#LIKE THOSE TRUMPETS AND PERCUSSION ARE SO NICE

[pure-penguin-gold]

WHY DOES THE TPOM OST GO SO HARD!!!!!!!

[firestorm09890]

rambling about the org xiii orchestra art

as someone in an orchestra for real

(from here)

I can’t tell what instrument Larxene has. I thought it was castanets and someone else suggested egg shakers but both are not traditional orchestra instruments so it’s really just weird

neat that both Xaldin and Lexaeus are playing the BIG percussion instruments, and both Axel and Saix are playing woodwinds (harp is a stringed instrument too so i make no comment on the strings)

There’s no [x]ylophone pun unfortunately because those huge tubes indicate that’s actually a marimba both Xion and Roxas are playing. There is however a pun in the fact that it’s a KEYboard instrument. also they’re just adorable

actually I just remembered that instrument names aren’t common knowledge, here they are:

Xemnas is the conductor/orchestra director; Xigbar on saxophone, Luxord on trumpet, and Marluxia on trombone (that’s our brass); Axel on flute and Saix on.... it’s hard to see but I think that’s an oboe (woodwinds); Xaldin on timpani, Lexaeus on bass drum, Larxene on... something??, and Roxas & Xion on marimba (percussion); and then Vexen on harp, Zexion on violin, and Demyx on double bass (strings)

Marluxia why are you holding a flower I know you have an aesthetic but you need both hands to play a trombone

There are 3 main instrument sections (kinda) that are the “obnoxious know-it-all” instruments, stereotyped as generally having a superiority complex over the other sections because they’re soooo important look at meeee carrying the melody: the trumpet for band, the 1st violin for orchestra, and the soprano for voice (and the secret 4th, the flute for woodwinds). With that said, of course Zexion would play violin

And following both that and his Mystery Gear in 358/2 Days, it would have made more sense thematically for Xigbar to be playing the trumpet. however the saxophone is the funny meme instrument so it still works

There is NO WAY Demyx is a double bass player. It’s the only instrument besides percussion that you have to stand up for (though some orchestras do have the bassists sit on stools), and it’s much more work to actually PLAY than the other string instruments, by virtue of being much bigger. they tend to play less than most other stringed instruments, sure, but if you want to be sitting around not doing much you’re best off picking a different instrument entirely, especially since string sections tend to require more unanimity in playing than the brass/woodwinds/percussion since there’s more people playing each part

harps are rare to include in compositions. they’re very nice and melodious though. idk what this says about Vexen

generally there’s not enough percussion players to cover every single instrument which means that Larxene is definitely running around to cover all the small parts (whatever she’s holding, it’s definitely percussion)... actually with Xaldin Lexaeus Roxas and Xion in percussion as well she might not have to but she is the speedy one so

--

I hope what Saix is holding is an oboe and not a clarinet because if it’s an oboe we get some more symbolism, as well as some very nice... dynamic between his instrument and Zexion’s :)

you see, the oboe is the instrument that tunes the entire rest of the orchestra. whatever the oboe’s A sounds like will be the A the ensemble matches. one could say it’s the most important instrument

HOWEVER, the first chair of 1st violin is nominally the most important instrument- that’s the “concertmaster”, and they get to walk on-stage after everyone else (but before the conductor, obviously). they’re also important for real- based on the repertoire they’re basically guaranteed to have at least one solo. they sit at the very front, right next to the conductor. in my orchestra the concertmaster has a little biography in the program along with the conductor’s

there’s actually multiple rounds of tuning- the first couple it’s the oboe doing their thing and the other non-string instruments matching, and then the last round the concermaster matches the oboe, and then the string instruments match the concertmaster.

and that’s all so very interesting, isn’t it

and finally

Xemnas is 100% a garbage conductor. To the audience he looks very cool, doing all his sweeping motions, but it’s impossible to follow as an orchestra member, so you’re really on your own because the conductor is not conducting properly and not giving helpful cues

[saywhatjessie]

Strike Up The Band

Back at it again with an Advent Calendar! Just writing for whatever fandom or pairing feels right at the moment. Using this list by @raven-cincaide-words Day 1: First Snow | Newcomer | Forced Friendliness  Fandom: Supernatural - Pairing: DeanCas 1.1k[Ao3]

Dean could barely see the field through the cloud of his breath. “Cas, I’m freezing my tits off out here.”

