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We use a wide variety of instruments on our recordings. Here's a bit of information about the tools we use in the studio to bring our musical ideas to life... this is a long page.... please be patient as it loads.  Lowden guitar This is the guitar heard
on Walk of the Cedars from Glacier Journey. It was built in Ireland in the
mid-1990s, and has a bright, yet rich sound.
Upright Grand Piano circa 1930 The piano Christine grew up with. A home and haven for tone and inspiration, it's where Christine composes most of her pieces.
Ken is the Stradivarius of Native Flute buiders, and happens to live close to us. This flute, light as a feather, with the scent of cedar in each tone, can be heard on many tunes spread across our albums. Listen to World's Edge on From Montana to the Sea for a taste of its sound. Cello Joseph Hill, England 1770s This is Janet's cello and constant companion. A lot older than us, and full of good music. Violin , France circa 1860 Matthew plays violin on Waltzing on Marias Pass from White Cloud Big Sky.
These large, low pitched flutes are native to India, but are well suited to a wide variety of contemporary music. They have a haunting sound that contains secret harmonics and swirling melodies hidden within it. A very large flute in B flat can be heard on Wetlands from From Montana to the Sea. Tinwhistles by Generation These are the "standard issue" pennywhistles used by Celtic musicians. A world of music that fits in your pocket! Heard on Going to the Sun from Glacier Journey, and toward the end of Holland Lake. Howard Low D Whistle This is the big sister of the tinwhistle family, featured in the music from The Titanic. A low pitched flute with a haunting sound that mixes well with a variety of instruments, it can be heard on Red Rock from Quiet Paths, and Holland Lake on From Montana to the Sea Various handcrafted flutes, endblown and transverse Matthew builds flutes from time to time to fill a particular need on a piece. One example is the flute heard on the song Hidden Waters. It is an endblown flute in the key of e flat, made from pvc pipe.
Christine bought this maple recorder in the early 1980s when she was living in Germany. It has a smooth sweet voice that sings the melody on First Light from White Cloud Big Sky, and on Light in the Trees from Quiet Paths.
A large mellow toned harp that Matthew built from a kit from Musicmakers, this harp is heard on many pieces from Quiet Paths. Listen to Poetry of Pine, and Old Growth...
A frame drum of Irish origin, the bodhran is similar in construction to shaman's drums played in cultures around the world. The Irish technique of playing it is a innovation that is peculiar to the British Isles; the drum is played loose-wristed with a double headed beater that allows for rapid complex rythms. Christine uses it to add the steady pulse to Heart of the River on From Montana to the Sea.
Didgeridu The didgeridu is a low pitched primitive trumpet that is native to the aboriginal people of Australia. Made from a eucalyptus log that has been hollowed by termites, the didge is played with a "circular breathing" technique that allows the player to sustain a note almost indefinately. A Didgeridu that Matthew made can be heard on Sandhills from White Cloud Big Sky. The QS is a 61 key synthesizer that we use for a variety of sounds, from voices to percussion. First Light and Along the Missouri from White Cloud Big Sky both feature the QS6.
The N1 is a 88 key keyboard which we use to control the other electronic instruments in our studio, as well as a being a sound source with incredible diversity. We are still finding sounds we haven't heard before! Used for a lot of the bass sounds on From Montana to the Sea.
Beautiful string and electric piano samples in a small package, it's the one we turn to when we need to capture the last glow of light in the western sky or pay homage to the orchestral tones of Aaron Copland. Listen to The Homeplace from White Cloud Big Sky or Westward to the Sea on From Montana to the Sea.
One of the few electronic instruments with enough expressiveness to stand on its own musically, the Realpiano is one of a new breed of "physical modeling" instruments. It combines recordings of Steinway pianos with computer models of the interaction of the strings, soundboard and damping pedals to create an instrument which behaves and sounds (as well as records) like an acoustic piano. Heard on all of the piano pieces from Quiet Paths and From Montana to the Sea. We used to use tape to record, but starting with Quiet Paths we began recording into Cakewalk Pro Audio on the computer. Cakewalk is a digital audio sequencer; a computer program which can record both keyboard performances and audio such as guitar, flute or voice.
This is the palette on which we do a great deal of our sound design and recording. Not much to say except it's fast and fairly stable running Windows 98. It is home to a Gina soundcard which lets us get sound in and out of the computer so we can make cds! It also is stocked with a wide assortment of software for creating and editing music... a sound laboratory, playground and garden rolled into one. Once we get the sound into the Micron it can be shaped and sculpted in endless ways.
A wonderful set of software tools that allow us to create the reverbs and sound environments heard on From Montana to the Sea. Especially nice is the "studioverb", a lush reverb that works well with flutes and vocals. The Q expander is a piece of software we use to create a wide and realistic stereo effect on some of our recordings; it can make it seem that sounds are coming from all around the room instead of just from the speakers. To hear the effect to its fullest, you need to be seated directly between your speakers. Listen to the birds in Wetlands on From Montana to the Sea.  Sony Portable
DAT
We use this small digital tape recorder to collect sounds in the field that may someday become part of a piece.
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tel: 1-406-239-8776 * PO Box 136 St. Ignatius, MT 59865 |
pray for peace...
Moek soprano recorder 
Cooperman
Bodhran 
Kurzweil Micropiano
General
Music Realpiano
