ReMix:Final Fantasy VI "Little Painter Girl" 2:58

By Adam Dachis

orchestral piano strings woodwinds happy resubmission

Arranging the music of one song...

"Relm"

Primary Game: Final Fantasy VI (Square , 1994, SNES), music by Nobuo Uematsu

Posted 2005-05-29, evaluated by the judges panel

Newcomer Adam Dachis writes:

"I submitted another version of this about ten months ago. It was piano and drums back then. Now it's more of a "film soundtrack", as the people on the WIP boards are saying."

I can't begin to tell you how glad I am Adam reworked this piece, and how much of an improvement I think this new incarnation is. Taking Relm's theme and working it into an uplifting, cinematic (as correctly described) vision, Adam's second version employs some unique alterations to the rhythm of the original melody that give his arranging style a unique feel. It's mostly piano-driven, but there are strings, harp, flute, and orchestral percussion along for the ride, and sample quality and production are on the whole strong. If there's a weakness to the whole enchilada it's the arrangement decision to feature a rolling snare as the sole percussive element for considerable spans of time - I think something more elaborate could have worked. Whether the ReMixer knows it or not, there's a very Thomas Newman vibe going on here, especially at 1'38", where a quick key change and resolution varies it up a bit and tempers the overall bubbly, positive vibe with a little quirkiness. Next to the way Adam's played with the rhythm of the melody and layered it inwards upon itself, 1'38" is actually my favorite arrangement decision - Larry, Jesse, and Shariq all thought the notes sounded bad, out of place, awkward, or all of the above, but Gray and Harmony didn't. I think familiarity with Newman's work might help here; he's made it "okay" to blend in some pretty unusual changes into more conventional, major-key contexts. Being familiar with and appreciative of Newman's style, not only would I not call the resolution at 1'38" awkward, but I think it's one of the mix's key strengths and that it'd be less memorable and interesting without it. This is definitely a cinematic and not classical style of orchestral arrangement, with plenty of moving parts and a great ear for layering and transitions. It's interesting to see so many different opinions from the panel on this one - if only for the lovely moving flute part at 2'06", I can't see not giving this some arrangement kudos for simply having some interesting, compelling ideas. That's the mix's main strength, I feel - it has more than a couple interesting, provoking compositional ideas going on. Some of those ideas, as Jesse notes, are repeated quite a bit, perhaps mebbe a smidgin' too much, but hey, at least they're good ideas, representing dramatic, substantive changes to the original phrasing that really work. As a fan of Newman's approach of course I'm gonna enjoy the most Newmanesque submission we've seen to date; Dachis is certainly his own man, and I'm not suggesting this is emulation or imitation, but there's definite similarities, all of them positive in my book. There's also enough differences for the arrangement to stand on its own. If I'd tried to ReMix the Relm theme and come up with this, I'd personally be happy, I know that much. This also represents one of the most dramatic reinventions of a previously submitted (and rejected) piece I can recall; the submission/resubmission process isn't bulletproof (no process is), but here it worked out really well. Good stuff.

― djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
cheema201
on 2012-07-06 22:00:22
Oh yeah, and that note at 1:38. Gross.

Couldn't disagree more...

I was listening to this in the background, then a bit of dissonance demanded my attention at about half way through the piece and kept me till the end.

Not that I think there needs to be something in every arrangement to surprise you, but if all music went how you expected... well, it'd be average and predictable.

I enjoyed this... it really made my day :grin:

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Kaxon
on 2011-01-26 14:47:28

How have I not commented on this one yet? Little Painter Girl is easily one of my top 5 tracks on the Whole Damn Site. Such a beautiful arrangement of a good source.

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Melbu Frahma
on 2010-12-10 17:24:15

A wonderfully lovely and thoughtful piece. Normally, I'd probably pass on something like this just because of the primacy of the piano in it, but I definitely dig the instrumentation in this one - just beautiful, and still good five years later.

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ChaosPlayer
on 2009-04-25 05:09:25

Very nice, but it sounds like something that would go along in a movie scene, heh.

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yosefu
on 2009-04-12 21:56:23

This song is just too good for me to reveiw it but its just a lovely piece.

