Gwyn, Lord of Cinder (Dark Souls) on two pianos

[BurningSt4R]

Jolly good performance!

[Nif3]

Amazing performance man! Great stuff.

[mandrato678]

Dark Souls + Piano = <3

[arjarath]

Sick! :D

[Destroyer2319]

Oh ye gods, t'were that there was a higher volume. Extraordinary rendition.

[TENTATIONX]

OMG !

[Dazanin1]

Absolutely gorgeous. Sakuraba is a fantastic arranger, and this is my favorite piece he's arranged in any medium. I cannot fathom the skill it requires to do this in the first place, let alone after re-producing the work presumably by ear. I also really love how you mentioned that the piece implies some emotion to the fight that words cannot convey.

[MichelKobayashi]

Great cover!

[Samomocath]

very well done thanks for doing/sharing this! Dark Souls music is such an amazing thing for a kick ass game.

[DoggyStarcraft]

fucking fantastic. wow.

[snakevids]

oh and more importantly..i agree. this is my favorite piano piece of all time. fantastic.

[snakevids]

are you sure that it is originally a duet on pianos? from what i hear it is a single person on an electronic

[Quadraxis14]

Amazing work, battling Gwyn for the first time blew me away and your composition of his theme sent shivers down my spine all over again; thank you so much for doing this!

[mastersphere]

Really really great great great work here. The game is so epic and this Boss fight the most emotional impressive in my gamer live. The very moment I beat Gwyn is gonna be in my mind forever. And Thanks For this wonderful duet very impressive.

[HandtoHandWombat]

You have wonderful skills. Seriously. I'm verdant with envy and awe.

[IAMtheDarkSide]

I have to say, I really love what you did with the last half of this(not that the first half wasn't done well), particularly the ending. Beautiful.

[iBab0]

Verdegrand, I miss your videos!

[VirtualHarmonies]

Listening to this again today, and I'm wondering how the hell you deciphered 4:01 to 4:16 ?? o_O

That passage has so many uncommon chords and melodies going on at one time. I'm impressed man. Seriously.

[pimguilherme]

Hey Verdegrand, when you learn a piece, do you learn both hands at the same time, or do you learn them separately and then simply join them effortlessly?

Sorry if you have already answered this question, but since there are many videos and comments, it shouldn't be too easy to find!

Thank you

[chchchririssJr]

best part starts at 0:00

[masterofpuppet789]

makes me wish I could play the piano...

very good bro, keep it up :)

[southsideStrong]

The song is indeed just perfect for the fight. Gwyn, walled up in the desolate land of ash, by himself (spare a few knights). Just embers of a fire, but to him they are more than just embers; they're a remembrance of the past..

Great job on the piano.

[Djibaz]

I don't know how you're taking requests but, could you do Selkie Guild from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles The Crystal Bearers ?

[stenky0wenky]

the best game i have played

[iMeRcEnArYx12x]

@Verdegrand... I was wondering, at what age do you start to play piano?

[heyjo0205]

absolutely gorgeous piano- it sounds so commanding and imperious... fitting for the lord of souls. now to start scraping money for steinway or boesendorfer which will take a long time to do

thank you :) always have, always will be a fan of your work.

[weltal2]

Lovin' it!! Once again perfection by V. You never disappoint. Looking forward to the next piece!

[J01V1]

Even better, could you please play "Yami" from Okami?

[J01V1]

Could you please play Ryoshima Coast from Okami?

[Tkabishi]

amazing really. because i finished the game and i can tell you how hard and difficult this moment is. with the music it feels like your powerless against his fire. Its really a nice video. and has always it's really well played. I'm glad that you can still have fun while playing music and learn new things like piano duets and all. i also like the sotry behind

[KosmoKramer911]

You are Lord Gwyn.

[Ragingbeast345]

What a fantastic job, love this song deeply.

[america0wns]

Challenge Accepted.

A quiet light dims in a endless hallway of darkness,but of adventure at the same time.

