Violin used for Lord Of The Rings Soundtrack
The Piano Guy
In the track Helm's Deep from The Two Towers CD, at position 2:40,
there is a violin solo with the notes AAA CB C D A, AAA CB E F# A, EE
AAA B C CC D A ...
The violin used for this part has a certain edgeness to it on the A
string and the tone gets even more edgy and thin when going onto the E
string. This does not sound like the typical classical violin with
its sweet rounded tone like that of a read Strad. Rather it has a
certain Celtic feel to it. My relatively old German copy of a Maggini
with Pirastro Tonica strings has a strikingly similar tone, with a
very noticeable jump in tone from the A string to the E string (tone
becomes much more thin and edgy). I used to think that this was an
indication of a poor quality instrument but after listening to Helm's
Deep I think I'll keep this violin for certain types of music (Celtic
maybe?) It doesn't seem to suit classical music though because of the
sound of the E string.
Does anyone here know what violin (or type of violin) was used for the
solo part of Helm's Deep?
Is this an example of a case where a 3 million dollar Stradivarius
would be unsuitable as regards to the tone?
Cheers,
Mike
John Halliburton
> Does anyone here know what violin (or type of violin) was used for the
> solo part of Helm's Deep?
I believe a fair part of the music for symbolically representing Rohan is
done on the hardinger fiddle, of Scandinavian extraction. There are a set
of sympathetic strings which produce the tone.
Best regards,
John
Thomas Müthing
> Does anyone here know what violin (or type of violin) was used for the
> solo part of Helm's Deep?
A Hardanger Fiddle, a Norwegian "folk violin".
BTW: Geirr Tveitt, a Norwegian composer, wrote two rather attractive
concertos for this instrument, recorded by the Swedish BIS label. Far
more impressive than the few redundant notes played on it on the LOTR
soundtracks.
Thomas
Jeanne Sawyer
http://www.hfaa.org/, the website for the Hardingfele Association of
America. There is info about the instrument, music samples, etc.
Jeanne
"The Piano Guy" <cf...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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Carl Witthoft
"John Halliburton" <j_chall...@ameritech.net> wrote:
Or you could hook up your Strad to an Effects Processor :-)
William Mutch
jsa...@sawyerpartnership.com says...
> You can find out more (in English) about hardanger fiddles at
> http://www.hfaa.org/, the website for the Hardingfele Association of
> America. There is info about the instrument, music samples, etc.
> Jeanne
>
PeteSchug
tmuethingBUGGE...@t-online.de wrote on 3/24/04 6:20 AM:
You wouldn't happen to know the catalog number or some such thing to make
ordering it easier. Things that dont' fall into neat categories are
sometimes hard to find. I've got several hardanger CD's and I would be very
curious to hear what a Norwegian composer would do with a native folk
instrument.
I once played a hardanger CD for a Norwegian friend and he smiled and said,
"That's throw your hat on the wall music." I have been wondering ever since
what he meant by that. I have a great video of this guy singing a song
before we all drank some aquavit. He is in his mid eighties and is still in
fantastic shape, including his voice.
(Must be the aquavit)
Pete
The Piano Guy
even a violin?). I wonder why my "normal" violin sounds so similar in
tone (no sympathetic resonance though). Anyway I had a listen to the
music samples at hfaa.org and I think that sad music played with the
hardanger fiddle will sound very haunting. It will be interesting to
hear how classical music will sound on it.
Jeanne Sawyer" <jsa...@sawyerpartnership.com> wrote in message news:<y1j8c.54719$aT1....@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net>...
PeteSchug
strong resonance between the string you are playing and the open strings.
When you play the A on the E string on exactly the correct pitch the A
string will vibrate on it's second harmonic (which is the same note as the A
on the E string) and the D string will vibrate on it's third harmonic which
is also the same note. The effect is like having a bit of built in reverb.
That is the most prominant syhmpathetic vibration, but all the notes played
at the equivalent of the fifth fret will resonate to a degree and many other
notes will resonate as well. On my violin it seems like from G on the E
string on up my violin gives at least some resonance all the way up to the
D. I don't play much beyond that, but it would not surprise me if I can hear
the resonance all the way up to the next G. Not every note resonates, but
enough do to provide feedback to assure me that I am playing in pitch. (or
that I am a bit off!)
I am sure that instruments like the hardanger, the viola d' amore and the
baryton, which all have sympathetic strings, were all designed with the idea
of supporting something that was already present and recognizable.
Pete
in article b05e459a.04032...@posting.google.com, The Piano Guy at
cf...@hotmail.com wrote on 3/24/04 8:19 PM:
John F
PeteSchug wrote:
>
> I am sure that instruments like the hardanger, the viola d' amore and the
> baryton, which all have sympathetic strings, were all designed with the idea
> of supporting something that was already present and recognizable.
>
. . . and of course this effect gives the mandolin-bouzouki-cittern
family its unique sound.
John
Young_carpenter
hardanger fiddle. Granted I am no expert on the instrument, though I do
have a few MP3 recordings I got off of several sites.
I listened to the track 5 times and have yet to hear Hardanger resonance
(which traditionally is a drone sound as far as I can understand.)
What I hear is a single violin. In recording at a proper Post production
reverb and echo (the reverb makes the sound have depth and echo give it a
feeling of being in a big place) the same effect heard on the CD can be
heard.
Any other amateur or professional Recorders/mixers out there with an
opinion?
--
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Thomas Müthing
> whether or not I prove to be wrong later, I am going to say no its not a
> hardanger fiddle.
It IS a hardanger fiddle, and is specifically credited as such on the
soundtrack.
Thomas
Thomas Müthing
> You wouldn't happen to know the catalog number or some such thing to make
> ordering it easier.
The catalogue number is BIS-CD 1207.
Arve Moen Bergset, fiddle
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra
Ole Kristian Ruud, conductor
Thomas
PeteSchug
tmuethingBUGGE...@t-online.de wrote on 3/26/04 2:09 AM:
Thanks, I will look for it.
Pete
Eric Fretheim
referred to as "drones", but they are not drones in the sense
of a bagpipes. The Hardangerfele is a descendent of the
various resonant string instruments of the baroque/classical
period, (such as Viola D'Amore) and operate on the same
principles. Norwegian violin makers merged their resonant
fiddles with the newly evolved violin shape (except with a
Viola da Gamba styled pegbox head instead of a scroll) and
developed an instrument that has survived into the modern era
in Norwegian folk music. Anyone considering dabbling in Viola
D'Amore should also take a look at Hardangerfele (as its shape
is more compatible with modern violin technique)
The resonance is comparable to what happens if you hold the
damper pedal down on a piano and then strike a key. Without
the damper pedal, you get a piano note, but with it, you get a
piano note with extra tonal characteristics.
My grandfather was a Norwegian-American country fiddler, and
although he used an American fiddle (i.e. a classical violin
fitted out for fiddling), my father tells me that sometimes
other fiddlers he played with were using Hardangerfele. The
tone quality was apparently perfect for Norwegian waltzes and
folk tunes, which tend to have a melancholy sound.
Responding to another message on this thread: one would think
that Hardangerfele would have a lot of potential as a concerto
instrument. Grieg was apparently strongly influenced in his
youth by Hardangerfele music, and his piano concerto is reputed
to have clear imprints of this.
Regards,
Eric Fretheim
Young_carpenter
the classic sound of the HF is found in the track 6 (Golden Throne?) The
theme is constant and starts on track 3 But 6 is the only place I actually
hear one. The rest of the time sounds like a well played violin. Got a
sample of an HF song that would sound that way?
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