in the left hand, which would remove the need for filler notes. Where these need to be played simultaneously (and the interval is too big), just put in an arpeggio sign; it's done quite frequently.
  • For measures 102 to the end, you could play the bass with the left hand, then move up to continue the previous right-hand motif. If you do this, it would also allow you to split the right-hand countermelody between the two hands and make it less awkward to play.
  • For the last few measures in the original, you could just write an alternating crescendo/decrescendo over a tremolo between two G#'s an octave apart in the lower register.

For the entire piece, grace notes should be slurred to the subsequent real note, and you should add in courtesy accidentals. Also, you should revise your dynamics in general (for example, measure 94 doesn't sound louder than the previous section to me, and you write it as going from mezzo forte to fortissimo).
Hey, sorry about the late response, but I did check through your suggestions. I've been a bit busy recently, so that's mainly why.
1. I personally enjoy pedal usage, so I have it in there due to that. Plus, since it uses electronic instrumentals, adding a little sustain probably fits.

2. Great suggestion, I've made the piano notation (excluding the quad sixteenths that goes into the next measure) quarter notes and accented, whenever possible.

3. I did not implement the second arpeggio line as the bass in 9-17 vs 27-35 isn't as strong, and I rather add in the second arpeggio when the theme climaxed more.

4. I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "include it as a half note on beat three", could you provide an image?

5. I tried playing through this section with both the original pattern and your suggested pattern on piano, and I personally found that keeping the repeated phrase, felt better musically.

6. Like with #4, I'm not entirely sure what you mean by this. Listening through though, I think that it might be better off with keeping the piano less bass heavy, since it is an arrangement, and I feel having that heavy of a base would ruin the higher notes of the theme.

7. I'll work on the dynamics throughout this section. Also, what about having m36-m43 up an octave instead? I thought that higher pitches have softer dynaimcs, not louder.

8. I've fixed this. If finale allegro had the 8va treble clef, I would've used that instead, but alas it does not. The 8va line was mainly there for legibility over ink efficiency.

9. I personally moved it up an octave so it's somewhat easier to play, but now after practicing it somewhat, it's I think in the acceptable range of difficulty. I'm making the octave change. With m69, that was a nice catch, I thought it was just a ritardando. I think it's 6/4, not 5/4 though (last two notes are quarters).

10. Could you provide an example for this?

11. I tried playing with the left handed note down two octaves. Due to the speed of the 16th notes, I think changing the octave wouldn't be a big enough payoff for the difficulty increase. I might try out an echo though.

12. I'm not entirely sure what you mean by this. I thought I already had the melody and the bass in the left hand?

13. That's a good idea, didn't think of giving the left hand the bass melody of the right hand. I'll try something out.

14. Could you provide an example of this?

15. Not sure what you mean involving the grace notes.


Thanks for your feedback though!

Khunjund

1. I didn't mean that using the pedal wasn't necessary. I meant that you can expect most pianists to always use the pedal, unless told otherwise, whether that be through the mention senza pedale, or by using staccatos or other articulations, and therefore the con pedale mention is usually unnecessary.

4. This is what I meant for the left hand:
Spoiler
[close]

6. Like this:
Spoiler
[close]
Just because you have low notes in the sheet doesn't mean they have to be played loud during interpretation, and it's especially clear that a static motif like this is supposed to be background material.

7. You could do that, or raise measures 36-43 by an octave the second time only. In general, repeating the same musical idea higher is associated with a stronger dynamic; and repeating an idea lower, with a softer one. Notes in extreme registers by themselves are usually associated with extreme dynamics, either very strong or very soft.

8. 8va clefs aren't used in writing piano. In a pinch, you can put the mention "play RH an octave higher than written", but usually an 8va line is used no matter the length. The thing is, the notes in this section aren't high enough to warrant an 8va line; in general, it's fine to go up to three or four ledger lines above the right hand treble clef, even for extended periods of time. That thing about ink efficiency was more of a joke than a guideline (though ink efficiency did influence a lot of decisions in printing music historically).

