Sinister Sundown (Piano Collections Kingdom Hearts: Field and Battle)

[finalfantasyfreak18]

Hey I am starting to reteach myself piano again because of your videos. So thank you. Have a wonderful day. I have been practicing on Final Fantasy 4 battle 1 for the piano. Okay bye.

[Benjy2Delta]

Sir, I tip my hat to you.

[ObjectionManiac13]

Sinister Shadows was dominated by you

[bachu95]

Ive been lookin a bit and im pretty sure Verdegrand is the only pianist on youtube who has managed to play this :P

Great job! /clap

[hannahMont2]

Wow, wow wow! This was so amazingly good. You probably hear that a lot but it's true! I'm 15 and only played the piano for 9 years (no where as near as good as you) but I've been trying to learn this song. I found it's easier when I take the tempo down to a good 110~120, but the moment I do the original tempo, it is so hard... :S I have small hands so it's also hard to do those super quick note changes and glides XP BUT! This video was incredible, thank you! :)

[eliteapocalypse132]

did you learn this piece by ear or did you have music to look at? if you did have music can I have the link to it?

[azncalvin3]

a lot of people like to say theres no such thing as perfect in this world. i think verdegrand just proved them wrong. haha

[rinkagamine991]

DO you play concerts? If so when is your next show and where?

[iluvKH4eva]

It's amazing how every piece you play sounds just like the original recording! I've only been playing for four years, and I taught myself. Now, i've only just got a teacher who's helping me play KH songs such as Musique Pour la Tristesse de Xion!

[CoolHobbits]

How may years have you been playing the piano? I took for Four year then my teach moved and i haven't taken lessons since! If I want to be good enough to play these songs I should start piano lessons again huh?

[Verdegrand]

@CoolHobbits hi, i've been playing for about 25 years of which about 5 were breaks. i would always recommend piano lessons with a good teacher, they will get you farther than anything else will. i would assume you can learn this and play it well with considerably less experience than i have, if your teacher will support you and if you practice the right way. good luck :) greetings

[2ynj]

@Verdegrand loooool im not even 25 years old :D. so how long did it take u get this piece nailed?

[KeyHero21]

This is going to sound weird, but how did you do that slide with just one finger? I've tried that and almost broken my finger since my keys weren't as forgiving as I thought.

[Verdegrand]

@KeyHero21 sorry for the very late reply. your question doesn't sound weird, i'm actually still struggling with it myself. those glides are best done with the thumb nail, but the secret is to not dive in too deeply so that the skin between nail and finger isn't torn off which would happen if you'd push too forcefully. but if you push too lightly, the keys won't be pushed down. so it's a balance kind of thing and it will also be different for different pianos you play on. greetings

[KeyHero21]

@Verdegrand Thanks for replying back to me. My piano teacher actually told me the same thing, so I suppose it's a matter of practice. My piano's a bit older (love it though) and some of the keys catch my thumb a little when I try it. I can do all right with just the bottom of my fingers though, so is that fine? I'm still learning, so I try to do what I should (and get away with what I can :D)

[Verdegrand]

@KeyHero21 hi, what exactly do you mean with the bottom of your fingers - do you mean the side 'on your palm' where the fingertips are? i've seen quite a few pianists doing the glides like that, and if it works fine for you, why not. i guess it wouldn't be considered "proper" technique though, because i could imagine it wouldn't allow for as much accuracy as when doing it with the thumbnail. if keys 'catch your thumb', try doing a more more flat angle and applying a bit less force. greetings

[rinkagamine991]

@KeyHero21 I know. You lean your finger to the side as you slide down. Like at an angle and it doesn't catch on the end. Almost like sliding a wheel over it.

[TrentFan9]

Excuse me, Mr. Verdegrand, but I am in the process of learning this piece, and can get through the first part just fine (before it switches to the Roxas segment) EXCEPT FOR THE FRIGGIN LEFT HAND IN 0:46-1:00. Do you have any tips to help me with it? I played it slowly for literally two hours straight and it was fine, but then I jacked up the speed and can't do it! I'm seriously about to cry I'm so frustrated.

Anyways, thank you for showing me what I will one day be.

