My penchant for underdog instruments comes out in this lyrical-then-rather-violent suspense cue from a short film by David Kiang. The melody is given to an alto flute, typically a low-playing instrument, in its uppermost register. This creates a distinct pale and haunting tone, notably different from the pretty sound of a “regular” C flute.

(Click on the play button to stream, or the cue title to download.)

	Shauna

There’s an unspoken rule that all fantasy battle music must include the sound of an anvil. Who am I to defy tradition?

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	Honor and Steel

One of several battle cues from the digital card game / MMO Hex: Shards of Fate. Although the cards used in gameplay can represent anything from brutish warriors to wizards to samurai rabbits, I chose a sorcerous mood as the overall musical flavor for combat.

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	The Cards are Dealt

In the film Against Time, a mysterious visitor from the furniture issues a teenager a dire warning about a terrible mistake he’s yet to make. I musically represented the visitor with this slightly “off” theme for piano and strings, which is consonant but combines harmonies that don’t normally live in the same key.

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	Zack

Ah, the peaceful times before the mutant birds attacked, dive-bombing innocent people and exploding without explanation. This week’s cue, from Birdemic 2: The Resurrection, expresses this familiar nostalgia in a pastoral medley for orchestra.

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	Day at the Museum