As mentioned earlier, I say we create our own Final Fantasy 7 Piano Collections. This forum is already filled with enough music majors who can arrange pieces, why not use them to their full potential? But before we start, let's get a hypothetical track list. All of the piano collections to date weren't comprised of the best pieces from the OSTs, they were comprised of the most diverse. So try not to submit tracks you think were the best, but that would sound good on piano. I have some ideas and I am basing them on the previous soundtracks. Also note, there is a major difference in style between FF4-6 PC and ff8-9, mainly becuase they were arranged by different people. When I arrange, I try to mimic the style created in FF4-6 mainly because its more simplistic and I don't have enough music theory to be able to copy Hamaguchi-san's work.

Pieces that should be on FF7 PC (no paticular order)
Main theme- every PC so far has had the main theme on there in one form or fashion.
Aerith- leading heroine theme, beatiful at that
Tifa- same as above but can be arranged to different styles than the original (a la Rydia, Coin Song)
One Winged Angel- need (final) boss music (ex. The Battle (4), Battle with Gilgamesh (5), Kefka (6), Final Battle (9))
Costa del Sol- different styled (Bossa Nova) town theme(ex. Johnny C. Bad, Treno)
Prelude - we still don't have a *good* Prelude arrangement

thats all I can think of for right now, but i have some criteria that still needs to be met
we need a "dungeon theme" (Mystic Forest (6), Find Your Way (8), Branbul (9)- I like"Chasing the Black Caped Man" on disc 2 track 9, but it sounds like Find Your Way
Another City theme (Welcome to Our Town (4), Kids Run Through City Corner(6), Fisherman's Horizon(8), Dali (9)) I like "Farm Boy" (2-05)
possibly another fighting theme, like "Still More Fighting" (1-20)
Either a Chocobo theme or a Moogle theme or both. FF4-6 each had a Chocobo theme and 5 had moogle (Critter Fritter... I forget the name) Almost all the FF7 Chocobo Themes are on Disc 2 and the Moogle House theme is on disc 1 track 16

Beyond that, I really don't know, what other suggestions do you have? I have already started arranging a Tifa piece, its reminscent of Rydia and Coin Song
If yu are going to arrange a piece too, I suggest getting the OST piano sheet music so you already have the theme written out and something to work on (and having the other Piano Collections sheet music is preferable because you can study and learn what to do)

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*shoddy french accent*
Nii-oooooo one expects the Chocobo Inquisition!

Death is just life's way of saying "You need to slow down"

Last edited by chocobomog on 06-09-2001 at 01:42 PM

I read your earlier post and I am with you on composing improved piano pieces. I'll start with aeris's theme. I'll pm you when I'm ready.

How about Anxious Heart? The OST version is mostly piano anyway, so it shouldn't be hard to arrange. I like the rest of your track suggestions, and here are some more from the peanut gallery...

Vincent's Theme. That's a must.

J-E-N-O-V-A (for battle/boss theme) - would be extremely difficult to arrange and play, but what a piece it would make!!!

For a chocobo theme, how about the surfer-type piece that plays when you're fighting a chocobo? I forget what it's called, but it sounds cool.

The Gold Saucer theme would make a pretty interesting translation to piano.

I like Ahead on Our Way for the city theme - it's the one that plays in Nibelheim, I think.

And we can't forget Cid';s Theme, one of the greatest pieces in the FF series!!!

Finally, do we really need a dungeon theme? I think these are enough - and if we use chocobomog's 6 plus my 7 suggestions, we have a healthy 13 tracks. More suggestions are definitely welcome, though!!!

EDIT: After the pieces are arranged, I can probably play some of them if we want to make a recording. It would have to be before September, though, because I'll be at college after that.

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"To be forgotten is worse than death." - Freya Crescent, FFIX

Last edited by Starfire on 06-09-2001 at 02:44 PM

All of these are good suggestions, here's my opinion of them though
Anxious Heart is a very good idea, I created a notebook of 250 pages of Final Fantasy piano music and the only FF7 songs I have are Tifa, Main Theme and Anxious Heart.

J-E-N-O-V-A this theme would be comparable to Battle With Gilgamesh since it's a theme played at multiple boss foghts with the same entity. It would be really hard to arrange since it has so much going on, but then again so was Final Battle for FF9

Vincent's Theme While I really enjoy this piece, it was made specifically for the guitar, just like Breezy was in FF8. It would be difficult to write counter melodies and such to it and keep the eerie effect. IMO we should keep this one out and use it later if we do a guitar collections or orchestra collections later on (but that's further down the road)

Electric de Chocobo - This won't work for basically the same reason as above, it is meant for a "beach boys" type guitar and I really don't know how to get that same effect on piano.

