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In Batman Returns the PENGUIN’s theme is sometimes played over this guitar sounding instrument. Yet, it doesn’t sound entirely like any guitars I’m familiar with. Does any body know the instrument’s name if it isn’t a guitar? It’s also heard in “Kidnap Sandy Claws” from The Nightmare Before Christmas (and, no, I’m not talking about the pizzicato plucks). If it is some type of guitar what kind? Any help would be appreciated.
It actually may have been a harpsicord
It’s not a harpsichord, but it could be a harp played on its low strings.
It’s not harp, of that I’m pretty sure. It’s not harpsicord because it’s stringed and you can here it’s plucked.
(Actually, the strings of a harpsichord ARE plucked…)
Sounds like a sampled, downpitched bouzuki to me.
It’s a plain old normal harp in its lowest range. Nothing fancy. The harp has an amazingly wide range, but it’s seldom heard in it’s lowest range becuase it doesn’t cut through the orchestra so well. You’ll hear it in harp concertos sometimes. Danny scored these sections very thinly so that the solo harp can be heard. It’s wonderfully dark and lonely sounding.
Hope this helps.
It’s Duclimer. thanks.
Um, a dulcimer is not like a bass harp. Nor is it plucked as is a harp. They’re struck, hence the name hammered dulcimer. Although dulcimers differ in range, I’ve never come across one that extends as deep below the bass clef as a harp. Harp can hit the Eb two 8ves below bass clef.
Dulcimers tend to have a much “brighter” sound than a harp because of the way they’re played. Harps have that rounder tone as heard in Batman and for that matter “Kidnap the Sandy Claws” from Nightmare.
Sorry, I meant to say the harp goes to Cb, not Eb. Dumb fingers.
So which pedal do you depress to get to that Cb and then we can all rest easy.
Nat, who one time had to write out the pedal changes for a harp player in a piece that I had written, for a performance by my College Orchestra because she didn’t know (go figure, I wasn’t sure, but I did find the answer in a book – why couldn’t she have done that?). Crazy Harp Players (hoping that there are no harp players on this message board)!
Incidentally, harp players are so rare around here that our towns local Orchestra used to use a keyboard with a Harp sound as a replacement. “Hardly a replacement.” – I overheard the keyboard player remark.
Am I seriously seeing people write Cb???
Why Cb an dnot B? Because on harp those are different notes. The harp doesn’t use enharmonic spellings. There is a B string and a C string. Each can be adjusted a half-step in either direction. So the B string can play B, B# and Bb and the C string can play C, C# and Cb. Yes, the Cb and the B sound the same, but they’re played on different strings. This is why orchestras use more than one harp player if parts as especially chromatic.
And Nat’s wright. It’s a pain in the but to write the pedal changes out. But that’s pretty much modus operandi. Professional harp parts include pedalings. It’s not up to the players to make the changes.
Sorry Nat, dulcimers don’t just sound like bassy harps – mostly because the harp is a lower instrument. Not trying to be pedantic, but the ranges are pretty different. But, don’t get me wrong. I love dulcimers. They’re beautiful instruments, though I may prefer cimbalom.
“Sorry Nat, dulcimers don’t just sound like bassy harps – mostly because the harp is a lower instrument. Not trying to be pedantic, but the ranges are pretty different. But, don’t get me wrong. I love dulcimers. They’re beautiful instruments, though I may prefer cimbalom.”
Sorry Bratman, not to be a knit-pick, but that wasn’t me.
“A Word of Advice? Always, no, never forget to check your refrences.”
Nat
>>>Sorry Bratman, not to be a knit-pick, but that wasn’t me.
“A Word of Advice? Always, no, never forget to check your refrences.”
Nat>>>
I apologize profusely. I guess that’s what I get for posting at 6:00 a.m.
Sorry, Nat.
Pizz. Strings?
I still think it’s a downpitched harp- or bouzuki-sample.
6:00 am is a perfect time to post – wish I could!
Nat
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