9. You could also write it as 6/4. My thought process was that 5/4 would keep the variation on the four-note motif looking the same with regards to the rhythmic notation, and the length disparity would be explained by the substantial ritardando.

10. Something like this (you can count on the pedal to hold the bass notes):
Spoiler
[close]

11. Are you using proper fingering? The initial intervals only span an octave to a minor 10th, and therefore shouldn't require your hand to jump around, even if it does require a little more practice than the current motif. If that still seems too complicated for your purposes, at least consider lowering the first sixteenths by one octave, so that the bass notes are actually lower than the rising motif.

12. Actually, in the left hand, you currently have the melody (the highest notes), a doubling of the melody an octave lower (the lowest notes), and an intermediate counter-line, which follows more or less what the actual bass does, which should be: A (whole note), G# (whole note), G natural (whole note), and F# (dotted half note) followed by F# G in eighths (which probably should be cut), all of that a whole octave lower.

14. Maybe something like this:
Spoiler
[close]

15.
Spoiler
This:

Should look like this:

Throughout the whole piece.
[close]
Please stop making lists using hyphens.

PlayfulPiano

#5
Quote from: D3ath3657 on April 02, 2018, 05:40:05 PM1. I didn't mean that using the pedal wasn't necessary. I meant that you can expect most pianists to always use the pedal, unless told otherwise, whether that be through the mention senza pedale, or by using staccatos or other articulations, and therefore the con pedale mention is usually unnecessary.

4. This is what I meant for the left hand:
Spoiler
[close]

6. Like this:
Spoiler
[close]
Just because you have low notes in the sheet doesn't mean they have to be played loud during interpretation, and it's especially clear that a static motif like this is supposed to be background material.

7. You could do that, or raise measures 36-43 by an octave the second time only. In general, repeating the same musical idea higher is associated with a stronger dynamic; and repeating an idea lower, with a softer one. Notes in extreme registers by themselves are usually associated with extreme dynamics, either very strong or very soft.

8. 8va clefs aren't used in writing piano. In a pinch, you can put the mention "play RH an octave higher than written", but usually an 8va line is used no matter the length. The thing is, the notes in this section aren't high enough to warrant an 8va line; in general, it's fine to go up to three or four ledger lines above the right hand treble clef, even for extended periods of time. That thing about ink efficiency was more of a joke than a guideline (though ink efficiency did influence a lot of decisions in printing music historically).

9. You could also write it as 6/4. My thought process was that 5/4 would keep the variation on the four-note motif looking the same with regards to the rhythmic notation, and the length disparity would be explained by the substantial ritardando.

10. Something like this (you can count on the pedal to hold the bass notes):
Spoiler
[close]

11. Are you using proper fingering? The initial intervals only span an octave to a minor 10th, and therefore shouldn't require your hand to jump around, even if it does require a little more practice than the current motif. If that still seems too complicated for your purposes, at least consider lowering the first sixteenths by one octave, so that the bass notes are actually lower than the rising motif.

12. Actually, in the left hand, you currently have the melody (the highest notes), a doubling of the melody an octave lower (the lowest notes), and an intermediate counter-line, which follows more or less what the actual bass does, which should be: A (whole note), G# (whole note), G natural (whole note), and F# (dotted half note) followed by F# G in eighths (which probably should be cut), all of that a whole octave lower.

14. Maybe something like this:
Spoiler
[close]

15.
Spoiler
This:

Should look like this:

Throughout the whole piece.
[close]
1. Submission formatting requires con pedale if the pedal is being used.

4. I might try that.

6. I'll see how that goes.

7. I'll try my method, as I rather not ruin repeats.

10. I need to hear how this sounds, so I'll tinker with it.

11. Probably not, but minor 10ths are a bit of a stretch. And if I lower the top sixteenths, I feel it will be way too low compared to the high notes of the right hand. Plus, it goes to a full 11th once it hits the F#.

