That’s not a solo cello you hear, but a contrabass played lyrically with a bow, courtesy of bassist Maggie Hasspacher. This is the theme for Leo, a gentle soul who just wants to wear a blonde wig and avoid fights. Since he’s Emerald, Texas‘s analogue to the cowardly lion, I gave him the growly timbre of a bass, but put it in its uppermost register to reflect the character’s softer side.

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	The Story of Leo

The music for Emerald, Texas‘s last scene has a happy-go-lucky vibe, with guitars segueing into a finale for piano and strings. (The film’s denouement is less straightforward than this cue suggests!)

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	Postcard Therapy

Just your basic ambient percussive quasi-ethnic forest hippie music.

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	Welcome to Ozana

This week’s selection, from the score of Emerald, Texas, uses a southwestern guitar feel to accompany a drive in the desert at night. (It took some self-restraint for me not to add a rattlesnake sound.)

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	Driving at Night

And now, my personal favorite of the tracks from the Emerald, Texas score. The scene is a moment of relaxation in a windy field of golden flowers.

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	Golden Coreopsis

In this selection from the score of Emerald, Texas, we’re introduced to bail bond bounty hunter Elva West, a modern reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s wicked antagonist. She’s musically characterized with a motive for low-register electric guitar, accompanying mandolin, vibes, and “witchy” counterlines for solo violin.

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	Elva Arrives

In one scene from the film Emerald, Texas, protagonist Dee pauses for reflection while her more carefree friends play in a parking lot. Like much of the score, this cue mixes acoustic guitar with strings to reflect both contemporary Americana and the Wizard of Oz parallels of the story.

Guitar solo by Kyle Johnson.

A teary-eyed moment late in the film Emerald, Texas. Here I chose to give the cue’s main melody to the viola rather than the usual suspects, the violin or cello. The viola has a more raw and less polished sound than its more celebrated siblings, and I felt that a touch of raw longing was just what the scene needed.

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	Goodbye