Ahead on Our Way works justs fine, the only weird thing is its name is a tribute to another song that was in the FF5 PC. That could cause confusion.

Cid's Theme Great song... I think it would sound better as an orchestra peice though, but who knows, it might work for piano.

I've had some other ideas too- Farm Boy could be used as Chocobo piece and whoever arranges it can put a chocobo theme riff somewhere in it.

And what about Reunion (3-22) for the "dungeon theme" (its the underwater theme I think)

I also like Interrupted by Fireworks, but I think it's style is too much the same as other pieces we alreaady have, there wouldn't be enough variety

Also alot of the other PCs have the an ending theme on theme, but I really can't remember what the FF7 ending soundlike, I think it was a mix of various themes in the game.

I'm open to more suggestions too, and remember what we have is not final, nor will it ever be, if there is a song you definately want to hear on piano just ask one of the arrangers to do it (anyone know where Falkon2 is? I don't know him personally, but figuring how well he arranged the FF8 CD I bet he can play and arrange piano pieces quite well.) And as for recording, I definately can't do that, sure I can play the pieces but never *perfect* enough to be recorded for all to listen to for eternity. Starfire, its all you if you want it (and I understand about the September thing, I classes start mid Aug, and once they do this is sitting on the side for a while since music isn't even a part of my major, just a hobby)

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*shoddy french accent*
Nii-oooooo one expects the Chocobo Inquisition!

Death is just life's way of saying "You need to slow down"

Last edited by chocobomog on 06-09-2001 at 03:49 PM

Farm Boy would be great! (It would also sound perfect on the hammered dulcimer, but that's not what we need here. ) I don't remember how Reunion or Chasing the Black Caped Man sound, but I'll check out the MIDIs. I was also thinking about Interrupted by Fireworks and Holding My Thoughts in My Heart, but they sound too much like some others on the list. But maybe HMTIMH would make a better piano translation than the Main Theme..........

And you're right about Electric de Chocobo - it would lose its coolness (for lack of a better word) on piano instead of guitars. Cid's theme would also be better as an orchestral arrangement, but who says we can't do piano also? Same with Vincent's Theme. I'm only pushing this one because someone I met at county chorus 2 years ago was playing a stunningly gorgeous piano version before a rehearsal. If we could re-create that, it would be amazing.

The FFVII ending theme is called "Staff Roll" - it would make an interesting piece, but a very difficult one to arrange. But, hey, challenge is good!

I haven't heard anything from Falkon2 in a while, but I'm sure he could do a great job with these. Corablan's good at playing by ear and arranging things too...he's usually in this forum. Also, check out http://www.geocities.com/chocobosheets and http://www.fantasyreborn.com./ The latter has a great version of Aeris's Theme already, but no sheets for it yet.

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"To be forgotten is worse than death." - Freya Crescent, FFIX

Oh you and your dulcimer!

I'm pretty sure I can crank out a J-E-N-O-V-A battle piano, since I'm doing the metal remix right now

Perhaps I can also do the overture/prelude

EDIT: Starfire, can we contract you to do all the piano playing w/ the music we give you? heeheehe

Last edited by corablan on 06-09-2001 at 08:59 PM

I just listened to Reunion and Chasing the Black Caped Man. Both would probably be feasible as a dungeon theme, but I prefer Chasing over Reunion. And the more I listen to Staff Roll, the more I think it would be a great piano piece.

Some more ideas...

Cinco de Chocobo - I had completely forgotten about that one. It would sound perfect on piano!

Temple of the Ancients - can't believe I forgot this one too.

Jenova Absolute - would be a good battle theme, and easier than J-E-N-O-V-A.

Great Warrior (Seto's Theme) - simple and poignant.

Rufus's Welcoming March - just for fun.

---------------------------

So my picks for a CD would be (in no particular order).....

Aeris's Theme
One-Winged Angel (fighting theme)
Tifa's Theme
Prelude?
Costa del Sol
Main Theme or Holding My Thoughts
Anxious Heart
Chasing the Black Caped Man (dungeon theme)
Great Warrior
Cinco de Chocobo (choc/mog theme)
Temple of the Ancients (dungeon theme)
Farm Boy (town theme)
Vincent's Theme
Jenova Absolute or J-E-N-O-V-A (fighting theme)
Staff Roll (ending theme)

Chocobomog, what do you think of this list? Also, do we have any more arrangers (other than you, corablan, and Evil Serge)?

