Korgscrew
Group: Super Admins
Posts: 3511
Joined: Dec. 1999 |
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Posted: Mar. 24 2017, 17:45 |
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It's a chorus of penny whistles, as far as I know. From somewhere or other, I remember getting the idea that it was Terry Oldfield playing there, but I can no longer find any decent reference to that. Mike was credited as playing 'flageolet' (which, though historically it's an instrument in its own right, is also sometimes used as another name for the tin whistle) on Tubular Bells, so it's entirely possible he played them himself. Either way, it's not credited!
There's a breakdown by David Bedford here - http://progistasty.tumblr.com/image/2404341582 - I assume that was based on close listening to the master tape and conversations with Mike, as part of his work on the Orchestral Hergest Ridge.
Listen carefully and you'll hear the player taking breaths at certain points...unfortunately it's not enough to aid in telling whether it's Mike or Terry, though.
The 'glide' is done by gradually blocking or unblocking the holes on the whistle, like this video demonstrates:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YYgthnH-L8&t=2m44s
As a slightly off topic side note, the Midsomer Murders theme is a theremin, played by Celia Sheen - again, I think the slight imprecision in intonation that's pretty much unavoidable with theremins is part of the eeriness of the sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTZK9FNgK74
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