Solo 6: Valachord Envy
Ralph Apel from Live Action Star Wars joins me in a conversation about the music and sound in Solo minutes 26-30. We discuss flying/soaring music, the musical foreshadowing of Enfys Nest, Rio's voice mixing, and engage in some "educated speculation" about what the valachord might sound like (based on concept art).
Timestamps:
00:00 - Hello there!
04:44 - Listening to the beginning of the minutes.
05:31 - Grooving percussion in "Flying with Chewie."
09:31 - Flying and soaring music in film.
34:45 - "Flying with Chewie" vs "Soarin' Over California"
41:00 - Hint of Enfy's Nest theme 1
56:00 - There's no Han & Qi'ra theme when Han brings up Qi'ra.
1:00:07 - Valachord! A speculative deep dive...
1:12:53 - Nitpick about the line "you are tone deaf"
1:21:00 - SWMM Questionnaire
References:
"Soarin' (from "Soarin' Over California")" by Jerry Goldsmith - https://youtu.be/zh8_Yu_TkWE
"Flying" (from "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" Soundtrack) by John Williams - https://youtu.be/7AR6KQOiNHA
"Test Drive" (from How To Train Your Dragon) by John Powell - https://youtu.be/IpPIK4T068s
"Bastian's Happy Flight" (from The Neverending Story) by Klaus Doldinger - https://youtu.be/rvuteGIuAbc
"We're Going To Fly Now" (from Green Lantern) by James Newton Howard - https://youtu.be/TfFxoiCutLw
Sean E. Atkinson's paper - "Soaring Through the Sky: Topics and Tropes in Video Game Music" published in Music Theory Online (a journal of the Society for Music Theory) - https://mtosmt.org/issues/mto.19.25.2/mto.19.25.2.atkinson.html
Valachord (according to Wookieepedia): A valachord was a musical instrument, played by tapping on keys. The tone of the keys could be described as "a melodious tone tinged with a faint mechanical susurrus behind it." https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Valachord
Matthew Savage concept art for the valachord (2nd slide): https://www.instagram.com/p/B7Yl-77DqmO/
Harpsichord vs. Piano: How Different Are They Really? (Alice M. Chuaqui Baldwin, harpsichordist) - https://youtu.be/oo2VWo9wjJU
Robot Piano Catches Fire Playing Rush E (World’s Hardest Song) - https://youtu.be/uBEL3YVzMwk
Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/.
Musical Themes:
6. Han & Chewie
7a. Enfys Nest 1
Where are we in the soundtrack?:
End of "Flying with Chewie" AKA "Chewie Untamed (2M13)"
Beginning of "Train Heist" and "Deluxe Train Heist (2M15-16A-B-C)"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Old, lived in.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
After this episode, Ralph wants to know what the valachord sounds like. But most of all, he is intrigued about the future of Star Wars music.
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
Evolution (composed by John Powell)
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Guest: Ralph Apel
Live Action Star Wars: https://liveactionstarwars.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CasinoSkunk
CasinoSkunk Productions: https://casinoskunk.com
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