HornForHire - Emerald Isles

Steinberg Lounge
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Hi everyone, I’ve been away from the forum for quite a while, busy with a lot of things, like learning to play the Uilleann Pipes (Irish bag pipes), which are featured in this recording.
I love film music and recently started recording my own cinematic compositions (I’m on Cubase 12 at the moment).

This composition combines Balinese and Irish instruments, such as the gamelan, low whistle, and uilleann pipes. It is based on a Balinese pentatonic scale using the notes B, C, D, F#, and G. Only these five notes are featured consistently throughout the piece, both in the melody and the accompaniment, to create a cohesive and harmonious sound.

The title, Emerald Isles, reflects the shared nickname of Bali and Ireland—the “Emerald Isle”—a tribute to their lush, green landscapes.

You can find more compositions on my Music for Movies channel on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@MusicforMovies-wk

2 Likes
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Very beautiful music, the very repetitive theme is catchy, we never get tired of it. The images of the video are superb. Ireland, magnificent country. Of the three productions that you posted on YouTube, this is the one that I prefer. Very successful.

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Hi Rene,

Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it.

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Hi Wim, so happy to see a new piece by you. Lovely and interesting! Curious about the Balinese pentatonic scale. Is that because a gamelan can only play those notes? The video says you play all the instruments, but I assumed some of them are VSTs. But the uilleann pipes were played by you? Didn’t your neighbors object?

1 Like
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Thanks Leon!
There are different scales in Balinese music, this specific one is the ‘pelog degung’ scale, which only has these five tones.
The gamelan is indeed a VST (Halion), and so are the strings and drum sounds. I also used choir samples, but combined them with many tracks of my own voice.

The low whistle and the Uilleann pipes are the real deal. The Uillean pipes are not as loud as the Scottisch bagpipes, they’re a completely different instrument really. The neighbours don’t object, because they don’t hear them. :wink: My studio is pretty soundproof, I also play saxophone and all other instruments there.