I decided to ragequit but then I realized I’ve done this before (Guilty Crown Insert song – Euterpe)

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To come straight to the point: The last week was for me a nightmare.

You want to know why? The whole story began with a simple and insignificant comment on youtube:

I thought -sure, why not?- and began working on the opening “My Dearest”. I advanced very quickly and already finished the main melody and harmonics in only a few hours.

But then more and more people are demanding me writing the transcription, so I thought: okay, so I’m totally going to make the best-piano-cover-ever-even-more epic-than-my-previous-one and began to add details and my usual original parts in the transcription.

One day, two days, three days passed and I realized I still haven’t even finished 50 % of the sheet!

It was the same story as the Angel beats transcription fiasko. I couldn’t finish it either because of the pressure. The higher the anticipation, the greater the stress.

I admit: there is a sort of competition on youtube: Who is going to make the best transcription, who is getting more views, who is the first uploading a piano cover.

So I really didn’t want to lose this “competition” (silly me). But then more and more piano covers appeared and I thought to myself: I must be an idiot for getting mad about something like this. (I know, I know, history repeats himself)

…which ultimately lead to the second ragequit.

The story should normally end here but then –

– TehIshter came and saved me from this dilemma:

Thank god, he appeared! Since Tehishter is also one of my favorite anime music transcriber I believe the transcription is in good hands (also I am really curious about the Animenz-influenced transcription)

After this I felt relieved and I decided to stay away from transcribing for a while.

But then, since I am not obliged anymore to finish the transcription of “My dearest” , my mind is finally free from all those stress and suddenly, my creativity kicked in with full force.

I wanted to transcribe something else and I decided to make a sheet for the awesome insert song which played at the very beginning of Guilty Crown ep 1.

Originally, it was only one page long with the main melody and some easy accompaniment on the left hand, but my ideas kept coming and eventually it ended up just as it is now, six pages long.

I am not lying to you: I have finished this sheet in only one night (roughly seven hours) and afterwards, I only edited some minor things. Probably my brain was cheering: Freedom! Finally I can work on something others than the §%&§ Guilty Crown opening!” and the rest ist history.

If you have already listened the transcription, you’ll notice it has a rather melancholic and sad atmosphere and it’s getting very emotional towards the end. I guess I have collected all of my experience and stress of the last few weeks and make them to music.

TL;DR Trying too hard is bad for your health.

Oh yeah, since stupid wordpress is disabling mediafire direct links (seriously, why are you doing this) I’ll give you instead the tinyurl links, which leads to mediafire.

 

52 thoughts on “I decided to ragequit but then I realized I’ve done this before (Guilty Crown Insert song – Euterpe)”

    • lol wut? Are you actually stalking my blog? Because I’ll usually “unprivate” my video only after seconds when I published my newest blogpost. (I always upload the video first, then I’ll write a corresponding blog post)

      Anyway, by now it should be public.

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  6. I agree with Lokyin24, your covers are pretty good, and about the “competition”, well, it’s more about personal opinion than anything else. EG: while i like your transcriptions i am not a big fan of your improvisations, not because the modifications/improvisations are bad(it’s good) but… well, in the first place i am a begginer(started to learn piano 1 year ago) so i can only play your level 3 versions and level 4 spending a lot of time on it and second is that i would like to play the original thing that i heard and not something that only resembles the original.
    Your “normal” transcriptions(100% acurate with the original music) are always the best for me but i don’t really like when you change the original music, would be nice if you could do 2 versions, 1 normal(for beginners/intermediate people to play) and 1 with modifications(for pros who can play level 5 or 6).

    what i am trying to say is you “don’t need to overdo it”, just do the same as you did with Angel Beats ED and I am sure it will be really good.

    I can’t play by ear(i hope i can someday) but i can easyly say that noone on youtube did a good version of “My Dearest” yet, i am a begginer as i said and even I can say that people are missing things and doing some parts wrong in their transcriptions, so i was looking forward for your version of the music which would be more accurate and beatiful, it’s sad that you drop it.

    Your “Euterpe” was by far the best version that i heard until now but i like more the beggining where you are following the original music more closely(until 1:50) then when you start the improvisations. Well, at least i can try to playthe beggining(until 1:50) because after that is impossible to me hehe.

    Thank for your transcription and i hope you do a “My Dearest” version, don’t need to overdo it, if you just follow the original it will already be the best youtube version since noone could do it until now.

