Not lacking in instrumentality

 

Finished a case for the lyre. This was a technology trial; I didn't spend a lot of time trying to make it look nice.

The next cover is going to be the opening theme from Game of Thrones. It also won't be very good. That's one of the reasons I'm doing it.









I'm it doing around the older instruments in my collection; the "Sutton Hoo" lyre, the Shetland Gue, bohdran standing in for early frame drum.

It won't be wonderful because it is too hard to play the gue in tune (and because of the drone string I can't fix it in software). And the very period "block-and-strum" technique is also both harmonically limited and, well, noisy.

But its good for me to work on something that isn't worth spending a lot of time on. Call it another test piece.



One of these days I should get a better picture of the gue. But I keep meaning to re-do the finish on it, and no sense in shooting it before then, right?






So I've pretty much got the kit to do a certain sort of early acoustic music. Mostly where I'm lacking is the skills on the instruments I have. Penny whistle at speed and with all the flourishes. Making full use of the acoustic guitar with combined strumming and finger-picking. Better bodhran and darbuka. Folk fiddle technique.

But more importantly, I'm lacking the theory to do the kind of harmonization and voice leading and, for that matter, the skill in sight-reading the increasingly complex parts I'm writing. The next piece after this is probably "Far Horizons" from the Skyrim soundtrack. A similar project is the "Citadel" track from Mass Effect 1. I have arrangements in my head. Translating them to parts is at the very edge of my current theory skills. (Actually playing the parts may be beyond all of my skills).

So, really, I have much bigger problems than trying to add to the ensemble. That's the problem in thinking like a composer. I hear sounds in my head that don't come from the instruments in my collection. For "Far Horizons" I'm hearing flute, for instance.

And that's just what I need; to get into the esoterics of the Boehm fingering system. There is an interesting hybrid option, though; a Low D tin whistle with interchangeable head to turn it into a simple-system or Irish flute. Which is to say; not quite as mechanically complex as a concert flute.

Another thing that would come in handy is harp. Not pedal harp, here. Just a Celtic harp, lap harp, or even smaller. A nicer shawm and/or crumhorn. And of course more drums. Can never have enough drums.

Yeah, this picture doesn't include the gue. Or the penny whistles. Or the violin -- all of which are perfectly useable for vaguely medieval/folk-acoustic stuff.






I've been listening to a lot of trumpet lately, and the instrument is growing on me. It really isn't a solo instrument, though. What I mean is, yes, trumpet can solo, but that's against a bed of, well mostly brass. It is really rare to hear a trumpet part without hearing some trombone parts. Plus sax, maybe french horn, clarinet, flute, tuba, flugelhorn, etc.

So, yeah. Find other musicians. Tweak the sound to try to sound like trombone (actually sort of works). Or just use synthesis. Doesn't matter so much right at the moment because my trumpet playing is still poor. And it's the instrument I've been practicing with regularly, too.

(When I get back to the Hellboy cover, that's about what I'm going to have to do; use the trumpet and the Venova to try to mimic a full brass section.)

I have to say; the main upside to the Venova is it is rare and it looks unique. As a sort of mini, budget, soprano saxophone it sort of is to a proper sax what the Ukulele Bass is to a proper full-length bass guitar.

Which is to say, looked at from a purist point of view it is tonally compromised (also harder to play in pitch, play the full range, etc.) But looked at from an arranger point of view, you use the sound you have.

The same arguments, only even more so, can be made about the piccolo french horn. Both instruments also get added to the list of instruments I need a practice space for (the trumpet isn't great to practice on Yamaha Silent Mute, but at least I can).

I still want one, though.





I just did a re-listen of two of the "weird but cute" brass instruments on my wish list. The pBone mini -- which is an Eb alto trombone in plastic -- lacks the metallic edge of a real brass instrument. The piccolo french horn sounds a bit like a french horn but just as much as a trumpet. When you get down to it, the tonal colors provided by those two instruments can be better achieved on a trumpet with performance tricks and some audio manipulation.