Solo 18: Powered By Thirds

SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY
Written By Chrysanthe Tan

Jeremy Sawruk returns to the show to talk minutes 86-90 of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Today, we're getting into the Kessel Run, which features familiar themes from the Asteroid Field, Here They Come, and more. On the soundtrack, you'll find this cue in "Reminiscence Therapy" and "Kessel Run in Less Than 12 Parsecs."

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 - Hello there!

  • 07:17 - Listening to the beginning of these minutes and comparing them to A New Hope.

  • 14:35 - Thirds, avoidance of chordal resolution

  • 17:08 - Does this chord progression sound inevitable? Deceptive cadences. Search: "chromatic mediants composition secrets."

  • 22:40 - How L3's theme is building tension.

  • 27:37 - John Powell glue, "Corellia Chase," adding momentum by raising the bottom note.

  • 31:05 - The parameters that composers can tweak to raise intensity: louder, faster, add instruments, make notes go higher, etc.

  • 33:17 - Approaching a local climax.

  • 39:02 - Octatonicity. Search: "octatonic scale composer secrets"

  • 43:42 - Good.

  • 52:23 - All of the thirds, Rebel Fanfare.

  • 54:43 - Lasting legacy of the TIE Fighter Attack motif/Here They Come. Propulsive, asymmetric rhythm. Search: "composer rhythm secrets."

  • 58:41 - Asteroid Field!

  • 1:12:03 - Han and Chewie's diatonic theme sticks out in contrast to the highly chromatic Asteroid Field.

  • 1:16:21 - Brief violin demonstration to show an example of idiomatic string writing.

  • 1:26:11 - Is the brass out of tune in the Main Theme?

  • 1:32:26 - Is the rhythm imitating Han's voice in this spot?

  • 1:37:42 - Nearing the end of the minutes, fast octatonic/chromatic string lines.

  • 1:41:33 - Chromatic mediants built into the octatonic scale.

  • 1:46:45 - Jeremy's final thoughts and memories of seeing Solo for the first time.

  • 1:52:16 - It takes two to tango, right?

  • 1:57:25 - SWMM Questionnaire

Things Referenced:

Musical Themes:

  • 14) Imperial Cruiser Pursuit

  • 29) Attacking A Star Destroyer

  • 1. Young Han Solo (Heroic, comp. JW)

  • 2. Rebel Fanfare

  • 8. L3-37

  • 8. TIE Fighter Attack

  • 6. Han & Chewie

  • 26) Asteroid Field Main Theme

  • 27) Asteroid Field Subsidiary Motif

  • 102) Whirling Octatonicism

Where are we in the soundtrack?:

  • "Reminiscence Therapy"

  • "Kessel Run in Less Than 12 Parsecs (5M32-33A-B-C)"

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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:

1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?

  • New answer: Big octatonic brass

  • Previous answer: Opera without words

2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?

  • New answer: The score for Obi-Wan Kenobi.

  • Previous answer: Musical / orchestrational “filler” and sound effects/foley

3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?

  • New answer: Star Trek by Jerry Goldsmith, Wall-E by Thomas Newman

  • Previous answers: North by Northwest by Bernard Herrmann, Loki by Natalie Holt, Catch Me If You Can by John Williams

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Guest: Jeremy Sawruk

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Where else to find SWMM:

Chrysanthe Tan

Composer / Violinist

www.chrysanthetan.com
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Solo 19: The Kitchen Sink
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Solo 17: Adagio for L3