tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-535771560757138542024-03-05T15:38:43.790-08:00Waltz for LumaMusings about music and life.Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-70098525847085881812012-06-26T11:27:00.000-07:002012-06-26T11:30:31.614-07:00See you around! Moving to AIVITRAN.COMHi everyone! I wanted to thank you all for your wonderful support over the years, and also mention that after this post, I'll stop updating this blog and many, many links are about to break. (Get out of here before the apocalypse!) Even though it's been awhile since I've posted anything of substance here, I still receive comments about my videos and sheet music, which I really appreciate.
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As I've mentioned in a previous post, I'm actually very active on the internet, and the best way to hear my music is to follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/waltzforluma"><u>Twitter</u></a> (for updates and all the mischief I get up to), <a href="http://youtube.com/waltzforluma"><u>YouTube</u></a> (for videos), <a href="http://facebook.com/waltzforluma"><u>Facebook</u></a> (for general news), and <a href="http://soundcloud.com/aivitran"><u>Soundcloud</u></a> (for originals, and sketches/improvs).
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I'm also updating my <a href="http://aivitran.com"><u>website</u></a>, which has its own blog now! I'll leave this current blog up for good times' sake, but all of the sheet music and MP3 downloads that were available here will also be available in the <a href=http://aivitran.com/downloads.html><u>Downloads</u></a> section there within the week, so don't fret.
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Once again, thank you for being wonderful fans, and thank you Blogger for being a good first host.
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If you're coming along with me for the ride, I'll see you over at <a href="http://aivitran.com"><u>http://aivitran.com</u></a>!
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<font color=#ff0055><3</font>Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-285857292365834092011-12-06T21:34:00.000-08:002013-04-08T11:05:27.047-07:00Score Downloads on YouTubeHi everyone! I just wanted to apologize for all of the broken links on the blog, since I've been receiving a lot of comments about them lately. Please check my <a href="http://youtube.com/waltzforluma" target="_blank"><u>YouTube channel</u></a> for links to all of my scores, and follow me on <a href="http://facebook.com/waltzforluma" target="_blank"><u>Facebook</u></a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/waltzforluma" target="_blank"><u>Twitter</u></a> for more frequent updates regarding new covers and original pieces.<br />
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I've also rounded up every video game arrangement I've made between 2008-2010 into this video - please click through to find the list of links to the downloads.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="259" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-r1H2WDhMlc" width="450"></iframe>Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-77472897605595753372011-07-27T10:56:00.000-07:002011-08-16T09:49:12.979-07:00“Zanarkand Sundown” Video, from Final Fantasy XMy take on “To Zanarkand” from Final Fantasy X, composed by Nobuo Uematsu. There are a lot of great covers of this song out there already, so I wanted to do something a little more... my style :]<br />
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Reharmonized and spliced the original melody up quite a bit here, plus minor improv and a brief meter change - hope you enjoy! And apologies, but there is no actual video for this piece. To copy and paste what I told someone: it takes me months to practice for a video, yet only hours to come up with an arrangement... I figure if I sacrifice the videos now and then, I can cover more songs!<br />
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<center><iframe width="450" height="367" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2NlOCoh_vuQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center><br />
Download the MP3 <a href="http://www.aivitran.com/waltzforluma/Aivi%20Tran%20-%20Zanarkand%20Sundown.mp3"><u>here</u></a>.Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-22860122826521106332011-07-06T10:27:00.000-07:002011-07-06T10:42:36.501-07:00“Planet Wisp” Video, from Sonic Colors“Planet Wisp” composed by Kenichi Tokoi, from the amazing Sonic Colors soundtrack. I’m crazy excited that I had the chance to collaborate with one of my favorite musicians in the universe, Dave Harris (aka Blitz Lunar), an extremely talented sequencer and composer. He transcribed the entire “Planet Wisp” theme (by ear, of course) and I performed the piano part and solos alongside it.<br />
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Did you catch the Green Hill Zone reference in the piano? How about pixel Sonic on the right (inspired by <a href="http://snakestitch.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><u>http://snakestitch.wordpress.com</u></a>)?<br />
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<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="286" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Q1uh9dW5yFw" width="450"></iframe></center><br />
Download the MP3 <a href="http://bit.ly/qmNrni"><u>here</u></a>, and be sure to check out Dave’s <a href="http://youtube.com/goniochromism" target="_blank"><u>YouTube channel</u></a> and <a href="http://iridescentaudio.co.uk/"><u>website</u></a>.<br />