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    • That’s an interesting point to be honest. I also realized that I am only making level 5+ sheets lately, which are way too difficult to play for the majority of anime fans. I mean, the reason why I make those sheets in the first place is to contribute some sheets to the anime community.
      I myself have started transcribing because I used to frequent Josh’s anime sheet collection (I was looking for lilium) and was inspired by his collection of transcriptions.
      Now I am afraid, that I’ve reached the point where my transcriptions simply exists to “show off” and don’t actually benefit the community anymore, but I just can’t help it. I love to experiment with transcribing techniques.

      But after reading your comment, I seriously consider now making a simplified version for every transcription with a higher difficulty than 5 (like the one for durara)

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  7. Artur has a great point (and especially mentioning your Angel Beats ED arrangement, because that’s what I’m trying to accomplish for GC OP – and having a lot of trouble doing so).

    I think I’ve said before that I’m not here for competition, and I’m not really aware of any other anime piano transcribers that are as skilled as you are, classically trained and all. Hell, even I have trouble playing your songs 😛 so I don’t think you really need to worry about that.

    I created a new account, now only with a fifth of my previous subscribers, with view count only on the thousands (whereas my videos in the previous account had hundreds of thousands), and I didn’t get 30 comments after uploading like I used to.

    I wanted to continue on because I DID NOT WANT to play anime piano for the sake of being popular. Of course, I also want to share my stuff with people, but my priority is that I play and record piano for the sake of loving the original songs. What I play is what I love to listen to everyday. I think this is a good mindset, and as a fan of yours, I hope that you would not focus a lot of your time in making your transcriptions “the best”, because most times, it already is.

    Segments on your video like the one on 3:06 to 3:30, I do not know anyone on YouTube that can make such an impression both in technique as well as in emotion with that kind of arranging. Such heartfelt transcription, I even had my teeth clenching in some parts because of the emotion.

    Sorry for the cliché “just be yourself” reply here, but I hope you know what I mean.

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    • >I wanted to continue on because I DID NOT WANT to play anime piano for the sake of being popular
      made me shed a single tear.
      You are absolutely right.
      I am too focused of pleasing the audience instead of just transcribing the song for the sake of being transcribed.
      But that doesn’t mean I regret any of my transcriptions, no, I am glad I did them because, you know, trancribing is a sort of self realization to me.

      I mean, getting some views or comments is nice and so on ( I won’t deny that it partially boosts my ego, yes, I am being very honest here) but in the end, what really matters is the song itself, and I transcribe a song for the sake of the music and nothing else.
      This is also one of the reasons, why I don’t do requests anymore.
      Every anime season, I hand-picked two or three songs, which appealed to me and make some transcriptions. Then take a break untile the next anime season arrives because there isn’t anything left, that would interest me.
      I myself really liked the guilty Crown OP but I just couldn’t do justice to it.
      Or I am being too much of a perfectionist.

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  9. I respectfully have to disagree with Artur and theishter. I highly prefer it when transcribers add a bit of flare onto their transcriptions. It’s what distinguishes them from the others, which is why I so highly recommend kylelandry.

    And competition is good! It’s what fuels bigger and better videos on Youtube! Innovation – hurrah! So don’t be put off by a bit of competition because I am sure that you yourself will also benefit it (i.e. better transcriptions, probably happier with yourself, etc.).

    With all that said, moderation is key to anything, so if you truly believe it’s not worth the trouble, don’t do it. But if you have the slightest doubt that you can take on this challenge, I say, go for it!

    Oh one more thing. Making two levels for your transcript (an ‘easy’ one and a ‘harder’ one) is not necessary in my honest opinion. If you feel that it’s a ‘waste of time’, then you should drop it. Anyway, that is all and this comes from a person who has had only a year in piano teachings.

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    • To be clear, I never said that transcription “fluff” should be prevented or not be included in his transcriptions, but to not get it to a point where it’s damaging psychologically, and that his arrangements like Angel Beats ED, despite not being as complicated as his Mirai Nikki OP, is original and innovative enough that he shouldn’t worry. Others (probably like me) would just do the melody and left hand arpeggios, but Animenz actually put effort in doing three hand techniques. That itself, I believe, is innovative enough for people to be satisfied. But of course if he has the motivation, it’s surely not a problem to have flare.

      I thought that -moderation- was pretty self explanatory so I didn’t include in my post – we’re actually in agreement in that part.

