Minoan Bull Vaulters

[TracingArcs]

https://www.pianobook.co.uk/ is running its Advent Calendar. And here's a little thing to illustrate the Ideal Bouzouki by Fred Poirer (in the free Decent Sampler format). Includes other Pianobook instruments.

[jack c.]

nice interesting sounds.jack c.

[TracingArcs]

thanks jack  c. 👍  

[PhonoBrainer]

I know some Minoan history and have always found the bull leaping particularly fascinating, and this soundtrack for that is really wonderful. There can be 5 or so elements going on at once, and I can hear them all cleanly in the mix. Plus the rhythm pulses along, infectious.

I think you cleared the bull and stuck the landing.

[TracingArcs]

Thank you Phonobrainer. Very kind words indeed. (ps: as a child I was always fascinated by ancient Greek history, and ended up marrying a Greek and have a child with an ancient name : Thalia the muse of song, poetry and theatre).

[Xoo]

This is really excellent: the balance between the breathy pads and the plucked sounds is perfect.  It has a real ancient *and* modern (futuristic almost) feel to it,

[TracingArcs]

Thanks Kevin. Very much appreciated.

[Larry T.]

Hello TracingArcs....very, very well done....completely transportive in a cinematic way, when i closed my eyes i was back in ancient Greece on an island overlooking the sea....if you have time, a question, please, did you play the percussion live using pads???? sorry if it's a dumb question but i'm still new to this DAW stuff 👍🎼🥁🎹

[TracingArcs]

Thanks Larry. Appreciated. I actually spent a few years writing background music for a small video company that did travel-vlogs about Crete and other Greek Islands. And used by the Greek tourist board.

The percussion is half and half live loops I made (Using Sitala the free sampler) using my own samples, played in on my keyboard . About five variations with frame drums of various pitches and bass drums.Then made into midi clips, and pasted across the timeline. And free Kontakt loops with the Splash Sound free percussion elements 1. And some loops from the Middle East Kontakt instrument from NI. I always mix loops with live playing. It adds a degree of "oops that was human" to things.

[Wookiee]

Nice soundscape ideal for the chilling of ones mood, even if the song is about madly trying to jump over bulls.  I like, nice.

[TracingArcs]

And that ain't no bull........

[antler]

Very atmospheric - I enjoyed that!

If you don't mind me asking, which scale/mode are you using for the plucked melody? It's quite different from what I usually listen to.

[TracingArcs]

I believe it's Ionian (or could be Dorian). I'm not strong on theses things. Go more by instinct !

[David Sprouse]

I can hear your prior experience with the travel vdeos. I can feel the sun and the heat and dust, really great TA.

[TracingArcs]

Thank you David 👍

[bjornpdx]

I can hear this used in a documentary about ancient Greece, kind of time travel music accompanied by traditional
Greek instruments. Very nice composition.
-Bjorn

[TracingArcs]

Thanks Bjorn. I was trying to evoke that feeling of observing an ancient ritual. With traditional instruments and contemporary electronics.