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Daniel Vallery (danielv)
06-08-2008, 06:47 AM
I haven't posted a piece on the forums for several months, and I think it's time to change that. The facts about this piece are interesting, as it is originally a metal song by the band Killswitch Engage, my favorite band. But I transcribed the piece in a more classical music style, creating a piece of music that even my mother (who hates metal) loves. I hope you all enjoy it!
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A Bid Farewell.not (http://www.notation.com/discus/messages/35939/A_Bid_Farewell-36320.not) (307.2 k)</td></tr></table></center>
I did not match the dynamics with their markings, though I did make sure the tempi and pedalings were put in. If any of it sounds funny, as in a musical typo or such, thats because my soundboard is fried, so I really couldn't make sure of how it sounded.

Once again, enjoy,
~Daniel

Daniel Vallery (danielv)
06-08-2008, 06:57 AM
And if your interested in hearing the original song, for comparison's (or even enjoyment's!) sake, your best bet would be to listen to it at playlist.com, entering the song name where the big search space is, making sure the length is 3:55; or to listen to it at Rhapsody.com.

Sherry Crann (sherry)
06-08-2008, 07:09 PM
Howdy Daniel,

And even I - and I also don't care for metal - really enjoyed your rendition http://www.notation.com/discus/clipart/happy.gif Your Mom has good taste (but you knew that ;) ). It just goes to show that there are lots of sources for good inspiration.

I haven't listened to the original, but I am wondering if the various treatments of the motif were your idea, or are such variations present in the original as well?

Your piece made me wonder what Beethoven would have sounded like had he been born now, and decided that metal was his genre ;)

ttfn,
Sherry

M G Jacobs (mgj32)
06-08-2008, 08:40 PM
Hi Daniel,

I did listen to the original, torture as it was. Your transcription and the original are something like the difference between music and trash pickup with the guys shouting up and down the street at each other. There is, indeed, a kind of Beethovenesque sense to your transcription. I think you could even go on to orchestrate it.

I agree with your mother, as you can see.

I can include everything from a Bach mass to a country fiddler, with a banjo and a washboard, and singing a bit off key. But I can't really include the original here in any definition of music that I could work out. Perhaps the voices are part of that. In music, one expects an attempt at least to use the voice as a singing voice; in this one hears guttural shouting. If people who do that often keep it up long enough, they will ruin any chance they have of developing a singing voice.

Anyhow, your transcription provides a fine contrast between the, shall I say, reluctantly nervous or even angry and the triumphant second theme. I liked it a lot.

all best,
mgj

Daniel Vallery (danielv)
06-10-2008, 03:29 PM
Hey Sherry,

I've always thought that about Beethoven too! Since his 32nd sonata, 2nd mov. is almost pure jazz in some places. But in answer to your question, the arrangement is very faithful to the original, so I really did not treat any motifs at all. They just came like that. As much as people dislike metal, there is still a musical structure to most of it.

And MG, thanks for the comparisons. Very apt! And I can feel your torture... I was like that once upon a time, but metal is, believe it or not, an acquired taste, but once used to it whoever likes it is faithful to it forever. It really is the genre of headbanging, moshing, and crowd surfing.

Thank you both for the encouraging words.

~Daniel