[Music] Touhou Piano Project - 20th Anniversary of Touhou Special

[Sedrife]

For this week, I've transcribed Ten Desire's final stage boss.

Sheet Music: Shotoku Legend ~ True Administrator - http://www.mediafire.com/?xm3cu5g29kxhz3h

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YprgCAYw0Zs

[Romantique Tp]

That was fast. BV

[Sedrife]

It has been such an amazing weekend on Atlanta.  Meeting ZUN face to face doesn't just "happen".  I thank the AWA staffs and event organizers for giving me such a tremendous opportunity in expressing my fandom towards the man I respect and love for making such an amazing series.

During AWA, I handed out two of my doujin albums that I previously released on two occasions: Anime North 2012 / 2013 and a Korean touhou-only event called Touhou Fireworks Festival (東方煙火祭).  When AWA was finished, I'm happy to announce that all my physical copies have been cleared out!

1st album crossfade demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wo58aQ8G1M
2nd album crossfade demo:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=431q6IJ2toE

To mark this joyous occasion, I decided to release two of my albums to the public, free-to-listen. 

You can download my two albums here:
1st: https://mega.co.nz/#!LJQm0TgS!YQO_O0_AMOG7GD8MXKH-OFyBAogXsHzZ164v1igRawI
2nd: https://mega.co.nz/#!aVoWDYbY!N5oIph3dc0T8-hf-B98Gx0BfJGtpRZeDu1gAeRr2lzk

That is all for now, and I will definitely come back with the 3rd album, hopefully by Anime North 2014.

Might as well post some updates on what I've been doing since the last post:
Digital Piano [NEW]:
Kobito of the Shining Needle ~ Little Princess (TH14, Sukuna Shinmyoumaru's theme)
Dullan Under the Willows (TH14, Sekibanki's theme)
Doll of Misery (TH5, Yumeko's theme)
Greenwich in the Sky (Magical Astronomy, Track 2)
The Venerable Ancient Battlefield ~ Suwa Foughten Field (TH12, Yasaka Kanako's theme)
This Dull World's Unchanging Pessimism (TH13.5, Title theme) (Demo Ver.)
the Positive and Negative (TH1, Shingyoku's theme)
Straberry Crisis!! (TH3, Okazaki Yumemi's theme)
Returning Home From the Sky ~ Sky Dream (TH12, Credit Music)
Futatsuiwa from Sado (TH13, Futatsuiwa Mamizou's theme)
Road of the Apotropaic God ~ Dark Road (TH10, Kagiyama Hina's theme)
Septette for the Dead Princess (TH6, Remilia Scarlet's theme)
U.N. Owen was Her? (TH6, Flandre Scarlet's theme)
Flight of the Bamboo Cutter ~ Lunatic Princess (Th8, Houraisan Kaguya's theme)
Emotional Skyscraper ~ Cosmic Mind (TH12, Hijiri Byakuren's theme)
Complete Darkness (TH2, Mima's theme)
Hakurei Shine Ground (TH2, unused track)
Drunkard's Lemuria (Uwabami Breakers / SSiB Track 3)
Spring Lane ~ Colorful Path (TH9, Hakurei Reimu's theme)
A Dream Transcending Space-time (TH3, title theme)
The Gensokyo that Floats in Outher Space (Trojan Green Astroid, track 10)
Bad Apple!! (TH4, Stage 3 theme)
Our Hisou Tensoku (TH12.3, Pre-Battle Theme Music)
Necrofantasia (TH7, Yukari Yakumo's theme)
Magician's Melancholy (1st track from Grimoire of Marisa)
Aerial Army (SH1, Gate's Theme)
Vanishing Dream ~ Lost Dream (TH3, Kana Anaberal's theme)
Extend Ash ~ Hourai Victim (TH8, EX stage theme)
Great Fairy Wars ~ Fairy Wars (TH12.8, Three Fairies' theme)
Vessel of Stars ~ Casket of Stars (TH4, Kirisame Marisa's theme)
Eternal Shrine Maiden (TH1, First Stage theme)

[AnonymousPondScum]

The Mega link seems to be behaving funny. It seems to try to load and then goes to the front page.

[Kaze_Senshi]

Oh I am a follower of your Youtube channel but I didn't know that you are a MoTK user too,  nice job with the Piano videos and thanks for the albums, later I'll try to download them

[Sedrife]

The Mega link seems to be behaving funny. It seems to try to load and then goes to the front page.

Got the new link that works:
1st Touhou Piano Album: https://mega.co.nz/#!LJQm0TgS!YQO_O0_AMOG7GD8MXKH-OFyBAogXsHzZ164v1igRawI
2nd Touhou Piano Album: https://mega.co.nz/#!aVoWDYbY!N5oIph3dc0T8-hf-B98Gx0BfJGtpRZeDu1gAeRr2lzk

[HakureiSM]

Ooh hey, nice electric piano. What is it? Sound is way better now

Been a while since I checked your thread(sorry orz), you've gotten way better, and you were already pretty good. Great stuff

e: looks like you've had the piano for a while hurp, just how long have I not checked this thread

[Sedrife]

Wow, I haven't posted anything here in like, two years.  AWA2013... sure brings back memories with ZUN in America.