Cas hummed, bringing his arm around Dean’s waist. “They’re on next and then we can go sit in the car.”

“That’ll be like another half hour,” Dean whined, turning his body closer into Cas’s. “I can feel the bleacher in my asshole.”

“I told you to bring your seat cushion.”

“I’m not fucking geriatric!”

“No, you’re cold.”

Dean grumbled, burying his hands in the bottom of Cas’s jacket. Cas didn’t even flinch.

It was starting to snow. The first of the year so it probably wouldn’t stick but it was still an unpleasant new obstacle to the day. Not only were they cold, they were about to be wet and cold.

“At least the season is almost over,” Cas reassured him. “And if they make championships, I think it’s in Florida.”

“Ugh, but Florida sucks. I hate driving in Florida.”

“But it’s warm.”

Dean grumbled again, his thigh pressed all the way up Cas’s. Cas laid his head on Dean’s shoulder.

Dean knew Jack wasn’t gonna be an athlete. That’s okay – Dean hadn’t been an athlete in high school either. Dean wasn’t gonna be able to help him throw a ball or shoot a hoop or whatever. He was expecting Jack to do a bunch of nerd shit: build robots for science club or a math decathlon or some shit. He was ready to help with those.

But Jack joined fucking marching band. So Dean had to go to competitions for entire weekends and freeze his ass off on the bleachers only to see his kid perform for fifteen minutes.

“Have you talked to him about indoor?” Cas asked.

Dean groaned. “There’s more?”

Cas hummed. “Another winter season. It goes until May. But they only have percussion and colorguard.”

“Jack plays the trombone,” Dean pointed out.

“He was thinking he might want to do colorguard.”

Dean laughed. “With that kid’s coordination? Is he serious?”

Cas smiled, opening his mouth to respond, when they were interrupted by another parent carrying a truly insane amount of blankets..

“Hi!” The mother said, brightly. “You’re here with Rock Hills, right?”

“Uh, yeah,” Dean said, looking between her and her and the field. The band was still setting up.

“Oh, fabulous!” She said, taking the section of bench next to Cas. She put some blankets under her to sit on, hiked another over her shoulders, and wrapped yet another one around her legs. “I have been finding it so hard to get good watch buddies. My son just transferred!”

“Oh, nice,” Dean said, smiling for her. “What’s he play?”

“Oh, trumpet, of course!” She waved a hand like that was a given. “My boy always needs to be the star.”

“I don’t see how a trumpet is inherently more star-like than any other instrument,” Cas said, frowning.

“Oh, you both must be new to this!” The woman said, smiling in a condescendingly sympathetic way. “I was in band in my time. Everyone knows that if a marching band were like The Rolling Stones, the trumpets would be Mick Jagger.”

“So you were a trumpet?” Dean asked.

“Oh, heavens no! Far too masculine, can you imagine? No, I was a flute. Obviously.”

“So… Brian Jones?” Dean asked. Cas chuckled which made Dean grin brighter.

“Who? No, listen, the flutes are clearly the star of the woodwinds. Which are inherently more delicate and feminine.”

“These sound like very convoluted gender politics,” Cas said. Dean didn’t disagree, but he still elbowed Cas a bit. They still had to sit outside for twenty minutes with this woman.

“Oh, you’re just silly men,” she said, waving them off with a laugh. “Probably played sports in high school. I suppose I can’t expect you to understand.”

