Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai might be the most difficult to remember Anime title of all time, but the story about Menma and her strong bond with her childhood friends is still unforgotten until today. This song is truly another classic in the history of Anime music and until today, I still listen to this song whenever I need a break from my everyday life.

Arranging a slow, lyrical song for the piano is always a special challenge for me. Because you have to somehow convey the special atmosphere of the original song with the sound of piano alone. But at the same time, you have to utilize the right amount of musical ornaments or else it would disturb the flow of music too much.

Since a piano has only limited ways to replicate a humans voice (I really wish I can utilize a vibrato-sound like a violin on the piano...) I have to think of various ways how to properly reflect the structure the music, so that it truly feels like the music itself is telling you a story. The first chorus is deliberately held back without playing any deep bass notes, because I wanted to slowly build up the tension for the later parts of this song. The goal of this arrangement is the culmination of feelings in the final chorus and that's why the bass keys are only utilized in the very last moment in 4:03.

A rather special part of this arrangement would be the solo voice part at 3:19, where only the right hand is playing. I have only this technique once in the beginning part of Madoka Magica Soundtrack Medley (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xVyBmkEZX4) and it really feels like the music has stopped for a moment so the voice alone can shine.

All in all, this arrangement is probably one of the easier piano pieces I have arranged and the feeling of nostalgia is especially strong with this one. I still can't believe AnoHana has aired almost 9 years ago.

See you next time then!

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Piano arrangement by Animenz

Original Song: secret base ~Kimi ga Kureta Mono~ / secret base 〜君がくれたもの〜

Anime: AnoHana: The Flower We Saw That Day / あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない

Published by: Aniplex (2011)

Composed by: Norihiko Machida

Performed by: Ai Kayano, Haruka Tomatsu, Saori Hayami /茅野 愛衣, 戸松 遥, 早見 沙織