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As an aside, I started out in the game music community as a MIDI sequencer in the late 90’s, submitting transcriptions of videogame pieces to the <a href="http://vgmusic.com/" target="_blank"><u>Video Game Music Archive</u></a>. (You can still find a lot of my work there under the alias Sirius. Don’t laugh too hard! I was super young.) I have a lot of admiration and respect for sequencers, as it requires both precision with one’s ear and precision in execution, which in turn requires a command of the technology. Dave and I started talking because of our common history with <a href="http://vgmusic.com/" target="_blank"><u>vgmusic.com</u></a> (and our common adoration for soundtracks like <i>Bomberman 64</i>) and it’s been an absolute pleasure to get to work with someone who I share some sensibilities with. Plus, I get to show my appreciation for an art form that’s quite sentimental to me, and I wouldn’t be here today without it!Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-35758074357052775712011-07-02T16:57:00.001-07:002011-07-03T17:41:42.054-07:00I Got Hit by a Mink CarAwhile ago, I was invited to be a part of the <a href="http://minkcarcover.com/" target=_blank><u>Mink Car Cover</u></a> project with 18 other amazing artists (including Mustin of The OneUps, Ryan North of <i>Dinosaur Comics</i>, MC Frontalot, my almost-roommate Jonathan Mann of SONGATRON, and many more!) The original <i>Mink Car</i> album by They Might Be Giants was released on September 11, 2001, the day of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. We’ll be covering all of <i>Mink Car</i> and proceeds will go to the FDNY Foundation.<br />
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I’m so honored to be in the company of all these great artists that I’ve admired from afar. For the TMBG fans out there, the track that I’m doing is “Mink Car” itself as a piano solo. I’m really excited for the whole project! Check out <a href="http://minkcarcover.com/" target=_blank><u>http://minkcarcover.com</u></a> to read about the project’s background, the artists, and to pre-order the album.<br />
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In other news, I’m working on a really cool duet with Dave Harris (aka Blitz Lunar), one of my favorite people in the universe. Red Burst, Yellow Drill, Orange Rocket, Green Hover, Blue Cube, Purple Frenzy, White Boost - can you guess what game soundtrack we’ll be performing from?<br />
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Happy 4th of July, American friends! Hope you all enjoy the holiday on Monday!Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-41264364358201353332011-06-24T10:28:00.000-07:002011-06-24T11:15:42.627-07:00“Basic Step” Video, from Wii FitHi everyone! Sorry I haven’t posted in awhile. Here’s something I recorded last month:<br />
<blockquote>I couldn’t resist. The “Basic Step” theme from <i>Wii Fit</i> is incredibly catchy and charming, and I kept giggling to myself when I came up with the idea. (Notice anything different? I moved... and got a new keyboard! Say hello to my new home and my new Roland.) I had way too much fun with this arrangement! Hope you enjoy.</blockquote><center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="286" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xv5tiWfd9i0" width="450"></iframe></center><br />
MP3 available <a href="http://bit.ly/mC0L7N"><u>here</u></a>.<br />
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Some announcements and minor changes: the Blogspot URL of this blog will now redirect to <a href="http://blog.aivitran.com/" style="text-decoration: underline;">http://blog.aivitran.com</a>, and the menu on the top left should tie into my <u><a href="http://aivitran.com/">main portfolio site</a></u>, plus links to my <u><a href="http://twitter.com/waltzforluma" target=_blank>Twitter</a></u> and <u><a href="http://youtube.com/waltzforluma" target=_blank>YouTube</a></u> pages. I’m hoping to create one central hub for my work, rather than many auxiliary sites that I sporadically update and randomly direct people to.<br />
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Finally - and I feel so narcissistic about this! - I started a <u><a href="http://facebook.com/waltzforluma">Facebook page</a></u> as another way to get in touch. I get a lot of friend requests and I feel really bad about turning them down (we all want a little bit of privacy, after all) so I hope that this will make things easier.<br />
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That’s all for now! It’s been a very busy month for me, and I hope I can show off more music very soon. Thanks again for all of your wonderful words and support, even when I seem to be in “sleep mode”!Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-43016631391875986822011-03-02T01:15:00.000-08:002011-06-24T10:53:21.085-07:00“The Legend of Zelda Theme” VideoThe famous Legend of Zelda theme, in honor of Zelda’s 25th anniversary last week! This arrangement is largely inspired by the Koholith Overworld from Link’s Awakening, my favorite rendition of the LoZ theme (with a sprinkle of Ocarina of Time in the intro and Link to the Past at the end).<br />
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In the interest of time, I edited the audio in a few places that I was unhappy with instead of re-recording, so the sound may look off from the video in spots. Regardless of its flaws, I hope it’s still fun to listen to!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WE-EaLoiBQY" title="YouTube video player" width="450"></iframe><br />
</center>Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-39541610140979489152011-02-09T10:04:00.000-08:002013-04-08T11:09:37.555-07:00Musical Sketches: “Butterfly” and “Basic Step”Are you a night owl or an early bird? I’m starting to think that I'm a little of both...<br />