“Right,” Dean said, turning back to the field. He was so grateful it was rude to speak during a performance so he could ignore this woman for the next ten minutes.

Except even after the drum major gave their salute, this woman kept trying to engage them. Sure, this band wasn’t their band, but she could have still shown some respect. Dean kept shooting her polite smiles hoping she’d take the hint and shut the fuck up but she never did. She just kept prattling through the whole program.

After the drum major gave her parting salute and Dean and Cas had finished clapping, Cas turned to the woman. “That was extremely rude.”

She sputtered, clearly indignant.

“For someone who claims to be so familiar with the culture surrounding marching band, your lack of awareness surrounding the expected  etiquette during competition performances is frankly upsetting. I’m sure I’ll meet your son as he’s a part of the brass section, along with our son, but I’m not sure I’ll welcome you to watch with us again. It’s no wonder you haven’t found anyone to sit with if you’re this intolerable of company.”

“Cas,” Dean warned. He winced an apology at the woman. She wasn’t even looking at him, her jaw dropped.

“‘Our’ son? Like both of yours? You’re gay?”

Dean forced a laugh. “I mean where else do you expect to find friends of Dorothy than in Kansas, right?”

“Well, then I guess it’s good I’m such intolerable company to you, because I have found that you’re equally intolerable to me,” she said, grabbing her purse and an armful of blankets. “Now if you excuse me.”

“Wait, are we intolerable because Cas yelled at you or the queer thing.Lady, was it Cas or the queer thing?!”

She didn’t answer him even as he called after her so he just shrugged and turned back to Cas.

Cas held up one of her blankets. Dean wasn’t sure if she dropped it or if he snagged it from her, but he was delighted either way.

“Oh, nice!” he said, taking the blanket and wrapping it around both of their shoulders. He kissed Cas on the nose. “You gotta stop scaring the other parents away, sweetheart.”

Cas rolled his eyes, snaking his hand across his lap to join Dean’s. “She was insipid and shallow. She didn’t even get your Rolling Stones joke.”

“I know! He was the sax player! That’s a woodwind! That was the perfect joke.”

“And you know the saxophone is a woodwind,” Cas complimented, leaning into him. “You’re learning.”

Dean winked, tapping his temple. “Not just a hat rack.”

Cas laughed and the announcer introduced Jack’s school and Dean and Cas lost the next fifteen minutes to hooting and hollering and being generally embarrassing as was their god given right as gay fathers.

And if they snuggled in the impala, heaters on full blast, all the way until awards that evening, than that was between Dean and his babies.

[lisahiltonmusic]

Q. & A. with Lisa Hilton on album Lucky All Along – Out 11/29/24

With Lisa Hilton / piano,  Igmar Thomas / trumpet,  Rudy Royston / drums & percussion,  Luques Curtis / bass

Q. Congratulations on your thirtieth album Lucky All Along!  Or perhaps should I be saying: “Happy 30th Birthday?”

Lisa Hilton: I like that – it has a nice ring to it!  I’ve created twenty-eight albums in the U.S. and two in Asia, so I’m at thirty now, and somehow it just keeps getting more fun every year with every recording!

Q. Why do you think that is? 

LH: As a composer, ideas flow much more quickly now that I have two hundred compositions, and it’s easier for me to get them written down too. In the past it was hard and time consuming for me to notate music scores. After I taught myself Sibelius, the notation software I use, it was still slow going for a while to notate, but nowadays I write music easily. 

Q. That makes sense, and of course, you know your bandmates better too…

LH: It does feel like we are able to do more things musically now. We had a terrific time touring together in March 2024, and with familiarity everyone has become more intuitive, which leads to more freedom in our playing. Now we actively work to create spots for everyone to stand out. Luques Curtis has strong, almost boisterous bass performances on this album. Igmar Thomas knocks me out with his virtuosity on trumpet, and drummer Rudy Royston’s creativity always surprises me. I love how everyone sounds – I hear so much beauty, hope, joy, passion, mastery and life in this music – it really touches me and we hope others feel that way too. 