A adventurer's steps echos like ripples of history as he steps forward, taking the on himself and his foes.

His back against the past, and his face looking at the future but one cannot gaze into the future, just walk towards it, knowing it is there but not what it is.

The quiet light chases the darkness from the adventure's face, and he sits, wondering about the end of the hallway.

[america0wns]

Why isn't Verdegrand famous?

A more serious question, how did you came up with your name?

[cerebarp]

This was so good. Great feel and execution

[SenairaKinatu]

Which part did you play first? I was captivated by the song the entire 6 minutes and 21 seconds. Then a few seconds afterwards, wondering "Is it over already?!" ^-^

[Greenius]

Hi Verdegrand. I've been watching your videos every now and then for a while and they're absolutely amazing. I don't usually comment/like/subscribe or do anything youtube has to offer but I make an exception every now and then.

I have to say that this performance was beautiful just like any of your other videos and I look forward to more :)

[Verdegrand]

@Greenius thanks a lot for making an exception for me :)

[vhat2]

@Greenius i agree and feel the same as you man :) you do a great preformance on piano arragements, I wonder if you could do an arrangement of Rebel Army from Final Fantasy II, as deep as this one.

[docnanomusic]

Very nice, and great story behind it -- I actually didn't even know such pianos existed (with expanded range). How many keys are there in total on the Boesendorfer?

[Lukkysama]

@docnanomusic If it's a Bösendorfer model 290, it has 97 keys.

(Yeah, I'm on this video again, I'm addicted to it.)

[Verdegrand]

@docnanomusic thank you, and yeah it's easy to miss out on those pianos because they aren't too common. i think it's 97 keys, as lukkysama said.

[rreaverr]

reminds me of kingdom hearts, i loved the music and atmosphere of that game. ordered dark souls immediately after hearing this

[Backlash27]

@rreaverr you might be in for a surprise. I love this game to death, but it's not for everyone. It's pretty brutally hard. However, if you stick with it you'll come to love it.

[rreaverr]

@Backlash27 dont worry, i will. to be honest ive missed a real challenge. games are nowadays too easy or just not worth it to play on the hardest difficulty again.

[Verdegrand]

@rreaverr uh oh, if you come from kingdom hearts and want to check this game out, you mind end up hating me for making you want to play it lol. as backlash27 said, it's a true challenge. you will suffer.

[rreaverr]

@Verdegrand the bell gargoyle tasted my sword. i love this game

[Akaecius]

@Verdegrand The sound reminds me of kingdom hearts as well. Only I played and beat Demon's Souls as well before attempting Dark Souls. I must admit the music was the perfect

[cc17201]

The extra octave is sick man!!!

[rockford417]

and your performance is flawless. Well done!

[rockford417]

Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic. Very impressed. I am almost finished with my first run through of Dark Souls and I find your piece to be very illuminating and relaxing in a dark brooding way which is why I love the game so much,

[stduquette]

awesome work!!

[MidgarZolom]

I put off listening to this for days because I wanted to wait for just the right time to experience this beautiful performance. You played this fantastically. I'm happy that you put this much effort into a Dark Souls piece, probably because I think the game is just amazing, but also because the passion and dedication makes the performance that much better. When I finally fight Gwyn for the first time, I'm going to be imagining you playing this in the background =)

[Verdegrand]

@MidgarZolom thanks a lot, and i agree, dark souls is amazing. also nice that you put so much effort into such a long LP, much kudos for that :)

[jonny2005450]

I actually came again to hear, and I must again comment on how unreal you've really made this.

You've captured a very, very, very hard perfected feeling to express and convey in music, and implemented it gracefully and beautifully in this peace.

That feeling is the feeling of unknown. The whole game leads up killing everything in sight, and then you finish by fighting an incredibly powerful king. It sparks wonder and question. A spiral of death, for no reason. You've shown that feeling here.

[Verdegrand]

@jonny2005450 thanks a lot, i really appreciate it. that is a beautiful description. the story in the game is actually very interesting, well worth contemplating about.

