Music Generalizations by Sarahetc

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Music Generalizations

POSTED BY: SARAHETC
UPDATED: Friday, March 21, 2003 11:32
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Thursday, March 20, 2003 4:10 PM

Okay. So watched Serenity last night and OoG tonight and got to thinking some about the music.

Can we generalize that 'asian' influenced music means 'bad guys, bad stuff, not great,' whereas the folky stuff and the string choruses are 'good guys, good stuff, shiny'?

The Reavers theme (shivvering chimes and somebody wailing on the timpani) sounds asian to me. So does the Bad Guy Rescue ship in OoG (gong hit and low winds/brass). Early's theme is not as obviously asian, but it is a bass clarinet playing a pentatonic (I think--theory was a long time ago and I slept through a lot of it) line/theme. I don't know off the top of my head what mode it is.

Shots of Serenity are usually accompanied by folk and bluegrass style music and often solo fiddle (which I think we should differentiate from violin and string chorus in this instance). It obviously varries from happy to sad, but the harmonics are consistent.

Something that I can't reconcile is how in the two instances that danger is near but Our Intrepid Crew is unawares (the marriage ceremony in OMR and the pre-kidnapping dance in Safe) the music sounds celtic to me.

Thoughts? Flames? Anybody pay attention in music theory class?

Sarah

I'm a dying breed who still believes, haunted by American dreams. ---Neko Case

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Thursday, March 20, 2003 9:21 PM

NOOCYTE

I'd need to listen more closely to address more specifics (oh, DARN! Another reason to watch the eps!). A few points do come to mind:

The twangy bluegrass stuff seems to appear in various areas, but most generally to be associated with the "sweet home Serenity" motif.

The Celtic bits (some of which I've had great fun teaching myself on the whistle!) appear to be asociated with the "colonists living a simple (if at times squalid) life on the Rim" theme. I think the "danger is nigh" quality may be more a matter dramatic irony, (where we, as viewers [or in the case of OMR, RE-viewers] have emotions provoked by the juxtaposition of innocent simplicity with lurking menace), than an intrinsic leitmotif thingie as such.

The Reavers' theme is like nothing else in the series, what with its primal, discordant, "Mongol hordes at the walls" qualities. Stands out starkly and gives the shudders. Like something the pig-poking boys in Lord of the Flies would play by the fire.

What I'd need to attend to in another round of viewings is whether the Asian modes follow a pattern, or whether they're just interspersed less deliberately, to remind us of the whole "Sino-Anglo" thing.

Cool line of thought, though. I'd love to see interviews with the composer(s).

Department of Redundancy Department

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Friday, March 21, 2003 11:32 AM

BLUEHOOT

Generally in tv and movies the soundtrack serves to enhance the specific scenes its attached to. Many choose specific chords or whatnot to be played with specific types of scenes....like the same thing or similar things played when the Reavers come or some other scary baddies.

When we're watching, we're not really paying attention to the music but the action and words onscreen. But the music serves as a cue to tell us subliminally that something bad is coming up or everything is ok now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I wish I was a jellyfish because jellyfish dont pay rent.

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