Brave Song (full) - Angel Beats ED [Piano/Viola] feat. xclassicalcatx @Animenzzz

Animenz Piano Sheets Hello and welcome to the year 2014!
Let me proudly present you my first Viola and Piano collaboration - with Joanna! (xClassicalcatx)
I am very sure you've seen her videos before, because she is frequently collaborating with other Youtube musicians (including Tehishter). Her Youtube channel has many beautiful Viola covers from Anime, Video games and Disney movies and I really recommend you to have a look at her videos! (link of her channel at the bottom of this description)

This Collaboration means a lot to me because "Brave Song" was one of my earliest piano covers I've uploaded on Youtube. I can't really explain it, but "Brave Song" has such a beautiful melody but at the same time, it is also incredibly sad. After I acquired better microphones, I wanted to upload a "remake" of my "Brave song" transcription, but upgrading it at the same time to a full size version.

Back then, I didn't have the confidence to make a "full version" transcription yet, because I thought "I can't make it better than my TV-size sheet. I used up all my best ideas already for the 1:30 minutes".
I always have the urge to surpass my last video with every new upload, be it introducing new piano techniques or quoting some classical pieces, or adding some original material, and so on.

I needed some inspiration to move on and I found help by asking Joanna whether she was interested in a collaboration. It was like a dream came true: I can finally upload a "remake" of my transcription, plus I can finally have a collaboration with her for the first time!
After seeing Joanna's duet with TehIshter (Ichiban no Takaramono piano + viola), I thought that her Viola Voice is a perfect match for the piano and I wanted to play a duet with her as well for a long time.

Therefore: thank you so much, Joanna, for making it possible! It looks like I still have a real emotional attachment towards this piece, even after all these years. I poured in all my soul and heart into this transcription, to make our very first collaboration a successful one.
Also, thanks to Tehishter, for editing the video for me! My Video editing skills is pretty much non-existent and you really helped me out here. I hope we can always stay friends like this ;_;

Therefore, enjoy the fruit of the great work, made possible through the teamwork of Animenz, xclassicalcatx and Tehishter: A full piano/viola cover of "Brave Song"!

Animenz
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My facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/Animenz
Follow me on Twitter!
twitter.com/Animenzzz
I am using Instagram as well!
instagram.com/animenz_official
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Piano and Viola arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Brave Song
Anime: Angel Beats
Published by: Key Sound Label
Composed by: Jun Maeda
Performed by: Tada Aoi
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Joanna's (xclassicalcatx) Youtube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/xclassicalcatx

updated 10 years ago

Brave Song (full) - Angel Beats ED [Piano/Viola] feat. xclassicalcatx

Animenz Piano Sheets 2014-01-01 | Hello and welcome to the year 2014!
Let me proudly present you my first Viola and Piano collaboration - with Joanna! (xClassicalcatx)
I am very sure you've seen her videos before, because she is frequently collaborating with other Youtube musicians (including Tehishter). Her Youtube channel has many beautiful Viola covers from Anime, Video games and Disney movies and I really recommend you to have a look at her videos! (link of her channel at the bottom of this description)

This Collaboration means a lot to me because "Brave Song" was one of my earliest piano covers I've uploaded on Youtube. I can't really explain it, but "Brave Song" has such a beautiful melody but at the same time, it is also incredibly sad. After I acquired better microphones, I wanted to upload a "remake" of my "Brave song" transcription, but upgrading it at the same time to a full size version.

Back then, I didn't have the confidence to make a "full version" transcription yet, because I thought "I can't make it better than my TV-size sheet. I used up all my best ideas already for the 1:30 minutes".
I always have the urge to surpass my last video with every new upload, be it introducing new piano techniques or quoting some classical pieces, or adding some original material, and so on.

I needed some inspiration to move on and I found help by asking Joanna whether she was interested in a collaboration. It was like a dream came true: I can finally upload a "remake" of my transcription, plus I can finally have a collaboration with her for the first time!
After seeing Joanna's duet with TehIshter (Ichiban no Takaramono piano + viola), I thought that her Viola Voice is a perfect match for the piano and I wanted to play a duet with her as well for a long time.

Therefore: thank you so much, Joanna, for making it possible! It looks like I still have a real emotional attachment towards this piece, even after all these years. I poured in all my soul and heart into this transcription, to make our very first collaboration a successful one.
Also, thanks to Tehishter, for editing the video for me! My Video editing skills is pretty much non-existent and you really helped me out here. I hope we can always stay friends like this ;_;

Therefore, enjoy the fruit of the great work, made possible through the teamwork of Animenz, xclassicalcatx and Tehishter: A full piano/viola cover of "Brave Song"!

Animenz
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
My facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/Animenz
Follow me on Twitter!
twitter.com/Animenzzz
I am using Instagram as well!
instagram.com/animenz_official
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Piano and Viola arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Brave Song
Anime: Angel Beats
Published by: Key Sound Label
Composed by: Jun Maeda
Performed by: Tada Aoi
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Joanna's (xclassicalcatx) Youtube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/xclassicalcatx

SPECIALZ - Jujutsu Kaisen S2 OP2 [Piano] /King Gnu

Animenz Piano Sheets 2023-12-29 | U R MY SPECIAL.
This is my piano arrangement of SPECIALZ by King Gnu, the 2nd OP of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Shibuya Incident Arc was really peak anime in 2023 – and I absolutely enjoyed the crazy ride.

SPECIALZ is a very dark piece and the aggressive hammering beat is essentially creating an atmosphere of a “death march” for all the characters in Jujutsu Kaisen. I tried my best to translate the “hammering” of the original song as good as possible on the piano, but I also added a few additional melody layers in 0:35, 1:56 and 2:28 to contrast the peaceful side of the music.

① Iguchi-san vs Tsuneta-san (the two vocalists of King Gnu)
I decided to use different voice ranges for the main melody because each range has a different voice characteristic. The voice of Iguchi-san has been assigned to the higher range (0:50) while Tsuneta-san is covering the lower range (0:54). I kept the voice splitting fairly consistent for both the verse and the chorus to create a duet between these voices on the piano. It’s also more interesting to play too.

② Cursed by a Hammer
If you have watched the Music Video of SPECIALZ you’d probably notice many scenes featuring people doing a hammering motion in a monotone rhythm. I tried to do the same for the piano and the constant left hand jumping in the verse (0:19) and in the chorus (0:50) is basically mirroring the hammering beats of the music. There are also a few times, where I have to use unusual hand splitting to continue the hammering beats such as in 2:36.

③ The mystery bass
When arranging this piece, I was not sure if the chord progression in 1:48 is D7–A7–D7 or D7-F#m-E . But I decided to keep the A7 chord for this arrangement after all because it’s more similar to the chord progressions in classical music.

I also did a “Shibuya Crossing” (aka Hand Crossing) on the piano in 0:35 and 2:36. And after the Shibuya incident, not only Shibuya but whole Tokyo is in a great danger now. I really hope that MAPPA will start producing Season 3 soon!

Alright, that would be everything!

Thank you so much for your support in the year 2023! All of you are very special(z) to me.
And thanks to the active anime piano community, I will continue doing my best!
Please look forward to the new projects I will be working on in the year 2024.
See you again in my next video!

WE R SPECIAL.

Animenz
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Sheet music download link:
https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/141409
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Original Song: SPECIALZ
Anime: Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2
Published by: Sony Music LAbels Inc. (2023)
Composed by: Daiki Tsuneta
Performed by: King Gnu

Piano arrangement by Animenz
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Twitter:
twitter.com/Animenzzz
Instagram:
instagram.com/animenz_official
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Official Website:
animenzpiano.com
Animenz Sheet Music Book
animenz-shop.com
Digital Sheet Music:
mymusicsheet.com/animenzzz
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#jjk #jujutsukaisen #kinggnu #specialz

Ao no Sumika (Where Our Blue is) - Jujutsu Kaisen S2 OP1 [Piano] / Tatsuya Kitani

Animenz Piano Sheets 2023-12-16 | This is my piano arrangement of Ao no Sumika – the first OP theme of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 by Tatsuya Kitani. It’s definitely one of my favorite Anime OP songs in 2023 because I simply love how “blue” the song is: The sudden quiet dynamics in the intro 0:04, the endless calm atmosphere in the verse 0:10, the subtle “school bells” echoing in the bridge 1:53. It’s like the music is inviting us to dive into a clear blue summer sky and I tried to capture the “blue” atmosphere in the piano as much as possible.

① Allowing the piano to “breathe”
I included many horizontal movements in the piano to give the piano a vast and open texture, mirroring the “blue” atmosphere of the original song. For example, in the first verse 0:10 the left hand is playing a subtle counter melody without being too rhythmic. And in the 2nd verse 1:28, the right hand is playing an ornamentation in a very high range without interfering with the main melody too much.

② The true MVP of the powerful chorus melody
The unique left-hand pattern played an important role in the chorus 0:48. I wanted to emphasize the syncopation of the drums as much as possible and as a result I used precise pedaling to give the left hand a short moment of pause before each syncopation. There is always a lot of trial and error involved to find the best pattern for the left hand. But once I can “hear” the original song with the left hand alone, it’s a good accompaniment.

③ Finale: From Blue to Purple
Since the atmosphere of the song is “blue”, I let the piano soar into the blue sky in 3:13 by playing a seemingly endless scale which goes higher and higher. It ends with an “open” chord Gbmaj7 (IV) in 3:20, which is quite rare for my arrangement because I usually end with a Tonic chord (I). But in this case, the “open” chord is perfect to make the arrangement sound “infinite”. Which means, the arrangement has finally reached new limitless state - Hollow Technique: Purple.

Last but not least, have you noticed the genius sound direction in episode 5? The “applause” sound has been haunting Geto for a long time after his failed mission and I love how they overlapped the sound of the showers and the rain drops with the sound of applause in certain scenes. It’s an excellent depiction of Geto's deteriorating mental state by using that cursed “applause” sound. I hope we can look forward for more of these creative sound direction in future Jujutsu Kaisen episodes!

Alright, that would be everything for today. In every new upload I try to explain my arranging philosophy a little bit and I hope other pianist might find it helpful to create their own arrangement.

See you next time again!

Animenz
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Sheet music download link:
https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/139346
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Original Song: Ao no Sumika (Where Our Blue is)
Anime: Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2
Published by: Sony Music Labels Inc. (2023)
Composed by: Tatsuya Kitani
Performed by: Tatsuya Kitani

Piano arrangement by Animenz
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Twitter:
twitter.com/Animenzzz
Instagram:
instagram.com/animenz_official
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Official Website:
animenzpiano.com
Animenz Sheet Music Book
animenz-shop.com
Digital Sheet Music:
mymusicsheet.com/animenzzz
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#jujutsukaisen #aonosumika #jjk

Kura Kura (Special ver. for Anya) - SPY×FAMILY S2 OP [Piano] / Ado

Animenz Piano Sheets 2023-12-04 | This is my piano arrangement of “Kura Kura”, the OP theme of Spy X Family Season 2. However, this time I had a special guest in my piano studio – Anya Forger – and she really wanted me to make a special piano version just for her. Therefore, I added a classical music intro in 0:01, added a swing finale in 2:46 and finally ended it with a lullaby version in 3:57.

But before I continue, perhaps you want to hear the story from Anya directly…

[…]
“Anya has recently found a new favorite anime music video, called Kura Kura! I love Onee-chan voice!!
youtu.be/W_fHWaoQwkw?si=XAtD3UoQZrXB7-mj
Mr. Pianist! Can you make the piano sparkle as well? Anya wants a Doki Doki piano cover!“

0:01
“Anya knows this piece! Hehe, that’s because Papa often listens to this kind of music. The piece is called Shu-, Cho-, uh… Chomann Piano Concert! It goes DA-DAM, DA-DAM, DA-DAM, DA-DAM!! So fast and elegant! It sounds like Bondman’s Theme!” (She means Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor btw)

1:36
“Anya couldn’t understand what was happening in 1:36 because there are too many instruments. Grown-ups call this Ja-, Jass? But Mr. Pianist changed the Jass in his piano version! Now, Anya can sing along the melody as well! Does this mean Anya has become a grown-up now?” (She means Jazz btw)

2:32
“Anya wants a big firework with explosions at the end! Mr. Pianist said he will do that by playing “dummy rolls” in 2:32. Ooooh, the piano is getting louder now!” *waku waku* (She means “drum rolls” btw)

2:46
“Anya loves this!! (✧▽✧) It sounds like I am in a circus now! Papa, Mama! Anya wants to go to the circus tomorrow!!”

3:57
“Anya feels a bit tired. The piano sounds like a music box now. Anya wants to go to the bed. Playing… the piano… was fun. Good… night.”
[…]

Looks like Anya has fallen asleep after all. But still, I hope you enjoyed my special version of Kura Kura! I’ll just call it “Anya’s Special version” for now.

See you again next time!

Animenz
(with special guest Anya Forger)
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Sheet music download link:
https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/137644
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Song Name: Kura Kura 「クラクラ」
Anime: SPY×FAMILY Season 2
Published by: Universal Music Group (2023)
Performed by: Ado
Lyrics & Music by: meiyo
Arrangement: Yoko Kanno × SEATBELTS

Piano arrangement by Animenz
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Twitter:
twitter.com/Animenzzz
Instagram:
instagram.com/animenz_official
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Official Website:
animenzpiano.com
Animenz Sheet Music Book
animenz-shop.com
Digital Sheet Music:
mymusicsheet.com/animenzzz
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#anya #spyxfamily #ado

Attack on Titan - Final ED Theme 「To You 2000…or…20000 Years From Now…」 [Piano] /Linked Horizon

Animenz Piano Sheets 2023-11-12 | See you later, Eren. The final episode of Attack on Titan has finally aired and it truly feels like the end of an era. I am so glad that Linked Horizon is back again to perform the final ED theme again because the story of Attack on Titan has started in 2013 with the legendary first OP Song 「Guren no Yumiya」. And now we have come full circle with 「To You 2000…or…20000 Years From Now…」.

① “I'll wrap that scarf around you as many times as you want” 1:03
I really love the long pause in 1:03 because it perfectly mirrors the moment, where Eren (now as a bird) is wrapping the scarf on Mikasa again. I was thinking of how to express this long pause on the piano and the best method was to play a scale with added thirds. I also added an accent on the first note to give the music a more dramatic impact.

Did you know that the chorus melody in 1:10 has also the same melody as the second verse in OP2 「Jiyuu no Tsubasa」? The incredible thing is, the lyrics of 「Jiyuu no Tsubasa」also perfectly describes the final episode. It says "[…] The bird has broken out of its shell to fly […]" and it essentially mirrors the image of (bird-) Eren.

② Eren’s true freedom 1:33
The original song has a beautiful flute and oboe solo in 1:33 but instead of directly copying the melody, I transformed it into a “piano instrumental solo” by utilizing the skillset of a pianist: fast arpeggios and melodious scales. The piano is literally “soaring into the sky” with all those ornaments and movements, experiencing true freedom.

③ The “silent key” in 3:45
I tried to recreate the lingering sound in the air after the music has ended with the last chord in 3:45. Pedaling the entire section will make the piano sound too muddy. But using complete silence will make the next part feel too disconnected. Therefore, I silently pressed down the keys with my left hand so I can slowly fade out the bass notes while still retaining the lingering sound of the D major chord. I also like how the intro melody of 「Guren no Yumiya」is appearing again in 3:13. Even in the music, “History repeats itself”.

Final Words:
10 years of Attack on Titan Anime – what a long journey it was. I still vividly remember how excited I was when I watched the first episode of Attack on Titan in 2013. And how I arranged 「Guren no Yumiya」 and 「Jiyuu no Tsubasa」 in record speed. Now there are more than 13 piano arrangements on my YouTube channel dedicated to Attack on Titan which is more than any other anime series.

Attack on Titan definitely earned its place in the Anime Hall of Legends and I was so glad to be part of the fandom for the last 10 years. I also want to express my thanks to all the people who have supported me through all those years. I wouldn’t have made it that far without you.

Thank you so much for following my musical journey on YouTube.