[RigorMortis999]

This is really well done. I'll do sheets of it if you want.

[daigoro789]

@RigorMortis999 this idea gets my thumbs up :P

[SELG88]

@RigorMortis999 please . :)

[Verdegrand]

@RigorMortis999 thanks for your comment, i really appreciate it, coming from you. and thanks for the offer to make sheets, i'll contact you shortly about it. thanks.

[Tkabishi]

@RigorMortis999

Please do XD !!!!

[SELG88]

@RigorMortis999 go ahead dude

[coe42coe]

What a great performance of a rareish classic VGM Boss tune.

[KonstantinosMin]

wonderful performance ! once again you're the man!,the pianoman..

[davidomgwork]

I heard this open and Knew it was sakuraba immediately. The dark essence in this song is just breath taking, leave it to motoi to take my heart again.

[Verdegrand]

@davidomgwork i will need to check out more of his work if it's like the dark souls music, i love that essence that you are talking about and i am very curious about his other stuff now. thank you.

[davidomgwork]

@Verdegrand He did the star ocean soundtracks, if you want another piano video check out zohars so alone be sorry, that is also composed by motoi :)

[Florion]

<3 Beeyootiful! Parts of it remind me of The Heart Asks Pleasure First...

[starfire139]

So... how many keys are there?

Ohhhhh, is THAT why the keys are black? XD Or maybe not, I dunno.

This is beautiful, really. You put a lot of effort into this piece.

[Verdegrand]

@starfire139 thank you, and i think it's 97 keys in total for this piano.

[daigoro789]

this was such an amazing recording on so many different levels. such an emotional and powerful song, there's so much feeling in your playing! i love watching your hand gestures, from the occasional quick wipe of the hand to the way you raise them to play chords. the scale runs gave me chills as did the beautiful rolling chords! and the sound of those dark, blackened keys! DUUMMMM! DUUUMMMM! you're in a league of your own V. i'll be relistening to this one for a while. i thank you verdegrand. <3

[Verdegrand]

@daigoro789 thanks a lot, i really appreciate it man. nice that people would like my hand wipes haha. i was so nervous on that right screen, you have no idea.

[ericroach21]

Such an amazing piece of music from an equally great game. The music in the game creates such an atmosphere, in a way no other game has for me. They took a real unorthodox approach to it, and I think it paid off

Never have I heard final boss music like it. Just hearing the music alone you might think it wouldn't work, but in the context of the game, the world they created, the long arduous journey up to that point, and knowing what must happen next...it melds beautifully.

Amazing job Verde

[Verdegrand]

@ericroach21 thanks a lot, and i agree with everything you said. having this piece at that point in the game with what happened before and what happens next is genius. dark souls is spectacular.

[jonny2005450]

I have perhaps not had the privilege of such emotionally played music grace my ears since Joe Hisaishi.

You have outdone yourself and many others on this one. The music you've played before was great, but never before have I heard you play with such feeling and passion. I'm completely serious.

Remarkable job. Absolutely amazing. Spectacular. Keep it up.

[Verdegrand]

@jonny2005450 that is a bold comparison to make and i am very grateful for your support, thank you very much.

[SELG88]

dont have words to describe this. why didnt you use those black keys at the bottom.verdegrand your hands seem a little bigger to me.

[Verdegrand]

@SELG88 what do you mean? i actually use those keys in the video.

[SELG88]

@Verdegrand you used one of the black keys once but then again you are godlike. do you think its worth watching lyprs vids. i want to get into playing by ear.

[onizu42]

Just ... <3 ... thanks

[waltzforluma]

Verde, this is wonderful - your performance is great, but reading your story about it has made it so very special. You pour your heart into your music and it's always a pleasure to watch!

Also, nothing wrong with doing a duet with yourself! Twice the V = twice the awesome!

