I’d originally imagined this cue’s introductory solo on trumpet, this being the traditional “sad military” sound. In a fit of what I like to consider inspiration, I switched it to solo bassoon, giving the melody a more ethereal tone. (I’ll also admit being a stickler for the underdog, and the bassoon definitely qualifies in that regard.)

Eventually the music becomes proud and brassy, so perhaps it’s best that I featured the soft instrument while it was still audible!

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	Defeat and Resolve

Part of the same dramatic sequence as “A Lost Brother”, this week’s selection is a dark and sobering cue featuring orchestra, piano, and mallet percussion.

I’m fond of the often-underutilized low registers of mallet percussion instruments. Here the vibraphone, normally something we might normally consider jazzy or relaxing, takes on a subtle ominous character when played in its low register. The harp, played similarly in the bottom of its range, makes for a nice (and creepy) complement.

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	The Hospital

This week’s selection is a rock groove with an aggressive and almost ponderous momentum to it. If pressed to characterize the emotional mood, I’d probably say “bulldozery”.

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	Anvil Cloud

From a cemetery scene in the movie The F-Zone, this cue is on somber side, but with some lyrical qualities as well.

In order to underscore the sense of bleak loss, in one section I harmonized a solo flute with four double basses, rather than the thick cello/bass harmonies that one might expect for this sort of moment. The effect emphasizes the high and low ends of the orchestra while leaving a wide space in between. It’s an interesting sound, and one which feels distinctly funereal in mood.

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

	A Lost Brother

This week’s attitude-laiden selection hybridizes orchestral scoring, rock, world music, and electronica in a kind of violent auditory stew. Major props go to Kyle Johnson for contributing some cool rock guitar licks.

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	Pugnacious Rex