      Also: competition is only healthy when there are set controls and judgments. With differing subscriber count and fans, sometimes competition can do more damage than benefits. How would you feel if you spend 3 weeks on a piece and only get 5,000 views, whereas Kyle Landry does an improvisation in 2 hours and get 150,000 views?

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      • Folks, let’s just forget the whole thing with the competition, I think I haven’t chosen the right words in my blog post, but I didn’t want to emphasize that much about this issue.
        Also, TehIshter, you are right about the count of subscribers. I know some People who are judging channels solely by their count of subscribers (the same goes for judging a blog based on its quantity of comments) and the channel won’t get the chance to get any views, because they are ignoring it.
        Some channels on Youtube are already “established” and partially famous and you really don’t have much chance to compete with. (come to think of it, my channel itself isn’t that old, either, I only created it almost 2 years ago)

        I think everyone should just do their best.

  10. Hi AnimenZZZ…. It’s me ZzBigBosszZ3..

    I just want to say I’m sorry..

    I had no idea my comment would cause you so much trouble and stress.
    I’ll continue to be one of your many #1 fans though!

    Once again, I’m really sorry… Please continue to make your awesome transcriptions.
    I feel like I’m responsible for all of this.. 😦

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    • Oh dear,
      I am not blaming you for anything.
      It’s rather my fault because I am obsessed with my perfectionism when making sheets.

      Really, I should be the one, who should apologize, since I’ve made the impression I am blaming you with my blog post.

      Anyway, I hope you’ll still continue to listen to my piano covers ^^

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  11. Just amazing transcriptions. My piano teacher (which to whom I show many of your transcriptions in high hopes she has the approval of me playing them) says that your original parts are truly amazing and emotional. You never cease to amaze me and you shouldn’t be stressed about other piano transcribers. Each pianist has their own feel and sound when they touch the keys and I just love the depth of your sound. Again (I didn’t know I could use facebook at first and i was guest spencertheboss) I was wondering if you thought of collaborations with other youtube instrument players. One of my favorite youtube artists (second to you) is joshi3joshi because i love how well the violin sounds with the piano.

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  12. As an acoustic guitarist, there’s not much “competition” on YouTube for anime music because there aren’t many active anime guitarists, so I can’t really say much about that…

    BUT

    I’m one of your biggest fans and an avid anime music listener and I have to say, it is never a “too late” for an Animenz arrangement! It may be better to get it out early, but I think yours and Tehishter’s transcriptions in particular are an exception. However, above all I believe that you should simply do whatever you feel most comfortable doing, because like you said; it’s not healthy to try too hard! I’m confident your fans will support you no matter what you choose to do ^^

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  13. Hey Animenz, don’t worry that your transcriptions will be construed as ‘showing off’! Anyone who would put as much passion and skill into composition and transcription as you do, should never be afraid of expressing such unique and marvelous ideas because of what others think or say. Imagine if Mozart had been afraid that his revolutionary work might be at odds with others. (especially when he ‘showed off’ in cathedrals and what not) He wouldn’t have contributed to the musical community as he did!

    I’m one of those probably on the other end of the spectrum from Artur in the sense that i really like your original sections and more complex transcriptions and have the piano experience to enjoy them. What i have loved about your work is the incredible substance and character in them made possible by their complexity and your skill. While i do agree that making some easier transcriptions alongside the parent transcription is a good idea, i do hope that you wont sacrifice your unique flair because you think that you are trying too hard to be popular(!) or are not really transcribing for the anime community.

    As theishter said, just be who you are. Anyone who can bring such soul searching emotion hammering beauty into this world shouldn’t put that capacity in shackles of fear or uncertainty or worse, into the chains of the expectations of others! Just let your inspirations and dreams soar, try not to bother about the piece being ‘perfect’ or what others will think of it, do what you deem best in your judgement and most importantly enjoy what you are doing. Don’t stress over the expectations of others! The people who mind don’t matter, and the people who matter don’t mind!

    That said i once again commend you for your uniquely full flavored transcriptions that can be relevant to those learning their musical way, and yet satisfy music teachers. Why, i imagine even the most snobbish, classically trained pianist disdainful of anime music(if they exist), would secretly be gleefully playing your work somewhere!

