Legend of Zelda's Saria Song as a jazz piano piece

Backstory/overview:

Early in the morning hours I was inspired to write this piece in one sitting when I was listening to Saria's Song in my head and suddenly realized that the main melodic motif is a 3-note repeating figure, which is characteristically similar to the "ragtime riff", which creates a polyrhythmic through grouping straight 8ths in 3. After this realization a ragtime version of Saria's Song started playing in my head, and by the time I started running through a solo on the progression I knew this was something I needed to write down. Hopefully there are others who are interested in this concept as much as I was in writing it. There are a large number of solos in the middle section that are on top of the original chord progression, which is mostly original material but in line with jazz interpretations of standards (that is, almost adding more new things than retaining the old through solo sections). I tried to make sure that the original concept of it being based around the catchy Saria's Song was kept, so there is later section where the original song is quoted more bluntly and somewhat humorously. `

I liked it.

One comment though. When you write "swing" eigth notes, you write a triplet of a 16th note, 16th rest and another 16th note. Why? An 8th note and a 16th note (in triplets) is much more clear.

That's hot. I was getting real into it, and when the ending rolled around, I was waiting for a nice warm jazzy final chord, but it never came.

It was crazy fun though.

I liked it.

One comment though. When you write "swing" eigth notes, you write a triplet of a 16th note, 16th rest and another 16th note. Why? An 8th note and a 16th note (in triplets) is much more clear.

Because I wanted all the swing 8ths in that song to be dotted, I decided it was easier to just write them with a triplet rest inbetween. Of course, this is tricky, because I most likely wouldn't have if I wrote it in swing notation, because I feel in that context most piano players would do that by default. I didn't switch to swing feel because there was too much rapid transition between playing straight eighths and swung eighths. I still find this topic of proper classical notation of jazz to be a little nebulous though, so would love more insight on it.

Changing to "swing feel" is a bad idea, you're right about that. Especially because what you want isn't actually swing feel. In this case you really want triplets, which is not the same thing, as any decent jazz musician will tell you.

Between brackets, I resent the fact that in classical music, "swing feel" means just that eights become triplets, and has nothing to do with swing FEEL. Swing is essentially an accentuation of the first of two eighth notes. As a RESULT, the first is longer. This rythmic phenomenon is often approximated as being triplets, with the first two tied (which can be useful for teaching purposes, but is in fact inaccurate).

So basicly, swing feel is a feeling, which you can't put in correct notation. And you certainly can't expect a classical musician to swing, because you need years of immersion in the jazz idiom to learn that. My viewpoint is that if you expect your piece to be played by classical musicians, you shouldn't use "swing feel", but rather just write the rythms you want.

But as I mentioned earlier, I don't think you really want a "swing feel" in this piece anyway. Ragtime generally doesn't have swing feel, even though it does sometimes use the triplets-with-first-two-tied rythmic figure.

I still think the rest is difficult to read, would think it's better to use a staccato, but I'm no expert on reading, maybe I'm wrong.

...Swing is essentially an accentuation of the second of two eighth notes.

:pinch:

I'd even go so far as to say it's the exact opposite....

:pinch:

I'd even go so far as to say it's the exact opposite....

And you'd be 100% correct... Momentary lapse (whoops).

edited

Though it doesn't change my point...

Yeah, this is also complicated by the fact that swing feel depends a lot on the style. For example, Boogie-woogie is very triplet-oriented, while Bebop obviously lacks triplets in their "swing feel" (nobody would write it this way, though, but it is worth noting that they do have a "sense of swing"), but instead gain that energy from a different kind of articulation (accenting upbeats). Additionally, depending on the style (especially later ones), there's a kind of fluid switch between more "swung" (in the rhythm length sense, not so much articulation) and "straight" notes in a lot of soloists' articulation style that's hard to place. This is more what I was going for, with the way that the majority of notes switch to triplets with the first triplet being longer at one point, while having temporary quick switches to "plain" 16ths.

I think this topic could go on for a long time...I've seen really different ways of notating these things!

Speaking of which, has anyone ever seen the notation of "swung 16ths"? Although this is a convenient way of thinking for me at times, I have never seen it and I can't figure out how to get Finale to swing 16ths so I just usually end up writing it out as a faster song with swung 8ths, and dealing with the smaller measures.

I think this was wonderful. As an avid lover of the Zelda: Ocarina of Time music, you made me really happy listening to this. You did a wonderful mix of straying from the original melody and playing with it, at the same time keeping the original melody.

I loved it around measures 37 till the end of that phrase. :P

Really, great job!

Thanks! I wanted to create something a little elegant out of it, even if it uses references to the old; a resynthesis rather than simply an emulation.

This sounds really good.

Not anything that I disliked about it.

Long live Legend of Zelda music.

love love love it.

Someone just did a remix of my remix in Mario Paint...which is kinda crazy and full circle.