Rev 2 of the opening chapter of Flight of the Parasprite
Password is tubamirum.
edit: spellchecker somehow took medley and replaced it with melody.

I... might be calling the 'Fluttershy finds Philomena and tries to nurse her back to health. Meanwhile, Celestia is frantically looking for her pet phoenix, who vanished so long ago' idea.

1209714
This sounds like a really interesting story. So, would this mean all three royals would be coming into town for a visit?

1209714: ...love this idea. :-) Can't wait to see it.

1209714
Oh boy. That... sounds fun.

come to think of it. We might need to address the chronology. We may have to issue out some sort of a guide on this....

1210488 At least Celestia. Maybe Cadance to escort her and make sure she doesn't get into trouble.

1211146 Thanks. :)

1211153 Good idea. I'd like this one to take place relatively early.

1211153: Probably smart. I'll post a thread in a few minutes.

1211162: Music of Ponyville was at the spring equinox, and Busting Boasts, I would say, was probably sometime in summer, so if you want an early story spring/summer is probably the right season.

Ok. I've just written up the second chapter of the story, by the way! Let me know if it's ok.

1219782: I've left you comments on your first two chapters. Overall, really enjoying the story. You've put a lot of thought into the actual mechanics of pony music, and I for one love that kind of thing.

I've had an idea for the first foal story. Silver Spoon wants to start learning the piano, but she doesn't seem to be able to talk to anypony about it... until she meets a pair of other musical foals. Sort of a take on 'Call of the Cutie', but music themed, and with the protagonist an arrogant bully instead of everyone's favorite future apple farmer.

1224902
Thank you! I will be making changes accordingly...
one of the things that I did try to do by the second chapter is to show Bluenote's problems to a point, but it's been a bit too subtle.
Her use of CC eliminates a need to transpose pieces since most music literature outside of concert setting would be in natural scale. BBb and Eb are very typical of concert instruments, so when they run into the C, they need to do just a little bit of work to transpose... not much. BBb Tuba pieces can be written in treble clef so that the trumpet can get on it without thinking.

Highly technical works such as say the Tuba Concerto would be something that Bluenote can't sightread I think. This is the kind of technical requirements to succeed in professional orchestra, when you don't really have the time to keep practicing a piece as you do recitals.It also requires very strict practice regimen that isn't a spur-of-the-moment thing.

The irony with Tuba of course is that technical passages are far and few between literature wise (when compared to the Woodwind or the string sections. It's just so new as an instrument.) There's something like this, but that's not your everyday work on this instrument.

1225084: I saw the second chapter after. I liked it, and do think it helps show Bluenote's technical limitations.

The thing that I am thinking of exploring at is how this musical society is coping with a very exciting age with music...

We see the nascent music that's not analogue, but mana/digital-manipulated (Vinyl).
There's the breakthrough in mechanics that made brass sections possible, making woodwind sophisticated.
There's Jazz, several genres of it. Big band, bluegrass...
The transition from organ, harpsichord to Piano's complete.
The Romantic period in musical expression's also in full display, with waltz, concertos, fantasias floating around.
This makes for a very, very dynamic age, where you have electro-mana violins that might be around the corner, while the older traditions of say chants, sonnets and hymns were still much practiced.

There's a ton to discuss, especially when you have Medley that's capable of fashioning new instruments and adopt new techniques and such. Deriving say a Sousaphone, or an ophicleide is not out of the picture here.

1225046

I wonder if this should be a prequel as the foals seemed to be together in the first story. Maybe set a few months prior to Octavia's arrival?

This might be something to create a separate thread for but what do people think for the mane-6s families?

* We know Octavia's parents are nobility and she has two older sisters (the hair and the spare)

There could be a bit of sibling rivalry there now that Octy's so famous

* Fluttershy's dad is a politician famous for civil causes but its been hinted he's pushing her to hard to follow in his hoof steps leading to her low self esteem.

I don't think anything has been mentioned of the other four, so here's some ideas

* Bluenote

Her father is an incredibly famous musician and an idol of Octy

"But that's Moody Blue, he's the greatest flutist of the generation, when he performed in the Canterlot chamber orchestra the entire audience wept for half an hour after he finished. The great conductor Note Master retired after hearing him play saying that he had heard perfection and music had no further interest for him now."