Animenz
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Sheet music download link:
https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/134349
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Original Song: 『To You 2000…or…20000 Years From Now…』
Anime: Attack on Titan - The Final Chapters - Part 2 (2023)
Published by: PONY CANYON (2023)
Composed by: Revo
Performed by: Revo, Yui Ishikawa, Yuki Kaji

Piano arrangement by Animenz
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Twitter:
twitter.com/Animenzzz
Instagram:
instagram.com/animenz_official
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
Official Website:
animenzpiano.com
Animenz Sheet Music Book
animenz-shop.com
Digital Sheet Music:
mymusicsheet.com/animenzzz
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#aot #linkedhorizon #attackontitan

Bauklötze (Hanges Final Theme) - Attack on Titan: The Final Chapters [Piano] / Hiroyuki Sawano

Animenz Piano Sheets 2023-10-28 | This arrangement is dedicated to Hange, our beloved 14th Commander of the Survey Corps. (Spoiler alert in the video description and comment section below)

Without a doubt, Hange’s last fight in Attack on Titan: The Final Chapters is one of the most epic moments I have ever seen in Anime. I never expected the OST Bauklötze to appear again, since it was used only once during the female titan battle from the first season. I am happy it was used again and it’s simply the perfect soundtrack for Hange’s last stand against the titans. I am glad to be alive to witness this legendary moment in the anime.

① The Rumbling… it’s finally coming 0:01
The original song starts at 0:37 but I added a slow introduction to represent the great tragedy in the final arc of Attack on Titan. Eren could have prevented the Rumbling, he could have chosen differently. But unfortunately, he didn't because he was forced to fight. I used the chorus melody of Bauklötze and slowed it down considerably to create a sorrowful atmosphere in the beginning.

② Hange’s last stand 0:37
Most of the arrangement is exactly the same as the original song but I added an extended chorus part from 4:07 to create an even greater climax in the music, representing Hange’s epic battle scene in the anime. Fast right-hand runs are also used here to raise the tension of the music, culminating in a massive B-minor chord in 4:32.

③ Shinzou wo Sasageyo 5:04
The original song ends after the second chorus in 4:56 but I wanted to create a special ending to honor Hange and all the fallen Survey Corps Soldiers. I added a choral version of “Shinzou wo Sasageyo” because this song represents the heart and soul of the Survey Corps the best. Hange has finally fulfilled her duty and she can rest now with all her comrades under a peaceful blue sky.

I also want to mention how the German lyrics are perfectly illustrating Hange’s sacrifice. It says “Wir werden kämpfen, bis dieser heiße Wind unsere Flügel nimmt” in 2:42 which translates to „We will fight until this hot wind takes our wings” – which is what exactly happened to Hange at the end. Truly poetic.

Alright, that would be everything about my piano arrangement of Bauklötze!
Thank you for listening to my arrangement and thank you for always sharing your thoughts in the comment section!

This is my 13th Attack on Titan piano arrangement already because the music is simply too good. I really can’t wait to watch the final episode of Attack on Titan which will be airing on the 4th November.

See you next time again!
心臓を捧げよ！

Animenz
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Sheet music download link:
https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/132233
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Original Song: Bauklötze (Hange's Final Theme)
Anime: Attack on Titan
Published by: PONY CANYON (2014)
Composed by: Hiroyuki Sawano
Performed by: Mika Kobayashi

Piano arrangement by Animenz
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Twitter:
twitter.com/Animenzzz
Instagram:
instagram.com/animenz_official
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
Official Website:
animenzpiano.com
Animenz Sheet Music Book
animenz-shop.com
Digital Sheet Music:
mymusicsheet.com/animenzzz
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#attackontitan #進撃の巨人 #aot

Suzume no Tojimari - Soundtrack Medley (Main Theme) [Piano] / RADWIMPS

Animenz Piano Sheets 2023-06-01 | ① Suzume Main theme 0:00
② Sky Over Tokyo 2:13
③ Closing the Door 4:25
④ KANATA HALUKA 6:50

After the huge hit “Your name” and “Weathering with You”, I was really looking forward to watching the newest movie by Makoto Shinkai. And I have to say, “Suzume no Tojimari” has really exceeded all my expectations and has quickly become my favorite anime movie from the last few years.

The message of the movie is really strong: Telling people to not lose hope for their future, even after experiencing a great disaster. I was also really surprised that the movie is directly referencing the 3.11 earthquake in Japan.

Since I was so impressed by the movie, I decided to make a piano medley and used four music pieces from the official Suzume no Tojimari soundtrack.

① Suzume Main theme 0:00
It's easily the most memorable melody of the movie: A simple theme in D-minor, initially played by the right hand alone. Throughout the movie, this theme has reappeared many times in different variations. I also wanted to include the "deep breath" of the vocalist from the original song as well. If you look closely at my right hand in 0:01 you can see that I deliberately raised my hands to recreate the "deep breath".

② Sky Over Tokyo
It's another memorable scene in the movie. This particular soundtrack is playing when the giant Mimizu is about to cause a great earthquake in Tokyo. The musical buildup is very long and I added more and more layers (including the powerful drums in 3:22) until the music suddenly comes to a stop in 4:20. I tried my best to express a feeling of both beauty and despair on the piano.

③ Closing the Door
It's a variation of the Main theme and it's being played near the end of the movie, in my favorite scene: Suzume finally went through the door and realized that little girl is actually her younger self from the past. She encouraged her past self to stay strong, even after all hope is seemingly lost after the earthquake. I still remember the final conversation between Suzume and younger Suzume:

“Big sister, who are you?”
– “I am your tomorrow”

I really, really love this scene, it was just so well made.

④ KANATA HALUKA 6:50
It's the ending song of the movie and serves as the grand finale of the medley. This is also the only piece in a major key and I added an additional finale with fast runs to celebrate the end of Suzume’s Journey. Finally, at the very end I played the main theme again but this time in a major key: A proof that all things will end well, if you give it enough time.

Well then, that’s it for today! Thank you for reading my video description!
I hope you liked my Suzume no Tojimari Soundtrack Medley. I really love doing medley-type arrangements since I have the freedom to experiment with different song orders.

I am already looking forward to watching the next Makoto Shinkai movie - and I can't wait to see what kind of story we will experience next. Until now we have defeated a comet (Your Name), a weather anomaly (Weathering with you) and this time, a giant earthquake worm. What's next, I wonder...

PS: The postcard you are seeing in this video was a special gift I received from the theatre after watching the "Suzume no Tojimari - Blu-ray version" screening of the movie last week in Japan.

See you next time again!

Animenz
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Sheet music download link:
https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/112108
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Songs used in this Medley:
1. すずめ feat.十明
2. 東京上空
3. 戸締まり
4. カナタハルカ
Anime: Suzume no Tojimari (2022)
Published by: UNIVERSAL MUSIC LLC (2022)
Composed by: RADWIMPS, Kazuma Jinnouchi
Performed by: RADWIMPS feat. Toaka

Piano arrangement by Animenz
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Twitter:
twitter.com/Animenzzz
Instagram:
instagram.com/animenz_official
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
Official Website:
animenzpiano.com
Animenz Sheet Music Book
animenz-shop.com
Digital Sheet Music:
mymusicsheet.com/animenzzz
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#suzume #suzumenotojimari #radwimps #piano

Idol - Oshi no Ko OP [Piano] / YOASOBI

Animenz Piano Sheets 2023-05-03 | It's been a while, everyone! I arranged one of the most interesting anime songs of this season, “Idol” by YOASOBI. The first episode of “Oshi no Ko” was absolutely legendary and it's probably one of the best story introductions I have ever seen.

The OP “Idol” pairs up with the anime very well, since the lyrics retells Ai Hoshino’s rise to stardom and her sufferings perfectly. I tried my best to capture the atmosphere on the piano as well.

① "HAI! HAI! HAI! HAI!" 🧨🎆🧨🎆
I absolutely love the background shouts of the original song, which is an essential element in any idol concerts. You can hear it in my arrangement as a secondary melody in 0:49, 1:09 and 3:03. In fact, after listening to "Idol" many times, I can't help but shout the "HAI! HAI! HAI! HAI!" as well - it's simply too addicting.

② Rap 1: The jealousy of the other members (fast “Beethoven” runs)
I tried to use some classical piano techniques to make the rap sound a little bit more melodious on the piano. It was important for me to represent the dark emotions of the song lyrics as much as possible with my classical style arrangement.

The alternating minor scale in 1:19 is inspired by a Beethoven Sonata, but it also perfectly mirrors the rapping rhythm of the original song. The chord progression has also been modified in 1:26 (Am-C-F-E) to add a little bit more spice to the music.

Since the rapping is getting more intense in the second half, I switched to fast arpeggio runs in 1:31. I really like the chord progression (Am-G#-G-F#) of the first verse in 0:32 and that's why I decided to reuse it here again.

③ Rap 2: Ai’s strong will and resolution (slow “Bolero” drums)
For the final rapping part in 2:05, I wanted to emphasize the drums beats of the original song and didn't include any main melody this time. I think it builds up the suspense very nicely and it serves a good musical contrast with the chorus. I also slightly extended the phrase in 2:28 as well to give the bridge a more classical style closure.

⚠ [↓Spoiler alert for episode 1↓]

③ Ai’s first and last “I love you”
I feel like 3:14 is the true message of the song and that’s why I played the last part very carefully. Especially the final words “Aishiteru” 3:18 is played with a bit of portato articulation, as if Ai’s words are slowly fading. It was really touching to see how Ai has finally conveyed her true love to her children in her very last moment. Excuse me while I grab some tissues again… 😭

⚠ [↑Spoiler alert for episode 1↑]

Alright, that would be everything about this piano arrangement! Thank you so much for reading! It was really fun to translate the rap parts into the piano. I can’t wait to see how the story of “Oshi no Ko” develops after the legendary first episode!

With that said, I am already planning my next upload for this month as well!
See you next time then.

Animenz
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Original Song: Idol
Anime: Oshi no Ko
Published by: YOASOBI (2023)
Composed by: YOASOBI (Ayase)
Performed by: YOASOBI (Ikura)

Piano arrangement by Animenz
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Official Website:
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Digital Sheet Music:
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#oshinoko #idol #piano #yoasobi

THE ULTIMATE 200 ANIME SONGS PIANO MEDLEY (2 Million Subscribers Special)

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-12-30 | Sheet Music → https://linktr.ee/animenz
The Best 200 Anime Songs of the last three decades - played on the piano in one single video! All songs are seamlessly connected with each other to ensure the best listening experience!

More than 100 songs are new anime songs which I haven't made arrangements on my channel yet. In a way, this medley is also a "preview" for all my potential future full size arrangements!

Just sit back and enjoy the anime nostalgia along with the music! Watch the video until the end to see the grand finale with the surprise encore!

It took me a few months to create this 2 million sub special medley since I had to learn and memorize over 200 anime songs. A considerable amount of time was also spent to determine the best possible song order for the entire medley. I imagined it like a "2-hour anime piano concerto" where every single piece is contributing to the music as a whole.

But all the work was definitely worth it and I hope this video will become an important milestone for my YouTube channel in the future!

Thank you for watching!
I will continue doing my best as an anime pianist!

Animenz
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Full song list with timestamp:
See my pinned comment in the comment section.

Video Chapters
0:00 1. Shounen Anime
07:17 2. early 2010
16:54 3. mid 2010
24:10 4. late 2010
34:44 5. early 2020
42:11 6. Kyo-Ani
50:52 7. Romance
1:01:29 8. Comedy
1:08:03 9. Fantasy
1:14:27 10. Sci-fi
1:23:27 11. Legendary classics
1:31:32 12. 2000s Anime
1:41:36 13. Animenz Special Medley
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Official Animenz Sheet Music Book (Published by YAMAHA)
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Digital Sheet Music:
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#anime #medley #piano #200

KICK BACK - Chainsaw Man OP [Piano] / Kenshi Yonezu

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-10-22 | Sheet Music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/78176

The much anticipated anime of Chainsaw Man is finally airing this season! And it starts with a banger of a song: "KICK BACK" from Kenshi Yonezu - definitely one of the catchiest songs I have heard in a while.

Not only does "KICK BACK" has a crazy amount of key changes, it also has one of the most epic mood changes I have ever heard. The music in 1:41 suddenly changes from utterly "dark and chaotic" into extremely "bright and hopeful" and for a brief moment, I felt like I was walking in musical heaven. Amazing moment.

① Chainsaw and a fist... on the piano?
Did you notice the left hand glissando at the very beginning in 0:01? I actually tried to imitate the sound of a Chainsaw, similar to the original song. Likewise, this arrangement also ends with a glissando again in 3:08, bringing the song to a full circle.

I also used my fist in 2:06 for the first time to hammer down the chord for maximum dynamic power. But needless to say, you shouldn't overdo it or else the strings of the piano might break, haha.

② Chaos in the rhythm
The most difficult part to arrange was actually the "努力・未来・A BEAUTIFUL STAR" in the beginning, because there are multiple rhythms overlapping with each other. On top of that, I also used octaves in the left hand because I wanted to create a punchy bass line for this arrangement. I also used a lot of staccato during the chorus in 0:51 to further accentuate the chaotic atmosphere of the song.

③ The string orchestra appears!
As mentioned earlier above, the sudden musical contrast in 1:41 was simply brilliant and I am pretty sure the arranger of the original song - Tsuneta Daiki from King Gnu - had a huge influence here, since he loves to include beautiful string instruments in King Gnu's music.

I tried to mirror it on the piano as well by letting the right hand play an additional layer of melody in 1:41 to sound like strings from a orchestra. This is also one of the rare cases where the left hand is able to play both the melody and the bass at the same time (with only minimal help from the right hand), resulting in an almost "perfect" three hand technique.

Alright, thank you for reading my "Animenz explains" column for this arrangement! "KICK BACK" is a really amazing song and no matter how often I repeat it, it simply never gets boring. I hope you could find the same chaos of "kicking back" (the phenomenon of bouncing back vigorously while using a chainsaw) in this piano arrangement too!

The fact that MAPPA makes different ED songs each week with top tier Japanese artists also shows their dedication to the Chainsaw Man anime. We truly live in the best timeline.

Well then, I will continue working on my 2M medley project! The special medley is scheduled to be uploaded in early December!

See you next time again!
Animenz
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Animenz Sheet Music

Official Animenz Sheet Music Book (Published by YAMAHA)
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Digital Sheet Music:
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-----*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: KICK BACK
Anime: Chainsaw Man / チェンソーマン
Published by: Sony Music Labels Inc.
Composed by: Kenshi Yonezu
Performed by: Kenshi Yonezu
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#chainsawman #kenshiyonezu #kickback

Call of Silence (Ymirs theme) - Attack on Titan S2 OST [Piano] / Hiroyuki Sawano

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-08-27 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/73691

This soundtrack from the second season of Attack on Titan is another masterpiece from Hiroyuki Sawano. It played in a beautiful moment in the anime, where Ymir was staring at the night sky in the desert - finally free after years of endless nightmare.

Especially the moment, when the lyrics starts with "You will know you're reborn tonight" will forever be ingrained in my memory as one of the greatest moments in the Attack on Titan anime. The scenery, the music, everything just fits together perfectly.

This is also one of the so-called "special type" arrangement where I am extending the original song with many of my own ideas. It can be grouped in 4 chapters:

0:00 1. Silence
1:47 2. Rebirth
3:21 3. ThanksAT
5:08 4. Faraway

I really love arranging anime soundtracks because I have more freedom to build up the momentum of the music in order to achieve the maximum emotional impact.

For example, how can you make the important "Rebirth" moment in 1:47 as memorable as possible on the piano? I needed to create a huge dynamic contrast first and I arranged the entire first half in a very minimalistic style. For a moment, the music even seemed to be "lost" in 1:13, showing no clear direction.

This is all done to prepare for the moment in 1:47, where the music is literally having a "Rebirth". Now the deepest bass notes are being played in fortissimo and a "sparkling" right hand ornament is playing alongside the main melody, achieving an enormous orchestral sound on the piano.

Normally, the original song would end in 2:50 but I extended the arrangement by repeating the melody from 0:40. Initially, I planned to repeat the "Rebirth" melody again in 3:21 but I felt like I needed to build up the music more for the grand finale.

That's why I added the melody from ThanksAT (also known as T-KT) from Attack on Titan S3 OST in 3:21. I thought this melody fit in there wonderfully and I was imagining Ymir waiting in the night desert, helplessly watching how the time around her is passing, symbolized by the rapid right hand notes in 3:21. The music continues to build up until the "Rebirth" theme is returning again in 3:55, finally granting freedom to Ymir.

However, my personal favorite part of the arrangement is actually the epilogue - "Faraway" - in 5:08. I played the melody from the beginning again, but this time I added a sparkling right hand ornament in 5:11. I was imagining the beautiful night scenery again where the stars are shining brightly in the sky.

