Tadashibashi aka. Tofuaishi
Compositions and Arrangements/Transcriptions

Hello everyone, here's a list of links to works I finished recently.
Please give any feedback, criticism constructive or destructive if necessary >_> Thanks!
BTW my user name is Tadashibashi on Squareenixmusic.com that's why I switched the name.


Original Compositions
-Quintet for Woodwinds (http://drop.io/hp0tqvb/asset/cfp-wwq-aaron-wav?ref=yahoo)
A piece written for standard woodwind quintet which consists of Flute (picc. double), Oboe, Clarinet,
Horn, and Bassoon. It is divided into 3 very short movements: Transparent, Allegretto, and Lively.

-The Fortress (http://host-a.net/tofumaster/The Fortress.mp3)
Short theme and variations assignment for a Beethoven-sized symphony orchestra. This is a midi recording;
I have a live recording but due to legality concerning the musician union am not allowed to upload it.

-Battle Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B0kR4_jTIE)
This composition was written for a class at Berklee College of Music called "Music for Video Games".
Here is the link to my final project. The video is not mine but the music is.


Arrangements/Transcriptions
-FFXIII: The Promise (http://host-a.net/tofumaster/The Promise.mp3)
Transcription of The Promise by Masashi Hamauzu. It is heard on the title screen of FFXIII.
Sheet music can be downloaded on Square Sound or here.

-Final Fantasy VII Main Theme (http://host-a.net/tofumaster/FFVII Main Theme Quartet.mp3)
This is an arrangement of the Final Fantasy VII Main Theme for string quartet.
It contains a mixture of textures and development from the in game, piano, and orchestral versions.

-Aerith's Theme (Orchestral Version) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWAun00cLKc)
This transcription/arrangement was completed for my school orchestration class, performed by the LACHSA
Symphony Orchestra (this was the first and only read-through). There is no piano, sadly, due to our project guidelines.

My favorite is the Quintet for woodwinds, I enjoyed that one a lot! Nice writing. :)

The fortress is very well written but the ending sounded rushed.

Battle theme works nice with the video game's visual! Most of the times I see videos like that the music seem to not fit well (At least to me). xD You did very good.

Also good mock-ups. :)

Is the Quintet a live recording? I would guess so, Mr. Berklee-college-of-music. The recording quality is great! There's something very familiar about the theme in the second movement, but I like the way you treated it.

I am having my Wind Quintet performed today, but I think yours is much better! lol

@Nyu001 Thanks! My project for the Fortress was a theme and variations with a limit of 1 minute. That may be why it sounds rushed. I only had room for the theme and 3 very short variations which left like 5 seconds for the ending :hey:
It sounds gels better live; I have the live recording of it but I can't post it here :\

@deathraider Yeah, it's a live recording. I actually don't go to Berklee, it was just a summer class I took, I'm still a Sr.-to-be in high school. Yeah the 2nd mvt. is more "popular" sounding. Hope your recording goes well. Don't count on the 2nd half of your last comment ;D

@deathraider Yeah, it's a live recording. I actually don't go to Berklee, it was just a summer class I took, I'm still a Sr.-to-be in high school. Yeah the 2nd mvt. is more "popular" sounding. Hope your recording goes well. Don't count on the 2nd half of your last comment ;D

No, yours really is much better than mine! I'm kinda stunned that you're still in high school actually. I can't wait to hear more of your stuff!

Your Quintet is indeed quite a charming little piece~ I have to say that it's one of the best things I have heard yet on these forums.


The use of a large variety of colours in the first movement is very intelligently done; nothing felt too overwhelming or too little. However, this is also where the danger lies. Because you presented all sorts of nifty little ideas (e.g. flute fluttertongue, the morphing 2nd intervals etc...), cohesion of the entire piece was put on jeopardy since the ideas never really recurred. Sure, while strict form isn't really mandatory in contemporary works, the combination strict form with your mastery in colouring music will really elevate the three dimensional feeling of your music. It will not only be a piece to be enjoyed aesthetically, but also intellectually. I guess if the piece was slightly longer, this might have been naturally fixed.

My second gripe with the Quintet was the ending. To me, it should've ended at 5:56. The ending gesture somewhat downgraded the excitement of a coda for me, though logically, I understand what you're trying to do. I guess you can say it's a matter of how loud you want your applause to be. ;) Nevertheless, whether if you have that little coda gesture or not, it's still a good piece.

You're also very lucky to have a, I presume, professional group performing this!

Kudos to you.