"Yeah, I generally call him Dad."

My first idea was that he'd be pushing his daughter to follow in his hoof steps but that's to close to Fluttershy's Dad.

So

He's just not a very good father, he wasn't abusive just was never there, he spent all his time rehearsing. He never married Blue's mother (a flower child type) but provided for her and his daughter. He's more of less what Octy would be in 20-30 years if she didn't get friends.

Octy might have a bit of a fangirl crush on him until she actually see's how hollow he is. Maybe he can't play for some reason and he just doesn't have anyone else or anything else to do.

*Medley

I see her as an orphan so that she's literally built herself up from nothing.

*Vinyl

For some reason I think she has a big family, lots of brothers and sisters, maybe even an extended clan of some sort. Maybe a parent or older sibling in the military.

*Lyra

I have two idea's here: -
One or more of her parents have what at first sounds like a very exciting job but when you look at it they do a boring part of that job. She grew up with tall tales of her parents job and that's where she got her knight errant side from, maybe her parent is army or police but is in supply or dispatch.

or

Her parents have very dull jobs, maybe minor beurocrats. She escaped from her dull life into fantasy and never came back. Her parents love her but don't understand her, they want her to settle down.

Anyone else got idea's, suggestions, want to tear these apart?

1227618
Unicorn Flutist at that? It'd be impossible for any of the other tribes to cover the tonehole positions. There's no way around the tonehole spacing issue (that's physics,) so there's nothing to be done there. About the only woodwind that will allow you such leeway would be the likes of bass Flutes/Clarinets/Bassons and up, and it'd be fiendishly difficult to get the keywork right. Absolute nightmare to get proper seals and to keep the thing in regulation...

A unicorn woodwind player will have it very, very good. Telekinesis would have greatly reduced the level of complexity on the horn. You don't need to design alternate hole positions to facilitate alternate fingering (a must for manual players,) although it would take quite a bit of practice to partially cover the toneholes and to roll-off of them gently for techniques such as glissando.

(Gosh, the Unicorns' physical advantage would have meant that you would automatically develop two schools of playing... like the German Oehler school vs. French Boehm Clarinet school)

1227492: I saw that more as those three happened to all get separated from their families and knew that Fluttershy would open her door to them. I don't think I see them as friends yet.

1227618

[Bluenote's] father is an incredibly famous musician and an idol of Octy
My first idea was that he'd be pushing his daughter to follow in his hoof steps but that's to close to Fluttershy's Dad.
So
He's just not a very good father, he wasn't abusive just was never their, he spent all his time rehearsing. He never married Blue's mother (a flower child type) but provided her and his daughter. He's more of less than Octy would be in 20-30 years if she didn't get friends.
Octy might have a bit of a fangirl crush on him until she actually see's how hollow he is. Maybe he can't play for some reason and he just doesn't have anyone else or anything else to do.

Hmm. That's somewhat similar to some of my own ideas -- I'll post mine too so everyone can see.

Bluenote's father is a world-class musician. He's one of the very top in Equestria; when he plays, he can make thousands of ponies weep. To get that good, he's had to make many sacrifices. He has little social life; he has no hobbies or other interests; while he was there as a father, raised Bluenote well, and was attentive to his wife, he has little contact with the rest of his family. Possibly he's developed some minor health problems, either from not exercising (spending most of his time practicing) or an ulcer or something.
To him, it's worth it. He knows what he's given up and what it's cost him, and he can honestly say that being able to play the kind of beautiful music that he can play, mastering his art to that level, and having reached the peak of his field, is worth all the effort and toil. Bluenote, though, looks at him, and while she loves her father and can appreciate his music, she decides that she isn't willing to go to that kind of extreme. To her, it wouldn't be worth it. The two are still close, and they both respect each other's decisions, but they're also very different in that regard.
This could set up some interesting plot points. There's the usual "everyone is stunned to learn that Bluenote's dad is the famous Moody Blue," or "Everyone panicks upon hearing the famous Moody Blue is coming to town, they prepare all this exquisite music, and then it turns out that he just wants to hear one of his daughter's ditties." Maybe Moody has one regret, one thing he wished he'd done that he'd have trouble doing now, that Bluenote, displaying an unusual amount of actual drive, resolves to help him achieve (traveling to some location, participating in some activity that he has zero familiarity with because of his practicing, etc.)