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My boss at the music school asked me if I feel more creative during the day or the odd hours of the night. Many of my fellow music teachers have all mentioned that the magic happens at night, and I definitely agree that there’s just <i>something</i> about the night, having had my share of sessions where I actually see the sun rise while composing - but I feel inspired during the day, too! You’d think that after all this time, I’d know my own creative process, but I don’t. I guess I’m just a 24-hour music machine.<br />
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I did sort of notice something, though. I listened to a few songs that I recorded/composed at night, and then ones that I created during the day. It seems like the music that I make at night tends to be more fun, risky, free and uninhibited, while the music that I make during the day is controlled and concise.<br />
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I recorded two new sketches this month. They both took about the same amount of time. And here’s the fun part... one of them was recorded during the middle of the day, and the other was recorded in the middle of the night!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Butterfly</span><br />
February 1, 2011<br />
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<blockquote>
My “day” piece. This is a short idea for a new track that I came up with. I started with a minimal piano line, then threw some strings over it, although I’m not sure how much I like them. The piano part stays for sure, though! No particular reason behind this - I just felt like composing.</blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Wii Fit: Basic Step Improv</span><br />
February 9, 2011<br />
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<blockquote>
My “night” piece, an improvisation on the irresistibly cute “Basic Step” theme from Wii Fit. I was having way too much fun jamming on this tune. If you’ve never heard the original theme, check it out <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Rbutqcn7Ow" target="_blank"><u>here</u></a>. (I haven’t played Wii Fit for about two years, but I used to love doing the Basic Step just for the music! It’s certainly not DDR, but I’d still go all out and rock out anyway, while staying in step. It definitely makes my list of favorite video game tracks.)</blockquote>
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Hope you enjoy!Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-18732904310881606452011-01-19T02:59:00.000-08:002011-01-19T03:02:33.509-08:00“Rainbow Castle” Video, from Mario PartyMy take on “Rainbow Castle” from Mario Party for the Nintendo 64, composed by Yasunori Mitsuda. I loved the Mario Party soundtrack as a child, and this board’s theme was my favorite. (Fun fact: when I was in 8th grade, I submitted a MIDI of this piece to the <a href="http://vgmusic.com/"><u>Video Game Music Archive</u></a>!)<br />
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<center><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LLwZ7YUkAUs?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LLwZ7YUkAUs?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></center><center><br />
</center><center style="text-align: left;">For anyone who’s interested, you can download the MP3 <a href="http://bit.ly/edUaxq"><u>here</u></a>. Hope you enjoy!</center>Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-91734178798898437772010-10-01T10:27:00.000-07:002010-10-01T10:33:17.894-07:00Musical Sketches: “Assault” and “Feldschlacht III”I took a Masashi Hamauzu day recently, and I thought I’d share the results with you guys.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">FFX Piano Collections: Assault</span><br />
September 28, 2010<br />
<script language="JavaScript" src="music/audio-
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><object data="http://www.aivitran.com/player.swf" height="24" id="audioplayer1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="350"> <param name="movie" value="music/player.swf"><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=1& bg=0xf8f8f8& leftbg=0x666666& lefticon=0x666666& rightbg=0xcccccc&
rightbghover=0x999999&righticon=0x666666&righticonhover=0xffffff&text=0x55aacc&slider=0x666666&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0x666666&loader=0x55aacc&loop=no&autostart=no&soundFile=http://www.aivitran.com/sketches/FFXAssaultRough.mp3"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="menu" value="false"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></object></div></div><blockquote>A 30-second test run I recorded of “Assault” from the FFX Piano Collections, composed and arranged by Masashi Hamauzu. I’ve been practicing this one a lot, and think I’ve mostly gotten the hang of it! I give it another month or so. (Also, I lost the sheet music last week, which is forcing me to play from memory and make up notes that I can’t remember for the life of me... sounds about right.) This one makes my right arm sore after an hour, but the way both hands fly around is so satisfying.</blockquote><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">SaGa Frontier II: Improvisation on Feldschlacht III</span><br />
September 28, 2010<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><object data="http://www.aivitran.com/player.swf" height="24" id="audioplayer1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="350"> <param name="movie" value="music/player.swf"><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=1& bg=0xf8f8f8& leftbg=0x666666& lefticon=0x666666& rightbg=0xcccccc&
