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"Afghan"
Written & Originally Produced: 2000
1st & 2nd Reproduction: 2005, 2008
3rd Reproduction: Feb 2009
4th Reproduction: Apr 2010
1st & 2nd Reproduction: 2005, 2008
3rd Reproduction: Feb 2009
4th Reproduction: Apr 2010
This is what I wrote in 2000, after learning about the war-occupied history of Afghanistan, the consequential famines in the land and other hardships that have struck its people over the recent decades.I originally started writing this tune using a Ud sample I took from a CD apparently recorded in an Arab country.(hear)
Then later on, as I started wanting more control over the phrasing and sound, I replaced the sample with a synthesizer phrase.
This image is that synthesizer part. I call this a "Sitar" part. This part is doubled by two synth sounds. The top row is the actual note data for one of the synth sounds, while the second row is the filter movements that affects it. The third row is the notes for another synth sound and the bottom row is the filter movements for it.
This is where the flute sound comes in and joins the synth sound, at about 17 seconds into the tune.(hear) The top staff is the flute, and the bottom two staves are synth and alto sax which move in unison.
Score || Leadsheet
(Continued from the left column)
This is where the tunes enters the more Western-sounding section featuring trumpet sound.(hear) The top staff is another synth part and the bottom one is the trumpet part. The higher voice of the synth part is doubled by the trumpet.
Afghan is mostly a modal tune, using the Phrygian mode primarily. "Modal" music is based on certain musical modes other than the most commonly used two: Ionian and Aeolian. (The Ionian mode is what we usually call a "major key" and the Aeolian is the "minor key", by the way.) To hear what Phrygian mode sounds like, you only have to play the white keys from E to E, upward or downward, on your keyboard.(hear) Here is the Aeolian mode(hear) for comparison. They are mostly identical, but the second note is different.
From the celeste solo.(hear) The lower staff shows quarter triplets, which divide the length of two quarter notes by three quarter notes. And the upper staff is an affected version of the same rhythm: every odd number of the quarter triplets is then divided by four.
This image shows the beginning of the percussion part.(hear) The notes are mostly 16th notes with some 64th triplets near the end of the image. Those very short notes are played either as fade-in or fade-out, and they create the "shredding" effect.
From the flute solo at about 3m40s into the tune. The top staff is the flute part.
This is where the tunes enters the more Western-sounding section featuring trumpet sound.(hear) The top staff is another synth part and the bottom one is the trumpet part. The higher voice of the synth part is doubled by the trumpet.
Afghan is mostly a modal tune, using the Phrygian mode primarily. "Modal" music is based on certain musical modes other than the most commonly used two: Ionian and Aeolian. (The Ionian mode is what we usually call a "major key" and the Aeolian is the "minor key", by the way.) To hear what Phrygian mode sounds like, you only have to play the white keys from E to E, upward or downward, on your keyboard.(hear) Here is the Aeolian mode(hear) for comparison. They are mostly identical, but the second note is different.
From the celeste solo.(hear) The lower staff shows quarter triplets, which divide the length of two quarter notes by three quarter notes. And the upper staff is an affected version of the same rhythm: every odd number of the quarter triplets is then divided by four.
This image shows the beginning of the percussion part.(hear) The notes are mostly 16th notes with some 64th triplets near the end of the image. Those very short notes are played either as fade-in or fade-out, and they create the "shredding" effect.
From the flute solo at about 3m40s into the tune. The top staff is the flute part.