But unfortunately, Ymir didn't get a happy end in her story. And that's why, after flying one last time into the night sky the melody slowly descends and finally fades out in the deepest register. Attack on Titan's story can be too cruel sometimes.

Well then, that would wrap up the "behind the scenes" of this arrangement! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed listening to this piano arrangement! Anime soundtrack is really amazing because I feel like I can unlock the full potential of the piano. Perhaps I should arrange more Anime OSTs in the future. See you next time again!

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Animenz Sheet Music

Official Animenz Sheet Music Book (Published by YAMAHA)
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Digital Sheet Music:
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Call of Silence
Anime: Attack on Titan S2 / 進撃の巨人S2
Published by: PONY CANYON (2017)
Composed by: Hiroyuki Sawano / 澤野弘之
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#attackontitan #callofsilence #hiroyukisawano #ymir

Kyouran Hey Kids!! - Noragami Aragoto OP [Piano] / THE ORAL CIGARETTES

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-08-20 | Sheet Music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/73297

"KURUTTE HEY KIDS!" Once you hear these words, you will instantly remember the chorus melody of "Kyouran Hey Kids!!" - probably the coolest opening song ever. This piano arrangement is quite addictive from the very first second, because of the irresistible combination of a jazzy guitar voice in the right hand and a walking bass line in the left hand in 0:07.

I tried to replicate the rhythm of the drums as accurate as I could for the entire piece. This results in a few unconventional left hand patterns such as in 0:20 or in 1:24. But the real challenge was arranging the chorus in 0:45: The drums had a very fast "dum-ta-ta, dum-ta-ta" rhythm and only after a lot of trial and error, I found a good left hand pattern which properly matches the rhythm. The left hand syncopation can be heard especially clear in 0:49.

There is also another problem I needed to solve: The "I respect the hero!" part in 1:08 is only spoken in the original song and it doesn't have a melody. But since I really like the guitar melody from 0:07, I used it as a starting point and modified the melody a little bit to create an original melody line for the spoken part.

Last but not least, the rarely used left hand melody octaves is appearing again! For the second half of the bridge in 2:26, I needed some extra punch in the bass to replicate the aggressive drums of the original song. And left hand octave melodies just does the job perfectly. At the same time, the right hand pattern in 2:26 is one of my favorite "arrangement tricks" to extend and intensify a long melody on the piano. I used it in my Swordland (Sword Art Online OST) arrangement as well in the past.

Alright, that's it for today! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this week's super groovy arrangement! Also: Don't forget to donate 5 yen to poor Yato-san! Or else he will never become the wealthiest god in Japan! (笑)

See you next time!

Animenz
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Animenz Sheet Music

Official Animenz Sheet Music Book (Published by YAMAHA)
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Digital Sheet Music:
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-----*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Kyouran Hey Kids!! / 狂乱 Hey Kids!!
Anime: Noragami Aragoto / ノラガミ ARAGOTO
Published by: A-Sketch Inc. (2015)
Composed by: Takuya Yamanaka / 山中拓也
Performed by: THE ORAL CIGARETTES
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#noragami #kyouranheykids #noragamiaragoto

the WORLD - Death Note OP1 [Piano] / Nightmare

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-08-06 | Sheet Music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/73263

Death Note is probably one of the most watched Anime series worldwide and even after more than 15 years, I still think it's one of the best thriller anime ever made. The insane mind games between the two protagonists Light and L are simply unforgettable and I lost count how many times my mind was blown by all the plot twists.

It's also one of the first anime series I have ever watched and for the longest time, I wanted to create a piano arrangement of the opening song「the WORLD」but I simply never found the time to do it - until today.

With such a famous anime song, I need to make sure that every melody line - including the side melodies - are 100% faithful like the original song. I also put many accents in the left hand bassline (for example in 1:47 or 3:13) to give this piece a powerful rhythmic feeling.

This is also one of the few arrangements, where it goes into "full power"-mode from the very first second. The huge left hand jumps in 0:03, the accentuated bassline in 0:13, the very fast tempo - this arrangement is the personification of rock guitar action on the piano.

I even replicated the guitar solo in 2:05 with almost exactly the same notes, which is fairly difficult to play because of the fast tempo. Add a supporting melody from the left hand in 2:00 and the result is a very cool sounding piano solo part for the bridge.

I also played the last chorus in 2:45 in a more quiet variation to let the left hand shine a little bit. It adds a lot of suspense in the music and makes the final chorus even more satisfying with all the bass notes returning.

Well then, thank you for reading! I think「the WORLD」actually holds the record for being in my "to-do-list" for the longest time possible. But as the saying goes: Better late than never! See you in my next video again!

Animenz
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Official Animenz Sheet Music Book (Published by YAMAHA)
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Digital Sheet Music:
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-----*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: the WORLD
Anime: Death Note / デスノート
Published by: VAP Inc. (2006)
Composed by: RUKA
Performed by: Nightmare
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#deathnote #theworld

Hanezeve Caradhina (Sunrise theme in ep1) - Made in Abyss OST [Piano] / Kevin Penkin

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-07-29 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/71223

Hanezeve Caradhina is one of my favorite soundtracks from "Made in Abyss" and every time I am listening to this song, a sense of wonder and thirst for adventure is overwhelming me. The soundtrack composed by Kevin Penkin is simply incredible and with the second season of "Made in Abyss" currently airing, it's a perfect time for me now to arrange this piece for the piano.

Watch the video from 3:09 until the end and see how the piano is going deeper and deeper into the abyss, amplifying the feeling of desolateness until eventually... nothing but silence remains...

Animenz
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------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Hanezeve Caradhina
Anime: Made in Abyss
Published by: KADOKAWA (2017)
Composed by: Kevin Penkin
Performed by: Takeshi Saito
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#madeinabyss #soundtrack

The Saddest Theme from Violet Evergarden | “The Ultimate Price” [Piano] / Evan Call

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-07-18 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/70769

Today is the 18th July and it's been three years since the 2019 Kyoto Animation Arson Attack. "The Ultimate Price" is one of the most heart-breaking soundtrack in Violet Evergarden and it brings tears in my eyes whenever I am listening to it. It reminds me of the lost souls which can never come back again to this world.

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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: The Ultimate Price
Album: Violet Evergarden: Automemories
Anime: Violet Evergarden (2018)
Published by: Lantis (2018)
Composed by: Evan Call
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#violetevergarden #kyoani #prayforkyoani

Sadness and Sorrow (Special ver.) - Naruto OST [Piano]

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-07-13 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/71256

This piano arrangement is essentially a "piano fantasy" of Sadness and Sorrow and it's retelling the whole life story of Naruto. His loneliness, his exciting adventures, and his dramatic final battle with his best friend Sasuke - all this can be heard in the music.

There are six chapters in this piano arrangement:

0:00 1. Sadness and Sorrow
2:32 2. Konohagakure
4:05 3. Hinata's Love
5:13 4. Jiraya's Legacy
6:25 5. Final Battle with Sasuke
7:17 6. The Seal of Reconciliation

Each chapter is using the melody of Sadness and Sorrow in a different variation. I also composed a few transitions to smoothly connect each chapter into one whole story.

1. Sadness and Sorrow 0:01
Naruto had a rough childhood and I still remember the sad scene, where Naruto was sitting all alone on the swing, rejected by his peers. I tried to imitate the sound of a Shamisen (Japanese Instrument) by using either tremolos 1:00 or finger repetition in 1:31. The Shamisen is heavily featured in the Soundtrack of Naruto and I simply love the ephemeral sound it produces.

2. Konohagakure 2:32
The next chapter starts with a “drop” in 2:32, portraying the swift movements of the Shinobis in Konohagakure, Naruto's home village. It represents Naruto’s Shinobi training arc and the melody of Sadness and Sorrow gains a lot more momentum with the accentuated rhythm in the left hand in 3:20.

3. Hinata’s love 4:05
Hinata played an important role in Naruto’s life and I composed a short original melody to introduce her in this chapter. I imitated the sound of a Shamisen in 4:05 to reflect Hinata’s gentle nature. The Sadness and Sorrow melody returns again in 4:40 but in a different time signature and slower tempo.

4. Jiraya's Legacy 5:13
The sudden key change from E-minor to C#-minor symbolizes the growth Naruto is experiencing after losing his mentor Jiraya. Flowing left hand movements are introduced in 5:19, foreshadowing the upcoming battle in 5:55. There are two key changes in 6:02 and 6:09 and the tempo is constantly increasing. All this serves as a musical buildup for the upcoming climax in the next chapter.

5. FINAL BATTLE with Sasuke 6:25
And so, the final battle has begun. Despite all the awful things Sasuke has done, Naruto simply cannot let his best friend go. The initial Sadness and Sorrow melody has evolved into an orchestral firework, transcending the limitations of the piano. As the music rages on, the final battle comes to an end with one final confrontation in 7:00 but it ends in a draw with an “open” chord in 7:04.

6. The Seal of Reconciliation 7:17
After all is said and done, Naruto and Sasuke finally acknowledge each other and reconciled for good. The original Sadness and Sorrow melody is being played again, but in G-minor instead of E-minor, showing the character development of Naruto. And last but not least, the piece ends with a G-major chord , symbolizing a new start for both Naruto and Sasuke.

Well then, this has become longer than expected but I hope you enjoyed my interpretation of the music! Sometimes the power of nostalgia can really do wonders with your productivity. I am also glad that I can still discover new ways how to arrange anime music on the piano and this “piano fantasy” is my next step to further explore the world of story-telling on the piano.

Thank you for reading, and I hope I can see you next Monday again with another sad theme arrangement!

Animenz
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Animenz Sheet Music

Official Animenz Sheet Music Book (Published by YAMAHA)
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Digital Sheet Music:
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-----*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Sadness and Sorrow
Anime: Naruto (2002-2007)
Published by: Sony Music Distribution (Japan) Inc. (2003)
Composed by: Musashi Project
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#naruto #sadnessandsorrow #piano

Blue Bird (2022 ver.) - Naruto Shippuuden OP3 [Piano] / Ikimono-gakari

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-06-18 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/41462

This video is a remake of my old "Blue Bird" piano arrangement from 2016. Aside from the improved audio quality, there are also many improvements in the arrangement which might be hard to notice at the beginning. The rhythmic feeling has been vastly improved in some sections and I also added new variations as well. In a way, this videos showcases my progress as a piano arranger between 2016 and 2022.

I will highlight the some of the new additions and I will also explain why I arranged it in that particular way. You can compare it side by side with the old 2016 version of Blue Bird:
youtube.com/watch?v=FTrJ-J_lsr0

0:41 Instead of playing the melody in one voice range, I decided to split up the melody in two octaves, to create a "dialogue" in the music: One voice is asking a question while the other voice is giving an answer. The music feels more alive in that way.

1:07 I completely reworked the left hand and added many syncopated rhythms to give the chorus a little bit more rhythmical energy. I also used a different rhythm for the short "throw-ins" in 1:09 and 1:15 to distinguish it more from the main melody.

1:19 The left hand is playing an octave higher to improve the dynamic contrast in this section. The rhythm is also more accentuated this time.

1:35 I added a new variation in the right hand to make the repetitive instrumental part more interesting. The music also becomes more dramatic, serving as a better contrast to the second verse.

1:45 The left hand gains a new secondary melody line, smoothly playing along the main melody in the right hand. Overall, the piece has become more polyphonically by all these small additions.

1:51 The rhythm has become more articulated in this new version, especially the left hand, which is playing a heavily accentuated pattern. The tension in the music has been improved as a result.

2:04 I added a new left hand rhythm with a silent "break" before the chorus melody to create a more dramatic entrance for the second chorus.

2:51 The rhythm has been vastly improved in the left hand. It matches the syncopations of the right hand much better and it's also less distracting, compared to the old version.

3:09 Probably the biggest new addition of this arrangement: The right hand plays a solo melody without the left hand, capturing the entire attention of the listener. Since the chorus is playing for the third time, I modified the melody as well in 3:13 to add more emotional weight in the music.

3:36 The right hand plays a completely different pattern instead of repeating the melody from earlier and it serves as the final climax before the music is slowly fading out. In short, all "instrumental solo" - parts from Blue Bird have a unique second half in this new version. Compare 0:16 with 1:26 and 3:29.

There are many more small additions, but I think these were the more important ones. Well then, I hope you enjoyed reading the video description this time! I almost feels like a changelog of a game update, haha. (Blue Bird v1.0 has finally evolved into Blue Bird v1.5)

Last but not least, this new version of Blue Bird is also included in the Animenz sheet music book vol. 1! You can purchase the book here in the online shop:
animenz-shop.com

It's very fun to remake one of my old arrangements.
Thank you for reading and see you next time again!

Animenz
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Animenz Sheet Music

Official Animenz Sheet Music Book (Published by YAMAHA)
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Blue Bird
Anime: Naruto Shippuuden / NARUTO -ナルト- 疾風伝
Published by: Epic Records Japan Inc. (2008)
Composed by: Yoshiki Mizuno / 水野良樹
Performed by: Ikimono-gakari / いきものがかり
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#naruto #narutoshippuden #bluebird

Black Catcher (Black Clover OP10) [Piano] / Vickeblanka

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-06-10 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/66720

Black Clover has many great opening songs but my personal favorite is still "Black Catcher" by Vickeblanka. Because nothing beats the epic chorus melody "LEEEEEET'S DYE THIS WORLD!!!". Absolutely amazing song.

The left hand is playing an important role in this arrangement as both the "rhythm engine" and the "guitar bassline" for the entire piece. Precise pedal control is also necessary to not muddy the left hand too much, especially during the verse in 0:18.

① Bass lines are the best! 1:16
I realized the bass guitar in "Black Catcher" is always playing a very distinctive melody during the chorus and I tried to replicate it in my piano arrangement as well. I had to modify the melody a little bit, so the left hand can play both the melody line and the chord progression at the same time in 1:16. I also used octaves in the last chorus in 2:42 to make the bass line stand out even more.

② Guitar solo, but played on the piano 2:14
Black Catcher is a really groovy song but the awesome guitar solo in the bridge stood out to me the most. I added additional 6ths notes to make it sound more virtuosic on the piano in 2:14. This passage also reminded me a little bit of a certain Chopin etude: You are playing very fast sixth notes on mainly black keys - does this sound familiar to any pianists here?

③ New BPM record (as of now)
This piece doesn't "feel" particularly fast but it actually has the highest tempo I have ever used in a sheet: 200 BPM! The biggest challenge for me was to play the left hand rhythms as precise possible - without this important "rhythm engine", the entire piece would sound flat. But once you master the left hand, It's a really fun piece to play on the piano!

Well then, that's it everyone! Thank you for reading this week's "Animenz explains!" Next week I will upload a remake of an old arrangement of mine - something I haven't done in a while.

See you next time again!

Animenz
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Social Media

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------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
Animenz Sheet Music

Official Animenz Sheet Music Book (Published by YAMAHA)
animenz-shop.com
Digital Sheet Music:
mymusicsheet.com/animenzzz
-----*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Black Catcher
Anime: Black Clover
Published by: avex trax (2020)
Composed by: Vickeblanka
Performed by: Vickeblanka
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#blackcatcher #blackclover #vickeblanka

Hyori Ittai - HUNTER×HUNTER ED5 [Piano] / Yuzu

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-05-29 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/65435

The manga of Hunter x Hunter is finally returning this year! Togashi sensei's announcement on twitter last week was a complete surprise and it has caused an unprecedented HxH hype in the global anime and manga community. I absolutely love the manga and I couldn't be happier about this big news. Therefore, I just HAD to arrange a Hunter x Hunter song for this week: Hyori Ittai, the legendary ending song from the Chimera Ant arc!

① The "Hyori Itt - ttai" rhythm in 1:28
This piano arrangement is following the original song as close as possible and even the tiniest detail such as the transition in 0:21 has been recreated on the piano. I especially paid attention to the characteristic "Hyori Itt - ttai" rhythm in 1:28 and articulated them as clear as possible on the piano. I liked that rhythm so much that I repeated it again in 1:34 by matching the left hand rhythm with the right hand.

② The "duet" in 2:21
My favorite part from the original song is the definitely the second verse: The rhythmic energy in 2:10 is simply too addicting and once the "double voice" begins to sing in 2:21 the musical intensity is reaching a completely new level. This song by YUZU is just too awesome.