rightbghover=0x999999&righticon=0x666666&righticonhover=0xffffff&text=0x55aacc&slider=0x666666&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0x666666&loader=0x55aacc&loop=no&autostart=no&soundFile=http://www.aivitran.com/sketches/SF2Feld3Improv.mp3"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="menu" value="false"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></object></div></div><blockquote>I’ve been on a long SaGa Frontier II soundtrack kick, and among the fantastic stand-out tracks that I listen to a lot (like “Vorspiel” and “Arranguer”), most of my attention has been on “Feldschlacht III”. I go through entire commutes to and from work with Feldschlacht on repeat (and I even learned how to spell it!) The result of my gushing love is a short improvisation that I sat down and recorded. It's messy, but I like how it turned out for a sit-down-for-one-minute-and-wing-it track and think it has potential for a full-fledged arrangement.</blockquote><br />
More of my sketches <a href="http://aivitran.com/sketches.html"><u>here</u></a>. Happy October, everyone! (Where did this year go?)Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-21641293405490280072010-09-16T16:06:00.000-07:002010-11-01T14:25:01.997-07:00Someday, I’ll Tame This Beast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3g_EOYMfzCaH-BMJI5oFRJKlLapTscDOT1ZdG_BFN7qyNEFabsD72O2S5mD8j8OkIz-4X3T8aSbmMLz2l9bjxeJjboX4C0s1lcw5SDlTOVCw5UX4BLo3ABZZYHSVtNSm2mJkkEa8ZP0o/s1600/Photo+964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3g_EOYMfzCaH-BMJI5oFRJKlLapTscDOT1ZdG_BFN7qyNEFabsD72O2S5mD8j8OkIz-4X3T8aSbmMLz2l9bjxeJjboX4C0s1lcw5SDlTOVCw5UX4BLo3ABZZYHSVtNSm2mJkkEa8ZP0o/s400/Photo+964.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-5478310359820883112010-09-08T09:33:00.000-07:002010-09-08T09:36:28.625-07:00“Piano Fantasia” Video, from Secret of ManaWhat’s going on here, <i>two posts</i> in one day?!<br />
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This is a simple medley I made to cheer a friend up a long time ago, with some themes that I like. I decided to call it a “fantasia” because I was sort of winging it as I went along (quick terminology lesson: a “fantasia” is a musical composition with a more free structure, and it often has an improvisatory feel, sometimes sounding abrupt when it moves between sections. In short, it’s a piece where the composer does whatever he darn feels like.) I really like how it came out.<br />
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Secret of Mana has one of the most amazing game soundtracks, and even though I haven’t played the game, the music is incredibly inspirational to me. The themes I used in the medley are “Together Always”, “Color of the Summer Sky”, “Fear of Angels” and “A Bell is Tolling.”<br />
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(You can tell what piece I love the most by the fact that I spent a whole 2 minutes on it, hehe.)<br />
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<center><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/W3eeW5gu_AA?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/W3eeW5gu_AA?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center>Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-80339463996780570392010-09-08T09:13:00.000-07:002010-09-10T08:28:39.522-07:00Musical Sketches: “Time Circuits” and “Into the Thick of It”Hi everyone! Wow, I’ve been so busy in real life, between teaching piano 6 days a week and then when I’m not working, I’m <i>still working</i> (freelance composing). Unfortunately, that means almost zero time to arrange new pieces, write new scores, and practice. But I finally figured out a way to get around that: post things I’ve already made, but have never shared with anyone before.<br />
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I put up a new back-door-page on my portfolio site called <a href="http://aivitran.com/sketches.html"><u>Musical Sketches</u></a>, where I’ve posted a few rough recordings and ideas. It’s kind of like looking at doodles in an artist’s sketchbook, and sometimes that’s more fun; I think there’s a certain charm to seeing a piece of art when it’s unpolished and in a more “natural” state. Well, okay, I’m not sure if that applies to me, but hopefully someone will feel that way about my pieces!<br />
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So... enough talking! Let me show you some music.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Into the Thick of It</span><br />
December 19, 2009<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><object data="http://www.aivitran.com/player.swf" height="24" id="audioplayer1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="350"> <param name="movie" value="music/player.swf"><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=1& bg=0xf8f8f8& leftbg=0x666666& lefticon=0x666666& rightbg=0xcccccc&
rightbghover=0x999999&righticon=0x666666&righticonhover=0xffffff&text=0x55aacc&slider=0x666666&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0x666666&loader=0x55aacc&loop=no&autostart=no&soundFile=http://www.aivitran.com/sketches/ITTOIRough.mp3"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="menu" value="false"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></object></div></div><blockquote>This is a rough recording (or as I was calling it, a “draft of a draft”) of “Into the Thick of It,” a fantastic piece from Secret of Mana by Hiroki Kikuta. If you remember my pal Alex from <a href="http://aivitran.blogspot.com/2009/09/dragon-roost-island-video-from-zelda.html"><u>Dragon Roost Island</u></a>, this was our second planned duet that we never got around to finishing up. We recorded this to feel out the structure of the arrangement, but even for a “draft of a draft,” I think it turned out nicely. Hope you like it, too! Piano by me; guitars and drums by Alex. The drums were influenced by “Did You See the Ocean” - mmm, two birds with one stone.</blockquote><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Time Circuits </span><br />
