ESB 9: Dagobah Piccolo Workout

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
Written By Chrysanthe Tan

Flutist & Star Wars music researcher Samantha Tripp returns to the show to talk about the rich sonic environment of Dagobah! This is EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Minutes 41-45.

Timestamps:

  • 0:00 - Hello there!

  • 4:27 - How do you feel about the Asteroid Field concert arrangement?

  • 16:15 - Violin articial harmonics at the end of the Asteroid Field.

  • 20:12 - Flute harmonics.

  • 29:20 - Semitonal Slip.

  • 36:22 - Muted trombones.

  • 43:07 - Two layers of glissando.

  • 48:03 - The can-can?

  • 50:45 - Dagobah reverb. The rich sonic environment of Dagobah.

  • 54:21 - The music telling us not to be worried about Artoo.

  • 59:35 - Ridiculously high piccolo tutti that would be hard to do in tune. Smart orchestration choice that brings in the Eb clarinet.

  • 1:07:30 - Sinewy, slurred string line that makes the 16th notes sound like syncopated 8th notes.

  • 1:13:18 - An added rest in the Droids theme.

  • 1:27:12 - Tritone at the end of the Dagobah music foreshadowing/leading into the Imperial March.

  • 1:35:20 - Music demarcating the status difference between Vader and Piett.

  • 1:41:48 - Imperial March and the flat submediant.

  • 1:48:48 - The Imperial March's invariance.

  • 2:00:50 - Listener question about potential bias toward British composers.

  • 2:14:10 - Ben Burtt's Dagobah sound design.

  • 2:19:54 - Recap of the 4 sections in these minutes.

  • 2:21:36 - SWMM Questionnaire.

Things to Check Out:

Cues:

  • End of 4M3 "The Asteroid Field"

  • 5M1 "Crash Landing"

Musical Themes:

  • 11a. Han & Leia (A Section)

  • 28) Semitonal Slip

  • 1a. Main Theme (A Section)

  • 13. Droids

  • 10a. Imperial March (Theme)

Where are we in the soundtrack?:

  • "The Asteroid Field"

  • "Arrival on Dagobah"

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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:

1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?

  • New answer: Texture. Motion. Thematic.

  • Solo season answer: Powerful, evocative, grandiose

  • ANH season answer: Powerful, evocative, grandiose

2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?

  • New answer: More about the behind-the-scenes people: recording engineers, music editors, orchestra librarians, contractors, etc.

  • Solo season answer: Musician stories from recording the sequel films, particularly The Rise of Skywalker.

  • ANH season answer: What was it like for the musicians recording the original trilogy, particularly the first film? Did they realize that they were playing something so iconic?

3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?

  • New answer: The Shape of Water (Alexandre Desplat) 

  • Solo season answer: The Shape of Water (composed by Alexandre Desplat)

  • ANH season answer: Spider-Man: No Way Home (composed by Michael Giacchino)

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Guest: Samantha Tripp

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Where else to find SWMM:

Chrysanthe Tan

Composer / Violinist

www.chrysanthetan.com
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ESB 10: Mister Rogers of Star Wars
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ESB 8: Asteroid Feelings