The use of Unconventional Instruments in Film Scores
Lots of my subscribers have asked me in the past about the use of unconventional instruments when scoring films.
So I thought I would put together some of my favourite examples.
Many films contain stories that take place in numerous countries or geographical areas. Composers will often use instruments that originate from a particular country, in order to try and add a greater degree of authenticity to the music.
Uilleann Pipes
There are numerous examples of the Uilleann pipes (sometimes called the 'Irish Bagpipes') found in film scores. One of the most famous is from the opening cue to the score for 'Titanic', called 'Never An Absolution', composed by James Horner.
Here the Uilleann pipes are being used to help identify that the Titanic was built in Belfast, Ireland, along with the fact that one of the main characters, Jack Dawson (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) originated from Ireland.
Horner also uses the Uilleann pipes in the film score for 'Braveheart' (although the film is set in Scotland and the Uilleann pipes are Irish!) heard playing the melody at around 1:17:
Spitfire Labs have a Uilleann Pipes Instrument to download for free.
Shakuhachi
The Shakuhachi is a Japanese Bamboo flute. The movie 'Snow Falling on Cedars', with music composed by James Newton Howard, tells the story of a Japanese-American woman, who is accused of murdering a fisherman. Because of the main character's cultural background, the score makes use of various colours associated with Japanese Music, including the Shakuhachi.
You can hear the Shakuhachi being used here at around the 1:54 mark:
You can download a free Shakuhachi Sampled instrument from Pianobooks.
Sitar
The Sitar is a plucked string instrument from India. Thomas Newman frequently makes extensive use of non conventional instruments within his scores - one of his most recent, the score to 'Elemental', makes use of the Sitar (amongst a whole host of other instruments).You can hear it playing in the background at around 0:51:
Marimba
The marimba is a wooden pitched Percussion Instrument, originating from Africa. Thanks to its frequent use in Hollywood movies, the Marimba is arguably much more mainstream these days.
One of the most well known uses of the Marimba is in Thomas Newman's score to American Beauty:
Variations on the more traditional Marimba include a Slate Marimba and Glass Marimba, both of which can be heard in the cue 'Forbidden Friendship' from 'How To Train Your Dragon', composed by John Powell, starting from 12:05 in the video below:
Duduk
Finally, lets take a quick look at another wind instrument, the Duduk, which is a double reeded wooden instrument originating from Armenia. The Duduk has been used in countless soundtracks, including the 'The Russia House' (composed by Jerry Goldsmith):
