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Recording: Xenosaga - Shion - Memories of the Past

Submitted Tue, 01/01/2008 - 01:42
by cgseth | View the tab

5
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8 comments on Shion - Memories of the Past

Bravo...wow that was

Bravo...wow that was beautiful...an excellent way to say happy new year indeed!

Which game should I send

Which game should I send you? Haha, I'm glad someone stepped up. Although I gotta say, I was expecting the second part to be played with more intensity. It was still very controlled and well played though.

Heh, thanks. This was the

Heh, thanks. This was the first take where I didn't screw up too badly. Then, I went back and listened to the MIDI and realized that it was much faster. Well, at that point I was tired from all of those ami chords to do another take. I hope Kabukibear likes it.

I suppose you can send along the first Xenosaga. I don't really know anything about the game, so I guess it will be interesting to actually play it.

Great job Seth, really. That

Great job Seth, really. That was very very nice. I didn't even mind that the second part was played a little slower because it was played so cleanly. I know this piece is really tiring as you're having to hold awkward chords for pretty much the entirity of it. I bet you were starting to feel the burn in that left hand near the end! But it's better to play at a tempo you're comfortable with and play it well then try to hurry it along and get a bunch of dirty notes. The first part was fantastic by the way, very well interpreted. I don't have any suggestions as far as technique goes, you've got that down, only a couple suggestions for some insight in how I felt when arranging this.

The only minor thing I would say, is to free yourself up a little during the beginning. I realize I didn't write it, I should've, that each phrase in the beginning should veerry slightly accelerando and deccelerando. Like from the start of beat 3 measure 1(full measure) to beat 1 measure 2 you should accelerate just a little bit and then slow back down starting from beat 1 measure 2 to beat 3 measure 2. Then beat 4 should be back at tempo and you do the same thing with the other measures. The dynamics there should flow like that as well, picture a wave that rolls in and then rolls out. I just feel that gives it almost a sense of longing that contrasts really sharply once the piece picks up.

The only other comment I can make is somewhat similar, starting on measure 35 where the repeated pattern takes over, you should decrescendo through all of measure 35 until measure 36, which is actually kind of quiet. This whole section is just a bridge that builds up to the climax of the piece. So for example start 35 at forte and decrescendo down to piano by measure 36. Then begin to crescendo up to mezzoforte by measure 37 and then start to decrescendo again but don't get quite as quiet as you did the previous decrescendo. At 38 start to crescendo again until measure 39 where you decrescendo but again, a little less. So even though you are getting louder and softer, each time you get a little more loud and a little less soft. Earlier I said to visualize a wave going in and out but in this case it's slightly different because you're slowly getting a louder each time. I tend to make up stories to music I hear or write because it makes it all the more personal to me. This visualization works for me when I play it but you may be different. Since we're talking RPG music try to picture the hero, badly beaten, knowing that hasn't got it in him for one more fight but at the same time, knowing that he has no other choice. Picture what he's feeling when doing this part, the rising and falling volume is his breathing, while the slowly rising chord progession is his resolve. Both keep building and building until the explosion in the climax.

Well...a feel a bit emotionally naked after that so I'll stop there, hehe. But really, you did a fantastic job with this, I'm really impressed.

Wow. Thanks so much for the

Wow. Thanks so much for the advice on interpretation. I like your description of the wave and I think that the dynamics that you suggest add a LOT to the piece. I really wasn't able to put much emotion into it because I was reading from the music. As a rule, I should probably never play from sheet music because it makes me lose touch with the flow of the music. Then, I just realized today that I have the piece memorized, which I originally thought would be hard since it has all of those chords, but I guess it just comes. If I end up being able to play it significantly better, I might record another take sometime.

There are quite a few chord changes in the middle of the second section that are hard to get down, particularly the shift from C to F major in measure 32. Barring the first fret means that the G and E open strings kind of hammer-on to G# and F which sounds bad. I need to figure out a better technical solution to that. Edit: Actually, I just didn't realize I don't need a barre chord there. I'm just so used to getting into the barre chord shape for F major.

Anyway, I always like to hear your criticism. So keep it coming (heh, I know I don't have to tell you that).

T-A-B POR FAVOR xD

T-A-B

POR FAVOR xD

nvm i found it ._.

nvm i found it

._.

Outstanding !

5

Outstanding !