[Verdegrand]

@TrentFan9 hi, sorry for my late reply. it's difficult to explain with words so here is a quick video /watch?v=utsiUIk_wnU

it's basically two grips of 5-2-1 and 5-3-1 which are alternated, and the challenge is to find a smooth transition.

[Shurshwii]

I'm sure it's been said before, but it is a real joy watching and listening to you play.

[spmkh2dbz]

Really good! where do you get kingdom hearts piano collection field and battle sheet book???

[iluvKH4eva]

How many times do you have to play a piece before you make absolutely NO mistakes? Because everytime I play, I always make a mistake.

[Verdegrand]

@iluvKH4eva i also make mistakes every single time i play a piece. if you ask because of this video, there actually are mistakes in here, they're just not that noticeable. the ability to play a (difficult) piece truly without any kind of mistake is something that needs months, if not years of preparation, years of forgetting and relearning, the result is fleeting and for most people involves some sort of luck, it's there for a short moment and then it's gone. that's beyond 'normal' music making.

[Troytatnell]

may i ask , how do you get your quality sound with your piano ?

[MissKawaiiful]

When I closed my eyes, I saw Roxas fighting.... You are AMAZING !!

I wish I could play like you one day ! ^^

[bubig]

wow. just wow. Wou sir hav just inspired me to learn how to play piano. now if you'll excuse me am going to go to sleep on this for the next 3 months

[Verdegrand]

@bubig Hey thank you for your comment, I appreciate it. Just be patient, and most importantly get a good teacher, enjoy playing and you will be able to play this piece eventually :)

[Arrow9100kj]

@Verdegrand Great pianist have a tendency to have huge egos. Im glad to see that you haven't let your talent undermine your humility. Its quite nice of you to take the time to encourage others who look up to you. I continue to wish you the best of health so that you may remain on youtube to be an inspiration to others for years to come ^_^

[Verdegrand]

@Arrow9100kj Hello, thank you. I don't exactly know what to say. I think that I've had lots of experiences with people who had the mindsets that you mentioned when I was still active in the 'classical music community', and that I have come to appreciate the communities where they are not so predominant. Also, I myself have learned a lot from other people who were willing to help me when I needed them, so I see it as a bit of an obligation to do the same now myself. Greetings

[penguin27pie]

:O your hands move so gracefully and perfectly across the piano.... That was amazing! I'm so jealous!

[YeahHahaDude]

*clicks subscribe* i luv u!! C: (or actually your fingers)

[889michael1]

Incredible!

[piano361]

hey that was good played xD i liked it ^^

[FrancisJamal]

don´t apologize for something what is is perfect (light) and your performance is perfect to, where did you buy the sheet?

[Verdegrand]

@FrancisJamal Hello, thank you, I'm glad that at least some people enjoy the lighting ;) It certainly makes for a great atmosphere. As for the sheets, I got them from a Japanese seller on Ebay. Almost all of them will send out stuff internationally, and the shipping time was pretty reasonable.

[chobits807]

your playing is completely different from any that i have heard so far! amazing.

[trihahd]

GRAGHHHHHH OMG. WHY IS YOUR PLAYING SO CLEAN??? Im so envious -.-

I wish i had the time to practice more.

[Verdegrand]

@trihahd You answered your own question - Please don't think I can just sit down at the piano and play like this. This is the result of a lot of practice. Practice not only helps, it is the only way to be able to get anywhere near mastering a piece. So just continue practicing and you will reach your goal eventually :)

[narukon96]

german seabass, dreadjoker10, zorsy. woooow, all the good pianists commented :DDD teehee !~

[domino592]

I truly admire artists who can take a song and make it there own and you sir are one of those artists that I aspire to someday be like. You are able to take these already wonderful renditions and make them even better by putting emotion into your playing. I think i play pretty well but I'm not where I want to be compared to you lol. Anyway, this is great as are all of your videos!

[avidd13]

That's strange video quality! Is it you? It's too clear! It looks a whole lot like an animation. Why?

[Verdegrand]

@avidd13 Perhaps the sundown outside was just particularly sinister that day... :)

[daigoro789]

@Verdegrand haha - and there does seem to be a particularly creepy and sinister blue light shining on the middle/lower part of the piano too!!!

(@___@)

[UprisingGrand]

@Verdegrand wat type of lighting did u use i think it adds a unique feeling to the song

[iluvKH4eva]

this song makes me feel happy! it has a mix of roxas's theme in it too. i just loved the way you played it with no mistakes, considering it's like the hardest.