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  14. hello Animenz, i’ve watched some of your videos and really, really fascinated until now!
    Keep up the good work man! xD
    btw do you have any library for all of your MIDI/sheet collection in one place?
    Like a mediafire shared folder or something like that.
    I want to put your MIDI file in Synthesia, so I can learn your sheets easier 😀

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  16. to me, it’s really good to hear such good transcription and piano versions, and even if i can’t play the hard ones it’s always good to print the sheets out and be amazed by them =D

    just keep up the good work, and probably first things are to enjoy urself and ur work, and yeah don’t overdo it.
    i’ll always wait for your transcriptions, even though there r only few each season, i believe they’re always awesome to listen to =)

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  18. This is fantastic, loved the song, and love this transcription. The bit where you go all cadenza in the right hand is going to piss me off for a few weeks I can tell already.

    Time to practice >:3

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  19. At first, I didn’t like the piano. I was forced into piano lessons when I was small and didn’t have the chance to quit. I simply felt annoyed with piano. Why I was annoyed with an inanimate object, I have no idea. ._.

    I just played. I didn’t want to quit, yet I did at the same time. It was at the point where if i quit, it would’ve been a waste of time. Then I watched your youtube videos. I felt inspired and I practiced piano longer than I had ever done. Everyone around me commented my sudden enthusiasm boost too.

    So…just do what you want. That sounds terrible, I guess…maybe I like harder sheets more than easy ones.

    But you know, there are people who solely start piano because of anime, and they probably are new at it. So, make some easy ones. (I should stress the word some.) JUST SOME. Don’t forget about the people looking for a challenge though!

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  20. Curse my inability to afford my own piano!! I want to play this nowww (ノ ゜Д゜)ノ ==== ┻━━┻
    (I don’t even watch Guilty Crown but this piece is beautiful!)

    That being said, I can appreciate that you want to contribute to the anime fan community by transcribing sheet music that the majority of people can play (i.e. lower level pieces). However, I don’t think you are “showing off” at all by creating more complex and difficult pieces. They are your transcriptions and no one else’s. It’s a mark of your creativity and a way of expressing yourself. The very fact you mentioned this transcription/recording might have been from all the pent-up stress shows that.

    Also, how will you learn more if you restrict yourself to the simple, the easy, and the already-done-many-times-before? If you’re going to grow, you’re going to have to push your limits sometimes.

    Lastly, I’m one of the people who enjoy a challenge every now and then! Granted, I’m extremely rusty with the piano but I did finish level 10 piano~ However, I have a godawful time playing by ear so I need to have music to read in front of me in order to play. Whenever I go into the music store, though, the majority of their modern sheet music is beginner level which, of course, is no fun if you can play it after going through it a few times. As a result, I leap when I see something beautifully arranged that will also provide me with a challenge.

    TL;DR keep up the good work, dude! Don’t stress 8)

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  24. Hello,
    Your piano covers are beatifull! I’m clueless about piano transcriptions and such things but i like to listen good music and yours is great.
    The Eutrepe cover is simply outstanding and i like your “original” parts.
    Keep up the good work!

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  25. It was so beautiful I cried..>~<
    It's hard though.. ;o I would like to play it.. I could probably play it FLUENTLY after many months of practice
    .. tehe.. lol.
    You play soooo well. :3

    -envy-

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  27. Don’t be worry ,I won’t compair you with others ,I think you did a good job ,and that’s all .There always maybe someone that is better than you ,but you did you best ,right .And I can feel the melody ,I kept listening to it for every night ,and it is comforting,I LOVE it .

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  28. hi can i actually ask you something? do you know what is the piano piece that they used in guilty crown episode 21 when Inori is confessing/Shu is absorbing the virus from one of the soldier?

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  30. lmao, this guy “nagakioshimara” Is just raging in your youtube comments box for this transcription. He just snapped and and posted the same reply to everyone that was mad at his opinion.
    Wow, just wow.

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  34. O____________________________O when I was watching when you moved to the 3rd part(errr i cant call it sonatina coz it’s one song) I just died screaming out how great you are from watching you :’D my new inspiration!!! thank you very much!! you have no Idea how much you pushed my inspiration to a new level…especially its jan 1! at 3 am! :’D ahuhuhu…

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  37. You’re amazing!!! I wont to play like you, but I just started playing piano *w* (Sorry for my english, I’m from Poland ;3)

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  38. A presently adore you! I watched Guilty Crown because a friend told me it was a good series. As a musician (flute and Irish whistle, though as of about 2 or 3 minutes ago, really wanting to learn piano), I fell in love with the series for the music. I’ve been trying to get the melody for this but gave up since it’s hard to do on my tinwhistle and my flute isn’t here. This was a huge help.

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