Shoot, I accidentally spammed my own thread :hey:
Well while I'm at it, thanks everyone for your comments and for listening to my music!:D

@Sir_Dotdotdot Thanks for your input! I guess the reason everything seems like an exposition is because I sort of based the piece off of the idea of Ligeti's 10 bagatelles where there are 10 coloristic mini-movements, except in my case with a more melodic approach.
For the ending, I decided to end it non-conventionally. (In my class it seems like that's what they're pushing.)
Yea, it's a professional group.
Thanks again for your input!

the quintet was awesome. i actually did attempt to do quintet myself... but nothing like what you did about to yours... yeah... kinda wanna call you an "assh@%$*" :bleh:<_<

i think you should stick to more pieces like the quintet. the fortress and the battle is not your strongest suit... but i don't know what type of music you like to compose.

nevertheless... you are a composer.

the quintet was awesome. i actually did attempt to do quintet myself... but nothing like what you did about to yours... yeah... kinda wanna call you an "assh@%$*" :bleh:<_<

Thanks!


i think you should stick to more pieces like the quintet. the fortress and the battle is not your strongest suit... but i don't know what type of music you like to compose.

nevertheless... you are a composer.

I'm not exactly sure where you're coming from or with what scale you're judging from. Explain.

You know these are actually pretty cool compositions.

I hear a lot of infleunce in your work. The quintet especially reminds me of John Williams and his use of wood instruments and the ability to bring his melodical ideas in and out of musical deviations. That is true skill my friend. How long did it take you to write the Quintet work?

Second influence is Uematsu of course. A thing that some wuold argue is a good or a bad thing. since Uematsu has developed such a distinct style that people would say your just a riding copycat.

It is important to bring out something distinctive into your compositions. And i think its absolutely right that they are pushing you to do that in class.

Otherwise man you have some impressive composing ability.

More like Joe Hisaishi than John Williams, I think.

You know these are actually pretty cool compositions.

I hear a lot of infleunce in your work. The quintet especially reminds me of John Williams and his use of wood instruments and the ability to bring his melodical ideas in and out of musical deviations. That is true skill my friend. How long did it take you to write the Quintet work?

Second influence is Uematsu of course. A thing that some wuold argue is a good or a bad thing. since Uematsu has developed such a distinct style that people would say your just a riding copycat.

It is important to bring out something distinctive into your compositions. And i think its absolutely right that they are pushing you to do that in class.

Otherwise man you have some impressive composing ability.

And Uematsu took from Tchaikovsky, Ravel, Stravinsky, Jimi Hendrix and Elton John who took from their influences and so on and so forth. I see where you're coming from but it actually doesn't really concern me very much. My conscious influences for the piece were actually Ravel, Barber, Hisaishi, and Ligeti. I've never really considered Williams as an influence.

I guess while we're at it can you give me direct examples where people would call me "just a riding copycat"?

Thanks

Ahh see im not familiar with Hisaishi's work so thats why i wouldnt know.

And dude im not saying that infleunce is wrong, im just saying it could lead to negative opinions. I know because of the people listen to my music, they will say oh thats cool but Hans Zimmer is better. right its not something youd like to hear.

I was influenced early on by Hans Zimmer yes, given that he is a piece of shit composer, i still admire what he has achieved with almost no musical background behind him. With that it is almost hard to break away from the influences and work on your personal style given that you CONCIOUSLY have influences in your mind while creating your work...that isnt the ideal work ethic that you should have.

But just one mans opinion here.

Ahh see im not familiar with Hisaishi's work so thats why i wouldnt know.

And dude im not saying that infleunce is wrong, im just saying it could lead to negative opinions. I know because of the people listen to my music, they will say oh thats cool but Hans Zimmer is better. right its not something youd like to hear.

I was influenced early on by Hans Zimmer yes, given that he is a piece of shit composer, i still admire what he has achieved with almost no musical background behind him. With that it is almost hard to break away from the influences and work on your personal style given that you CONCIOUSLY have influences in your mind while creating your work...that isnt the ideal work ethic that you should have.

But just one mans opinion here.

It's okay to know which writing styles you're coming in contact with, everything's been pretty much done already. You can use those influences to know what exact phrases or motives to deviate away from yet manipulate those styles to make it your own in the fusion of spheres of influences.

Just another's opinion.

Thanks!