I just came back from Touhoucon 2015, which was just as good if not better.  At Touhoucon, I was selling my 3rd album (without booth) that I was promising to make 2 years ago.  Here's the crossfade demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4xXr-aB_es

[Sedrife]

Update since 2013:

Thundercloud of Magical Power (TH14 Extra Stage Theme)
Himorogi, Burn in Violet   (TH2 Stage 4 Theme)
Shrine of the Wind (TH1 Unused Theme)
Iris   (TH1 Ending Theme)
Alice in Wonderland   (TH5 Extra Stage Theme)
Lonesome Werewolf   (TH14 Stage 3 Boss, Imaizumi Kagerou's Theme)
Magus Night (Guitar, April Fool's Special):  (TH12.8 Extra Boss, Kirisame Marisa's Theme)
Mermaid from Uncharted Land   (TH14 Stage 1 Boss, Wakasagihime's Theme)
Dream Land (TH4 Stage 6 Theme)
Gensokyo ~ Lotus Land Story (TH4 Title Theme)
U.N. Owen while drunk

[Mеа]

Cool stuff, I think I liked the Alice theme the best it works perfectly with piano. Followed by the UN Owen video because of how silly the latter half looks. And then the first one, the instrument change cracked me up since I wasn't expecting it.
I do have a question though, are your hands or fingers tensed? If so, you should work on making sure your hands are very loose or you could risk injury. I take it you learn a bunch of songs and then push them up to speed to make the video, but make sure you don't tense up in that process. Simply, literally, shaking your hands out to release the stress when you feel them tensing up may help. I'm also noticing with your left hand, mostly, that your knuckle joint is prone to caving in on itself. This is harder on your hands and will stress/tire them out quicker. To demonstrate, rest your hand on a table with your finger tips in a 'piano playing position' and then push your knuckles (the ones closest to your wrist) towards the table so your wrist and middle finger joints are higher. Then try lifting your fingers. Now stop pushing and let that knuckle joint naturally curve outward and keep your whole hand loose. Now when you try lifting your fingers, it's much easier and you can even get them higher right? Try not to work against your body or you may develop some problems in the future. Keeping your wrists above the keyboard can also help.

[Sedrife]

Cool stuff, I think I liked the Alice theme the best it works perfectly with piano. Followed by the UN Owen video because of how silly the latter half looks. And then the first one, the instrument change cracked me up since I wasn't expecting it.
I do have a question though, are your hands or fingers tensed? If so, you should work on making sure your hands are very loose or you could risk injury. I take it you learn a bunch of songs and then push them up to speed to make the video, but make sure you don't tense up in that process. Simply, literally, shaking your hands out to release the stress when you feel them tensing up may help. I'm also noticing with your left hand, mostly, that your knuckle joint is prone to caving in on itself. This is harder on your hands and will stress/tire them out quicker. To demonstrate, rest your hand on a table with your finger tips in a 'piano playing position' and then push your knuckles (the ones closest to your wrist) towards the table so your wrist and middle finger joints are higher. Then try lifting your fingers. Now stop pushing and let that knuckle joint naturally curve outward and keep your whole hand loose. Now when you try lifting your fingers, it's much easier and you can even get them higher right? Try not to work against your body or you may develop some problems in the future. Keeping your wrists above the keyboard can also help.

Great tips!  But what ends up really happening is that these records take 10-20 cuts to actually get it right, and I rarely have time for more practice because I can only play them when there's nobody home, so I'm always on a rush.  (My folks hating everything that is Japanese and all...)  So I naturally get tense from those and I try my best not to show it, but I guess there's a limit.

[Romantique Tp]

Can't you just wear headphones while practicing though?

[Sedrife]

Can't you just wear headphones while practicing though?

That's what I do but several problems:
1. Upright piano and keyboard are two different things when practicing on.
2. Even with headphone, the noise of hitting the key on keyboard is loud enough for people to notice.
3. There is only one tripod and camera set, which is usually occupied.  I practically need to steal it to record anything.
I could go on but it doesn't really change anything.

[Mеа]

Your family doesn't even like to hear your keyboard clacking? That's pretty stupid. Since you can record the audio digitally, couldn't you just use your phone camera? Also I recommend an external phone mic if you want to record sound with a bit more quality. I got one for about 15$ that I find adequate enough.
You may not necessarily find this advice useful but I'll throw it out there anyway. One of the best ways to practice solidly is to choose a section, say the main theme section, and work backwards. When you perfect the last measure or so in that section (slowly, hands separately if need be), leave it alone then work on the measure or so before that and perfect it. Then put them together. Keep working backwards like so. You may find it slow but It's very reliable.

Edit: I forgot to mention that the key to fast fluid playing is to get rid of all excess, bad tension. Tension kills speed, it just doesn't work together. If not getting injured wasn't incentive enough, this is a better one for you. Tension is really, really bad, I can't stress this enough, like it shouldn't even be a choice. Relaxation is crucial, vital. There's a special circle of hell for music teachers who don't teach their pupils to not be tense. Don't be tense, please please, if at least for your very own sake.

[Sedrife]

New video has been posted:

Last Occultism ~ Estotericist of the Present World:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG8MEC_io1Y (TH14.5, Usami Sumireko's theme)

I also opened up Bandcamp to distribute my 1st and 2nd albums for free, to celebrate the occasion of 20th Anniversary of Touhou Project. 

Touhou Piano -1st-: https://sedrife.bandcamp.com/album/touhou-piano-1st-remastered
Touhou Piano -2nd-: https://sedrife.bandcamp.com/album/touhou-piano-2nd

If you share my nostalgia of bad audio quality on out-of-tune upright piano, you would also be interested in this:

Touhou Piano -1st- Legacy: https://sedrife.bandcamp.com/album/touhou-piano-1st-legacy

Happy 20th Anniversary, everyone!