③ The time signature "riddle" in 4:16
The transition before the final chorus in 4:16 also deserves special mention. I honestly have no idea what exactly is happening in the original song because the music is full of echo effects and without any discernible time signature. After a lot of experimentation I finally found a suitable time signature (two 9/8 bars) and I build up the tension in the music with arpeggios until the "Hyori Ittai" in 4:23 is finally returning again.

Alright, that's it for this week! Thank you for listening to my piano arrangement! I am still so hyped about the upcoming new manga chapters of Hunter X Hunter. I honestly have already completely given up on the conclusion of the legendary HxH Manga - until the announcement last week. We truly live in the best timeline.

My next video is going to be another Shounen Anime song! It's time to have another month of nostalgia again. See you then! And "Let's dye this world!" 🎵

Animenz
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Announcement:
I am also going to hold a live performance in Dubai on 11th June this year!
(↓more information in the latest YouTube Community post)
youtube.com/post/UgkxnqI36SY3otKdQoU2OLAep_jkuZD_Fg8t
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Hyouri Ittai / 表裏一体
Anime: HUNTER×HUNTER
Published by: SENHA & Co. (2013)
Composed by: YUZU
Performed by: YUZU
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#hunterxhunter #hxh #hyoriittai

Kigeki (Comedy) - SPY×FAMILY ED [Piano] / Gen Hoshino

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-05-23 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/64657

Spy×Family is one of my favorite anime series of this season and the more I listened to the ending song, the more I wanted to play it on the piano. There are many interesting Jazz chords in this piece and I learned a lot about Jazz while arranging this song.

Sometimes I prefer to “approximate” the jazz chords in order to make them sound less dissonant. A good example would be the chord progression in 1:26 with slightly modified chords. I guess the "classical music" inside me is still trying to make it sound as "smooth" as possible. But at the end of the day, the goal is to make an arrangement which is pleasant to listen.

① Staccato is king 0:04
To keep the relaxed atmosphere of the original song, I paid a lot of attention to emphasize the distinctive staccato sound in the right hand. The pedal is almost never used in 0:04 and 1:32 to make the piano sound as “lightweight” as possible.

② Anya’s “dream” scene in 2:31
The staccato and the accentuated rhythm is the driving force behind this arrangement. But the bridge part in 2:31, a gentle left hand arpeggio is being introduced and the whole atmosphere has changed into a dreamlike state. I was particularly inspired by the ED animation from Spy X Family, where Anya was floating in the sky at the end (while still dreaming).

③ The jazzy “Finale” in 3:28
The final chorus in 2:58 starts very soft but with each repeat of the melody, a new texture is being added into the arrangement. Eventually it evolves into a jazzy improvisation in 3:28, acting as a finale for this piece. I was imagining that Anya is dancing happily in 3:28 without any care in the world. (I think at this point, I might be too obsessed with Anya. But we need to protect her smile. At. All. Cost.)

Since I have been working on jazzy pieces recently, I think it's time to upload a new video on my second YouTube Channel with another classic jazz song this month.
My second channel🎹 youtube.com/channel/UCe0gsaCgCAfE9lhYtSLPF7w

Well then, thank you for listening to my piano arrangement of Kigeki! Next time, I will upload a frequently requested song from Shounen anime which I haven't arranged yet on this main channel. Can you guess which song?

See you then!
Animenz
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Kigeki (Comedy) / 喜劇
Anime: SPY×FAMILY
Published by: SPEEDSTAR RECORDS (2022)
Composed by: Gen Hoshino
Performed by: Gen Hoshino
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#spyxfamily #kigeki #genhoshino #SxF

Mixed Nuts - SPY×FAMILY OP [Piano] / Official Hige Dandism

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-05-13 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/63849

A very elegant person is playing the piano.
That’s it. That’s the video description.

Coincidentally, the concert outfit I am always wearing for my videos proves to be very useful now and I can finally feel the true meaning of “elegance” for the very first time. Thank you Spy X Family for enlightening me!

「Mixed Nuts」 from Official Hige Dandism is an insanely fun piece to play on the piano and I simply love the groovy bassline of the song. Once again, I tried to combine as many musical elements from the original piece as possible without needing more than 2 hands. (Sometimes I wish I have three hands though)

The beginning part in 0:08 (aka the car chase in the opening animation) is literally chaos incarnate on the piano and honestly, I have no idea what I was actually playing… I actually wanted to smash the keys randomly but at the end I still created some sort of a pattern. I guess the inner perfectionism in me doesn’t allow completely randomized piano patterns after all, haha.

This piece is essentially a piano etude for the left hand because of the fast octave bassline in 0:18 which requires a lot of stamina and focus to play. But I loved playing the octave bass line so much I even played it again for the final chorus in 2:46.

One of my favorite moments in the arrangement is actually the small top melody in 0:29. The joy and playfulness in this moment perfectly captures the positive nature of Anya from Spy X Family. I have to say, Official Hige Dandism is really amazing for composing a song, which fits perfectly well with the theme of the anime.

Alright, thank you for reading the video description for this week!
I still haven’t decided what I will upload as my next video but after recording this groovy arrangement I am more motivated than ever to create elegant arrangements!

See you next time again!

Animenz
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: MIXED NUTS
Anime: SPY×FAMILY
Published by: PONY CANYON (2022)
Composed by: Official HIGE DANdism
Performed by: Official HIGE DANdism
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#spyxfamily #mixednuts #officialhigedandism #higedan #SxF

Sakayume - Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie ED [Piano] / King Gnu

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-05-01 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/62967

First and foremost, I love the song Sakayume. When the credits started to roll at the end of the Jujutsu Kaisen movie in the cinemas, I just sat there and couldn’t believe my ears: Starting with an unforgettable melancholic string introduction, followed by a hauntingly beautiful chorus melody, and finally the breathtaking key change at the end: This song by King Gnu is simply awe-inspiring.

I decided to make a special piano arrangement by using my past knowledge about classical music and the end result is a “Piano Ballad”: A piece with many lyrical elements and a big emotional finale at the end.

① 1:01 How to make “organic” key changes on the piano
The original voice performance from King Gnu is simply amazing because of their brilliant use of voice glissando (slowly raising the pitch) for the key changes in the piece. Unfortunately, the piano is unable to perform these kind of smooth glissandos (unlike violins) and therefore I used an alternative key change in 1:01. Instead of d-minor → g♭-major I changed it to d-minor → g-major because these two keys are much closer musically related. All I needed to do is to simply change the f note in d-minor into a f# note.

② 1:07 Arranging in a “Piano Ballad” style
The slow string intro at the beginning of the song in 0:09 basically sets up the bittersweet atmosphere for the entire piece and I tried to expand it on the piano. When the drums started to play in the original piece in 1:07, I used arpeggios instead to maintain a more romantic soundscape. But once the original piece starts to play a noticeable pizzicato in 1:41, I also used staccato in the arrangement as well. The goal is to find a middle point between my own interpretation and faithfully following the characteristics of the original song.

③ 5:14 The “ascension” from darkness to light
In the movie, the main character Okkotsu is facing many hurdles to overcome his “curse” and I wanted to represent his inner conflict on the piano as well: I started by playing a diminished chord (“mysterious sounding chord”) in 4:57 and with each chord progression, the music is slowly “ascending” until it finally has found its destination in 5:14.

From this moment on, the music is preparing for its climax and it keeps building up and up - until it finally releases all the emotions in the grand finale in 5:21, heavily inspired by the music of Chopin. It is also worth mentioning that the arrangement itself started with a D major chord in 0:01 and ended with an Eb major chord in 6:26. In a way, the whole music has also experienced an “ascension” - by a semitone.

Alright, that’s it for this week! Thank you for reading my “Animenz explains” column!
I hope you enjoyed reading the behind-the-scenes for this arrangement and gained some insight, how I arrange music in a “Ballad” style! It really has been a while since I was so captivated by a song but Sakayume is just so good. I simply can’t stop listening to it.

With that said, I am already working on my next upload! It’s from a seasonal anime and it’s going to be a groovy song again – quite the opposite from this upload (笑)
See you next time again!

Animenz
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Sakayume / 逆夢
Anime: Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie / 劇場版呪術廻戦 0
Published by: Sony Music Labels Inc.
Composed by: Daiki Tsuneta / 常田大希
Performed by: King Gnu
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#jujutsukaisen #sakayume #kinggnu

BOY - Ousama Ranking OP1 [Piano] / King Gnu

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-04-22 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/62088

Ousama Ranking was one of my favorite anime series in 2021 and the Opening Song BOY from King Gnu was simply a perfect song to capture the cheery mood from our favorite Prince Bojji. I was really inspired by Bojji’s never-ending optimism and his courage could literally move mountains. I really hope we will see a second season very soon because I already miss Bojji and his trusted friend Kage already.

To be honest, arranging this song was outside of my comfort zone again, because I couldn’t make full use of my usual orchestral arrangement style with its many layers of sound. Instead, I thought a more minimalistic approach is more suitable for an upbeat song like BOY and this arrangement should be played as light-hearted as possible with only minimum pedal use.

Having said that, I still "sneaked" in some secondary melodies into the arrangement. Just imagine Kage is secretly following Bojji who is playing the main melody (笑). A good example would be the upper voice in the right hand in 0:39 or the fast middle voice in 1:12 and 1:22. Aside from that, I also included a few techniques I rarely use nowadays, for example the “octave sniping” in 3:29 or the chromatic octave run in 4:06.

But my favorite part was actually playing the key change in 3:32 because this is the moment where I was finally “released” from the C-major key. I don’t know whether other pianists would agree with me but playing only white keys (aka C-major) feels really “unnatural” to me. I literally couldn’t wait to play all the black keys again and the key change to Db-major felt like heaven to me. Maybe it’s just me, who loves playing on black keys, haha.

Well, that’s it everyone! Thank you for listening to my piano arrangement of BOY!
My next arrangement is going to be from King Gnu again and it’s a theme song from an Anime movie.

See you next time again!
Animenz
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: BOY
Anime: Ousama Ranking / 王様ランキング
Published by: Sony Music Labels Inc. (2021)
Composed by: Daiki Tsuneta / 常田大希
Performed by: King Gnu
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#ousamaranking #boy #kinggnu #rankingofkings

Avid - 86 / Eighty-Six (Episode 22 version) ED [Piano] / Hiroyuki Sawano

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-04-10 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/61268

This piano arrangement of 「Avid」 is directly inspired by episode 22 of the anime series. It has probably one of the most beautiful cinematography I have ever seen in a TV anime and the emotional rollercoaster was simply overwhelming. The final two episodes of Eighty Six was delayed for three months but in exchange we got a cinema-level of anime production – absolutely worth it.

The official name for the OST used in ep 22 is called 「Voices of the Chord」and it’s basically an orchestral version of the ED song 「Avid」. My piano arrangement is based on the full size of 「Avid」but I adopted a slow tempo based on the orchestra version and have modified the flow of the music a little bit to make it more cinematic, including a key change in 4:08. I also used many orchestration methods in this piano arrangements to fully capture the beauty of episode 22.

① New pedaling technique
Fitting to the lyrics of 「Avid」("it calls, it calls"), I let the piano "resonate" its sound a bit more than usual by mostly using half pedal during the performance and releasing the sustain pedal very slowly for longer notes. This creates a very interesting "mixed harmonic", which slowly clears up by itself until only a very few notes remain. It can be heard in 1:47, 4:04, and 5:02.

② "Emptiness" in the music
Since the main character Shinei has earned the title of "grim reaper" during his long duty on the battlefield, I cannot possibly imagine the amount of loneliness he is feeling, especially if he is being left behind again. The second verse in 1:49 reflects the emptiness of Shinei's mind and the melody is split up into tiny fragments, never reaching its full melody.

③ The "miracle" in the flower field
[ep. 22 spoilers]
In one of the final scenes of the anime, Shinei has accepted his fate and the music in 3:38 suddenly drops to a bare minimum, slowly diminishing until almost nothing is left in 4:01. Then, the key change in 4:08 happens: This is the moment where Major Milize steps into the battlefield and Shinei's destiny is changed forever. The landscape suddenly changes from a blue sea of Insects into a beautiful red flowerbed.

The miracle must be dramatically celebrated at the climax. The left hand is hitting the lower bass notes for the first time to achieve an enormous orchestral sound while the right hand is playing a secondary melody (consisting of thirds and fourths) to represent the red spider lilies dancing in the wind. This is the moment I was waiting for in the anime. This is the moment why I live for Anime and Anime music. And this is why anime is simply the best art.
[/ep. 22 spoilers]

Alright, thank you for reading this week’s "Animenz explains!" It has been a really, really long time since I was that moved by an anime episode and I hope I can experience more moments like this again in the future. A moment where "everything just feels right".

Thank you for watching my piano arrangement and see you in the next video again!

Animenz
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Avid (ED) / Voices of the Chord (OST)
Anime: 86 (Eighty-Six)
Published by: Sacra Music (2021)
Composed by: Hiroyuki Sawano
Performed by: mizuki [nZk] / Gemie
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#eightysix #avid #hiroyukisawano

YouSeeBIGGIRL / Apple Seed - Attack on Titan OST [Piano]

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-03-25 | The famous music of "YOU DAMM TRAITORS!!!" (ep 31) and "Thank you, for wrapping this scarf around me" (ep 37).

Sheet Music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/60161

This Soundtrack from Attack on Titan is also known as “Apple Seed” (ep 52), which is the vocalized version of “YouSeeBIGGIRL”. The OST is played in many important moments of the Anime but the most famous example is probably episode 31, when Eren is shouting "YOU TRAITORS!!!" after that two characters showed their true identities as "Warriors". It's also used in episode 37, in the dramatic moment when Mikasa tells Eren "Thank you, for wrapping this scarf around me."

Until today, this scene is still one of my favorite scenes in the Attack on Titan anime and I tried my best to create a piano version of “YouSeeBIGGIRL” with a similar dramatic impact as the original soundtrack.

① “The beginning of the tragedy”
Attack on Titan is essentially a story about one tragedy after another and I have structured my arrangement of YouSeeBIGGIRL in a similar way: It starts with a melancholic beginning in 0:01 until the first tragedy unfolds in 1:04. After the first climax in 2:33 it is followed by a moment of silence in 3:49 until the next “happening” starts in 4:52, culminating in an emotional finale in 5:40. I realized that the more anime soundtracks I arrange, the more I enjoy the process of including “story-telling” in the music.

② “Something BIG is coming”
I was thinking for a long time how to arrange the long musical buildup in 2:10 before the BIG climax crashes down in 2:33. The original piece has a pulsating drum rhythm playing in the background during 2:10 but I realized that imitating the rhythm alone on the piano is not enough. Therefore, I also added some chord progressions in the left hand in 2:22 to slowly build up the tension. And after some experimenting, I also included a small pause in 2:31 to maximize the impact of the climax in 2:34.

③ An “alternative” ending
The original soundtrack has a part of “Vogel in Käfig” in the second half but I have arranged a full version of this piece already. I could have simply ended the arrangement at 3:45 but I had a feeling the arrangement is still missing one half. That’s where I had the idea to include the soundtrack “ətˈæk 0N tάɪtn” in 3:51 to bring this arrangement to a musically satisfying conclusion. In 5:16 and 5:28 I even combined the right hand motif from “YouSeeBIGGIRL” with the main melody of “ətˈæk 0N tάɪtn”, foreshadowing the final climax in 5:40. In a way, this arrangement combines the two most important soundtracks from Season 1 and Season 2, representing the struggles ＜Humans vs Titans＞ in the early story arcs of Attack on Titan.

Alright, thank you for reading this week’s video description! I also updated the missing "Animenz Explains" column in "Vogel in Käfig" video description! Try to compare these two arrangements since they are related "musical twins"!

This is probably the last Attack on Titan piano arrangement for the foreseeable future and starting next upload, there will be more pieces from seasonal anime again!

See you in the next video again!

Animenz

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It's a compilation of my past 12 years of arrangement works!
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: YouSeeBIGGIRL / Appleseed
Anime: Attack on Titan S2 / 進撃の巨人S2
Published by: PONY CANYON (2017)
Composed by: Hiroyuki Sawano / 澤野弘之
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#attackontitan #aot #youseebiggirl #appleseed

Vogel im Käfig - Attack on Titan OST [Piano]

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-03-11 | Sheet Music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/58821

"On That Day, Humanity Received a Grim Reminder".
The moment, when Eren’s mother was eaten. The moment, when Eren transformed the first time into a titan, roaring of anger. The moment when Armin was desperately convincing the garrison to not attack Titan-Eren, fearing for his life. All these emotionally heavy scenes were accompanied by「Vogel im Käfig」in the anime.