As for Medley... dunno if she should be an orphan, but I do think she grew up poor. Haven't given much thought to her family besides that.

I like the idea of Vinyl being part of a huge family. It seems to fit her, somehow. :-)

I am not sure why, but my mental image from GrassAndClouds2 of Blutenote's father made me think of the legendary Benny Goodman, a very demanding, hard-driven man. A bit intensive, killer glare, unbigoted, although generous in secret.

1232423

Well we could give him a pony name linked to him Bluie Goodpony? Moodie Blue was just a suggestion linked to Bluenote, there's no reason his name should be linked to Bluenote's at all.

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These are cool ideas; I especially like the one about Bluenote's dad being a famous musician who, like Octavia, sacrificed his social life over his proficiency. I think it'd be kinda neat if Medley was raised by someone other than her parents, like for instance, her grandma, who was really into music but never took it on professionally.
The idea of Bluenote taking her dad somewhere or helping him do something he never got to do due to his lifestyle sounds incredibly heartwarming.

1234817

How about wanting to teach a foal to play an instrument?

Bluenote could be sort of conflicted about it, she knows it's a good cause but Moon dam it why couldn't he have made time to do it for her when she was a foal? Her father could feel the same, it feels good to instil a love on music into the next generation but someone else had to do it for his own daughter.

Maybe ending up with a scene where he shows Bluenote how to play a new instrument and she calls him Daddy?

1234876
Sounds adorable! I would totally volunteer to write it but have exactly .01% knowledge of music.
Seriously though, someone get on that. And the instrument could totally be something you wouldn't expect a foal to be able to play but he's so eager to share his passion that it would still work out. And Bluenote would be just like, 'yeah, I'm glad you're reaching out and trying to teach music to the next generation, but where was all this enthusiasm when I was a foal?'
And cue the Full House music at the end with the touching reconciliation scene between father and daughter where both recognize the other's flaws and grow as ponies together.

1234957

I'm probably much the same with music but I think in fic writing as in GMing you can get through most things by faking it.

1234963
But what if people more versed in music saw through my clever ruse? My reputation as a fanfic writer of small colorful horses would be forever tarnished!

...But really, I guess if you can do enough research people wouldn't really know the difference unless it goes into the nitty gritty details that only experience would bring.

1235193: This idea sounds really good, and I think it'd be really cool if somebody wrote this story. :-)

One little suggestion -- it might be interesting if one of the reasons that Bluenote's dad didn't teach Bluenote as much is because Bluenote's dad knows how much work it takes to get to the very top, and knew that Bluenote wouldn't like it if he (Bluenote's dad) forced her to practice that much. He didn't want to be one of those parents that forces their children to practice eight hours a day when they don't like it, and that's the way he knows how to teach/perform. So he shied away from teaching her, not wanting to overwork her and kill off her love of music.

1166854: Changelings are probably not something we want to do right away... but I could see it happening at some point in a later season, if we get there. :-)

Out of curiosity, I don't suppose you have any thoughts on the above parent-talk? :-D

1234817: I agree, and I love heartwarming stories. :-)

1235769
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. He would be considerate of her personal approach to music.

1235960
Yeah, I thought it might be too soon for changelings, but since there were no specific plans for doing anything special with them either, it seemed reasonable enough to at least suggest the idea.

Now since you asked about parent...

Let's start with Blue Note since I see here directly above. If I'm following correctly the idea is that her father is an extremely talented high level musician and instructor, but seemingly never had time to train his own daughter which left Blue Note feeling somewhat resentful/neglected, jealous of other foals he has trained, and/or maybe even a need to try proving herself to him. The truth though, is that beneath his stern and uncompromising dedication to musical perfection, he understood his daughter wouldn't enjoy his rigorous regiments and so didn't want to force it upon her, instead leaving her to peruse her own path.

Sounds like a good dynamic relationship with some interesting story potential. I also like the idea that Octavia looks on Blue Notes dad as a sort of inspirational role model. Could provide an opportunity to test the measure of their friendship should Blue Note's dad show up and seemingly shower Octavia with the praise Blue Note always wanted from him.

...

As to the rest of the C6, I'm not seeing any detailed idea yet, but most of the baselines look interesting so far.

