The Experibass

This is the opening theme to "Sherlock Holmes".

There's kind of a strange, sort of Eastern-sounding instrument in it. For some reason people assume that since I'm a music major that I automatically know what it is... and while I like to think I know everything, let's face it- I don't.

But I do know what instrument this is now!

Ladies and gentleman, Just when you thought the tromboon was the height of instrument experimentation... I present to you... the experibass.

My music literature teacher showed this to us today in class while we were talking about film score music. After I got over my initial shock of this guy sawing up a bass, I thought it was really, really cool. I've mentioned film score music before and how I never would have considered putting together a full orchestra with organ AND with electric guitar. Film score composers nowadays compose with anything and everything that strikes their fancy... including the experibass.

Here's the guy who invented it, Diego Stocco, talking with Hans Zimmer (who is one of my most favorite soundtrack composers) about the experibass. I don't don't know why they start off talking about spaghetti sauce, just keep watching it.

I think the things that they come up with for movie soundtracks are crazy amazing. These guys don't get the entire time the movie is being made to create the soundtrack- in fact, music is one of the last things to be added. The composer has a super-tight deadline, has specific down-to-the-second clips of the movie that s/he has to score for... the only place for freedom is the main title, the very beginning. And yet, despite all these limitations, there are some composers that make everything sound SO AWESOME.

Someday I'll try my hand at this. No, not at creating an experibass- at composing. You sillies.