Blue Bird (Naruto Shippuden OP3)-Ikimonogakari

This video is a remake of my old "Blue Bird" piano arrangement from 2016. Aside from the improved audio quality, there are also many improvements in the arrangement which might be hard to notice at the beginning. The rhythmic feeling has been vastly improved in some sections and I also added new variations as well. In a way, this videos showcases my progress as a piano arranger between 2016 and 2022.

I will highlight the some of the new additions and I will also explain why I arranged it in that particular way. You can compare it side by side with the old 2016 version of Blue Bird:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTrJ-J_lsr0

0:41 Instead of playing the melody in one voice range, I decided to split up the melody in two octaves, to create a "dialogue" in the music: One voice is asking a question while the other voice is giving an answer. The music feels more alive in that way.

1:07 I completely reworked the left hand and added many syncopated rhythms to give the chorus a little bit more rhythmical energy. I also used a different rhythm for the short "throw-ins" in 1:09 and 1:15 to distinguish it more from the main melody.

1:19 The left hand is playing an octave higher to improve the dynamic contrast in this section. The rhythm is also more accentuated this time.

1:35 I added a new variation in the right hand to make the repetitive instrumental part more interesting. The music also becomes more dramatic, serving as a better contrast to the second verse.

1:45 The left hand gains a new secondary melody line, smoothly playing along the main melody in the right hand. Overall, the piece has become more polyphonically by all these small additions.

1:51 The rhythm has become more articulated in this new version, especially the left hand, which is playing a heavily accentuated pattern. The tension in the music has been improved as a result.

2:04 I added a new left hand rhythm with a silent "break" before the chorus melody to create a more dramatic entrance for the second chorus.

2:51 The rhythm has been vastly improved in the left hand. It matches the syncopations of the right hand much better and it's also less distracting, compared to the old version.

3:09 Probably the biggest new addition of this arrangement: The right hand plays a solo melody without the left hand, capturing the entire attention of the listener. Since the chorus is playing for the third time, I modified the melody as well in 3:13 to add more emotional weight in the music.

3:36 The right hand plays a completely different pattern instead of repeating the melody from earlier and it serves as the final climax before the music is slowly fading out. In short, all "instrumental solo" - parts from Blue Bird have a unique second half in this new version. Compare 0:16 with 1:26 and 3:29.

There are many more small additions, but I think these were the more important ones.

Last but not least, this new version of Blue Bird is also included in the Animenz sheet music book vol. 1!

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🎹Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: Blue Bird

Anime: Naruto Shippuuden / NARUTO -ナルト- 疾風伝

Published by: Epic Records Japan Inc. (2008)

Composed by: Yoshiki Mizuno / 水野 良樹

Performed by: Ikimono-gakari / いきものがかり