B Duduk (Center)

I’ve come to learn that Eastern instruments tend to occupy the same sonic range, so when you begin to mix and match them, the mix and master can become total “mush”.  So, it wasn’t until tonight that I had patience in a mastering role to clean up some of the mess.

As with previous posts, a lot of this is inspired on the images, stories, and videos I got from friends in Iraq.  The solo instrument that you may not recognize is the Duduk.  It’s an Armenian instrument, and I employ it in music frequently.  However, unlike all my other tracks, this is a B Duduk, with a slightly more harsh and breathy sound.  I thought it could go head-to-head with the violin solo better.

The percussion consists of many layers, but the one that will likely stick out the most is the tabla ensemble, which has been run through…I can’t even remember what stack of filters…to give it that sharp, electronic sound.  Likewise, all the guitars have been run through many, many iterations of Guitar Rig to get that “distressed” sound that seems to fit in well with the overall vibe of Eastern music.

Enjoy.

I'm not even 5% this cool or badass.

A few years ago, I had the distinct privilege of making friends with some Marine bloggers and public relations personnel from Regimental Combat Team 6 at Camp Ramadi in Iraq.  However, in the blog world, we call them the Fightin’ 6th Marines.

In interacting with the bloggers, in particular Staff Sergeant DeBoard, I was able to get a very interesting perspective into our presence in Iraq.  I’ve seen some incredible photos from their blog (second link above), read some stories that make feel like I don’t necessarily deserve to be alive in a sense, and all-in-all come closer to the Middle East than I ever imagined.

This overlapped with the biggest “leap” so far in my musical journey.  With the picture, videos, stories, and suggestions from RCT-6 and Staff Sergeant DeBoard’s input and advice, I was able to craft many original tunes.  At first, they had a somewhat ethereal, Eastern feel to them.  However, the more I got to know the Fightin’ 6th Marines and became more familiar with their day-to-day lives, the more the music turned into fierce, raging guitar-driven anthems.

The high point for me was having RCT-6 use some of my original music [that they inspired] in one of their fascinating videos.  So now…I’m giving one back.

This one’s for you, guys.  Whether you’re back state-side or still in the sand, let’s kick some ass.