Personally, this is one of my favorite Soundtracks from Hiroyuki Sawano and it could be regarded as the closest thing to a “symphonic poem” in the Attack on Titan soundtrack. The hauntingly beautiful beginning, the combination of different “chapters” in the music, and the incredible dramatic climax at the end – 「Vogel im Käfig」has it all.

Because this piece is such a cinematic masterpiece, it was the ultimate challenge for me to create a piano arrangement with a similar emotional intensity as the original soundtrack. There are many moments of “silence” in this arrangement such as in 0:35, 1:41 or 2:39 and they all serve a vital role in the music as a "breather" between each musical chapter.

In my opinion,「Vogel im Käfig」could be divided in the following 6 musical chapters:
(I also referenced the German lyrics a little bit)

0:00 "A bird in the sky"
0:37 "The world we are living in"
1:45 "A new hope"
2:42 "All living things will die"
3:13 "Our fate and destiny"
4:56 "We will fight"

With other words, the 6 minutes and half of this arrangement is serving mainly one purpose: Building up the music until the world (literally) crashes down in 4:56. For this purpose I thought of every possible way to maximize the tension in the piano arrangement such as three hand technique in 4:56 or super fast left hand arpeggios in 5:44.

Last but not least, it is also interesting to note that 「Vogel im Käfig」 is being played in the second half of 「YouSeeBIGGIRL」and having a similar role as the musical climax at the end. I guess the finale of 「Vogel im Käfig」is just too good, haha.

With that said, thank you for reading this week's "Animenz Explains"! I hope you enjoyed my arrangement of「Vogel im Käfig」and you could relive all the Attack on Titan nostalgia again. My next video has been decided already and it's going to be the "musical twin" of this piece, 「YouSeeBIGGIRL」

See you next time again!

Animenz
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Vogel im Käfig
Anime: Attack on Titan / 進撃の巨人S2
Published by: PONY CANYON (2013)
Composed by: Hiroyuki Sawano / 澤野弘之
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#attackontitan #aot #vogelimkaefig

The Rumbling - Attack on Titan Final Season OP [Piano] / SiM

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-02-20 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/57242

So here it is, the final opening song for the entire Attack on Titan Anime series: “The Rumbling” from SiM! This piece gave me unique challenges on the piano because how does one arrange a metalcore music on a single piano? Sometimes, I feel like even 88 keys are not even enough.

But before I continue, I want to ask you something: Doesn’t the melody in 0:08 sound really similar to Grieg’s "In the Hall of the Mountain King" theme? And not only that, the string melodies in 0:14 also reminds me of the main melody in Dvorak’s “From the new world” symphony (the 4th movement). Really a crazy coincidence, since Eren himself wants to create a “new world” in a way…

Some key points of this arrangement:

① 0:41 "I'M TEARLESS, I'M FEARLESS"
These aggressive growling vocals found in metal music are almost impossible to replicate on the piano but I still needed these voices in order to fully replicate the original song. I think the best approach is to just create a fitting melody out of the growling vocals while keeping the rhythm. I “translated” the growling vocals into a middle voice in 0:41 for example.

② 2:04 Beethoven joins “the Rumbling”
This is something I rarely do in my arrangements: I reharmonized the entire bridge part of the original song and only kept the main melody intact. The reason is because no matter how hard I try, I couldn’t fully replicate the sheer intensity of the hardcore metal in the bridge part with all the guitar riffs and screaming. That’s why I had the idea to create an alternative chord progression in order to make the bridge part more suitable for being played on the piano. I also quoted a little bit Beethoven’s “Appassionata” Sonata No.23 in the left hand in 2:04, because I really like these wavy movements and they sound almost “apocalyptic” to me (plus, they are in the same F minor key)

③ 2:44 “If I lose it all, slip and fall”
I absolutely love the quiet melody before the final chorus in the original song but I wish the quiet moment of introspection could have lingered a little bit longer in the music. That’s why I added an additional musical buildup in 2:59 because nothing is more satisfying than playing an insane crescendo and then finally hammer the final chorus in 3:11.

All in all, this song is probably the “heaviest” arrangement I’ve done in a while and I cannot wait to see the rest of Attack on Titan Final Season! With that said, thank you for reading this week’s “Animenz Explains!” I hope I can see you in my next video again! It's going to be an OST from Attack on Titan again.

Animenz

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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: The Rumbling
Anime: Attack on Titan Final Season (Part 2)
Published by: PONY CANYON (2022)
Composed by: SiM
Performed by: SiM
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#AOT #AttackOnTitan #Rumbling #FinalSeason

Akuma no Ko - Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 ED [Piano]

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-01-23 | 「Akuma no ko」by Ai Higuchi is one of my favorite Attack on Titan songs of all times because the emotional impact of the chorus is simply incredible. The lyrics of 「Akuma no ko」finally reveals Eren’s true feeling about Mikasa: Despite the fact that they living in a cruel world, he still wants to protect and love her until the very end.

① The colorful flower field 1:08
Ai Higuchi’s powerful voice, the grandiose orchestra sound and the sudden key change - everything just comes together perfectly in the chorus melody. The ED animation when Eren’s surrounding changes into a colorful flower field is also masterfully done and it’s emphasizing the lyrics in the most beautiful way possible.

By playing endlessly long scales in the middle range, I am trying to recreate the colorful flower field on the piano with the flower petals dancing in the wind. This arrangement style is difficult to master because the scales are played without any interruption and I needed to coordinate my hand switching very precisely to play all the voices simultaneously.

② How to make the piano go even beyond forte 2:34
The bridge part is where the music is usually reaching its first climax and I wanted to make the piano sound even more powerful than the chorus part. I am using the three-hand technique here again and I decided to play the background melody in a very high range this time. Because the bigger the voice range difference, the more the piano will sound like a full orchestra.

③ A moment of silence 3:57
I added an extended “epilogue” in 3:57 to bring the chapter Attack on Titan to a proper closure. The melody is slowing down and seems to almost disappear in 4:29, reflecting Eren’s fate in Attack on Titan. And at the very end in 4:33, I played the intro melody again but this time in a major key, to give all the characters of Attack on Titan a proper send-off.

I also happened to have a similar wine-red scarf like Mikasa and I decided to place it on the piano keys at the end of the video as tribute to Eren. May he find peace at the end of his long journey.

There are only two more episodes left until we can finally witness the grand conclusion of the Attack on Titan saga. And I am pretty sure, this is going to be a legendary moment for many anime fans in the world.

See you in my next video again.

Animenz
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#AttackOnTitan #AkumanoKo #AChildofEvil #aot

Ashes on The Fire (Main Theme) - Attack on Titan Final Season OST [Piano]

Animenz Piano Sheets 2022-01-09 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/53594

Attack on Titan is one of these anime series, where small bits of information are being revealed with every new season and each of them are slowly fitting together like a gigantic puzzle. Every season is changing the status quo and with the time, you become unsure which side of the factions you are supposed to root for. All you can do is to just watch and see how the grand story is going to unfold in the end.

“Ashes on The Fire” is probably the most recognizable soundtrack in the Final Season and its enigmatic main motif “G-F#-G-G” (2:40) has really fascinated me: It has a feeling of “uncertainty” and I feel like fate itself is giving its voice in the music. It is interesting to note, that this main motif is used in other tracks of the OST album as well (for example in Track 02 “The Other Side of the Sea”)

①　The “Chain of Hate”
One of the most striking characteristics of “Ashes on The Fire” is the endlessly repeating background violins in the middle voice range. There are multiple variations such as 1:46, 2:54 or 4:00 but they all have one thing in common: They are perfectly looped. I was thinking about the meaning behind these perpetual movements in the music and I came up with the following theory:

The characters in Attack on Titan are in a perpetual war with each other and they all repeat the same mistake over and over again - basically forming an endless “Chain of Hate”. And these endless repeating violin voices are essentially rekindling the already burned down world: “Ashes on The Fire”.

As if that were not enough, this whole arrangement itself has a perfect loop form because it starts and ends with the exact same notes (0:01 and 4:16). Therefore, the “Chain of Hate” will continue to play, even if the video has ended. There is no god.

②　Extreme Dynamic difference
From suspenseful ppp (2:20) or a literal explosion of fff (3:22): This arrangement shows both extreme ends of the dynamic scale and it almost always happens instantaneously. The original song kept building up the tension in the music again and again with these extreme dynamic differences and I did the same on the piano as well.

On a side note, I think this is the first time I pressed the sustain pedal for almost 8 whole bars. The entire section from 0:35 until 1:02 is sustained by the right pedal in order to keep the G-minor chord intact and to build up tension in the music. (I absolutely look forward to play this piece again in a big concert hall and enjoy the reverb)

③　The one-man “orchestra” on the piano
In 1:10 for example, I managed to include the brass instruments in the middle voice range while the right hand continues to play the repeating patterns. But what happens if the multiple voices are too far away from each other?

My initial idea was to play the original violin melody (4:00) during the climax in 1:46 and 3:22 but it required impossibly fast jumps for both hands. That’s why I had to modify the violin melody a little bit to make it more reasonable to play with the three-hand technique. I guess as a piano arranger, you always have to look for alternative solutions: You want to replicate the “spirit” of the original song as faithful as you can, but you should still be able to play it with only two hands.

Alright, that’s it for today! This week’s “Animenz Explains” has gotten a little bit longer than expected but big thanks to everyone, who have made it so far! I hope you enjoyed my orchestra-style arrangement of “Ashes on The Fire” this week and I am looking forward to see you in the next video again! Let’s hope the “Chain of Hate” will be finally broken at the end of this season.

See you next time!
Animenz
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Ashes on The Fire
Anime: Attack on Titan Final Season (2021)
Published by: PONY CANYON (2021)
Composed by: KOHTA YAMAMOTO
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#AttackonTitan #AoT #FinalSeason #TATAKAE

Zankyou Sanka - Demon Slayer S2 OP [Piano] / Aimer

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-12-27 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/52830

Zankyou Sanka is definitely one of the most FLAMBOYANT opening songs of this year with its fast tempo and with a length of only 3 minutes, the song truly feels like the embodiment of a musical firework: Spectacular from start until finish and over in an instant.

①　The “Japanese-style” ornaments
One of the main musical ideas for this arrangement would be the “Japanese-style” ornaments, noticeable in 0:04, in 2:13 and in 2:25. I used the so-called “In-scale (陰音階)”, a pentatonic scale consisting of the notes Eb-E-Ab-Bb-B-Eb.

When I watched the opening animation of Demon Slayer S2, I realized how “Japanese” everything was: The busy Taisho Era night life, the colorful fireworks and the lavish costumes of the courtesans. This inspired me to look up for traditional Japanese music and studying its typical musical language.

②　Focus on Rhythms
The drum set has a very prominent role in the original song and I took extra care to faithfully replicate all the rhythms for this piano arrangement. This results in a few unusual left-hand patterns, such as the offbeat-rhythm in 0:39 or the busy drum roll in 0:50. I initially also included a few jazz scales in the middle voice as well, but I felt they were distracting the rhythm too much, so I omitted it at the end.

③　The mystery behind Aimer’s “Zankyou!”
I have been pondering for a while how to interpret the powerful “ZAN KYOU” from Aimer in 1:20 and 3:00 on the piano. Aimer is singing a grace note here, so I had a hard time to decide whether it is a F#-G# or G-G#. In the end, I also played some grace notes in the left hand to imitate Aimer’s voice and I added an additional lower octave to maximize the impact of “ZAN KYOU”.

④　The “trumpet” or “why pianists should have three hands after all”
My initial goal was to replicate the awesome trumpet melody from the original song, which is playing most of the background melodies during the chorus. But almost all my three-hand technique proved to be next to impossible to play due to the huge intervals between the main melody and the trumpet melody. Never have I wished so hard to physically own a third hand before…

But in the end, I managed to quote the trumpet voice in 0:55 (pay attention to the middle voice) and after modifying the trumpet voice a little bit, I was able to come up with a three-hand technique in 2:35.

Alright, that’s it for today! Thank you for reading this week’s “Animenz explains” and thank you so much for listening to my piano music in 2021! This is the last upload of this year and I think, I have made fairly good progress this year as an arranger! I explored many new techniques and music forms this year (especially variations), but I still feel like I am at the beginning of my musical journey.

There is still so much to learn, but I will continue doing my best!
See you next time again
– in year 2022!

Animenz
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Animenz Sheet Music Bookshop is Now Open!
【 animenz-shop.com 】
Volume 1 and Volume 2 are on Sale!
It's a compilation of my past 12 years of arrangement works!
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Zankyou Sanka / 残響散歌
Anime: Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc (Season 2) / 鬼滅の刃遊郭編
Published by: Sony Music Labels Inc. (2021)
Composed by: Masahiro Tobinai
Performed by: Aimer
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#demonslayer #S2 #aimer #zankyousanka #kimetsunoyaiba

Bios (10th Anniversary ver.) – Guilty Crown OST [Piano]

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-12-11 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/51521

This piano arrangement was created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Guilty Crown. Can you feel the nostalgia already? It’s hard to believe that 10 years has passed by now. But certain melodies will always have a special place in your heart. Because that’s the power of music.

0:00 Introduction
2:18 Bios (original version)
6:48 Epilogue

Without a doubt, the music of Guilty Crown is one of my favorite Anime OST’s ever and it has inspired me to create numerous unique piano arrangements in my 11 years as an Anime Piano Arranger. “My Dearest”, “Bios”, “Departures” - all these Guilty Crown piano arrangements have helped me a lot to develop my own arrangement style substantially.

Compared to my old “Bios” arrangement from 2012, I realized that my tendency to use three-hand techniques has exponentially risen with every year. With other words, this “Bios” remake is a true paradise for all three-hand technique lovers and I tried to replicate the background instruments of the original song as much as I can. They are most noticeable in the guitar solo in 2:48 and in the chorus 3:55.

The most difficult part to arrange was definitely the double voice climax in 4:34. Technically, it’s even a 4-hand technique, because the right hand is playing the main melody and an ornamental figure while the left hand is playing the sub melody and the bass.

On a side note: the slow beginning of this arrangement is actually a direct reference to a slower, more lyrical version of "Bios", which is featured in the Original Soundtrack CD (Track 18: βίος-δ). It serves as both the Introduction and Epilogue of this piano arrangement, creating a well-rounded musical narrative.

I still remember back in 2012, I just couldn’t figure out the chord progression during the “rap” intermission in 5:13. It was a very frustrating moment for me as an arranger because I became aware of my own lack of experience. Now - 9 years later - I finally figured out the mysterious chords: They are just suspended (sus4) chords, chained in a Non-Diatonic chord Progression.

Last but not least: Did you notice the key of this piece is different than the original “Bios”? That’s because Hiroyuki Sawano has recently created a re-arranged version of “Bios” as well to celebrate Guilty Crown’s 10th anniversary. The piece was re-pitched to F#-minor from the original C-minor and Kaji Yuki, the Voice Actor of Ouma Shu, has delivered a fantastic voice performance:
youtu.be/uG7Ax5YN7NM

The wonderful thing about key change is being able to hear the piece with a “fresh mindset” again: The entire music has a different timbre and you can hear details you haven’t noticed before. Plus, it makes it easier for me to sing this during Karaoke as well (笑)

Alright, thank you for reading this week’s “Animenz Explains”! I hope you enjoyed my special "Bios" remake and had a nice nostalgia trip today! It really feels like I am revisiting an old friend again after 9 long years. Because my original “Bios” from 2012 is one of my earliest prototypes for an “orchestral arrangement” after all. And even 9 years later, "Bios" still hasn’t lost its charm. It’s just that great of a song.

See you next time again!
Animenz
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The original "Bios" Piano Arrangement from 2012 (in C-minor)
youtu.be/DcjUOdeq6G8
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Bios (βίος)
Anime: Guilty Crown
Published by: Sony Music Distribution (Japan) Inc. (2012)
Composed by: Hiroyuki Sawano
Performed by: Mika Kobayashi
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Erinnerst du dich noch,
erinnerst du dich noch,
an dein Wort, das du mir gegeben hast?