And finally, I'd love to play them for a CD; I would just need plenty of time to practice, especially after school starts again.

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"To be forgotten is worse than death." - Freya Crescent, FFIX

Last edited by Starfire on 06-10-2001 at 10:23 PM

I like the tracklist, I am seeing the trouble Nobuo has when creating the list because there are so many great pieces to chose from.
my ideas so far:
Rufus Welcoming March would be a great orchestra piece, reminds me of Dance of the Balamb Fish from FF8 FLWV. Just like that song, I think this one could be transposed prefectly without having to add or subtract anything.

I think J-E-N-O-V-A would work better than Absolute, we'll see, plus corablan said he was already working on one

Overall I like the list, I wish we could get Ahead on Our Way somewhere in there, we don't have to have a chocobo theme if we mix it with Farm Boy

Beyond that everything is fine, and of course we can change it as we go along, some things just might not work out

Also I'd like suggestions on styles of the pieces, some great piano arrangments changed the styles of the song, so would you (the fans) prefer having the themes stay exectly the same or some variations of them? The Tifa arrangement right now has alot of homages to Coin Song (which was really changed when was arranged), Rydia (ditto), and Tina (Terra)

One last thing, does anyone know of a good midi program I can download for free? The last one I had (Encore) doesn't even exist anymore so I don't know what to use. I might be able to get Finale, but that will be a long shot.

---

*shoddy french accent*
Nii-oooooo one expects the Chocobo Inquisition!

Death is just life's way of saying "You need to slow down"

Last edited by chocobomog on 06-11-2001 at 12:51 AM

hmmm, pm me, i can probably help you with that

right now i'm actually working on the overture until I can get a copy of sephiroth's theme (the one when he burns the village) to integrate into J-E-N-O-V-A because otherwise J-E-N-O-V-A would be rather bland. BTW What IS that song called? I can't remember...

oh and on a technical note,....

what's the score symbol for an arpeggio, where you play the chord as a run rather than together?

and any standard designation for a hung note? one that carries on 'til the end of the measure with other notes being played by the same hand?

Corablan - Seph's theme is probably "Those Chosen by the Planet."

An arpeggio symbol looks like a vertical squiggly line in front of the chord...

\ _
/ |_|
\ _
/ |_|
\ _
/ |_|
\

That's the best I can do on a computer keyboard.

For a hung note, I'd just make it long enough to last through the measure and write the others normally...for example, a whole note sustained with a bunch of eighth notes playing. Hard to explain without being able to draw it on a staff!

As for variations, I say go wild!!! Variations are always good in my book - they lessen the natural repetitiveness of video game music. And mabye we can work some other pieces (like Ahead On Our Way) in as medleys...I can see a Costa del Sol/Cinco de Chocobo/Farm Boy medley, or maybe I'm just crazy...

Of course, we can always just add Ahead On Our Way, as long as everything's still under 74 minutes long!

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"To be forgotten is worse than death." - Freya Crescent, FFIX

Last edited by Starfire on 06-11-2001 at 05:49 PM

EDIT- Starfire you beat me by 6 minutes.... ironic since no one replyed to his post for a good 2 1/2 hours and then when I try to reply someone else does at the same time so I don't see their post
I assume you mean the rolled chord symbol, its a vertical wavy line to the left of the chord. The default is to roll the chord up, but if you want the notes rolled down, insert an arrow at the bottom of the wavy line

as for hung notes, usually the designation for them is to put the stems in the opposite direction from where they would be and place a rest directly underneath the note until you want the second part played
(Ex.)
Say you want to hold an upper E on the treble clef for 3 beats and have the right hand play a riff starting on the 2nd beat. Well normally the stem to the dotted half note (E) would go down since the note is at the top of the staff, but since it's hung you would place the stem up (going above the staff) and put a quater rest directly beneath the note followed by the riff you want the right hand to play. If you are using Whole notes (no stem) then the only thing you should worry about is the rest(s) beneath (or directly to the right if you are using full clef chords) the note.

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*shoddy french accent*
Nii-oooooo one expects the Chocobo Inquisition!