I'm not exactly sure where you're coming from or with what scale you're judging from. Explain.

i'll explain it alright. i'll start by saying... maybe it's because those two "latter" pieces, since everyone loves your quintet piece, are not recorded and maybe that's why i didn't get the same feeling as to your quintet.

another thing is that they are very commercial-like. quintet was very different from what people usually hear.... or even come in contact, for the lack of a better word, with.

i'll end it by saying this. quintet seems like you started diggin' and kept diggin'... and just as you think you reached the very bottom... it's actually the surface. as for the other two... something about the orchestral structure that i didn't quite like.

p.s. you obviously recorded the quintet for a reason. what i don't know is, if it's because you liked the piece, or because it is just easier to record compare to your other ones.

i'll explain it alright. i'll start by saying... maybe it's because those two "latter" pieces, since everyone loves your quintet piece, are not recorded and maybe that's why i didn't get the same feeling as to your quintet.

another thing is that they are very commercial-like. quintet was very different from what people usually hear.... or even come in contact, for the lack of a better word, with.

Different isn't necessarily better, and just because people love something doesn't necessarily mean it's good.
You got a point there with the midi recording though. Although the difference in aesthetics between a midi and live recording shouldn't sway opinion from a critic's point of view, compositionally.



i'll end it by saying this. quintet seems like you started diggin' and kept diggin'... and just as you think you reached the very bottom... it's actually the surface. as for the other two... something about the orchestral structure that i didn't quite like.

Okay, so the quintet is a bit more sophisticated structurally, but you also have to understand the background from which the other orchestral pieces came from. The Fortress was composed for a concert in which the guidelines was a theme and variations one minute or less, leaving very little time for development; it was important to turn it into a complete 'piece' despite its short length. It was therefore a much more difficult piece to compose compared to the Quintet for Woodwinds, and even more so due to the thought that a professional orchestra was to perform it in a month's time.
The form of the Battle Theme is video game style, just a one minute loop. It is therefore hard to say whether it better fits its genre than the quintet fits its own. Two completely different beasts.



p.s. you obviously recorded the quintet for a reason. what i don't know is, if it's because you liked the piece, or because it is just easier to record compare to your other ones.
If you read the description of the Fortress, it said that it was recorded, I'm just unable to post it on the web because it was performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
As for the Battle Theme, it was recorded and mixed at Berklee College of Music for a summer class. (Just the string and piano part layered on top of synth.) There would be no problem recording the whole thing live, it's actually written idiomatically or rather with the intent of live performance.

So, I'm going to dare and be different, and say that Fortress was my favorite. But, I'm somewhat biased because I absolutely Love that hymn, so when I heard it I flipped out. And for the time constraints that you had, I thought you used it very very effectively. =]

what i'm trying to say is that... since there will be live audience, in which some will have fun exercising their brains, but most will be prepared to exercise their ears. i may not speak for everyone... but even you know that's to be true.

like... i understand you compose every piece with an intention of recording it or play it live... i know this because i, on the other hand, don't intend to record my compositions, or at least any time soon. so, in that sense, yes, i don't have the ears for a live recording when it comes to composing... but i have heard many live orchestral events.

what i'm trying to say is that... since there will be live audience, in which some will have fun exercising their brains, but most will be prepared to exercise their ears. i may not speak for everyone... but even you know that's to be true.
So then? Sorry, I'm not sure what you're getting at concerning the orchestral compositions.



like... i understand you compose every piece with an intention of recording it or play it live... i know this because i, on the other hand, don't intend to record my compositions, or at least any time soon. so, in that sense, yes, i don't have the ears for a live recording when it comes to composing... but i have heard many live orchestral events.
It's good practice of practicality. Today, as music becomes a larger part of video games, a good number of developers are turning toward live recorded music (Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, Super Mario, etc.). In movies, live recording is a standard.

So, I'm going to dare and be different, and say that Fortress was my favorite. But, I'm somewhat biased because I absolutely Love that hymn, so when I heard it I flipped out. And for the time constraints that you had, I thought you used it very very effectively. =]
Hey thanks, that's cool! Are you a Christian?

Yes. I'm kinda a hardcore catholic. xD
But thats beside the point.

I guess, for this forum topic, but then again, I think it's even more to the point than any music posted on this site b/c God created music, and he's the one who's given everyone here the opportunity to enjoy it. God deserves the credit.

I completely agree with that, but I find its best that we change the topic. One word of Religion of forums and all hell breaks loose in debate. xD

I completely agree with that, but I find its best that we change the topic. One word of Religion of forums and all hell breaks loose in debate. xD
Yea, agreed, now's probably not the best time and place for a debate.

I also agree, although I am not exactly a catholic...