[Verdegrand]

@waltzforluma thank you, i really appreciate it. yeah i don't make experiences like this too often so i am glad that i could finish this project. and haha i was actually thinking of doing more self duets like this so let's see how it goes. thanks again

[VirtualHarmonies]

Awesome, I really enjoyed this project/performance V, it has a mysterious/haunting feel to it. I was expecting one part to be on the digital and the other on the Bosendorfer, but you got them both in that short session along with your last vid as well it seems (which is impressive). :p I know what it's like to be totally into a project, and it's so rewarding in the end to see the final result and the fun/challenges that you experience along the way. Quality man, thanks for the upload. :)

[Verdegrand]

@VirtualHarmonies thanks, and yeah it was really challenging to record both parts on the same afternoon without a break, it was a very intense session.

[LoneWolfOnTheHeights]

It is so very good to have you back Verdegrand! When I heard that you were doing a peice from Dark Souls I hoped that it was this. Welcome back!

[Verdegrand]

@LoneWolfOnTheHeights thank you, and nice that you got into dark souls and its soundtrack.

[nathanielpiano]

This is awesome, Verdegrand. A really interesting piece, I've never heard anything quite like it--I just love the effect you give it from 5:04 onward, rolling the chords. Really effective! Brilliant job

[Verdegrand]

@nathanielpiano thank you. yeah the rolling of the chords sounds nicely on a real piano, i'm still glad i got the opportunity to record there.

[Miguelitius]

Does this mean I'll have to buy a console?... T_T

[talzayas]

This song grows on me the more I listen to it. Great work!

[UprisingGrand]

May I ask you, how do you make a side by side video like that?

[Verdegrand]

@UprisingGrand i use sony vegas

[Crossopholis]

I was just thinking about this song the other day; very nice.

[Benawisan]

So i heard some people claimed that video games arent art. This song makes me realize just how full of shit they really might be...

[Verdegrand]

@Benawisan exactly. dark souls is so beautiful on so many levels.

[TehIshter]

Absolutely PERFECT for a four hand arrangement. I haven't played Dark Souls yet (SKYRIIIIM), but I have listened to the original song before.

Did you have earphones to sync one performance with the other? Or is it mostly Sony Vegas? Quite amazing timing and momentum, especially the last chord. Precise to the nanosecond!

[Verdegrand]

@TehIshter thank you. as for the syncing, i listened to the piano 1 part with headphones while recording the second part. this probably wouldn't be possible to record totally seperately from each other i think.

[MegaKurono]

Wonderful! Splendid performance!

I briefly played the game but didn't find it alluring enough to keep playing it. The music is nice and gloomy and fits the whole theme perfectly.

Congrats! I see that your therapy has been slow but sure and we're all glad.

Cheers!

[Verdegrand]

@MegaKurono thanks, and yeah it's difficult to get put off by this game.

[RobinLSL]

Heck yeah, Bösendorfer Imperial Grand! Too bad I'm using super-cheap headphones and can't appreciate the extended bass because of that.

This piece really sounds like "Sakuraba when he's really inspired", if that makes any sense. That "E D A" sequence just brings out a huge "eternal hopeless darkness". (but I know nothing about the game so I might be wrong)

Thanks for sharing that!!

[Verdegrand]

@RobinLSL thanks robin. yeah there is something dark about this piece, and the chords and harmonies are very interesting. your description is actually very accurate, it's even almost a spoiler lol

[hasumedic]

Even though I don't really like the piece itself (maybe it's too dark for me :P), I really appreciate and applaud the effort and work you put on and the really perfect performances you made when recording this. Keep it up!

[Saturos02]

Fantastic! Never played the game but I'm a big fan of Sakuraba, and your performance is pure perfection ^^ You should totally make an arrangement of anything from the first two Golden Sun games (which is also composed by him)!

[Lukkysama]

Sir, I am amazed.

The atmosphere here is just breathtaking, I lack the words to describe.

I particularly loved from about 3:46 to 4:18 , reminds me of your etude, I like hearing that "Verdegrand touch". It took about 30 minutes for the vid to load in 1080p but totally worth it. Good job, thank you :)

@Saturos02 Yes, Golden Sun, that's it! I knew i heard the name Motoi Sakuraba somewhere, couldn't remember. Makes me happy to see someone talking about it!