February 28, 2010<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><object data="http://www.aivitran.com/player.swf" height="24" id="audioplayer1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="350"> <param name="movie" value="music/player.swf"><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=1& bg=0xf8f8f8& leftbg=0x666666& lefticon=0x666666& rightbg=0xcccccc&
rightbghover=0x999999&righticon=0x666666&righticonhover=0xffffff&text=0x55aacc&slider=0x666666&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0x666666&loader=0x55aacc&loop=no&autostart=no&soundFile=http://www.aivitran.com/sketches/TimeCircuitsRough.mp3"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="menu" value="false"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></object></div></div><blockquote>This is, hands down, my <i>favorite</i> song from a videogame. I adore it so much, and it even inspired me to play Chrono Trigger. “Time Circuits” is such a unique piece for a game - the instrumentation is exotic, with tabla, sitar and what sounds like some sort of gamelan instrument, yet the notes themselves aren’t “exotic” at all, carrying a sound that’s much more familiar. The result is a beautiful kind of tension, something that instantly inspires the fantastic feeling of far-off worlds and bittersweet nostalgia all at once.</blockquote><blockquote>Anyway, this is a little piano sketch that I recorded of it awhile ago. I really like where it’s headed, and I’ll definitely finish it sometime!</blockquote><br />
Feel free to check out the <a href="http://aivitran.com/sketches.html"><u>Musical Sketches</u></a> page for some original pieces, too. As usual, please enjoy!Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-33640051907054318922010-06-08T02:02:00.000-07:002010-08-13T22:09:01.764-07:00A Rainbow is a Smile (Turned Upside Down)As a person who’s capable of absorbing a lot of complicated, convoluted music, I’m surprised by how much joy I still find in the simplest of melodies. And I mean <i>simple</i>. When I’m not busy composing for clients and listening to my own pieces as I edit them, you’ll likely catch me listening to “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” <br />
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It’s not as creepy as it sounds. I have over twenty piano students at the moment, and the vast majority of them are beginners, so I end up listening to these kinds of tunes for a few hours everyday. Maybe it’s because I’ve been having some bad days on the composing front (long story short: I feel like I’m forsaking my soul to write music that I disagree with), but listening to children’s songs has been cheering me up.<br />
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One of my eight-year-old students today was learning a piece called, “A Rainbow is a Smile (Turned Upside Down)” composed by Nancy Faber, from the <i>Piano Adventures </i>series. It’s a cute melody on its own, but when I sat down beside her to play the teacher accompaniment, my heart swelled and I started getting emotional over how pretty and uplifting everything sounded. I liked it so much that I even made up some excuse for us to play it together again. (“Let’s focus on the dynamics this time!”)<br />
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I don’t care if it’s a primer level piece written for an eight-year-old. I would happily play that duet with any (and all) of my friends.Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-49032854321168693292010-04-23T20:23:00.000-07:002010-04-24T00:57:07.804-07:00“Fina’s Theme” Video and Sheet Music, from Skies of ArcadiaA long time ago, I received a request to play “Fina’s Theme” from Skies of Arcadia. I’d never heard it before, but upon first listen, I absolutely loved it and wanted to cover it someday. This was fun to arrange and I took a lot of creative liberties with it, even composing my own melody at 1:21. Hope you enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh088o5jX7PlQvxt60NBbFKB5qViDxzT0o92S46Fls6NsQ6wBXAEsF6c5yzU34S7vptRCkvwZ6PfbK4VRoZXppbekOPBW-UW-PnHS4UX0eiVyBYXdKGixJKsILVDppMkm9zl0oTQDp9MQc/s1600/preview_finatheme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh088o5jX7PlQvxt60NBbFKB5qViDxzT0o92S46Fls6NsQ6wBXAEsF6c5yzU34S7vptRCkvwZ6PfbK4VRoZXppbekOPBW-UW-PnHS4UX0eiVyBYXdKGixJKsILVDppMkm9zl0oTQDp9MQc/s320/preview_finatheme.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<hr color="cccccc" size="1" /><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.aivitran.com/sheetmusic/SkiesOfArcadia_FinasTheme.pdf" target="_blank">Fina’s Theme</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Format:</span> PDF<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Difficulty:</span> Intermediate-Advanced<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Info:</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span>My interpretation of the lovely piece from Skies of Arcadia. (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEUNqeUXEeU" target="_blank"><u>hear the original</u></a>.)</blockquote><hr color="cccccc" size="1" /><br />