#Bios #GuiltyCrown #HiroyukiSawano

Merry-Go-Round of Life - Howls Moving Castle [Piano] / Joe Hisaishi

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-11-13 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/48839

Merry-Go-Round of Life is probably one of the most famous Anime Soundtracks which has ever been composed and I spent a lot of time to think of the best way to create a satisfying piano arrangement.

0:00 Introduction
0:53 Variation 1 “Tempo di valse”
2:15 Intermezzo
2:40 Variation 2 “Scherzo”
3:25 Variation 3 “Dolcissimo”
4:31 Finale

I started by re-watching the movie again and analyzing as many scenes as possible to gather inspiration for my arrangement. I realized that the famous main melody has been used in 12 different occasions in the movie and each of them are arranged in a different atmosphere by the brilliant composer Joe Hisaishi.

Inspired by the 12 original soundtracks, I decided to create a variation arrangement, showcasing different moods of the music. The arrangement structure is mostly based on the official video “Merry-Go-Round of Life” on Joe Hisaishi YouTube channel. I only added a new variation in 3:25 and extended the finale in 4:31.

Since the title of the song is quite literally “Merry-Go-Round of Life”, I designed the flow of music to retell the life story of Howl.

0:13 A simple melody describing Howl's childhood and his humble beginnings.
0:57 Once he has reached Adulthood, he is being faced by the reality of society as a professional wizard. Symbolized by the complicated octaves in the right hand and multiple voicings.
2:06 Finally met Sophie and slowly develops a romance with her. The left hand is playing a different harmonization now, this time in a major key.
2:40 This playful segment represents the various adventures he is having with Sophie and the other characters. Interestingly, it also reminds me of the symphonic poem “The Sorcerer's Apprentice” from Paul Dukas.
3:23 Howl is finally opening his heart to Sophie and showed her the flower garden - his secret hideout from his childhood days. Represented by sorrowful piano notes in the high register.
4:24 Gathering his determination to do the right thing. The “introduction” melody from the very beginning is being cited here again to build up the music.
4:31 Finale and conclusion of his story with a virtuoso octave passage at the end.

The final chord (E6/9sus2) in the original song is especially interesting, because it is an open chord without a definite conclusion in the music. I have a feeling, Joe Hisaishi created this chord on purpose to let the viewers know, that Howl's story will still continue - similar to a Merry-Go-Round which continues to spin around.

It is hard to describe which composer has influenced me the most for this arrangement. I’d say I was inspired by the rich texture of Liszt music, the sensitivity of Chopin music and the romantic harmonization in Rachmaninoff music. But most importantly, I had the desire to tell a story with the music alone. Perhaps this is what motivates me to continue creating Arrangements in the "Animenz style"...

Well then, thank you reading my “Animenz explains” column this week! I hoped you liked my analysis and gained some insight behind the creation of this arrangement!

See you next time again!

Animenz
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Animenz Sheet Music Bookshop is Now Open!
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It's a compilation of my past 12 years of arrangement works!
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Merry-Go-Round of Life / 人生のメリーゴーランド
Anime: Howl's Moving Castle / ハウルの動く城
Published by: Studio Ghibli Records (2004)
Composed by: Joe Hisaishi
Performed by: New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra
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#ghibli #joehisaishi #merrygoroundoflife #howl

Crying for Rain (Kawaki wo Ameku) - Domestic na Kanojo OP [Piano] / Minami

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-10-19 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/47276

Kawaki wo Ameku (Crying for Rain) is really one of the most amazing songs I have heard in the last few years, thanks to the incredible singer Minami and her fantastic way of articulating the lyrics. You can literally feel, how her voice is reaching out to the deepest part of your soul.

It’s hard to explain, but this song feels like a "lost twin" of another song: “unravel” from “Tokyo Ghoul”. The similar chorus melody, the similar chord progression, the similar song structure with the “soft” part at the beginning - the similarities are astonishing.

Before I started to arrange this song, I actually practiced many of my old piano arrangements again in order to re-learn my "old arrangement style" (which focuses a lot on piano technique). And similar to my "unravel" piano arrangement, I am also utilizing many notes from the high register of the piano to create a cold - and lonely - atmosphere. I am pretty sure you can hear many similar sections between these two arrangements.

Last but not least: It took me almost three times the amount of time to fully arrange and perform "Kawaki wo Ameku" compared to my other pieces. It is a very technical piece after all but I think all the efforts are worth it. It has also been a while since my "most difficult piano arrangement" playlist has been updated as well.

See you next time, then!
Animenz
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My top 10 Most Difficult Piano Arrangements YouTube Playlist
youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3_NLXp9puXUG_cUizZoYXIGsQ8W4xnwc)
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Kawaki wo Ameku (Crying for Rain)
Anime: Domestic na Kanojo / ドメスティックな彼女
Published by: flying DOG (2019)
Composed by: Minami
Performed by: Minami
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#KawakiwoAmeku #CryForRain #DomesticGirlfriend #Piano

Kaibutsu (Monster) - BEASTARS S2 OP [Piano] / YOASOBI

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-09-30 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/45726

YOASOBI has become one of the biggest music sensations in Japan since their debut release in 2019 with “Yoru ni Kakeru” and I decided to arrange “Kaibutsu” this week as my first YOASOBI piano cover!

When I was arranging “Kaibutsu”, I also played a slow, improvised version of the chorus melody on the piano. I realized it actually works quite well as an additional “introduction” for the piece and included it in 0:01. I was imagining Legoshi (the main character from BEASTARS) is having some sort of introspection at the beginning of this song. Walking alone in the deep night, dealing with his anxiety and thinking about his role in the society.

I kept the voice range of the first verse very low in 0:32 in order to maximize the impact of the chorus melody in 1:06. I have to admit, it feels very satisfying to go all out with the octave melody during the chorus part. I also used a different left-hand pattern for each repeating section of the music in order to add more variety in the music. For example, the left hand is playing an additional bass melody in 1:46 or 2:20.

Last but not least: Did you notice that all three chorus are actually played in a different key? C#-minor in 1:06, Bb-minor in 2:42, and finally D-minor in 3:02. (G#-minor in 0:01 as well, if you include my intro part) It’s amazing that despite so many key changes, the song still feels very natural from start until the end. This is also one of the things I really like about Ayase (the composer of YOASOBI): His clever use of key changes in the music to raise the tension in the music.

Alright, that’s it for today! I hope you enjoyed my piano arrangement of Kaibutsu and I am already working on my next arrangement already! It is going to be another frequently requested song.
See you next time!

Animenz

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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Kaibutsu / 怪物
Anime: BEASTARS Season 2
Published by: TOHO CO., LTD.
Composed by: Ayase (YOASOBI)
Performed by: ikura (YOASOBI)
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#Kaibutsu #YOASOBI #Piano #Monster

Cry Baby - Tokyo Revengers OP [Piano] / Official Hige Dandism

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-09-19 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/44932

Cry Baby is definitely one of the best Opening Songs of this Summer Anime Season because the bass line of this song is simply irresistible. After finishing my JoJo Piano Project, I decided to make piano covers of seasonal Anime series again, starting with Tokyo Revengers.

This arrangement follows very closely the original song and I tried to imitate the bassline as good as I can in the left hand. I always use staccato whenever the bassline has an active role, for example during the verse in 0:11, the second verse in 1:49 or even the chorus in 2:57.

I only changed one part of the song and that is the “introduction” part at the very beginning. The original song starts in G-minor and then immediately makes a key change to F-minor. For some reason, the key change sounds very out-of-place if you play it on the piano. Therefore I changed it to F-minor to streamline the arrangement a little bit.

Speaking of key change: When I was listening to this song for the first time, I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard the sudden key change in 0:59. That key change was so sudden, so out of the blue, I was completely speechless (and amazed at the same time.)

This piano arrangement is also dedicated to a certain Tokyo Revengers Character in 4:04. “Let’s split it, okay?”
;_;

Alright, that’s it for this week. Starting today, I will upload more songs from recently aired Anime! And the next song is also from YOASOBI, therefore look forward to it!
See you next week again!

Animenz
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Cry Baby
Anime: Tokyo Revengers
Published by: PONY CANYON INC. (2021)
Composed by: Satoshi Fujihara / 藤原聡
Performed by: Official HIGE DANdism / Official髭男dism
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#TokyoRevengers #CryBaby #Official髭男dism #piano #officialhigedandism

Traitors Requiem (Uragirimono no Requiem) - JoJos Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Golden Wind [Piano]

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-09-14 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/44523

Thank you for watching my JoJo Piano Covers over the last few weeks! I had a lot of fun arranging these pieces while adding some JoJo references during the video editing process.

This piano arrangement is based on the “Diavolo version” of “Traitor’s Requiem” with the awesome “Theme of Diavolo” making an appearance in 2:40. If you have watched the JoJo Anime, you probably remember how Diavolo was trying to grab the arrow during the climax, but at the end he was unable to reach it. I tried to replicate this exact scene in the video as well in 2:40.

The arrangement itself is quite straight forward with the left hand mainly focusing on the rhythm in 0:32 and 1:31. Only a few times, I added a secondary melody to complement the main melody, such as the right hand upper voice in 0:50.

The highlight of this arrangement is the sudden appearance of dissonance in 2:29, foreshadowing the Stand Power of Diavolo and his grand entrance in 2:40. In a sudden turn of events, Giorno's Requiem activates in 2:54 and the melody of "Diavolos Theme" is played again but in a major key this time, decorated with many arpeggios.

And last but not least, I also included the famous "Giorno’s Theme" again at the end of this piece in 3:33 to signalize the grand victory of Giorno's Team (and to bring my JoJo Piano Project to a satisfying conclusion.) This whole JoJo piano series started with my upload of Giorno’s Theme in this August after all.

Alright, that's it everyone! Thank you for reading my “Animenz Explains” column this week!
The JoJo Piano Project is finally over and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did! I will definitely cover more JoJo pieces in the future, but for now I am going to cover some frequently requested songs from the currently airing Anime Season.

I am also really excited for the upcoming JoJo Part 6 Anime in this Winter!
With that said, see you next week again!

Animenz

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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Traitor's Requiem (Uragirimono no Requiem)
Anime: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Golden Wind
Published by: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (2018)
Composed by: Yugo Kanno
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#JoJo #Part5 #traitorsrequiem #uragirimono #Piano #goldenwind

GREAT DAYS - JoJos Bizarre Adventure Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable [Piano]

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-08-28 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/43327

LET THE VOICE OF LOVE TAKE YOU HIGHER ☝☝☝
Ah, Great Days! One of the most cheerful JoJo Openings with the iconic BREAK DOWN BREAK DOWN lyrics at the beginning and a perfect song for this year’s Bizarre Summer. The upbeat nature of the song also reflects this piano arrangement, and you are essentially playing forte from start to finish – a dream for all pianist, who wants to go all out on the piano!

Right from the beginning, I used the three-hand technique to imitate the iconic BREAK DOWN BREAK DOWN while playing the guitar bassline at the same time with alternating hands. I also did the same for all the repeats in 1:16 and 3:38.

This could have been one of the easier arrangements if not for the cursed F# Major key – which has 6 accidentals. But thankfully, the rhythm of this piece is not very complicated and the left-hand patterns are fairly easy to understand as well.

The biggest musical problem I had to solve is the ominous sounding middle part of the original song, starting at 2:44. I experimented with many different scales and the most suitable atmosphere could be achieved by playing a C#7#5 chord (augmented seventh chord) in chromatic succession. And similar to the JoJo Anime Opening Animation, I also applied a “time rewinding” effect for this particular scene in 2:44.

Last but not least, I also added a spectacular finale for this arrangement by playing double trills in 3:50. This alternating hand technique is actually quite popular in advanced piano literature and personally, I think this is the “ultimate” show-off piano technique. It simply looks spectacular for the audience and at the same time, it is not terribly difficult to play as well. (I should use it more often in my future piano covers.)

Alright, that’s it for today! Thank you for reading this week’s “Animenz Explains”! I hope you liked all the small JoJo references in the video and enjoyed listening Great Days on the grand piano! I had lots of fun seeing your reactions during the live chat! ☝️☝️☝️💣💣💣🚑🚑🚑 Thank you for everyone who joined the premiere!

Next week is going to be the final Cover of my JoJo Piano Project and it’s featuring a song from Part 5. It has been a really fun ride on the JoJo Hype Train, but I plan to continue doing more JoJo Piano covers this Winter Anime Season again!
Thank you for watching!

Hope you have a GREAT summer!

Animenz

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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Great Days
Anime: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable
Published by: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (2016)
Composed by: Yugo Kanno
Performed by: Daisuke Hasegawa, Karen Aoki
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And another one bites the dust.

#JoJo #Part4 #GreatDays #Piano #JJBA

Kakyoins Theme (Noble Pope) - JoJos Bizarre Adventure Part 3: Stardust Crusaders [Piano]

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-08-21 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/42890

Noble Pope (Kakyoin’s Theme) is a JoJo soundtrack which you might have overlooked at the beginning but once you listen to it, it gets better every time. And before you even realized it, it has entered your top 3 favorite OST list from JoJo Part 3. Or at least, that’s what has happened to me.

[following paragraphs contains Anime SPOILERS. Read at your own risk!]
...
...
...
This arrangement was made as a direct reference to the JoJo Part 3 Anime in Episode 46. In the final battle against DIO, Kakyoin has suffered a fatal blow and in his final moments, he gathered all his strength to deliver one last EMERALD SPLASH to help his allies. The arrangement was structured exactly with this scenery in the second half.

In 1:47, Kakyoin is revealing his Hierophant Barrier in order to trap DIO, followed up by an EMERALD SPLASH barrage in 2:01. The music is doing the same thing: The glissando in 1:47 is introducing the big climax and the three-hand-technique is appearing as well. However, Kakyoin was suddenly fatally wounded in 2:14 and the music immediately dies off, lamenting his fate.

And finally, in 2:28 the piano is playing the main theme again in the faintest pp possible, with Kakyoin barely hanging on his life. The music is slowly disappearing - only to come back one last time with a bang in 02:46. The music is building up the tension dramatically, rising to an impossibly loud fortissimo to represent the final EMERALD SPLASH - 2:53
- and then everything blacks out. 3:02

Before I forget, I also included a little bit of Jotaro’s Theme in 1:19. Did you noticed that while listening? I was imagining Jotaro acting as backup during Kakoyins Fight. He is just waiting calmly in the background… menacingly… for his revenge on DIO. ゴゴゴゴゴ

Well, that’s it then! I hope you like this kind of story-telling video descriptions once in a while! This was “Animenz Explains” for today’s video and next week, I am going to upload a piano arrangement from JoJo Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable!
The JoJo Hype Train continues, see you next week again!

Animenz

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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Noble Pope (Kakyoin's Theme)
Anime: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 3: Stardust Crusaders
Published by: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (2014)
Composed by: Yugo Kanno
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#JoJo #JJBA #Kakyoin #Piano

Bloody Stream - JoJos Bizarre Adventure Part 2: Battle Tendency [Piano] /Coda

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-08-15 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/42509

The second part of my JoJo’s Bizarre Piano Project is Bloody Stream from JoJo Part 2! An old classic from 2013 but nonetheless, it still sounds fresh, no matter how often you repeat listening to it!
My main goal is to make a piano cover with the same groovy feeling like the original song, which I absolutely love. I tried to imitate the bassline melody in the left hand as faithful as possible and the result is a fairly unique rhythm which requires a lot of precise timing from both hands.

The only thing I couldn’t do 100% was to include every single Saxophone melody during the verse (starting from 0:07). My earlier draft had a fairly complicated three-hand technique to include ALL voices from the original song, but at the end it sounded too messy. Instead, I put the focus on rhythmization and precise pedaling to make the arrangement sound good.

I also experimented a bit how to include a "background" rhythm during a calm melody line. The result is the jumpy 0:36 section, where I play rhythmic repetitions above the melody line. It looks more difficult than it actually is: Since the rhythm are all perfectly aligned, it can be played by one hand without too much effort.

Last but not least, I also added some Hamon special effects in 0:52 and 03:55! I think I just discovered the wonderful world of video editing for myself because this is incredibly fun!

Well then, that’s it for today! Thank you for reading this week’s “Animenz Explains!” and see you next week again, in the next JoJo Piano video, featuring music from Part 3!

But before I forget:
"FOOOOOOOL! GERMAN SCIENCE IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD!!!"
Stroheim best character.