Well except maybe Medley, though it extends past her family and into her general presentation. I think a little too much emphasis has been placed on her supposed finical shortcomings. Her music store might be struggling, but the fact she owns her own business should still pretty much exclude her actually being outright poor. Rather, it's just that most of her money is tied up in her store, leaving her with limited liquid assets.

Too a lesser extent, while of course she sells normal instruments, I think more attention should be given to her as a crafter of her own creations, instruments that aren't met to be played by ponies but by the whether (wind-chimes, rain-drums, and other such). I very much like the idea of her not so much as a musician herself, but a pony whose talent is in hearing the rhythm where others hear only noise and creating devices that capture and amplify that sound for all to enjoy. So to me it's not so much even that her store is struggling (after all, if Ponyville has a market for Rarity's fancy dresses, I think a music shop would do just fine). Rather she just puts most of her profit toward her creating these ambient instruments, which don't sell so well because in part because they are too good at blending into the background, so most ponies don't realize or appreciate how much the more subtle music augments the everyday environment.

Ok. Just to get this out of the way. Chapter 3 of Flight of the Parasprite done!

1237040
Changelings and their musical abilities shouldn't be underestimated come to think of it. If the Day Aria was anything to go by... I wouldn't be surprised that Chrysalis would have an alluring voice and a vocal tradition to go with it!

Bluenote wise, there's a lot of juicy room here to develop. This can be expanded by others for sure. As for Medley, well, that's something that would be of high interest to me (it was so much fun writing about a techie's point of view.) I really want to look into the whole musical trade through Medley!

1187395
Oh just wait. If someone gets me started, I'll leave you all in the dust (possibly, you never know), I start spouting all sorts of ... stuff.

Kay I'm finally here!
Um, but my brain went *sploot* between the music abilities thread and trying to process all of this one.
So someone just tell me where to jump in, or I'll just start imputing from here on out.

1237040:

Let's start with Blue Note since I see here directly above. If I'm following correctly the idea is that her father is an extremely talented high level musician and instructor, but seemingly never had time to train his own daughter which left Blue Note feeling somewhat resentful/neglected, jealous of other foals he has trained, and/or maybe even a need to try proving herself to him. The truth though, is that beneath his stern and uncompromising dedication to musical perfection, he understood his daughter wouldn't enjoy his rigorous regiments and so didn't want to force it upon her, instead leaving her to peruse her own path.

I'm not sure I'd see their relationship as being that bad right off the bat. I would imagine that, while Bluenote may have been unhappy a while ago that her father didn't seem to want to train her and instead found her another teacher/left her to find another teacher (who could more appropriately work with Bluenote's level of discipline and motivation), it would have largely subsided... until she learns that now her dad is training someone (or a new someone, if he's taken students before). Then I could see her, while on one hand enthusiastic that a foal is going to be receiving such great instruction, while also unhappy that it wasn't her.

And I do like the idea, mentioned above, that the story ends with Bluenote's dad teaching her some technical trick or piece or even the beginnings of another instrument.

Too a lesser extent, while of course she sells normal instruments, I think more attention should be given to her as a crafter of her own creations, instruments that aren't met to be played by ponies but by the whether (wind-chimes, rain-drums, and other such). I very much like the idea of her not so much as a musician herself, but a pony whose talent is in hearing the rhythm where others hear only noise and creating devices that capture and amplify that sound for all to enjoy. So to me it's not so much even that her store is struggling (after all, if Ponyville has a market for Rarity's fancy dresses, I think a music shop would do just fine). Rather she just puts most of her profit toward her creating these ambient instruments, which don't sell so well because in part because they are too good at blending into the background, so most ponies don't realize or appreciate how much the more subtle music augments the everyday environment.

Hmm. I'd imagine that most ponies would only buy one or two instruments, and since they're well made they wouldn't need to come back to buy more when the first one fell apart (unlike clothes that can be outgrown or worn out). I could see that as constraining Medley's finances; once she's sold an instrument to all the foals in town, where's her market?