<center><object height="425" width="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gmj-XAeqXOQ&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gmj-XAeqXOQ&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center>Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-82312556313429107602010-04-15T18:42:00.000-07:002013-04-08T11:12:26.844-07:00“Zora’s Domain” Sheet Music, from Zelda: Ocarina of TimeYou asked – and here it is, finally. Enjoy!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.aivitran.com/sheetmusic/Zelda5_ZorasDomain.pdf" target="_blank">Zora’s Domain</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Format:</span> PDF<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Difficulty:</span> Intermediate<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Info:</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span>A relaxing piece first heard in Ocarina of Time, that appears in several Zelda games. (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTdh294oTjQ" target="_blank"><u>Watch me play it</u></a> or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxHUYI-Ow9Q" target="_blank"><u>hear the original</u></a>.)</blockquote>
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Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-62971006286583308252010-04-14T02:25:00.000-07:002010-10-01T10:35:56.752-07:00Space Junk, No. 1 & 2I never wanted to be one of those kids who’d open up GarageBand, lay down tracks in twenty minutes, then call the end result music, but admittedly I’ve been dabbling in exactly that – and it’s so much fun.<br />
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These are two short melodies that I improvised, both strangely in the middle of the night. Think of them like an artist’s doodles in a sketchbook. I’m calling them “Space Junk” because 1) the name seems appropriate to my love for Super Mario Galaxy, 2) the two improvisations are named after celestial bodies, and 3) the songs are junk. They make me smile, though.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">No. 1: </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">“Hello Moon” </span></span></span><br />
December 30, 2009<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><object data="http://www.aivitran.com/player.swf" height="24" id="audioplayer1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="350"> <param name="movie" value="music/player.swf"><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=1& bg=0xf8f8f8& leftbg=0x666666& lefticon=0x666666& rightbg=0xcccccc&
rightbghover=0x999999&righticon=0x666666&righticonhover=0xffffff&text=0x55aacc&slider=0x666666&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0x666666&loader=0x55aacc&loop=no&autostart=no&soundFile=http://www.aivitran.com/music/AiviTran-SpaceJunk-HelloMoon.mp3"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="menu" value="false"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></object></div></div><blockquote>This was my first time messing around on GB. I won’t lie, there was a little bit of Bomberman and Mega Man on the brain.</blockquote><blockquote>The first thing I “doodled” was the chordal texture, then the drums, melody, and lastly the twinkling countermelody. The idea here (and with my thought process in general) is something that my dad taught me about prioritizing: imagine trying to fill a jar with stones, pebbles, and sand. The most productive way to do that is to start with the larger stones, then fill in the gaps between them with the pebbles, and finally, when the sand is poured into the jar, it’ll naturally fill in the rest of the holes. For me, texture and harmony are the stones, and my main priorities: they determine the overall feel and movement within a piece. The pebbles are the melody: of course I value a good melody, but I think a line of single notes provides a lot more flexibility than a line of chords. And finally, the countermelody is the sand: its main role is to complement all of the elements that are already there.</blockquote><blockquote>This method of composing seems better suited to certain kinds of music (like GB doodles) but it works for me, especially when I want to get an idea out there quickly.</blockquote><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">No. 2: </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">“Skylights and Stars” </span></span><br />
February 6, 2010<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><object data="http://www.aivitran.com/player.swf" height="24" id="audioplayer1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="350"> <param name="movie" value="music/player.swf"><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=1& bg=0xf8f8f8& leftbg=0x666666& lefticon=0x666666& rightbg=0xcccccc&
rightbghover=0x999999&righticon=0x666666&righticonhover=0xffffff&text=0x55aacc&slider=0x666666&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0x666666&loader=0x55aacc&loop=no&autostart=no&soundFile=http://www.aivitran.com/music/AiviTran-SpaceJunk-SkylightsAndStars.mp3"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="menu" value="false"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></object></div></div><blockquote>I remember waking up in the middle of the night, feeling a little sad. I ended up opening my laptop and recording this tune, before falling asleep again. I think my subconscious influence here was the <i>Tekkon Kinkreet</i> soundtrack by Plaid (which is fantastic, I should mention.)</blockquote><br />
It’s pretty fun to see how I make music when I’m sleepy and uninhibited. Thank you, GarageBand!Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-86113284601476761082010-04-01T10:59:00.000-07:002013-04-16T01:43:05.269-07:00Reason For My Treason: Blood KnightHi everyone! I wanted to apologize for my silence over the past few months – I promise I haven’t left you all. I’ve been a little swamped by life’s happenings and musical projects, and it’s been quite exciting around here!<br />