12. I'm still not exactly clear on this, should it be (2nd measure example) G# B (+oct) B?

14. Yeah, I didn't really include an ending, did I? If that's the notes used after the fade out in the original, I'll use it.

15. Thanks!

Khunjund

7. I know repeat bars make sheets concise, but it bugs me that they're not actual repeats. If you find your arrangement too cluttered with "second time only" indications, consider writing out the section the long way.

11. I play the B and C of the repeated A-B-C pattern with index and thumb respectively, which allows me to keep my hand as a whole close to the lower notes, which makes even the "leap" from F# to A require very little movement.

12. Measures 94-101 with everything would look like this:
Spoiler
[close]
Since the lower eighths at the end of each fourth measure are somewhat awkward to play, I'd remove them and make the F# a whole note, like in the previous measures.

14. The droning sound at the end is more noise than note, but the pitch is indeed a lower G#.
Please stop making lists using hyphens.

PlayfulPiano

Quote from: D3ath3657 on April 02, 2018, 08:26:09 PM7. I know repeat bars make sheets concise, but it bugs me that they're not actual repeats. If you find your arrangement too cluttered with "second time only" indications, consider writing out the section the long way.

11. I play the B and C of the repeated A-B-C pattern with index and thumb respectively, which allows me to keep my hand as a whole close to the lower notes, which makes even the "leap" from F# to A require very little movement.

12. Measures 94-101 with everything would look like this:
Spoiler
[close]
Since the lower eighths at the end of each fourth measure are somewhat awkward to play, I'd remove them and make the F# a whole note, like in the previous measures.

14. The droning sound at the end is more noise than note, but the pitch is indeed a lower G#.

7. I still personally think that it would be better off with the simple octave higher.

11. I've tried doing that with my middle finger at A, and it just doesn't work. I honestly think it is fine as it is now.

12. I'll try adding something close to this, I tested it out, and I feel it sounds slightly better adding another note in certain areas.

14. Thanks, I'll add it in!

Khunjund

11. The proper fingering would be: bass note with the little finger, A with the thumb, B with the index, and C with the thumb again; but if that's not to your taste, then do as you like.
Please stop making lists using hyphens.

Bespinben

#9
Quote from: PlayfulPiano on April 02, 2018, 07:38:58 PM1. Submission formatting requires con pedale if the pedal is being used.
This is false. Like D3ath said, sometimes, the best way to notate pedal it is to not do it at all. If necessary, I personally like to use implicit means of notating pedal usage. Laissez vibrer, slurs, and (my favorite) sustained voices in a 2nd layer a la Rachmaninoff are all viable tools to communicate pedal usage implicitly.
Quote from: Nebbles on July 04, 2015, 12:05:12 PM
Someone beat Bespinben to making PMD music?! GASP!

MLF for Chatroom Mod next Tuesday

PlayfulPiano

Quote from: Bespinben on April 03, 2018, 02:57:06 PMThis is false. Like D3ath said, sometimes, the best way to notate pedal it is to not do it at all. If necessary, I personally like to use implicit means of notating pedal usage. Laissez vibrer, slurs, and (my favorite) sustained voices in a 2nd layer a la Rachmaninoff are all viable tools to communicate pedal usage implicitly.

Huh, I was basing it off of this though:

QuotePedal Markings:
Either write out complete pedal markings for a particular section including the release pedal symbol as needed
-OR- write "con pedale" at the start of the section and then "senza pedale" at the end of the section.
Both of these options go under the left hand.


PlayfulPiano

I've added the changes except for #1, 3, 5, 6, & 11. #11 in particular, I haven't done the echo yet, as I'm not exactly sure what the timing should be and which part of the frame should be repeated (I'm thinking the upward notes when going down up, and the downward notes going up down).


Khunjund

#12
Just a thought, but for measures 66 and 67, if your software permits it, you could swap to bass clef for the low E, then swap back to treble clef mid-measure for the other notes, instead of using a 8vb sign.

