“We do not want merely to see beauty… we want something else which can hardly be put into words- to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it. That is why we have peopled air and earth and water with gods and goddesses, and nymphs and elves.”
― C.S. Lewis
I’ve had my Irish flute for several years, but this is the first I’ve really let it sing for me.
I did a little research about Irish flutes first, and learned that most Irish songs are in the key of D or G, and when the flute was introduced in Ireland in the 1800’s, they preferred the sound of the wooden flute over the metal one. I read a blog with various opinions about why the keys are D and G, from being the easiest for vocals to because the fairies said so. This leaves me with the question of do other cultures have their own flute key preferences?
After listening to several songs on the Irish flute, I expected that I would compose a highly ornamented, fast-paced jig. But the elves called for something more pastoral.
In addition to the Irish flute in the key of D for melody, the accent flute is Native American style in the key of B. The kalimba plays all the notes of the Dorian scale. I tried something new with the ambient pad, acoustic guitar and wind chimes. On my previous songs I used the I chord (135) for the backing tracks, but on this one I used the IV chord (146). Add a little 3D action on the photo and I’m growing by millimeters.
I think it’s amazing how the interaction of instruments from different cultures can create something beautiful.
Recommended Reading:
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
(Credit Robin for the phrase elfin footfalls)