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Since December, I’ve been working on the music team for an upcoming game called <i>Blood Knight</i>, an epic RPG for the iPhone being developed by <a href="http://ipwnstudios.com/" target="_blank"><u>iPwn Studios</u></a>. My partner in crime is my good friend Stuart Nishiyama, along with other talented musicians who contribute and keep us in check. It’s been an interesting experience so far – sometimes smooth, sometimes extremely stressful when there are aesthetic disagreements and tight constraints over our creative liberty. But this soundtrack is turning out to be cool, and I have no doubt that everyone’s hard work will pay off.</div>
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So I’m still around, and I’ll post new covers to YouTube as soon as I get a chance to practice and record them. There are a lot of great videogame tunes on my queue and I hope you’ll all enjoy what's to come, when it comes. Thanks for all of your patience and support and see you soon! ♥</div>
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(Side note: I’ve been trying to be more active on <a href="http://twitter.com/waltzforluma" target="_blank"><u>Twitter</u></a>, so feel free to get in touch if you want to say hi or see what ol’ me has been up to.)Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-24047767628013108482009-11-28T20:49:00.000-08:002010-04-15T21:49:30.629-07:00“Palace” Sheet Music, from Zelda: Adventure of LinkI’ve received a few requests to transcribe the sheet music for my <a href="http://aivitran.blogspot.com/2009/08/palace-video-from-zelda-adventure-of.html">Zelda Palace arrangement</a>, so hopefully those of you who’ve been waiting for it will enjoy.<br />
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</div><hr color="cccccc" size="1" /><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.aivitran.com/sheetmusic/Zelda2_Palace.pdf" target="_blank">Palace</a></span><br />
<b>Format:</b> PDF<br />
<b>Difficulty:</b> Intermediate<br />
<b>Info:</b> This arrangement was mostly inspired by the “Hyrule Temple” theme from Super Smash Brothers Melee. I threw in the notes for the Zelda “secret sound” at the end, too. (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69s-jnwln0Q" target="_blank"><u>Watch me play it</u></a> or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIb2GxXHduM" target="_blank"><u>hear the original</u></a> from the Legend of Zelda: Adventure of Link.)</blockquote><hr color="cccccc" size="1" />Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-84414976579722962892009-11-25T09:54:00.000-08:002010-04-15T17:23:55.645-07:00Masashi Hamauzu: “Defiers of Fate” from Final Fantasy XIII(<b>4/13/10:</b> A higher quality audio sample of the theme is out there now, as well as its proper title, so I’ve updated this post to reflect my new finds.)<br />
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This piece is so cool! Even though I’ve only played one and a half Final Fantasy games, I’m excited for this soundtrack. I’m a fan of FFX’s music, which Masashi Hamauzu co-composed with Nobuo Uematsu and Junya Nakano. Apparently Masashi Hamauzu is working on the FFXIII soundtrack without Nobuo Uematsu.<br />
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</div><div><blockquote>“Defiers of Fate,” FFXIII’s trailer theme, composed by Masashi Hamauzu.</blockquote><center><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kIWtTXHsvvI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kIWtTXHsvvI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center><br />
I love the blend of electronic and orchestral elements here. Both genres involve a very different palette of sounds and thought process for piecing those sounds together, but they fit together seamlessly in this piece and the composer clearly is fluent in them both. It sets up such a colorful sound world. (The bass accents kind of remind me of Nobuo Uematsu’s music, particularly the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAE1mb4TS3c" target=_blank><u>Menu Theme</u></a> from Super Smash Brothers Brawl.)<br />
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Since I seem to like Final Fantasy music when Masashi Hamauzu is involved, I started looking into his other works, like the SaGa Frontier 2 soundtrack. I’m finding that I like just about everything I hear of his; at a glance, his music seems to be piano-oriented and mixes a lot of light electronic textures with heavy ambient chords and orchestral sounds. (Did I mention before that I’m a fan of light, “sparkly” sounds?) I think I’ve found a new favorite composer!<br />
</div>Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-10642298183495897922009-11-20T01:59:00.000-08:002013-04-16T01:43:20.705-07:00Covers in Progress: “Assault” and “Gusty Garden Galaxy”It’s been slow around here again, hasn’t it? I’ve been working on a few small projects, both as a personal hobby and for clients.<br />
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On the YouTube end, I’m trying to decide what song to cover next. At the moment, “Assault” from the FFX Piano Collections is the farthest along, though I still have a long way to go before I can perform it.<br />
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“Assault” from the FFX Piano Collections, a beautiful piano arrangement of the original, composed/arranged by Masashi Hamauzu and performed by Aki Kuroda.</blockquote>
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The other piece I’m working on is “Gusty Garden Galaxy” (by popular demand) though truth be told, I’m stuck! I’ve worked out an introduction that I like, but it’s tough recreating the sweeping emotions of the piece without an orchestra to back me up. I also want it to stand as a good <i>piano arrangement</i> rather than a simple imitation of the original, so we’ll see how this goes.<br />