Q. Where did you record?

LH: This time we worked at East West Studios in Hollywood. I’m very conscientious about sound, so I’ve recorded at numerous top studios. By far, East West was the coolest studio I’ve ever been in!  I think the vibe there boosted our moods and creativity!

Q. How long does it take for you to record an album?

LH: We record in just one day: it takes about six hours plus set up time and breaks.  It’s a full day. 

Q. You must work pretty quickly!

LH: I like the music to feel fresh and authentic, not “perfect”. We discuss the ideas in the piece, record three takes, then move on. 

Q. I noticed a lot of variety in song choices – your tunes alongside Miles Davis, Taylor Swift and Charlie Puth for example.

LH: Yep; whether you’re jazz curious or a straight ahead fan, there’s something for you on this album. I think most people enjoy genre-free listens these days for work, entertaining or to relax. We’ve got jazz, blues and Latin vibes with a sprinkle of pop, bop, country and gospel, and the band switches gears with agility throughout. Lots of upbeat rhythms and memorable melodies too. 

Q. Do you have any favorite tunes on the Lucky All Along?

LH: I love them all! They touch you in so many ways, so listening to the full album feels like a journey. My fav might be And Some Blues…it has a pretty celebratory vibe to it. A couple people working at the studio said they liked Little Beach Mornings best. I could listen to All Blues over and over and over! Escapist Fantasy and Starry, Starry Eyes are very melodic and Latiny tunes that I really like. Lucky All Along is a bit countrified and unique, while Big Sur Views has a meditative quality. Prophesies & Predictions has lots of ideas – be sure to listen to that one through to the end. Hollywood Moment  is also a favorite for me – it reminds me of pianist Bill Evans a bit. Both See You Again and Snow on the Beach are terrific compositions I’m glad we recorded. 

Q. Tell us a bit more about those last two cover songs you just mentioned?

LH: Lots of jazz artists arrange tunes by the Beatles or Stevie Wonder, but I think jazz should reflect today and feature great composers of this generation. While he was still at Berklee College of Music, singer/songwriter/producer Charlie Puth opened up for me at a show I had in Boston. Even then, his skills, talent, and personality impressed me. After graduation, Charlie co-wrote a song about the loss of his friend in a motorcycle accident, which he expressed in a very touching way in the tune See You Again. 

   Snow On The Beach was written by Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey and Jack Antonoff for Taylor’s Midnights album in 2022. Although this is considered a pop song, I hear a touch of the great American composer Robert Johnson in this evocative composition. It is an extremely well written and beautiful song, and I love the very subtle improvisations from the bass and drums on this track. Snow on a beach is rare, so we finished a joyful album with the idea that every moment is rare and should be cherished. 

For more information: LisaHiltonMusic.com  Follow Lisa Hilton Music on all socials. Listen on jazz radio or any streaming service. 

[wet-bread-owner]

Now this might come off as a surprise but I decided to review another splatband, but this time it doesn't have an octoling, I'm obsessed with Kitamura at the moment so I wanted to review Ink Theory ok?, Anyways let's get started

Ink Theory

Splatoon 2

Broken Coral: The first out of the two is Broken Coral, I need to say this first and that is that i absolutely adore the way Karen plays the piano, the way it starts really calmly and then evolves into chaos with the other instruments playing, I will also mention how Yoko plays the trumpet and everything, yeah it sounds good but I'm more focused on the piano here, I adore the piano in both songs, I'm genuinely impressed by it and I can't stop focusing on it whenever I'm listening to the songs, there's also this part where Aachin's bass becomes more noticeable, and I like that, I have no idea how that sound is made with the bass but honestly it's pretty cool, overall i like Broken Coral, I believe that it's their most popular song (out of the two)

