Final Fantasy Guitar Collection
Douban
Sinossi
John Oeth’s 2020 album Final Fantasy Guitar Collection is a combination of his love for the music of the video game series and his artistry. A whopping 46 tracks make up the album with at least two tracks from the mainline game series (I - XV). The inspiration for the project came from reminiscing about being a kid and putting down the controller just to hear the music of the games on repeat. The album began at the onset of Covid-19 restrictions in March 2020. With more free time than ever before, productive distractions were much needed.
Nobuo Uematsu composed the bulk of the music for the Final Fantasy series. Uematsu preferred the use of themes (or leitmotifs) for characters and scenes. Due to console limitations, voice acting was not used which required the music to carry the emotion of the scene. The first three games of the series were for the Nintendo Entertainment System which had severe limitations on tones and how many notes could sound simultaneously. Remarkably, many tracks from this era continue to be the most renowned. Uematsu’s style consists of inspirational extremes with classical mainstays of JS Bach and Tchaikovsky and rock musicians like The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and King Crimson.
After Final Fantasy X, Uematsu stepped away from the bulk of the composing for the series. He would still contribute tracks like Kiss Me Good-Bye and Hollow to the later games. Masashi Hamauzu, Hitoshi Sakimoto, and Yoko Shimomura composed music for the later games.
Tracks were selected based on preference, popularity, and its ability to translate well to the guitar. Oeth’s preference tends towards mellow pieces instead of battle themes. Iconic tracks were chosen as they define the game and instantly garner nostalgia. Guitar arrangements were done by Daisuke Minamizawa, Sam Griffin, Nathan Mills, and the YouTuber Lonlonjp. Many of these arrangements were edited to be closer to the original soundtrack or to match Oeth’s personal preference. If a chosen track did not have an adequate arrangement, Oeth would arrange the music.
Some goals were set to achieve the most accurate and playable arrangements. When arranging and editing, the original key is used which sometimes requires unusual tunings and the use of a capo (or two!). Oeth strived to keep the music as close to the original as possible while making the music speak on the guitar effectively. Shorter tracks are repeated or varied to sound more complete. Finally, suitable endings in the character of the piece were included as many of the tracks were written to be looped. (
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©2020 John Oeth
tracks
1. Prelude (Final Fantasy Series) arr. Daisuke Minamizawa*
2. Prologue (Final Fantasy Series) arr. Minamizawa*
3. Town (Final Fantasy) arr. Minamizawa*
4. Chaos Temple (Final Fantasy) arr. Minamizawa*
5. Town (Final Fantasy II) arr. Minamizawa*
6. Rebel Army Theme (Final Fantasy II) arr. Minamizawa*
7. Elia, the Maiden of Water (Final Fantasy III) arr. Minamizawa*
8. The Dark Crystals (Final Fantasy III) arr. Minamizawa
9. Theme of Love (Final Fantasy IV) arr. Sam Griffin*
10. Rydia’s Theme (Final Fantasy IV) arr. Minamizawa*
11. Chocobo Theme (Final Fantasy Series) arr. Minamizawa
12. Lenna's Theme (Final Fantasy V) arr. Minamizawa*
13. Dear Friends (Final Fantasy V) arr. Minamizawa*
14. The Day Will Come (Final Fantasy V) arr. Minamizawa
15. Terra’s Theme (Final Fantasy VI) arr. Minamizawa*
16. Searching for Friends (Final Fantasy VI) arr. Minamizawa*
17. Main Theme (Final Fantasy VII) arr. John Oeth
18. Tifa’s Theme (Final Fantasy VII) arr. Lonlonjp*
19. Aerith's Theme (Final Fantasy VII) arr. Minamizawa
20. Those Who Fight (Final Fantasy VII) arr. Minamizawa
21. Victory Fanfare (Final Fantasy VII) arr. Oeth
22. Ahead on Our Way (Final Fantasy VII) arr. Oeth
23. Cosmo Canyon (Final Fantasy VII) arr. Minamizawa*
24. Jessie’s Theme (Final Fantasy VII Remake) arr. Oeth
25. Hollow (Final Fantasy VII Remake) arr. John Oeth (inspired by GuitarSVD)
26. Balamb Garden (Final Fantasy VIII) arr. Minamizawa
27. Breezy (Final Fantasy VIII) arr. Griffin
28. Fisherman's Horizon (Final Fantasy VIII) arr. Minamizawa*
29. Eyes on Me (Final Fantasy VIII) arr. Minamizawa*
30. The Place I'll Return to Someday (Final Fantasy IX) arr. Oeth
31. Frontier Village Dali (Final Fantasy IX) arr. Minamizawa*
32. Vamo' Alla Flamenco (Final Fantasy IX) arr. Minamizawa*
33. Rose of May (Final Fantasy IX) arr. Minamizawa*
34. Melodies of Life (Final Fantasy IX) arr. Minamizawa
35. To Zanarkand (Final Fantasy X) arr. Oeth
36. Hymn of the Fayth (Final Fantasy X) arr. Oeth
37. Via Purifico (Final Fantasy X) arr. Oeth
38. Suteki Da Ne (Final Fantasy X) arr. Minamizawa*
39. Eternity: Memory of Lightwaves (Final Fantasy X-2) arr. Oeth
40. Streets of Rabanastre (Final Fantasy XII) arr. Griffin*
41. Kiss Me Good-Bye (Final Fantasy XII) arr. Minamizawa
42. The Promise (Final Fantasy XIII) arr. Lonlonjp*
43. Lightning’s Theme (Final Fantasy XIII) arr. Minamizawa*
44. Memories (Final Fantasy XIII-2) arr. Oeth
45. Somnus (Final Fantasy XV) arr. Nathan Mills and Youmat*
46. Valse di Fantastica (Final Fantasy XV) arr. Mills*
Note:
1 to 38 and 41 are composed by Nobuo Uematsu;
39 is composed by Noriko Matsueda and Takahito Eguchi;
40 is composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto;
42 to 44 are composed by Masashi Hamauzu;
45 and 46 are composed by Yoko Shimomura;
* with changes to the arrangement