Animenz
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: BLOODY STREAM
Anime: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 2: Battle Tendency
Published by: Warner Home Video (2013)
Composed by: Toshiyuki O'mori
Performed by: Coda
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#jojo #part2 #battletendency #jojosbizarreadventure

Giornos Theme (il vento doro) - JoJos Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Golden Wind [Piano]

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-08-07 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/42024

I have always wanted to arrange music from JoJo and today is finally the day!
Giorno's Theme (or: il vento d'roro) is probably one of the most recognizable JoJo Soundtrack within the Anime community and I challenged myself to create a piano arrangement, which can live up to its name.

The arrangement itself is basically a Piano Etude because the left hand is spamming syncopated octaves nonstop in 0:18, 1:28 and 2:20 and it is fairly challenging to master it. You need a lot of stamina and a good sense of rhythm in order to maintain the groovy bassline of this piano arrangement. Because without that groovy rhythm, the entire piece would sound flat on the piano.

Giorno's Theme is also one of the Jazziest pieces I have ever arranged and it's especially noticeable in the "instrumental solo" part in 1:28. Instead of copying exactly the original saxophone voice of the original song, I created my own piano solo part, to make the best use of all 88 keys on the piano.

The famous "piano solo" part in 3:08 also deserves some mention. This is the only time where I am playing legato in order to create an eerie atmosphere... before the enemy is being MUDA MUDA MUDA'd into oblivion (btw, this song is known in Japan
as the "execution theme" (処刑用BGM)

I hope you also liked the special video editing this week with the MUDA MUDA MUDA effects in 3:50! I realized that playing tremolo on the piano with both hands looks very similar to the famous Rush Attack in the JoJo series. Perfect timing I guess.

Last but not least, the STAND stats infographic at the end of the video in 4:00 deserves some explanation as well. They are basically describing the various parameters of this piano arrangement:

POWER: A
How much the music can excite the audience. Giorno's theme has a meme status already, therefore A.
SPEED: B
Self explanatory. This is not the fastest piece, but it's still moderately fast.
MELODY: B
A simplified term for the complexity of the piece. The more three-hand technique or polyrhythm, the more complex it becomes.
STAMINA: B
How much stamina you need to play this piece. The Octave Spamming is challenging, but I have played worse, so this is still B.
TECHNIQUE: A
How many years of experience you need in order to play this piece. Maintaining the rhythm in the left hand is very difficult here.
RHYTHM: S
Self explanatory. This Song has a very complex rhythm, especially the Solo part in 1:28 is mind-bogglingly difficult.

Well then, that's it for this week's "Animenz Explains"!
I hope you enjoyed the first part of my JoJo's Bizarre Piano Project! My next JoJo Piano Arrangement will be uploaded, after the voting has ended! (see my YouTube Community post!)
youtube.com/post/UgzPdDjjEf4Rw9EVjoJ4AaABCQ

Until next time!

Arriverderci.

Animenz
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: il vento d'oro (Giorno's Theme)
Anime: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Golden Wind
Published by: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (2018)
Composed by: Yugo Kanno
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#JoJo #Part5 #Giornostheme #Piano #giornogiovanna #goldenwind

WILL - Violet Evergarden: The Movie [Piano] / TRUE

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-07-18 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/41494

This piano arrangement is dedicated to Kyoto Animation.
2 years has passed since the Kyoani arson incident and today is the anniversary day of the tragedy.

When I was watching the Violet Evergarden Movie in the cinema last year, I couldn't help but think of all the people, who were involved to create this incredible movie. I also remembered the losses the animation studio had to sustain after that awful arson incident. Simply put, it was a very emotional moment for me, when the ending song "WILL" by TRUE was playing during the credits of the movie.

Since today is a very special occasion, I have created this piano arrangement of WILL with a specific message in my mind. The message is, no matter what life is throwing at you - you are capable of getting through.

Similar to my piano arrangement of "Sincerely", which was uploaded exactly 1 year ago, I have included the melody of the Violet Evergarden Main Theme (F-Ab-Eb-F) in the arrangement to tell a story in the music.

The main theme appears for the first time in 3:49 and I was imagining Violet is reminiscing about her past and the time around her has stood still in this moment. She still has difficulties to be honest about her true feelings and is temporarily lost. But starting at 4:12, Violet has finally gathered her willpower and she is slowly approaching her goal - climbing the stairs higher and higher - until she finally reaches her goal in 4:23. She finally earned her good ending.

Fitting to the theme of the movie, the chorus part of "WILL" has an almost exact opposite mood compared to the chorus part in "Sincerely": "WILL" is full of positive energy with a bright future ahead while Sincerely is yearning for something lost in the past.

Last but not least, since this movie concludes the Violet Evergarden story, I also included a grand finale for this arrangement. The orchestra is playing in full force again in 5:32, celebrating the end of Violet's Journey and the main theme of Violet Evergarden is playing for one last time in 5:47, full of hopes for a bright future, before the curtain finally falls for Violet Evergarden.

Well then, thank you for reading my "Animenz Explains" column this week! And thank your for listening to my piano arrangement and leaving your comments. I read through almost all of them and I am always happy to hear what my audience is thinking while listening to my piano music.

With that said, see you next time!

Animenz
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: WILL
Anime: Violet Evergarden: The Movie (2020)
Published by: BANDAI NAMCO Arts Inc. (2020)
Composed by: Evan Call
Performed by: TRUE
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Pray for Kyoani
#violetevergarden #true #will #movie #piano

Fate/stay night: Heavens Feel Medley (Hana no Uta - I beg you - Haru wa Yuku) / Aimer

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-07-11 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/41468

0:00 Movie I: Presage Flower - Hana no Uta / 花の唄
2:58 Movie II: Lost Butterfly – I beg you
5:48 Movie III: Spring Song – Haru wa Yuku / 春はゆく

Whenever I decide to create a Piano Medley, I have an urge to tell the audience a story with the music alone. To achieve this, I have to make sure the flow of the music is well balanced from start to finish and each piece is musically connected with each other.

All three theme songs from the Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel movies are composed by Yuki Kajiura and performed by Aimer. Therefore, they have some sort of musical connection already by default and all I need to do is to find a good dynamic balance between each section of the 10-minute medley.

Each song is connected by a recurring musical figure - a harp-like arpeggio pattern – to create an otherworldly atmosphere for the entire medley. It appears in the introduction part of “Hana no Uta” 0:01, in the left hand in “I beg you” 3:30 and in the introduction part of “Haru wa Yuku” in 5:19.

"Hana no Uta" is a fascinating song because I can feel a certain “uneasiness” in the music. I think that’s because the Dbmaj7 chord is featured very prominently in the chord progression and it is constantly yearning for a musical resolution. I also used a few unusual left hand accompaniment in the verse 1:12 or in the chorus 1:53 to further emphasize the “uneasiness” in the music.

The biggest challenge of the medley was "I beg you" because this song is as “piano-unfriendly” as possible: It has only one chord progression for most of the time (C-major) and the rest of the song is carried by intense drum rhythms in the background. I tried out many, many left-hand patterns but none of them came close to the raw energy of a drum set. I finally found a solution by using endless arpeggio runs in the left hand 3:29 to create a bombastic, chaotic atmosphere.

Finally, we are reaching "Haru wa Yuku". This song is the main focus of the medley because it has the strongest emotional impact of all three songs and it's the only song of this medley which is arranged in its original full size. The final chorus is probably the highest melody range I have ever played. I wanted to create one last, final climax of the song by using almost every single key the piano is offering. And maybe in the hope, that the music can even reach to the heavens…

Before I go, I just want to thank everyone for your messages in last week's YouTube community post (youtube.com/post/UgyC91wwbzg1mgfdHHB4AaABCQ). I've read through all of them and they gave me a lot of strength to continue. Thank you so much for your support.

Life is truly mysterious, because any time could be the last time we are talking to someone very close to us. Things we take for granted can disappear without a warning. But ultimately, life goes on.

I will continue doing my best. Thank you for listening to my music.

Animenz

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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Songs used in this Piano Medley
1. Hana no Uta / 花の唄
2. I beg you
3. Haru wa Yuku / 春はゆく

Anime: Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel (Anime Film Trilogy, 2017-2020)
Published by: Sony Music Labels Inc. (2020)
Composed by: Yuki Kajiura / 梶浦由記
Performed by: Aimer
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Dedicated to my late grandfather

#fatestaynight #heavensfeel #FSN #aimer #medley

THERE IS A REASON - No Game No Life: Zero [Piano] / Konomi Suzuki

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-06-26 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/41487

My Steinway Piano is finally back! After being separated for more than 8 months, I am so happy to be able to play on a grand piano again. It took me almost one week of nonstop practice to get used to the heavy keys of a Steinway again because I was playing on an electrical piano since January 2021.

To celebrate the return of my instrument, I decided to upload the much-requested song「There is a Reason」from『No Game No Life: Zero』, which is essentially the spiritual successor of my 「This Game」piano arrangement. They both feature extensive arpeggio passages, fast three-hand techniques and a super exciting finale part – with other words: Just pure fun to play!

I used a very uncommon left-hand pattern in the first chorus in 1:11, because I really liked how the guitar instrument is building up the tension in the original song and I wanted to imitate that sound on the piano. I can’t believe a simple octave left hand pattern can actually sound that exciting - sometimes simple is really the best.

My favorite part of the original song is the key change in 3:36 because I absolutely didn’t expect the chorus being played in E-minor instead of F#-minor. Usually, J-pop songs are using the key change for the final repeat of the chorus, but「There is a Reason」 basically reversed that order. Really awesome passage and I actually consider this as the actual climax of the entire song. That’s why I omitted the pedal on the piano for this part to make it stand out even more.

Last but not least, I was actually planning to play a small modulation in 3:50 to make a smoother transition from E-minor back to F#-minor, but I realized the best flow of music is achieved by simply jumping back to F# minor, like the original song. A quick glissando is really the ultimate “cheat code” if you want to do a key change instantly!

Alright, thank you for reading this week’s “Animenz Explains” column!
With my new recording studio fully set up, I will continue with my “Best of Anime Movie theme songs” upload in the next week as well!

And it's a song from the popular Fate/Stay Night - Heaven’s Feel Movie!
See you next week again!

Animenz
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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: THERE IS A REASON
Anime: No Game No Life -Zero-
Published by: Kadokawa (2017)
Composed by: Hige Driver / ヒゲドライバー
Performed by: Konomi Suzuki / 鈴木このみ
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おかえりなさい、Steinway君。
#NoGameNoLifeZero #ThereIsaReason #Piano

Catch the Moment - Sword Art Online Movie: Ordinal Scale [Piano] / LiSA

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-06-06 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/65499

Thank you for 1.8 Million subs! Starting next week I will record on my Steinway Grand Piano again! And「Catch the Moment」from LiSA is the perfect song to send off my Stage Piano, who has been accompanying me during my difficult times since January. At this point, I want to thank everyone for continuing watching my videos, despite the change of my instrument!

『Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale』 is – in my opinion - one of the best entries in the Sword Art Online Saga and I absolutely loved the catchy melody from 「Catch the Moment」. I don’t know why, but while arranging this song, I had a sudden moment of nostalgia and it reminds me of the good old times in 2013, when I was mostly arranging fast paced Anime songs. For example 「This Game」 (No Game No Life OP),「Miiro」 (Kantai Collection OP), or 「unravel」 (Tokyo Ghoul OP)

I think that’s because fast paced J-Rock songs can be translated to the piano much easier than slower paced ballad songs. You don’t have to do too many modifications to “make it sound good on the piano” because the fast tempo itself has enough energy to carry the whole song.

This arrangement follows very closely the original song and even the bridge part in 3:18 is playing almost the same guitar melody line. Sometimes, you just need to copy exactly what the original song is playing and it still sounds good. I even went so far and included that peculiar guitar pattern in the left hand 0:23, which is only being played in the background during the first verse.

Unexpectedly, the very beginning part in 0:01 is actually quite difficult to play because of all the multitasking of both hands. It literally starts with a difficulty spike and it made me quite nervous during my recording attempts 😅

「Catch the Moment」has a comparatively long chorus part because of all the repeating parts but miraculously it doesn’t get boring at all. Maybe the catchy melody itself is simply too good. But to offset the repetitions a little bit, I included an additional bassline in the left hand in 1:20 and 2:37.

All in all, this arrangement is basically done in my “old arrangement” style from 2013-2017: Straightforward to the point and full of action!

Alright, thank you for reading this week's ”Animenz Explains” column!
Despite the loss of the grand piano for the last 6 months, I still tried my best to continue uploading on Youtube in order to share my piano music with all the Anime fans in the world.

I want to thank every single one of you who were watching my new video uploads this year despite the sudden change of the instrument. The Stage Piano as well as the Moonlamp has served its purpose well and it’s time for me to retire them now. Especially Moonlamp-chan will definitely be missed (or perhaps not…?)

With that said, see you next time again!
In full gear this time.

Animenz

#LiSA #CatchTheMoment #Piano
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I am using Instagram as well!
instagram.com/animenz_official
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------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Catch the Moment
Anime: Sword Art Online the Movie -Ordinal Scale- / 劇場版ソードアート・オンライン -オーディナル・スケール-
Published by: Aniplex (2017)
Composed by: Tomoya Tabuchi / 田淵智也
Performed by: LiSA
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🎧Equipment

Piano: Nord Grand 88-key Stage Keyboard (Modified blue version)
Camera: Panasonic LUMIX GH5S
The "Moon lamp" on the piano:
amzn.to/3a1uIDX
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
お疲れ様でした、ノードピアノ君🎹

5 Variations on Lit - Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice) [Piano]

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-05-28 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/62798

Every once in a while, I want to create something new on the piano and the result is a variation piece, based on the melody of “Lit” – the Main Theme from Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice). I am also displaying sheet music in the video this time, to help you understand what is happening in the music. Basically, the same melody is being played in 5 different styles and each variation are connected with each other in order to get a complete musical picture.

Let me introduce you the two main melodies first:
🔵0:03 “blue” Melody: G#-F#-A-G#-G#
🔴0:25 “red” Melody: C#-D#-C#-D#-E

These 2 melodies are always played at least once in all 5 variations: Some of them can be easily heard, some of them are hidden within the harmonics. The chord progression however is always different in each variation and this results in some passages almost sounding like a completely new piece.

Overall, this piece consists of 7 different parts: The main theme, the 5 variations and a repeat of the main theme.

0:00 Thema
In classical music, the introduction part is also called “Thema” and I arranged the piano part almost identical to the original soundtrack “lit”. A short and beautiful melody, but the harmonic progression ends in a subdominant (IV), instead of a tonic (I), which requires further development.

0:47 Variation 1
Variation 1 is a melodic variation of the main theme and the piece is suddenly getting much livelier after the slow introduction part. It is almost a cliché in classical music, but the first variation almost always starts with a fast melodic variation in the right hand.

1:23 Variation 2
Variation 2 is a playful rhythmical variation of the melody and it features a noticeable staccato rhythm in the left hand. The dotted rhythm A-G#-G# is being played in the background many times and the “red” melody is only played at the end of the variation.

1:55 Variation 3
Variation 3 is probably the most eye-catching variation and we are making a short trip to the romantic era, where big arpeggios spanning across the whole keyboard were very common as an accompaniment. The “blue” melody has become harder to notice, due to the rhythmic syncopation and the “red” melody is even completely hidden as a secondary melody in the final phrase.

2:55 Variation 4
Variation 4 is a minor mode variation in the relative key c# minor and it features a distinctive chromatic left hand chord progression to create a sorrowful atmosphere. What makes this variation so special is the simultaneous appearance of the “red” melody and the “blue” melody, played in the same bar. I included a short coda as well to modulate from c# minor back to E Major.

3:53 Variation 5
Variation 5 is the longest variation and it consists of two parts: A slow buildup in the beginning followed by an emotional fortissimo in the latter half. The “blue” melody doesn’t appear at the beginning this time, but it’s very hidden between the chords in the 5th bar.
The big climax is essentially an arrangement of the original soundtrack itself, “lit(var)”, and I tried to arrange it an orchestral style with a powerful sound.

5:08 Thema
Finally, the main theme is being repeated one last time and this time, I used a harmonic progression to end it with a tonic (I), the E-major chord.

All in all, I would say this is my biggest musical experiment on the piano this year and I am really happy how this piece has turned out in the end! Making variations on the piano are just too much fun and this is probably the most “classical music” – like arrangement I have ever written so far.

Alright, that would be everything for this week’s “Animenz Explains”! (And probably the longest edition ever). I hope you enjoyed reading the background story behind the creation of this piece and leave a comment below if you want to see more of these special type videos!

