Keyboardists, is the optional part of this score too hard to play?

[Ladyhawk]

Or impossible? :) (It's the staff with the smaller notes, marked "optional"...I reduced the size 50%, so it's hard to read.)



Thanks, I may ask you the same thing about the rest of the score at some point. As I write this, I am trying to be aware of what is possible. Later in the score is a part that may be too hard due to too many notes. LOL...I just remembered that part in Amadeus where the king tells Mozart his music has "too many notes." I'm hardly Mozart, so I'll be deferring to the opinion of keyboardists on this issue.

P.S. I could offer the score in a format you could open in Sibelius. I'm not sure I can save it in another format other than graphical.

[Ladyhawk]

1. I created a "Scorch" html site where you can view the whole score.

http://www.goldrush.com/~ladyhawklh/Shiver%20Me%20Timbers%20-%20Rewrite.htm

It will even play the MIDI, although a slur in the vocal part close to the end causes some problems. :( I created a MIDI only version, but I don't think you need to listen to that.

There is a link from the above site to the Scorch plug-in (I think). If you have trouble, let me know.

[Ladyhawk]

2. The site has changed...

http://www.goldrush.com/~ladyhawklh/smt.htm

[LifeDuringWartime]

3. it looks simple enough

but IANAK (i am not a keyboardist)

[lukasahero]

4. No, not at all. However,

if you're planning this for a single instrument (i.e. - piano vs. 2 keyboards) you sort of have a problem in your seventh bar. You have the main theme playing and holding an f and your optional theme passing through and around the same f. Obviously, on a single keyboard, that's "literally" impossible but I think most players attempting to add the optional material would figure out what to do with it.

BTW, there's no such thing as "too many notes" - just ask Beethoven. ;-)

[Beaverhausen]

5. I have heard Bette Midler's version of this song

It looks to me like the optional melody was/should be played by some lead instrument- I think it was an accordion on her version.

A keyboard player could do it but it wouldn't have the same impact.

[Ladyhawk]

6. I have a recording of Bette Midler singing this song and yes,

this melody was in the introduction. I added it because I liked it, but you're right. It won't be as effective on keyboard. The instrument in the recording sounds like a very mellow alto saxophone.

I completely re-wrote the segue because the original arrangement sounded lame on the keyboard. It needed "more notes." :) I added a lot of eighth notes to give it a sense of movement a la the ocean.