You should raise the repeat boxes above measures 66 and 68 a little, so as to not have them clipping into the notes.

You're currently missing a beat in the right hand, measure 69; but after seeing it written in 6/4, I'm now persuaded it should be written in 5/4 with a ritenuto.

Measures 94–101, for the sake of consistency, I would make the whole bass line whole notes in layer two. (By the way, the left hand in measure 96 is a bit misaligned.) In any case, please take note of the rhythm for the upper part: I had corrected it in my previous post, but you seemed to have missed it. Also, I don't know why you insist on adding a lower B to measures 95 and 99; but that aside, all intervals larger than a ninth should be rolled, for convenience (so measures 95–97 and 99–101).

From measure 102 onward, you didn't continue the right hand motif during the left hand's downtime, as I had suggested. I don't mind this, but since you didn't mention it, I wasn't sure if you had missed it or if it was deliberate, so I just wanted to point it out.

If you intend on writing tremolos with stacked whole notes instead of spaced ones, the tremolo lines should be in between said notes.
Please stop making lists using hyphens.

PlayfulPiano

Quote from: D3ath3657 on April 05, 2018, 06:20:07 PMJust a thought, but for measures 66 and 67, if your software permits it, you could swap to bass clef for the low E, then swap back to treble clef mid-measure for the other notes, instead of using a 8vb sign.

You should raise the repeat boxes above measures 66 and 68 a little, so as to not have them clipping into the notes.

You're currently missing a beat in the right hand, measure 69; but after seeing it written in 6/4, I'm now persuaded it should be written in 5/4 with a ritenuto.

Measures 94–101, for the sake of consistency, I would make the whole bass line whole notes in layer two. (By the way, the left hand in measure 96 is a bit misaligned.) In any case, please take note of the rhythm for the upper part: I had corrected it in my previous post, but you seemed to have missed it. Also, I don't know why you insist on adding a lower B to measures 95 and 99; but that aside, all intervals larger than a ninth should be rolled, for convenience (so measures 95–97 and 99–101).

From measure 102 onward, you didn't continue the right hand motif during the left hand's downtime, as I had suggested. I don't mind this, but since you didn't mention it, I wasn't sure if you had missed it or if it was deliberate, so I just wanted to point it out.

If you intend on writing tremolos with stacked whole notes instead of spaced ones, the tremolo lines should be in between said notes.

I was thinking actually, maybe have A-B-C moved as a second layer in the right hand? That would function well for the massive ~3 octave jump for the left hand.

I'm not sure how to move the repeat lines without messing up the appearance of the repeat. Maybe changing it to an 8va E, matched with the above change?

I... am?

Sure. Don't know how to fix the misalignment, it did that automatically. What rhythm part specifically? I feel like the lower B is included within the original audio. It does make it sound more bass, which feels right. I was able to get m95-97 / 99-101 with my hand, which is why I didn't include the roll. I think that, for the G#/B/B at least, should stay unrolled (5 for G#, 4 for B, 1 for B, doesn't really seem to be difficult fingering wise), but I'll add the roll to the G/C.

Oh, I thought what I did was that change. Could you provide a visual example of what it should look like?


Also, thank you so much for all your help and feedback. It really has helped a lot.

Khunjund

If you want to go that route for measures 66 and 67, you should probably make the notes cross-staff instead.

To raise repeat boxes, click the repeat tool, then click and drag the mouse so as to select every handle present on the boxes simultaneously, after which you can tap "up" until the boxes reach the desired height.

Measure 69 currently has a half note and a dotted half note in the right hand, which add up to five beats—one short of a 6/4 measure. But I truly believe you'd be better off writing it in 5/4 with a ritenuto.

Usually, you can fix misaligned layers by deleting the notes and entering them with the mouse at the precise height you want them.

This is what I meant by "continuing the right-hand motif":
Spoiler
[close]
Naturally, you'd drop this pattern whenever the countermelody shows up.
Please stop making lists using hyphens.