Regarding her constructed instruments: MoP implied that she likes to keep those to herself, both because it's less stressful (if she's working on, say, tuning a tuba and screws it up, she's out whatever it cost her to bring in and she won't make a sale she could have made. If she screws up a windchime she was never going to sell anyway, it's not as disastrous. This lets her actually relax and focus on her craft when building her nature-instruments, instead of having to constantly worry that a slip of the hoof would cost her a hundred+ bits). That's also why she was mad at Tavi for displaying her aeolian harp; before it was fun, but at that point, if there was an error, then Cadance and the whole town would think less of her and would be less inclined to support her (she thinks). There's also the idea that, while her regular instruments are technically hers, she has to treat them in certain ways to sell them to others; she has to ensure they are fit for public consumption. Her natural instruments aren't for the public; they're private, and she can do whatever she wants -- she can experiment, maybe try some things that might not sell well (and might not even work) but who cares? It's her one luxury.

That said, I also like your idea that ponies tend to tune out her chimes and such because they fade into the background. Could be a cool fic in her working with the more outgoing musicians (Lyra, Bluenote, Vinyl) to try to develop more of a presence.

1239901: Yes, I definitely want to ref. that if/when we do changelings. Chrysalis has a nice singing voice. :-)

1241564: Where to start? Well, if you've read the stories up in the folder, and brainstorming thread, you're probably good to go! :-)

1247806
1241564
1234957
1234963
1211162

All of this discussion has given me an idea, and I think I will have something that I can post up in a bit.
Let's out-do Hearth Warming's Eve, and the Day Aria.

I am thinking of doing Philomena's story as Bizet's Carmen, and Fluttershy is going to be Don José! It's going to play out as the opera.

Edit: Postah?

1250889
Dude! That poster is adorable!!
And, reading through the Wikipedia article, it seems like you have your work cut out for you turning that particular opera into a lighthearted jaunt.

1247806
Even the highest quality instrument will weardown over time and need a part replaced here and there. Good music shops will also usually sell oils and other such items meant for the basic care and maintenance of an instrument, as well as sheet music, self-instruction guides, and other such paraphernalia. So even if she only sells the occasion full instrument, she should be able to offer plenty of periphery items/services to tide her over in between. Plus, children can be fickly. My cousin has gone through the piano, saxophone, guitar, and violin in the pursuit of an instrument that suited her ability and interest.

Anyway though, this is your verse so whatever direction you choose to take Medley in is your choice to make, and you must always stay true to your own personal artistic sensibilities as an author. I've told RDD that he must be the guiding vision that steers the course of the Lunaverse, and I believe every bit the same in regards to you here in your Cadanceverse.

Tat said, I personally feel, that setting her up as a sort of artistic recluse that hides her real creations from the world stifles her as a character. I also think it sort of makes her selfish in a way that is unbecoming of the Element of Loyalty, in a way that goes far beyond M!Dash's ego or L!Lyra's bouts of listlessness. Notably, while dash is totally full of herself, she does seem to genuinely believe that her awesomess serves as an inspiration to others.

Now perhaps she still doesn't make money selling her creations, but not because she hordes them all to herself, but rather because she doesn't feel comfortable turning her work of passion into a source of financial revenue. To her, such creation are meant to unobtrusive, to blend into the background in a way where nopony ever notices them and just assumes they were always there. As such, maybe she sets them up around town entirely at her own cost, and perhaps even anonymously in night when no one is watching, giving the whole town a more vibrant ambiance without anypony ever even being consciously aware of the difference.

Also, I rather took it that while yes, Medley was upset about having her aeolian harp displayed without her permission, but more so in context of what I was talking about above. She intends her creation to be subtle background elements, not put front and center stage to be gawked at. Furthermore, she found the notion that she was expected to PLAY the aeolian harp offensive on a deeper level as it is not an instrument meant to be manually operated in such a fashion, so the very idea of using it as part of an active performance goes against her personal sensibilities as an artist.

...granted that does make things a bit awkward when it comes to their Elemental concerts, but then again I never really approved aeolian harp becoming the physical manifestation of her Loyalty. Still, your verse, not mine.

Ok. I am not sure if this can pass moderation. This is the link

Password is habanera

1251827: The password doesn't work. :-( I get an 'incorrect password' notice.

1251835
Try it again!

1251839: Works now! (And looks awesome!)

An idea that's been on my mind (and has mutated quite a bit) all day.

For Nightmare night why don't we do an anthology story with each of us writing a different scary story. The bookend is that Bluenote and the rest of the elements are taking some foals out camping and are telling the stories to them. To give it a C-verse touch each is musical in some way.