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“Gusty Garden Galaxy” from Super Mario Galaxy, also considered the main theme of Mario Galaxy. I believe it was composed by Koji Kondo, but I’ve been known to credit everything to him and should probably check on that.*</blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">*Thanks for correcting me, guys! I had a feeling I was giving Koji Kondo too much credit again! Mahito Yokota composed the Gusty Garden theme.</span></center>
Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-8955130097738251512009-10-13T22:16:00.000-07:002010-04-15T17:25:08.691-07:00“Besaid Island” Video, from FFX Piano Collections<center><object width="460" height="284"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mYBQcmtXYRw&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mYBQcmtXYRw&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="460" height="284"></embed></object><center></center></center>Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-13923729329901631012009-09-30T02:43:00.000-07:002010-04-15T17:21:44.945-07:00Thoughts Here and ThereSorry I haven’t posted anything new in nearly a month. I’ve been a bit distracted lately, but I think I have good reasons! The biggest news is that I’m back to teaching piano. It’s nice to have a consistent work schedule, and with my hobby as an arranger-transcriber, I can easily assign pieces that my students are interested in.<br />
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My second bit of news is that Alex introduced me to FF6, my second Final Fantasy. I’m sure many of you already realize this, but THIS GAME IS AMAZING. We recently completed the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mNsqgUc1uc" target="_blank"><u>famous opera scene</u></a>, which left me awestruck. After experiencing the inventiveness and sheer variety of characters and things to do, backed by a beautiful soundtrack (and feeling like I’ve only scratched the surface of the story) I feel inspired and ashamed that I’ve never played it before. I’m not very far in the game yet, but if things continue on like this, I think FF6 could easily sit among my favorites.<br />
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The most striking piece of music for me so far has been the “Serpent Trench” theme. It’s such a cool orchestral sound for a video game, and I can’t imagine many situations in any RPG that would allow a piece of music like this. Walking-pace string pulses, flitting motifs, unusual chords that give it somewhat of a surreal tone... I love it!<br />
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<blockquote>“Serpent Trench” from Final Fantasy VI, composed by Nobuo Uematsu.</blockquote><center><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vTS0Qncarho&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vTS0Qncarho&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center><br />
And the third reason why I haven’t uploaded a new video is because I’ve been unhappy and picky. For awhile now, I’ve been practicing “Besaid Island” from the FFX Piano Collections. I memorized the notes about a month ago and can get from point A to B, but rather than “reciting” the piece from memory, I’d like to be “fluent” in it, to where it feels completely effortless. I do feel like I’m close to nailing it, though, so I’ll try to post it soon.<br />
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(Somewhat unrelated, I’ve also been teaching myself “<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMg54zv6V3s" target="_blank"><u>Rufus’ Welcoming Ceremony</u></a>” from the FF7 Piano Collections and Rachmaninoff’s <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-Qb7AS1yxg" target="_blank"><u>Prelude in G Minor</u></a>, which now that I think about it, have quite a few similarities. I suppose I’m in a chord-smashing mood.)Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-35846751447680528082009-09-03T23:47:00.000-07:002010-04-15T17:25:44.129-07:00“Dragon Roost Island” Video, from Zelda: WindwakerI’ve been dying to cover this song for a long time, and yesterday it finally happened. My friend Alex and I put our own spin on the “Dragon Roost Island” theme, arranging it for piano and guitar. We recorded separate tracks for the background strumming and three layers of clapping (three layers times four and a half minutes… you do the math! Our arms were so sore.)<br />
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We also made the video <i>after</i> recording the audio – trying to sync our performance was pretty darn funny.<br />
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This was a blast to work on, and I hope I’ll get to do more collaborations like this in the future!<br />
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<center><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6o8lNLtg0JQ&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6o8lNLtg0JQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center>Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53577156075713854.post-53767733438609266912009-08-25T12:30:00.000-07:002010-04-15T17:26:15.961-07:00“Rikku’s Theme” Video, from FFX Piano CollectionsOne of my favorite arrangements by Masashi Hamauzu from the FFX Piano Collections, an adorable rendition of Rikku’s Theme with hints of bossa nova. I downloaded the sheet music from <a href="http://sodasheetmusic.com/"><u>SODA Sheet Music</u></a> and altered it a little bit for accuracy.<br />
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I also added an extra high E at the very end, which wasn’t in the original performance by Aki Kuroda. For some reason, it just felt right!<br />
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The FFX piano arrangements are very inspirational to me. I’d definitely like to take an example of their inventiveness when I make own game music arrangements in the future.Aivihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04252997985530240703noreply@blogger.com3