[Verdegrand]

@Lukkysama yeah 1080p loading times can be horrible at times, thank you for your patience and for your kind words.

[Verdegrand]

@Saturos02 i will check out more of sakuraba's work, it seems i might enjoy more of his music. never played or heard golden sun or its music, i will look into it. thanks.

[samtrompet]

One of your best works yet. I'm amazed. And this indeed really cool music for a boss battle.

[magicturbo9]

Now THAT enticed me to listen to the original. Wow, great job. I'm glad you could communicate and share this with us as I now appreciate this piece greatly <3

[Verdegrand]

@magicturbo9 nice, thank you, i appreciate it. cool that you like the piece.

[gigaganon]

wow i didn't except that! this is awesome! thanks for this one!

[ssgbananas]

Absolutely amazing :) Especially at 3:40 onwards I really loved it! I don't know very much about music and this is my first time hearing notes below the normal range, but I think they really help add to a unique atmosphere. Well done Verdegrand, you make me wish I was a final boss so that I could get you to compose me a badass theme :D

[Verdegrand]

@ssgbananas haha thanks, i don't know if i could compose it as of yet, but i could certainly try to piano-ize it :)

[feuersturmxiii]

Wasn't really able to enjoy this music while fighting the final boss( because he was so hard). Listening now makes me appreciate the song a lot more. Thanks!

[kayinnasaki]

This is beautiful. Dark Soul's soundtrack is wonderful and this piece stuck out as such a strange and surreal piece for a final boss battle.

[Verdegrand]

@kayinnasaki thank you, i really appreciate it. yeah i love the soundtrack, it is very amazing, and the final boss battle is something special.

[Serphantim]

Awesome that you did this one. Now there is finally more then one person that play's this song. Now all i have to do is learn it myself :P

[Bcutter]

Not sure what Dark Souls is, but this really made me want to play Final Fantasy. So I'll go buy a TV today so I can connect my xbox. Thank you again!

[Smwisethbrave]

Fantastic!

[DiblingXx]

Your videos NEVER fail to please me. :)

[EvanFingerstyle]

Oh my goodness your tone is sooo amazing! The way you roll chords is especially pleasing to the ears. Beautiful, as always ^^

[Lavashield]

oh yeah...lava likey

[joshi3joshi]

verdegrand...this is amazing..magical and has the perfect atmosphere of darkness and mystery to it. i love how you play the songs that people may not know about, and share these masterpieces with the world

[Verdegrand]

@joshi3joshi thank you josh, i appreciate it.

[8Amaterasu8]

Great work Verdegrand, on both playing and video production, if the game music is anything like this I'll definitely have to give it a listen =)

[Verdegrand]

@8Amaterasu8 thanks, and definitely listen to the ost, it's amazing.

[JezzAngel]

It isn't enough to say you're incredible but you're incredible! I love the piece...Darks Souls on the other hand, that's another story. It's love/hate.

@TheRealOmegaFlux13

Haunting was just the word I was looking for.

[Verdegrand]

@JezzAngel yeah dark souls is indeed love/hate. quite literally. everyone who loves it must have hated it at some point, too. same with the first game.

[Dridokof]

You play well and there are a few parts I enjoy a lot but as a whole it doesn't move me as much as I think it should, sadly, because it is a work of the imo master composer himself.

[Verdegrand]

@Dridokof that's no problem. i gotta check out more of his work, i must admit i didn't know too much of him as of yet.

[CleverDjembe]

That is inredible, the whole story.

[xclassicalcatx]

amazing <3

[TheRealOmegaFlux13]

So damned haunting :P

[phoenix93supermanwu]

FIRST ONE TO COMMENT!! THIS IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, YOU're MY NUMBA ONE PIANIST!! I Don't understand why vids like this only get 20k views, this deserves 500k :)! I wish I could play like you, I still need to improve in a lot areas in piano :).