Tears of a Jedi Transcription - take 1

Got home last night after a recording session, and couldn't sleep. So finally around 1 am I got up and did
a 1st pass at transcribing the "Tears of a Jedi". I only ever do these things in Sibelius with note performer,(ie. the mock-up quality sucks) but if anyone hears any serious mistakes please let me know.

Nice piece Mike ! Bravo !!!

 

Anyone, anyone, anyone ???

Sensei Verta: any pearls of wisdom ? Perhaps a koan or haiku to unlock the mysteries of the ear.

If anyone hears mistakes please let me know.

 

Thank you for taking the time to offer feedback. I did the take down in a single sitting. Once 2 a.m. rolls around anything that keeps pornhub away is a good thing. (so much slower transcribing with one hand)

On a more serious note;

One of the things I really like about your piece is the rhythmic aspects. As it veers towards Adagio land when listening casually other aspects grab my ear (harmony, motifs). Once listening with attention, I found the rhythmic detail the most interesting. Aside from when you "push" or "pull" our sense of "1" I really like how you often have slight separation between the entries of each voice. It reminds me of the more 19th century piano style. It's hard to describe with text. It sort of even escapes notation.......like how swing can implied with some jazz style even it's just even 8ths.

I don't know if what I am writing makes any sense, but the overall bottom line is (in my opinion) this effect holds our attention subliminally and keeps any "drag" away........ which is not small feat for slow, minor-(ish) music.

Feel is the wrong word for what I am describing, as Sibelius will never capture "feel". Perhaps "pacing". I did try and notate out the pacing of your piece.

I always feel like Groucho Marx with my transcriptions (I would never join a club that would have me). I appreciate any feedback that helps improve my skills in this area. If anyone else has suggestions or their own version.... feel free to chime in.

Thanks again !

 

Cool ! Nice job !


I mean I can't say anything for "certain". There are a lot of similarities between
ours.

I'll list some spots where they differ, and this is just my 2 cents, I may be the one mistaken on
these spots.

(pick-up bar as 1 to go along with your version)


Measure 3: Longer in duration. I think this is where using a Rit. while pushing into the next bar
creates a tension. I hear it as having one extra 8th note value. (Like a 4/8 + a 5/8 without any metric accent)

Measure 3 Viola: I did not hear the Bb on beat 3. I had the C enter on beat 3 and also I had another "pulse"
in the low strings on 4. Kind of like this



Most likely it would look more like this on the score.



Measure 4: I hear the violin 2 part with more rhythmic activity. (As a global transcription issue for my version I may be over thinking it). I had it like this



Measure 4 upper strings: Maybe my bad, or sample issue, I had these as a tremolo thru to beat 4 of measure 5.

Measure 5 Viola/violin 2 : I thought I heard an E in there. I put each divisi, and each sharing the E

(Treble clef on top, alto on bottom



Measure 5 Violin 1: Me and the rhythmic shit. I thought Violin 1 entered before the downbeat of 1



Measure 7 downbeat: I think I am wrong here. I like what you have. Funny how the ear can fill things in. I had the same basic sonority. Low to high I had : E in bass like you. F like yours in Cello. I kept Viola divisi and had them on A and C (your violin 2 and viola) and then violin 2 had E and B and Violin 1 like yours, and violin 2 doubling violin 1 from the and of 2.



I like yours better.

Measure 7 beat 3: I had the Cellos as the main instrument on that descending line, and I thought I had heard violas double it on beat 4 (Ab-G-F) Viola with the E until then. Also a Rit.

Measure 8: I had the Bb in octaves ( bass low Bb and div. Cello Bb) and Violin 1 also doubling Violin 2 on the Ab but with a trem. for both. Right on 1 thru to beat 3. Also beat 3 I have violin 1 trill from C to Db on top of the Sus (the man likes his 9sus4 chords ! including b9 etc.)

This is also a spot where maybe I over-thought the timing....... but I hear more space between the durations.

So in mine measure 8 and 9 are 5/8 and 10 is in 3/4.

I have a Rit end of 7 and then in measure 8 as a quarter (perhaps fermata is the answer !) - cello enters on 3 , 4, 5

Downbeat of 9 Cello to C for dotted quarter (another fermata ? !) two 8th's (4-5 in mine) and then

measure 10, which I also thought had a little "swoop" into the F for the C sus



I'll give it another listen to fine tune and post my PDF Score. It will be quicker for everyone this way..

Thanks for posting yours ! I really enjoyed looking over it ! Great work, and Bravo !!

 

Thank you very much. Mucho gracias.

If I may just ask 2 questions:

1.) I find the divisi Cello's, comparing the mock-up to the score, very intriguing. How many Cello's in a studio setting would be required to get the same fullness of sound in your estimation ? You would need at least 8, perhaps 10, and ideally 12 ...... ?? How many are on the patch?
Its a great sound - especially when you have the 2nd cello in 5ths and 6ths above the bass in contrast to octave doubling.

2) There are extra "color" articulations on the samples not in score, or...... ? I would have sworn the high violins were artificial harmonics at the end , and I thought I heard tremolo's in some of the inner voices in some measures.

Perhaps it was "my" inner voices.

Anyhow bravo again on a fine piece !