Riptide Rupture: Now for the final song, I believe this one is my personal favorite, the way it starts with Bibi playing the kazoo which is also more noticeable through the song which is cool, I didn't think I would need it but I love splatband songs with kazoo, I need more, there's also of course Karen with the piano which is incredible and that one part where it goes back and forth with the trumper, it's just so good I adore it, now I will mention the part where you can hear Mayaya playing the percussion instruments which is honestly something that I really like, there should be more variety in splatband songs and this honestly is just so nice to hear, it pairs so well with Kitamura's drums which also add a lot to the song, I believe drummers don't get a lot of recognition, without Kitamura the song would feel kinda bland, that's why I adore Kitamura

Closing notes

Now, as a way to end this review I would like to mention the real musicians that made the songs, especially Ai Kuwabara who played the piano, she did an incredible job with it, same goes to Atsuki Yumoto who played the trumpet, playing the trumpet looks actually really hard, and finally Mizuki Ueda, the drummer, I really like her way of playing the drums it's so cool, I wish people talked more about the real musicians behind the splatbands, it's interesting to see who they are asides from the in-game characters that they represent, I must also thank my girlfriend for giving me the idea for this review :›

As a second note I will say, I love Kitamura, she looks so silly, idk what it is but just the way she looks is so funny, I love urchins so much

Oh and also, all of the images and musicians info comes from the Ink Theory Inkipedia page, you should check those out

[styrmwb]

Favorite Final Fantasy Music (FFXI - Base Game)

I'm retiring the part joke here now I think, and for good reason. You see the title, right? Base Game? I will explain in a moment.

I love FFXI. I have very fond memories watching it being played growing up (some of the only fond memories I have at times hahaaaaa), and that love very much influences the feelings I have for it nowadays. It's absolutely an aged game. It is 100% a game of its time, and I'm ok with that! I play it when I want to chill out, mindlessly grind, and listen to some chill beats; It is such a vibe of a game. It also has a really cool world, story, and characters, and for that to all the people that make "every FF game" lists of all types and you exclude XI? I will find you. The main composers other than Uematsu in this game were Naoshi Mizuta and Kumi Tanioka, who later do Stranger of Paradise and Crystal Chronicles, respectively (those are at least my favorite bits they do)

As XI is an MMO, it is split up into several expansions, and some add-on content. It's a huge game, and I can't do it justice by only doing 5 songs from the whole thing, so I'm going to split this up into a few parts, one for every expansion (plus maybe a bonus one for the add-ons and things that don't quite fit) (this is also why I can't keep doing the part joke cause then XII is gonna be like part 17 and that's fucked). It's XI week! Let's start with the base game :)

5. Despair (Memoro de la Ŝtono) You might be wondering, What The Fuck is that title? Memoro de la Ŝtono is the vocal part of the opening, and its motifs are used in several different songs. This version specifically is one of my favorites. It plays in a few different cutscenes so when it appears it's like a nice treat. I absolutely love the synth in this whole track, the heavy backing, the cool harpsichord, and the part in the middle where it just goes ham on the keys. It does really fit well with the Despair name, but also like it's kind of a jam?

4. Battle Theme Something cool about XI is that it has different battle themes depending on where you are and if you're in a group or not. This is the general battle theme when you aren't in a party (so for that reason ironically you're probably not going to hear it much considering most of this game needs a party). I love the intro still giving you that classic FF build up, but in a unique way. The whole song sounds almost like a band marching you out for war, with the snare and the flute especially. Another really cool part is when it gets less upbeat, the flute is giving you a steady yet nervous backing while the trumpet plays its heart out.

3. Awakening Yooooooooo the first final boss theme of this game. When I actually played XI myself and not through the eyes of a child watching, it was in the modern day with trusts, basically soloing it. Catch me sitting awkwardly regenerating HP while the Actual Final Boss is killing all of my ghost friends who can't do shit: it was very funny. ANYWAYS, this song is so cool. Super heavy on percussion, and the toms have a really awesome bouncy feel to them. This whole song takes the Shadow Lord's main theme, keeps a lot of the same sounds and melodies, but transforms it into a battle theme expertly. This is also a really fun song to play in Theatrhythm with the melody hitting you with a lot of triplets.

