Melancholy piano and orchestral string track. Piano leads an off-kilter waltz, joined by orchestral strings that build throughout, soaring by the finish, and gentle marimba murmurings. Slow, solemn and sensual with hints of light and hope breaking through. Perfect for a desolate TV/Doc/Film scene, imagine a kite stuck in the upper branches of a tree, disintegrating in harsh winter winds, or a sad silent movie. Also suitable as woozy, tragic, lonesome background music to an advert.
Thoughtful piano and orchestral strings. Sparse piano chords mingle with the ebbing and flowing of sustained emotional string parts. Growing on intensity toward a powerfully emotional finish. Romantic, reflective and gentle, like the quiet bits of Sigur RĂłs tracks, sparsely cinematic with dramatic moments, the perfect soundtrack to a caring advert or an inquisitive or redemptive TV/Documentary scene.
Tense orchestral string track. Choppy violins enter with erratic melodic phrases over a foreboding sustained double bass note. Extra layers of strings interrupt each other creating a chaotic ambiance. Screeching violin samples then flurry over drums and a strong, driving, repeated melodic idea, coming to a dramatic finish. Nerve-wracking, threatening and doom-laden, a worrying barrage of string suspense, suited to an action movie scene or advert evoking this sense of exhilarating fear.
Piano track with orchestral strings. Repetitive piano, broken harp chords and scratchy string overtones fades out. Returns with lyrical cello melody and more dynamic piano melody. Builds with fuller strings and many layers of activity. Builds further with choppy strings, fuller bass parts and soaring violin melodies over insistent piano. After this storm, the clouds part, revealing a softer, more gentle strings section, breaking into a major key, hints of sunshine. Final section is a decidedly sombre string part. Repetitive, urgent and dramatic, like contemporary Philip Glass piano minimalism with added cinematic string flourish. Perfect for tense factual TV/Docs or a thrilling advert for a stylish, highly covetable new product.
Playful orchestral track. A jaunty woodwind motif to begin, joined by sparse glockenspiel setting a cheeky and playful tone. Languid strings join, adding an air of grandeur. Strings take prominence, woodwind takes an accompanying role. Then short bursts of strings interspersed with determined oboe. Stronger string section builds to a call and answer between gentle woodwind and serious strings, before calm finish. Pastoral, light-hearted, with serious undertones, like the Animals of Farthing Wood bounding among the trees only to come across a gun-toting farmer, before an ingenious escape. Perfect music to accompany intriguing documentary scenes about nature and animals, or reality TV, showing humans in their natural habitat.
Orchestral thriller. Tense, sustained orchestral strings, with quirky orchestral percussion. Repeated suspenseful violin motif joins on top, followed by mysterious walking piano notes. Determined plucked strings and higher register violin take things up a notch. Rumbling, stomping percussion to a cacophonous, threatening section with more prominent piano and horn blasts. Dark, foreboding and full of anticipation, perfect for a commercial of epic proportions, a faux-epic pastiche, or dramatic TV/Doc scenes showcasing the brutal force of Mother Nature.
Contemporary classical multi-instrumental track. Languid strings and soft piano, a gentle swaying melody. Strings trills. Chordal piano with hints of Japanese influence. New section, rhythmic, bouncy marimba and swooping, lush, woozy strings and contemplative piano. Relaxed, thoughtful and peaceful, like Satie x Studio Ghibli, a beautiful, colourful and playful set of contrasts to suit a romantic or devastatingly beautiful TV/Film scene.
Multi-instrumental contemporary folk. Gentle marimba intro, joined by sustained violin and cello fragments. Tinkling piano mimics the strings, leading to a darkening of mood and intense, high register string-lead movement. Resolves to gently swaying, lingering light strings and piano. Next section feels like gentle rocking in an ocean trawler. Harp and strings duel steadily to a choppy finale. Intriguing, dynamic and searching, a curious, undulating, seafaring piece, perfect for mysterious TV/Doc scenes.
Multi-instrumental contemporary jazz/folk. Light-footed marimba intro into a marimba riff with counter melody. Violin and cello join with a brief melody, continue over the marimba. Polyrhythms emerge from multiple layerings and harmonies. Quiet marimba break before a burst of vigorous strings. Dynamic new section with sparse piano, strange rhythms and freely soloing marimba. Slow down and fade to finish. Playful, folky and a bit magical, secret goings on, covert, playful encounters and mysterious but jolly woodland fun. Like the soundtrack to a jaunty but slight dark Enid Blyton tale.
An warm, uplifting slow build on piano, with bubbling electronics and soaring orchestral strings. Atmospheric electronics introduce and add edge to a hopeful chord progression on piano. Orchestral strings join later, moving to a quietly euphoric finale. Positive, emotional, heart-warming and a bit love-struck, this emotional build would suit a love scene, or a scene in which our character succeeds against all odds.
No Strings version – A subtle string-like synth replaces full orchestral strings, electronics are more prominent.
No Piano version – Longer build up, Drive-like sustained bass synth notes hold the chord progression. Less sentimental.
40 second version – Shorter, with a quicker journey to the rapturous finale.