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metalsnakejuice
on 2009-04-10 02:47:06

Beautiful and a delicate piece of music that really has a sweet tune, the piano is fantastic. Great job:-P

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evktalo
on 2009-04-05 16:44:46

Certainly a sweet, good-sounding tune. The harp at That Spot sounds really fantastic, but also quite out of place. For the rest of the piece I am waiting for it to repeat, for it to be elaborated upon.

--Eino

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OA
on 2009-04-03 14:43:38

Took me forever to recognize the source (or even remember the original, which i think was the main problem). However, I was captivated from the beginning. Great soundscape, and some excellent original writing to improve the source. My only complaints is i think due to the tone, the snare and cymbals were a little too dry. Oh yeah, and that note at 1:38. Gross.

But seriously an excellent mix. Check this out.

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Lucentas
on 2008-12-06 14:20:44

I love this mix, it's so cheery and upbeat. It also reminds me of the carefree days of my childhood as well (not that they had anything to do with Final Fantasy VI, sadly).

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MajLink
on 2006-06-20 14:45:20

Yeah, i definatly liked this one a lot. The panio throughout the entire thing was awesome. It sounded so realistic. I was very impressed.

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Mythezza
on 2006-06-16 17:22:39

I love it. Relm's theme isn't a favorite of mine, but this really struck a chord in me. New favorite!

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Bummer
on 2005-09-19 12:09:38

Starts off with some piano, then after awhile, in jumps strings, flutes and marchdrums. A very nice overall,

the high notes on the piano gives that cute "Relm"

appearance, the music just marching through my head.

In other words: I LOVE IT! :D

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gasto
on 2005-07-08 15:21:42

When I'll say remix masterpiece I'll definetly take this one as example.

Great piano! nice instrumentation, specially with the initial march drums and later flaute.

Congrats!!!

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maestermatt
on 2005-07-05 09:35:56

shessh it is good. it is one of those kind of songs that is sad that someone died. but some how you know they are in a happy place now. keep these kind of songs coming.

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Lord_Syruss_Khalai
on 2005-06-23 19:59:27

This song is pretty good. I like it mostly because it seems to be a "sad" song. Unlike many remixes that are upbeat. Maybe sad isn't the right word. Thoughtful, or reflecting maybe. But at the same time I feel a sense of reservation, a tinge of sadness. Like when the song playing during the credits is so emotional, and you're sad the movie is over. That kind of thing. As I was saying, I very much enjoy that kind of song. It's quite beautiful.

That whole 1:38 thing, it sure does stand out. I think maybe it doens't belong in this song because it doens't seem to match the feel. After listening to the song a few times, however, it loses it's "missplacedness", as you become accustomed to it. At any rate, it was a risk, one that I woul not have taken myself, but in the end seems to work regardless.

I'd say a 9 out of 10, since it's a very nice song, but for the most part, a little simpler than others. Don't get me wrong, simple is rarely synonomous with bad, and in this songs case, is one of it's important distinguishing factors. I do wish it were longer. I could listen to this song for quite a whie and not tire of it. Reflecting, I don't know if this type of remix of this perticular song could be not simple. At any rate, it's a wonderful song. I like it very much, and in my opinion, you have done a great job.

~Lord Syruss

[Edit]

You know, I'd like to revisit the whole 1:38 thing. After listening to this song a few more times, I really come to appreciate the variance. I have to say, it was a good decision on your part, as it changes the song a bit, but still lends to the beauty of it. Way to go on that. I really do like the melody of that section.

[/Edit]

[Edit]

Well, this song really is a masterpiece. I truly love it now. I'm going to go ahead and give it a 10 out of 10. Man do I love this song.

[/Edit]

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Final Fantasy VI (Square , 1994, SNES)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"Relm"

Tags (6)


Genre:
Mood:
Happy
Instrumentation:
Orchestral,Piano,Strings,Woodwinds
Additional:
Origin > Resubmission

File Information


Name:
Final_Fantasy_6_Little_Painter_Girl_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,361,288 bytes
MD5:
f971a7049c2237c3bad82718ac8e7bae
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
2:58

Promotion

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