Uncharted Territory

This is the first piece I'm attempting where I have little to no history or familiarity with. It's called Sahori and it comes from the video game Shin Megami Tensei V. The game's soundtrack was mostly exhilarating rock music, but this piece is one of the more slow, somber ones. It's the theme for a girl in Japan, named Sahori, who experiences bullying in high school. Her life takes a tragic turn when a demon takes advantage of her immense sorrow and possesses her.

I'd be lying if I said the ease of slow pieces weren't a major reason why I like playing them, but I do like playing them for other reason. You only get so many clear, distinct chances to display how expressive you can play with slow pieces like these. I see it as a challenge to really accentuate the loud or soft notes. If the melody has more whole notes and half notes, you really have to put in the effort to make something that may seem simple feel really expressive. I managed to learn this piece in one session, and I think I made it sound really good with the time I spent with it.