Na'vi Dreamtime

[Balder]

I wrote another song this weekend, this time inspired by the movie, Avatar -- and for the nerds out there, featuring some Na'vi singing!

 

[Douglas R Wallack]

I am in nerd heaven ;-) 10-Q

[Balder]

Thanks for listening, Doug!  I'm a nerd like that, too....

[Mary W.]

Just listened to it again. Dreamy and luminous.

[Balder]

Wonderful -- thank you.  Exactly the sorts of feelings / evocations I was aiming for.

[Balder]

I made a revised version of this song, layering in more rainforest and other sounds for greater 'lushness' and variety, and (hopefully) improving some of the transitions.

 

 

[Edward theurj Berge]

So is Na'vi dreamtime triple-loop? Recall our discussion of Avatar here.

[Balder]

Ah, good question!  I'm not sure.  In working on this song, I've been looking at some Avatar websites, forums, etc, and have come across references to Na'vi culture, religion, practices, and so on, so it might be fun (and really geeky) to look into this and report back.  I found a site called Pandorapedia, with supposedly lots of details on Na'vi culture, including even musical and storytelling traditions, but I haven't been able to access it (I get a "Forbidden" message).  Maybe you have to buy some special version DVD or sign up with some list or something to get access...

On another 'note,' one thing I'd like to do with my song is sample some Pandoran animal sounds and weave them in.  Maybe that'll be a project for my second revision...

[Balder]

I'd intended to write on the forum yesterday, but instead ended up making more music.  Here's a new song, using one of my flutes (Javanese suling) and some gamelan sounds as well.  It's a more complex composition than earlier ones, using 15 tracks to layer a number of sounds.  Tell me how you like it!

 

[Balder]

Thank you, Tom. I had started it on Father's Day, hoping to complete it then, but I had to wait on the muse until she was ready.  :-)   My dad's a great guy.  Like many men, I've experienced some rough spots in my relationship with my father while growing up, but in recent years we have repaired that and I have found joy in expressing my gratitude to him for all he has given me.

 

The gamelan is an Indonesian gong orchestra.  I found a website where I could download samples of single notes from each gong, and I then built a melody out of them to serve as a background for the layered flutes (which I also tried to layer in gamelan-like cyclical patterns).  I bought a mixing program for my computer, which I am using to arrange these songs.  I record my flute into a little handheld digital recorder, and then the gamelan samples are mp3s that I downloaded.

 

(If you have time and interest, knowing your interest in the Avatar movie, I'd like to invite you to listen to this one as well.)