"Carol of the Bells" Review

The piece I decided to pick for arrangement comparisons was "Carol of the Bells" by Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych, a Ukranian composer who got the theme for the song from a traditional Ukranian New Year's chant.

The first arrangement I found was an arrangement for piano by George Winston. He has the same theme and adds ornamentation on descending notes in one part. This version is played rather slowly compared to other versions that are played quite fast. It's a very pretty arrangement of this famous Christmas song.

The Carol Of The Bells-George Winston

The second arrangement I found was an arrangement by guitarist Steven King for acoustic guitar. He has an unusual introduction, but is still beautiful. He has a jazzy approach in about the seventh measure and has an overall faster tempo than that of the first arrangement. I liked the guitar version because it had a more mellow sound than the piano (even though both were played very well.)

Steven King plays Carol of the Bells on solo acoustic guitar

The third arrangement I found was a vocal rendition done by the group Celtic Woman. They had an orchestra and a solo violinist who ran around playing the violin very fast. They had a choir sing with the four singers and had an introduction that was more traditional than the guitarist's. The violin player added her own harmonies and ornamentations as the song went on and had solo parts that acted almost as a fifth voice. What I liked most about this arrangement was that it lent itself for more harmonies since there were more instruments involved and voices.

Celtic Woman-Carol Of The Bells

"He's a Pirate" Review

The ‘main theme’ in Pirates of the Caribbean is “He’s a Pirate.” It is well known and a very recognizable tune. The orchestra score, as heard in the movie and on the movie soundtrack, is an epic theme that signifies an accomplishment by Jack Sparrow. This theme is present in all three movies and is heard throughout the course of each movie. It is more prevalent around the end of each movie when the conflicts have been resolved and Jack is off to his next adventure. The orchestra part is a little under two minutes long. However, this theme is so powerful it easily outshines some of the lengthier pieces on the soundtrack. Those pieces might have more time to develop, but “He’s a pirate” does not need this, as it captures the listener from the beginning.

The piano reduction, while essentially the same piece (in terms of notes, theme, rhythm, etc.), does not have quite as full of a sound as the orchestra. The solo voice, as opposed to the multiple voices in an orchestra, does not convey the same “epic” feel that the orchestra does. While the piano reduction is still enjoyable, it is not as intense as the orchestra.

I listened to the guitar version after listening to the piano reduction. After being a bit disappointed by the piano reduction, I had little hope for the guitar as it was also a single voice. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how full the guitar sounded. I then read the caption and realized there were two to three guitars playing at once as the performer previously recorded himself playing the other parts. This made it so much cooler, as it became more of a guitar trio and really made a very full and interesting sound. The way the chords were played in conjunction with the melody was really interesting and a new spin on the orchestration of the piece. I might go so far to say guitar part was better than the orchestra part, as I really enjoyed it. I was impressed even more by this particular performer because he notes on his youtube page that he learned the piece by ear so it might not be one hundred percent accurate. However, I thought it was pretty accurate and overall really well done.

Finally, the techno version of the piece. The techno version utilizes the same melody as well, but offers a modern twist on an orchestral piece. The beat intertwines itself with the theme and takes an originally orchestral piece to a whole new level. What makes it so cool is it is “He’s a Pirate” but at the same time it could totally be played at a dance party or club. This version really exemplifies the versatility of music.

Clearly, there are many ways to play the same piece. When I first started researching, I was already very familiar with the orchestra version of “He’s a Pirate.” After listening to these different versions on different instruments, I have been both surprised and disappointed with the differences. However, it was still very worthwhile to explore different versions and see how they compared with my pervious notions and standards. Overall, they all conveyed the same message that the original orchestra version is meant to convey: He is in fact a Pirate.


Youtube links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMyqHXfosT4&feature=PlayList&p=31B49B3F03E3DB66&index=0&playnext=1

- Piano reduction

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z_lAjt-gMw

- Guitar reduction

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUnrWo6z9WY

- Orchestra (from soundtrack)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-zNPJyXQXg

- Techno Pirates

CD Review

I chose to do my CD review on Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer”

Elton John’s song “Tiny Dancer” begins with a pretty piano intro that lasts for 13 seconds. The whole song consists of multiple instruments. The song features a piano-based melody accompanied by pedal steel guitar and light percussion. There is also a choir, guitar and a string section that accompanies Elton John’s playing and singing. Overall, the chord progression and piano playing is relatively easy; the rhythm is a little tricky. What makes this relatively easy is that he plays the same melody over and over during the duration of the song; except within the bridge and chorus. “Tiny Dancer” has beautiful dynamics. Most of these dynamics consist within the other instruments. The choir and string section seems to add great effect to the constant crescendos within the piece. The song seems to contain a stunning build up which releases at the end of the piece. After a full accompaniment of instruments, “Tiny Dancer” ends just as it began with Elton John’s beautiful piano melody.

Ben Folds version of “Tiny Dancer”

Ben Folds is a piano player very similar to Elton John. I do know that Elton John was a huge influence on Ben Folds. The two have a very similar piano playing style which translates well when Folds does Elton John covers. Also, I should note, the two also look like one another, which is interesting. In Ben Folds’ version of “Tiny Dancer,” he is accompanied by no instruments at all. It is just his voice and his piano. It appears that he is playing note for note with slight variations of note colorings. He too creates great dynamics within the song. In fact, I believe he creates even better dynamics than Elton John. The reason I say this is because Folds is not accompanied by anybody which obviously makes the piano the main focus of the music. Meaning, there are no distractions that would lead one’s ear away from the piano; hence, the reason why, when I listen to Elton John’s version, I hear less dynamics within the piano.

John Bayless version of “Tiny Dancer”

John Bayless’s version of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” is original and brilliant. Bayless isn’t accompanied by any instruments and in this cover, there aren’t any vocals. I would define his version as a classical variation that is far more complicated than John had intended for. Bayless plays the original melody, but plays it with different voicings. The song is also played at a faster tempo. Along with the original melodies, he adds the vocal part within his piano playing. The movement that he displays on the piano is quite impressive. So impressive that it’s hard to really see what he is doing. However, it is safe to say that his piano skills are far more superior to both Elton John and Ben Folds. All octaves are used within this arrangement and multiple piano techniques including the crossing of hands and piano slides. I am very impressed with this version and am glad that I found an arrangement of this song that is far more different than most.