Death is just life's way of saying "You need to slow down"

Last edited by chocobomog on 06-11-2001 at 05:49 PM

good, that's what i've been doing for the hung notes (well only one so far, and it was a whole note, but thanks for the staff going up thing )

as for arpeggio rolls, i'll have to find that symbol somewhere in finale.

btw:

i've done a little bit of the overture
plus a good deal of j-e-n-o-v-a (can we call this J l8r? typing all the letters and dashes out takes a while )

it starts with a variation of Those Chosen, slows down and then kicks into J

having to throw out a good number of notes got annoying, but hey, pianists don't grow hands like Ultros

EDIT: I think this'll be pretty fun to play tho, hopefully I don't accidentally put in nearly impossible things like I did for Freija hehe.

EDIT: yay!!! I found the roll articulation thanks. And it sounds cool too let's get ready to roll!!! <gets shot>

EDIT: Okay, it's pretty much done. Go to my homepage to grab a midi version and tell me what you think. I'd give you a direct link, but angelfire doesn't allow them. I'll be adding notation l8r.

Last edited by corablan on 06-12-2001 at 06:06 PM

Wow...very cool. It's a lot of fun to play, and challenging but not too difficult. I love how Those Chosen shows up again near the end.

I'll try to post a recording as soon as I get enough practicing in. (In fact, I might as well make an addition to my GeoCities web page for this, so we can get the sheets and recordings out to people.) I'd love to take the descending 16ths a little faster than the MIDI does, and that might take some time.

One suggestion for the ending - Instead of sustaining the very last note, I think it would be cool to end it with 2 sixteenths and an eighth note. I'd make the chord bigger, too...I like to take the left hand down an octave and add another D and F to the right hand.

And, Corablan - could you PM or email me for some help with recording mp3s? I have no clue how to do that, and my computer is nowhere near my piano. Is it possible to turn a tape recording into an mp3, or should I bring my laptop to the piano and record it directly onto the computer?

wow it seems like you beat me to the post Starfire
I was going to check up on how everyone is coming with their arrangements (Tifa is the process of being written on the computer, the piece is mostly finished I just have to write it on the computer now)
Starfire: There is a way to record on a tape and put it on the computer, but you need a special cable to do it. Bascially you put the tape in a tape player, and the get as stereo cable and put it into the "headphones jack" on your tape player, but the other end also has to have a prong on it and it goes into the back of your computer in the "audio in" slot (most sound cards have this but some don't) if not I think putting it in your microphone slot works too. Then you play the tape and the music will come through your computer speakers. At this point I believe you just go to "Sound Recorder" and record a wav. of it and convert that to a mp3. This is the hard way of doing, I bet there is an easier way but on my system this is the only way I can do it without buy fancy "professional" equipment. Oh and that special cable i mentioned can be bought at almost any Radio Shack or places like it. It is like any cord that is attached to headphones but instead it has a prong on both ends (or you might buy a regular extension speaker cable and a converter to fit on the other end) If you have more questions then PM me and I'll try to get a picture of one to you.

EDIT: Wow, just discovered that J-E-N-O-V-A piano, man thats sounds GREAT! I think I might have to go back to the drawing board on Tifa because I have been simplifying some parts. But mainly because if I make it too hard it detracts from the theme of the peice, which is why peices as simplistic as Rydia and Tina work. So do you want a *really* challenging Tifa piece or one along the same level as the other character themed pieces?

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*shoddy french accent*
Nii-oooooo one expects the Chocobo Inquisition!

Death is just life's way of saying "You need to slow down"

Last edited by chocobomog on 06-14-2001 at 02:10 PM

OK, everybody - I broke out the "HTML For Dummies" book and now have the rudiments of a Web page. Check it out at:

http://www.geocities.com/jstarfireb/ff7piano.html

It would be cool if someone with a talent for graphic design could make a CD jacket/cover (hopefully a better one than FFIX PC's cover...more along the lines of FFVIII's ). I could post that to liven up the front page. Also, if you want, you all can send me some biography-type info to put on the "Meet the Arrangers" page - just email me at starfire_12@hotmail.com or jrb56@cornell.edu.

Chocobomog - thanks for the info. I have a stereo cable (thanks to Corablan), so that should work well. Now it's practice time!

As for Tifa, I wouldn't mind a challenge, but just don't make it impossible! It has to sound good on the recording.
We should probably make most of the pieces feasible enough for an intermediate-level pianist to play. That way, people won't get too frustrated, and they can enjoy playing our music. On the other hand, I've played some pretty tough Chopin and Rachmaninoff pieces, so hopefully I can handle anything you throw at me.

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"To be forgotten is worse than death." - Freya Crescent, FFIX