See you next time again!
Animenz
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📣My Social Media

Follow me on Twitter!
twitter.com/Animenzzz
I am using Instagram as well!
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http://www.facebook.com/Animenz
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: “Lit”
Anime: Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice) / 聲の形
Published by: PONY CANYON (2016)
Composed by: Kensuke Ushio / 牛尾憲輔
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🎧Equipment

Piano: Nord Grand 88-key Stage Keyboard (Modified blue version)
Camera: Panasonic LUMIX GH5S
The "Moon lamp" on the piano:
amzn.to/3a1uIDX
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
#ASilentVoice #KoeNoKatachi #lit #Piano

Uchiage Hanabi - Fireworks (2017) [Piano] / DAOKO X Kenshi Yonezu

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-05-21 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/43818

Fireworks (2017) is one of those Anime Movies, where you can only remember the brilliant Theme Song「Uchiage Hanabi」 while the story was completely forgotten already. Actually, once you have seen the official Music Video from DAOKO X Yonezu Kenshi, you have pretty much seen the entire movie.

Nevertheless, 「Uchiage Hanabi」 is simply a completely amazing song because even after 4 years, I still think it sounds fresh and original. Is it the rhythmic energy in the chorus? Or is it the piano melody in the intro? Or maybe the final chorus with the la-la-la chant at the end? Either way, I lost count how many times I have listened to「Uchiage Hanabi」and it is truly the embodiment of a perfect summer song.

My main goal for this piano arrangement was to preserve the rhythmic energy of the original song and that’s why I used so many staccato and syncopations in the left hand: in the first verse 0:42, in the second verse 1:51 and also in all three chorus sections. I paid special attention to careful pedaling this time to accentuate the rhythms as much as possible.

The most difficult part of this entire arrangement is by far the bridge part in 2:37, because you have to balance all the voices to avoid a messy sound and the right hand has to jump very quickly to play these bass notes on the first beat. This is actually a great example, where you can the “three-hand technique” in all its glory. Did you also know that the term “three-hand technique” has even its own Wikipedia article? (Just look it up!)

I even used the “three-hand technique” in the final chorus in 3:27 and the colorful ornaments in the right hand is representing the beautiful glittering from the launched fireworks (while the left hand is playing the main melody). And as a grand finale, I also included a “children choir” part in 4:06 to make the la-la-la chant even more “summer-like.”

Last but not least, I tried to create an extended echo effect in 4:25 by holding down the final Gb note with the pinky finger in the right hand. If you listen carefully, you can still hear the Gb note faintly in the background while the piano melody is playing. Who needs a synthesizer if you can do even reverb effects with your fingers only (笑)

Alright, thank you for reading this week’s “Animenz Explains” column! I am almost done with arranging all the Anime Movie Music and I hope you enjoyed this week’s eternal summer song – 「Uchiage Hanabi」from DAOKO X Yonezu Kenshi!

I hope I can see you next week again!

Animenz
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
📣My Social Media

Follow me on Twitter!
twitter.com/Animenzzz
I am using Instagram as well!
instagram.com/animenz_official
My Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/Animenz
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Uchiage Hanabi / 打上花火
Anime: Fireworks (2017) / 打ち上げ花火、下から見るか？横から見るか？
Published by: TOY'S FACTORY (2017)
Composed by: Kenshi Yonezu / 米津玄師
Performed by: Kenshi Yonezu feat. DAOKO / 米津玄師 × DAOKO
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🎧Equipment

Piano: Nord Grand 88-key Stage Keyboard (Modified blue version)
Camera: Panasonic LUMIX GH5S
The "Moon lamp" on the piano:
amzn.to/3a1uIDX
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One more time, One more chance - 5 Centimeters per Second [Piano]

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-05-14 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/41479

『5 centimeters per Second』 (2007) is still one of the visually most stunning Anime movies I have ever watched and it essentially made me into a long-life fan of all Makoto Shinkai works. While I do appreciate the visual presentation, I have a hard time to accept the message of this movie (basically: never moving on from a failed relationship) and until today, I still have mixed feelings about this movie.

However, the Movie Ending Theme「One more time, One more chance」from Masayoshi Yamazaki is without a doubt one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard as an Anime fan and I've always wanted to upload a piano arrangement of this timeless classic song.

Considering the gentle guitar sound of the original song, I also kept the arrangement very modest and only used a second layer of melody for certain repeating sections such as in 2:00 or 2:31. The highlight of the arrangement would be the hand-crossing Arpeggio in the final chorus in 4:02 and I was imagining a breeze of cherry blossom petals in this moment, similar to the final scene in the movie with the railroad crossing.

Compared to my other videos, this arrangement doesn't have many technical challenges and I simply tried to enjoy the melody as much as I could while playing this piece.

I still remember, when I was watching 『5 centimeters per second』 almost a decade ago, I was literally obsessed with the visual aesthetics of the movie and I started to collect as many Makoto Shinkai Anime related wallpapers as much as possible. Sometimes, I even used these Anime landscape wallpapers as an inspiration source, whenever I am stuck with my piano arrangements back then.

Before I go, I am actually interested about your thoughts about this movie!
Is it a timeless masterpiece? Or is it just a story about a hopeless, self-delusional man?
Share your thoughts in the comments!

Alright, that's it for this week's upload! My next project is going to be another Anime Movie Theme Song and I think it's only a matter of time until I have added all my favorite Anime songs into my "Animenz Piano Library".

See you next week again!

Animenz

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📣My Social Media

Follow me on Twitter!
twitter.com/Animenzzz
I am using Instagram as well!
instagram.com/animenz_official
My Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/Animenz
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: One more time, One more chance
Anime: 5 Centimeters per Second / 秒速5センチメートル
Published by: UNIVERSAL MUSIC (2007)
Composed by: Masayoshi Yamazaki / 山崎まさよし
Performed by: Masayoshi Yamazaki / 山崎まさよし
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🎧Equipment

Piano: Nord Grand 88-key Stage Keyboard (Modified blue version)
Camera: Panasonic LUMIX GH5S
The "Moon lamp" on the piano:
amzn.to/3a1uIDX
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
#onemoretimeonemorechance #5cm #秒速5センチメートル

Sparkle - Your Name. (Kimi no Na wa.) OST [Piano] / RADWIMPS

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-05-07 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/41483

『Your Name.』 was definitely one of the most iconic Romance Anime Movies of the last decade and until today, I still re-watch this movie at least once every year, just for the gorgeous visuals alone. I also jokingly call this movie a “2-hour Anime Music Video featuring RADWIMPS” because there are so many Insert Songs for this movie: 「Zen Zen Zense」, 「Nandemonaiya」, 「Katawaredoki」or「Yume Tourou」.

But the most important song is probably 「Sparkle」after all, because it’s featured prominently in the big climax in the movie, where the Comet is slowly approaching. I am 5 years too late, but here it is: My piano arrangement of the iconic song 「Sparkle」!

Since the central topic of the movie was “being connected to each other”, I tried to represent it in the music as well. If you listen closely, you will notice that there are many times, where the “voices” of Taki and Mitsuha are collaborating with each other. The “Sparkling” right hand Ornaments in 1:19 for example or the dream-like right hand melody in 3:03.

The most interesting part however starts from 4:04 onwards. After a long musical build-up, the Comet is falling through layers of cloud in the sky in 4:12 and what follows is a long moment of silence. Complete darkness. And then – from very far away – a miracle is happening in 4:22 because the world lines start to connect with each other again.

First, only the voice of Taki is playing in 4:39, but soon afterwards Mitsuha can be heard as well in 4:58. The music slowly builds up and finally, after many years, they find each other in 5:25 and that’s where the music is also reaching is Grand Finale. As a finishing touch, I also added some “Shooting Stars” in the right hand in 6:06 to give both Mitsuha and Taki my blessings – because why not.

And with that said, thank you for reading my mini novel!
I hope you enjoyed this week’s nostalgia trip and let’s hope Makoto Shinkai will deliver another spectacular movie like 『Your Name.』 again in the future!

I literally just re-watched this movie last weekend and after finishing it, I can’t stop but having good vibes for the next few days. This is literally the power of Anime. Just too good.

See you next week, everyone! (´・ω・`)ｂ

Animenz

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📣My Social Media

Follow me on Twitter!
twitter.com/Animenzzz
I am using Instagram as well!
instagram.com/animenz_official
My Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/Animenz
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Sparkle / スパークル
Anime: Your Name. (Kimi no Na wa.) / 君の名は。
Published by: UNIVERSAL MUSIC LLC (2017)
Composed by: Yojiro Noda / 野田洋次郎
Performed by: RADWIMPS
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🎧Equipment

Piano: Nord Grand 88-key Stage Keyboard (Modified blue version)
Camera: Panasonic LUMIX GH5S
The "Moon lamp" on the piano:
amzn.to/3a1uIDX
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
#kiminonawa #sparkle #yourname #君の名は #RADWIMPS

Grand Escape - Weathering with You (Tenki no Ko) OST [Piano] / RADWIMPS

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-04-25 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/51546

After the worldwide hit Anime movie 「Kimi no na wa」 the expectations for Makoto Shinkai's next movie 「Tenki no Ko」 were sky high in 2019. Naturally, I went to the cinema on the very first opening day and I was simply stunned by how beautiful the entire cinematography was. The vivid color palette, the way how each raindrop was meticulously animated, the amazing background visuals - this movie was simply beautiful to watch.

But my favorite scene is definitely the moment, where 「Grand Escape」 is playing, during the climax of the movie. Everything was just coming together perfectly in that moment and it reminded me again, why I love being an Anime fan. Because I live for these magical moments like these where "everything just feels right".

By the way, the full version of「Grand Escape」 has a really unique song structure because the real chorus is only played at the very end of the song. With other words, all the music before the climax in 3:42 is just a huge buildup.

The main challenge of this arrangement was to figure out that complicated right hand pattern in 0:15, because three different rhythms are combined into one hand. This part may look easy but it is very difficult to coordinate, once you add the left hand in 0:28. But not only that, I would say that the entire piece sounds like it's being played by three hands because of the multiple voice layers on the piano.

Another highlight of this arrangement would be the "high jumps" in 2:04. I was imagining the clear sky scenery in the anime and I wanted to somehow translate the lofty atmosphere to the piano as well. Also, if this piano arrangement would be played by an orchestra, I would let the violins play these high notes.

Last but not least, the climax in 3:42 I really wanted to include that cheerful hand clapping from the original music into the piano, so I used the three hand technique again to let the right hand play the CLAP CLAP CLAP. This is one of the few times, where the left hand is literally going all out and play the most glorious forte fortissimo ever!

Alright, that would be everything for Grand Escape! Next week I am going to arrange another Anime Movie song again!
See you next week!

Animenz
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
📣My Social Media

Follow me on Twitter!
twitter.com/Animenzzz
I am using Instagram as well!
instagram.com/animenz_official
My Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/Animenz
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Grand Escape / グランドエスケープ
Anime: Weathering with You (Tenki no Ko) / 天気の子
Published by: UNIVERSAL MUSIC LLC (2019)
Composed by: Yojiro noda / 野田洋次郎
Performed by: RADWIMPS (feat. Toko Miura / 三浦透子)
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🎧Equipment

Piano: Nord Grand 88-key Stage Keyboard (Modified blue version)
Camera: Panasonic LUMIX GH5S
The "Moon lamp" on the piano:
amzn.to/3a1uIDX
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
#tenkinoko #grandescape #天気の子 #weatheringwithyou #piano #cover

Eien no Fuzai Shoumei - Detective Conan Movie 24: The Scarlet Bullet [Piano]

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-04-20 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/65501

With the recent world-wide simultaneous release of the Detective Conan Movie 24, I went to the cinema a few days ago and I was absolutely amazed at the movie theme song 「Eien no Fuzai Shoumei」by Tokyo Jihen.

It really has to be heard to be believed, because the unique chord progressions in the chorus with that chromatic melody line was so unconventional, and yet it made perfect musical sense - it was literally fanservice for my musical ears. Huge kudos to the brilliant Sheena Ringo for coming up with awesome musical ideas like this.

Since this is one of the jazzier piano arrangements, I had a lot of fun to experiment with rhythmic bass patterns in the left hand. The best example would be the "bass guitar" interjections in 0:15 and 1:02. You have to jump very quickly in the left hand, but the resulting rhythmic energy was simply irresistible.

I also made use of the sostenuto pedal (aka the "middle pedal" in grand pianos) to hold down the bass note in 1:16 and 1:23, because I wanted to play this section as clean as possible. If I would use the normal pedal, everything would sound too muddy.

Another side note: Did you know that Detective Conan Movies have 24 different version of its famous main theme? I always look forward to hear the newest version of the main theme with each years movie release. And this year's version was really one of the coolest I have ever heard with the syncopation in the bridge part!

Give it a try and compare each version against each other. I guarantee you, it's absolutely fun to notice the tiny details, from the different usage of instruments, how the rhythms are always slightly changing and how each bridge part has a different key change.

(All Detective Conan Movie Main Themes 1-23)
youtube.com/watch?v=Z3V7QuOwi-4

Alright, consider today's upload as a spontaneous "fanboy" arrangement since I am still working on the next "official" weekly video scheduled for this weekend!

Thank you for reading and see you next time!

Animenz
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
📣My Social Media

Follow me on Twitter!
twitter.com/Animenzzz
I am using Instagram as well!
instagram.com/animenz_official
My Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/Animenz
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Eien no Fuzai Shoumei / 永遠の不在証明
Anime: Detective Conan Movie 24: The Scarlet Bullet / 名探偵コナン緋色の弾丸
Published by: UNIVERSAL MUSIC (2020)
Composed by: Ringo Sheena / 椎名林檎
Performed by: Tokyo Jihen / 東京事変
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🎧Equipment

Piano: Nord Grand 88-key Stage Keyboard (Modified blue version)
Camera: Panasonic LUMIX GH5S
The "Moon lamp" on the piano:
amzn.to/3a1uIDX
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
#conan #名探偵コナン #緋色の弾丸 #thescarletbullet #sheenaringo #tokyojihen #東京事変

One Last Kiss - Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 Theme Song [Piano] / Hikaru Utada

Animenz Piano Sheets 2021-04-16 | Sheet music → https://mymusic.st/animenzzz/46382

After waiting almost 9 years for the continuation of Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, the fourth and final movie has finally been released in Japanese Cinemas! I went to see the movie a few days ago and it brought satisfying conclusion to the Evangelion Saga. I hope it gets an international release very soon, so Eva fans all over the world can watch it too!

But before I talk about the movie any further, let’s have a look at this week’s piano arrangement of 「One Last Kiss」. It is hard to believe, but this song actually consists of only two harmonic progression patterns, which is repeating itself over and over again. If I had to use one word to describe the mood of this song, it would be "Echoes".

「One Last Kiss」 also sounds like trance music in my opinion because of all the synthesizers looping in the background. It was quite interesting to mimic the "Trance"-atmosphere on the piano by used repetition patterns. It's most noticeable during the buildup in 2:22 and in 3:09.

I also had to arrange the voicing on the piano very carefully in order to distinguish the multiple layers of music, because it can be easily "drown" the music if I add too many notes. Especially the many cross rhythms was quite difficult to play, because you have to be very precise or else the rhythms will fall easily apart. 1:41 for example was really difficult to play, because of the two overlapping rhythms in both hands.

To be honest, I still like the previous song from Hikaru Utada more -「Sakura Nagashi」 from Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo - but 「One Last Kiss」 definitely grew on me as well with each repeat. I think this piece is very suitable if you drive a car for a longer period and you need some music to vibe (笑)

Alright, that would be everything for this week! Next week is going to be another Anime Movie song, see you then!

Animenz

------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
📣My Social Media

Follow me on Twitter!
twitter.com/Animenzzz
I am using Instagram as well!
instagram.com/animenz_official
My Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/Animenz
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: One Last Kiss
Anime: Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time / シン・エヴァンゲリオン劇場版𝄇
Published by: Sony Music Labels Inc. (2021)
Composed by: Hikaru Utada
Performed by: Hikaru Utada
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
🎧Equipment

Piano: Nord Grand 88-key Stage Keyboard (Modified blue version)
Camera: Panasonic LUMIX GH5S
The "Moon lamp" on the piano:
amzn.to/3a1uIDX
------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*------*
#evangelion #onelastkiss #themesong #eva #劇場版 #エヴァンゲリオン #piano #cover