The idea's I had (and these have mutated from being scary in several cases)

Lyra - The story of Orpheus and his journey into the underworld.
Bluenote - The Pied Piper (Tubaist) of Hamlin (Ponyville) (although I think something like this could be a whole story by itself rather than a part of an anthology.)
Fluttershy or Medley - The nutcracker
Vinyl - Repo the genetic opera (strange I know)

And comments on the general idea or other possible stories?

1252968: I like it, although I wasn't sure that Nutcracker was a scary story. (Isn't about a little girl and her toys beating an evil rat army?) But otherwise, I like the idea.

Hmm... wonder what Tavi would do... maybe something like Don Juan? that did end with a guy being dragged to Hell...

1254154

I think the rat army's fairly scary.

Has anything been done that musical about Faust? I could see Octavia self inserting about someone willing to sell their soul to nightmare moon in order to gain supernatural musical talent.

The other I could think of was something based on Danse Macabre

1254508
I am doing a fic about Madoka that alludes heavily to Faust... very heavily.
I can do this I guess.

Anyways, the current story that I am now putting through submission process is pretty much about Philomena. It's lighthearted, and it showcases poor Fluttershy being seduced by the gorgeous bird. Heavily Operatic! It's something that I thought of doing when it comes to Goethe Faust, but the sheer size of the epic (two parts, damnit!) made me not want to do it.

EDIT1: Good news. I've finally had reworked a format that has just passed moderation... you can have the actual lines of a story that's not in English, so long as the whole thing has translation going with it, and that the story can be read just from the narrative in the traditional sense. (so you need to have the drama or opera play out as a story while using quotes for the lines, so that they overlay on top of each other)

EDIT2: I hope that I can pass the canon test with this on the other hand.

1258231

There's a test

No one told me there'd be a test.

I didn't study!

EH?! The one evening I take off and the thread explodes with stuff >.<
1252968
Uh Orpheus, bane of my sophmore year when i still was a music major. But that is very fitting for Lyra. My other suggestion would be Wagner's Ring, but that's an 3 part epic (often done in one sitting)(also one I read the whole libretto for. Don't ask, I was bored.)
And i'm always down for Nutcracker (except for the suite arrangement from thanksgiving to Christmas. One can only stand Sugar Plum and Waltz so many times. Especially when you're dancing the sucker.) Tchy and Pepita for the Win!
1254508
eh, depends on what version you use. If it's the original, know that it's an old Russian fairy tale, so it's weird. Also, Danse Macabre, don't remember much about it, but damn fine violin solo in it.
1250889
Sorry I missed it, but I see the version that got accepted. Just for clarification, this is a C!verse story? But using Philomena for Carmen will be punny yet golden at Carmen's aria. What we really should do is find a way to make an audio version of it.

IDEAA!
What with the operas and such, can we include ballet's too? Messed up plot lines, (or plot lines that go nowhere at all), wussy princes, and good music should make good fodder for someone. Exhibit A: Le Sacre du printemps anyone?

OhOh! 1812! Cannon solo anyone?

1259066
pfftttf, just a canon test. *insert smartass Music* The french at least came up with a cannon ramrod that allowed them to stand off to the side while loading. I bet they held off letting the British having that tech as long as possible. It's always nice when your enemy is being stupid and hasn't figured out a way to to not stand in front of the cannon while loading. Pesky thing, gunpowder. A five-pound cannon ball is about the size of a softball, and can be flung about a mile. (not that it did the Americans much good in 1812*...)
*different 1812 issue than referenced in earlier post.

Please pardon me, i'm like really hyper atm

1263386
Yes. It is C!verse. Fluttershy will not get huge development though! (cause don José didn't get much of that either) By the way, where are we going to find a bird that will whistle all of that? (Never mind Mezzo Soprano voiceover) And don't forget about Angel Bunny, who's playing Micaëla!

The bombastic 1812 overture is very good with Lyra. Confetti cannon barrage with Pinkie would be swell...

1263428

The bombastic 1812 overture is very good with Lyra. Confetti cannon barrage with Pinkie would be swell...

I was thinkin gBass Cannon, but yours makes so much more sense. I'd like to see the two of them trying to justify why they're shooting off cannons everywhere to City Hall.

1263448
There's nothing wrong with bass cannon with party cannon. You need about 16 cannon shots in the overture.