Songs that sound better on piano

[Flintlock]

...and those that don't. From a brief conversation I had in IRC with Lex.

Presumably most of you have heard the Piano Collections albums for the various Final Fantasy games. Are there any songs that you like on the piano but perhaps don't like so much in their original formats? Or vice versa?

I'll start by nominating a few songs which didn't really stand out for me in their original formats, but which I love on the piano. I've included the original versions too, so you can listen and compare.

Spoiler: Silence and Motion (FFVIII)

Spoiler: Ahead on our way (FFVII)

Spoiler: Guadosalam (FFX)

Feel free to expand the idea into Black Mage covers, OC Remixes, or whatever you like. Maybe something hosted on this website Think of this thread as an excuse to listen to a bit more FF music; who could turn that down?

 

[Lex]

Just making one post right now but I've always loved the original JENOVA and totally hate the piano version. Not because the song sounds bad on piano, just because of the way it's been "rewritten" for piano.

 

[Zealkin]

The Great warrior sounds better on piano to me

and life without parole definitely

 

[Tennyo]

Just making one post right now but I've always loved the original JENOVA and totally hate the piano version. Not because the song sounds bad on piano, just because of the way it's been "rewritten" for piano.

This is kind of how I feel about the piano collections. They are beautiful, and the vast majority of the songs are amazing on the piano, but a few of the songs have been changed so much that they are not even recognizable.

For once I'd like a piano version that is more closely adapted from the original song. Like with Suteki Da Ne, I would like if it began with the piano playing the exact violin part, instead of the way it was done on the FFX piano collection. It's still a beautiful song, but that violin part is so lovely and I miss the melody of it.

 

[Danseru-kun]

Well, I loved HyphochondriacPiano's rendition of Cid's theme, Xion's theme and Why more than the original ones.

 

[Dana Scully]

I'm leery about calling them "better" than the original or orchestrated versions (mainly because they're already awesome), but as far as VII piano collections go Aerith's Theme, Tifa's Theme, Main Theme and Those Who Fight are all beautiful (or, in the case of the latter, fucking awesome) arrangements.

Spoiler: Stone Eyes

, courtesy of OCRemix, is easily my favourite arrangement of Great Warrior, but then again I'm a sucker for smooth jazz.

As far as piano collections that are worse go, the one that immediately comes to mind is

Spoiler: The Place I'll Return to Someday.

This song has a beautiful melody, and at first the piano collection follows it quite nicely, but then for some reason it attempts to jazz up a song that really should not be jazzed, and in the process of doing so loses all the sorrowful simplicity of the original melody (so maybe I'm less of a sucker for jazz than I previously stated ).

 

[Drax]

Farm Boy has such a sad tone to it in piano. Kinda goes with everything bad that happened to Cloud and Zack:

Gold Saucer has a cool organ grinder sound to it (kinda goes too fast here):

And Rufus Welcoming Ceremony makes me want to equip my handlebar moustache:

Also:

 

[Lex]

OMG I saw that OWA rendition years ago, those guys also do a OoT duet thats amazing.

 

[Kermitu Kleric Katie]

Speaking of remixes I hate, I hate "The Summoned", which is the CC remix of Fight On!(AKA Still More Fighting or Those Who Fight Further, and known to those unfamiliar with FF music names as the FFVII boss theme) because it mixes up the parts of the song and doesn't include the best part. CC did a good job with all of its remixes(Especially its remixes of Anxious Heart and Let the Battles Begin[AKA Fighting or Those Who Fight]) except that one.

 

[ForceStealer]

For once I'd like a piano version that is more closely adapted from the original song.

Your wish is my command:

 

[Lex]

^That was delicious.

 

[Drax]

I love the FFX-2 soundtrack and it translates to piano really good

 

[Lex]

About 10 years ago I had a piano rendition of Those Who Fight Further on my computer. I somehow then lost it and haven't been able to find it since.

It was note perfect and exactly how you'd expect the song to sound on piano, and I loved it. I still have no idea where I got it (possibly Kazaa or something at that time) and I've spent hours on YouTube looking for it since then to no avail.