[MuerT0ps]

Fk! Good job i want a play that song, but is very hard... jajaj xD

[carr9790]

You have to play Lazy Afternoon! Ever Kingdom Hearts song you play is just as good as the original. This brings back so many memorizes of all nighters playing KH2.

[Twamtwams]

;O it sounds like you added an extra part! the mp3 that i have isnt as spectacular or long 8D

[Spiritsoulxx]

@Twamtwams I think you got the preview version of the song, which doesn't include the part from 1:16~2:30 =).

[chingensaiXX]

Where did you get the sheet music? :D

[TlMpossible]

absolutely amazing! ><"

[luffy3]

amazed! everything perfectly memorized in 2 weeksss??!! oO

[dreadjoker10]

amazing job!! :)

btw how long did this take u (for future reference)

[Verdegrand]

@dreadjoker10 Hello, this took me about two weeks, several hours a day.

[dreadjoker10]

@Verdegrand =0 2 weeks?!

ur a beast!

[zxgalaxyxz]

wow, the book for field and battle is already out? what's the release date?

[MrMendel12]

My fave part of the song is the first bit, awesome playing!

[GermanSeabass]

What a spectacular show! Now there's perfection .. a flawless performance. Shimomura would be proud! This is still one of the hardest pieces in the collection, Concert Paraphrase aside.

[Spiritsoulxx]

@GermanSeabass If you think that this is the hardest, try Medley of Conflict and Monstrous, they are much harder to play.

[danielpalomares]

Amaaaaaaaaaazing

[Spiritsoulxx]

Nice!!

[daigoro789]

ha - awesome!!!

you got in there so quickly with this! am really impressed and really interested to see what may follow from the KHPC2 next!!!

your technique is so flawless - this performance really shows that, esp the deft execution of the staccato :P

[concertoldham]

Good job! You are a very impressive musician!

[RichardJohnNguyen]

Amazing! Man, I gotta practice more. I've been really lazy lately on piano. Can I request Musique pour la tristesse de xion piano collection? I don't expect you to conform to my request...just throwing it out there. I don't think anyone else could play it better.

[Samwerd2]

you have very nice technique.

[S3ttl3r]

unbelievable '-'

you may try play some Touhou song too :)

[psiconault]

Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!! \o/

hehehe...

[AvlidaPower]

Nice long time since you posted was worth the waiting though!

[Bcutter]

Perfect handwork! Look at his hands! You could put filled coffee cups on them without them spilling.

[CleverDjembe]

@Bcutter

Yes, but this shaking at 2:03 is unnecessary movement.

[Zorsy]

hahaha, the best birthday present for me :)

Well done... as usual. Every video you record is pretty much flawless and some i would rather hear over the professional recordings. You seriously deserve more views cause i can comfortably say that you are in a league of your own, amongst most most VGpianists. thats a big call, yet legit

shieee i need to order this now...

[Verdegrand]

@Zorsy Hello, thank you for the kind words! I really appreciate it a lot. Oh and happy birthday! Nice coincidence :)

[Trailaiday]

great work! i'm really glad that i subbed too.

your playing makes me want to learn the piece,

play the game and watch your video again :)

made my day^^

[Phystri]

Perfect! I had no idea there was an official PC for KH, let alone a second PC for the game as well.

[mrPillow91]

I sooo want to learn this, too! And you're awesome as always.

[TheUltraDude]

Glad i subbed

[RoxasPs]

I can't get enough of your amazing piano skills XD. Well Done! XD

Since you have your hands on the new Piano Collections, I would really love to hear Night of Fate or Musique pour la tristesse de Xion from you (If you have the time of course). XD

Again, Well Done on Sinister Showdown!

P.S. If you have the time, you should definitely pick up Kingdom Hearts 2, it's an amazing game as well as Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days to know the story behind Musique pour la tristesse de Xion. XD

[RobinLSL]

There's a second Kingdom Hearts PC? Man am I behind the times...

[Yondaime4488]

Truly amazing! i love the roxas theme part in it 1:16 =D

[ph34rONE3443]

First! :D This is absolutely beautiful, and surprisingly close to the original. I've been hungry for more vids from you, Verdegrand, very nice upload.