2. The Republic of Bastok One of my favorite memories of this game is seeing Bastok being wandered around. When I finally decided to pick it back up as an adult, the moment I heard this song I got really emotional and happy. The percussion with the timpani and claves really gives you the feel of a bustling city, and the melody is an absolute joy to my ears; making you feel like everything is right and happy, walking through the city as people build and craft. I really don't have much else to say about this song, it never fails to bring a genuine smile to my face.

1. Vana'diel March Vana'diel March absolutely does that thing that music does where when a specific instrument plays some specific notes, it is like, scientifically calculated to pull on your heartstrings. One day I will figure out what this term is called cause I know it has to exist. This is the title screen music; every expansion has its own unique theme, but the basic one has always been my favorite. March is a perfect word for this song, cause the intro which becomes the backing gives you that feel; imagine the end of the opening cutscene where you see the huge army walking together? That's this song. The trumpet comes in with a beautiful solo, going into the prelude showing you that this is still Final Fantasy. Bring in the rest of the orchestra to create a grand feeling of adventure, saying to you: "Hey, this is a huge world that you're about to enter. Think of this as you walk through it." It's beautiful, and this song is almost like a musical summary of why I love this game, in a way.

Honorable Mentions go to: Battle Theme #2, Ronfaure, Gustaberg, Sarutabaruta, Voyager, Selbina, The Grand Duchy of Jeuno, Hopelessness, and Castle Zvahl.

[pianocat939]

Hello, hello my idol, Celina! I have some questions for you to answer if that's alright, I just want to get to know you better. <33

What's your favorite instrument(s) that you have or like to play? And what's your favorite band you prefer more than others? Oh, and one more question! Which Yandere! ROTTMNT turtle brother is your favorite to write or in general you favor?

Thank you, and I hope you have a nice morning/afternoon/evening! ♡♡♡

— ✒️ Anonymous

Omg an anon wanting to get to know me better? Unheard of, but appreciated.

What’s your favourite instrument(s) that you like to play?

So out of all the instruments I play my favourites are piano, quad drums, and oboe. The piano part is simple, I’ve loved it since I was kid. In my opinion quad drums are the most fun to play, especially since we get to be kinda the “pitch carriers” of the drums + cymbals (Adam don’t kill me for messing up on my Jig 2 solo Istg- I didn’t do it on purpose). And although I’ve just barely started, oboe is another favourite. I’ve loved the sound for like a good 2-3 years now and have been wanting to play it for the past year. I always got told it was really hard to play but I was able to play an entire scale within seconds-

What’s your favourite band?

(I assume we’re talking performing and not like guitar type band-)

I’m stuck between marching band, concert band, and drum line help-

I love almost anything with performing music it’s a problem ;-;

Ok so for marching band, learning the sets, movements, and memorizing the music is a bitch but the actual performance…AUGH I CAN ALREADY REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME THOSE BRIGHT LIGHTS WERE ON ME AND MY DIRECTOR WAS SMILING LIKE A MADMAN. When we were done with our half time show I couldn’t stop smiling- I just love the weird prideful feeling.

Concert band often has really dramatic music and I love that too. As a woodwind player, I hate doing the fast runs but hearing the instruments align all together on a stage is just- I’m in love. The trumpets blasting, but blasting beautifully. The percussion running around to get to their positions- the experience is great. And plus everybody looks more attractive when they’re in that formal concert wear

I only started drumline this year (as a freshman in high school) and have never played drums ever, at all. I remember signing up for quad drums bcs I knew I was shit at snare and I liked how quad drums sound. I didn’t think I would be allowed to play quads but because of my years in piano and spatial awareness I got a pass haha. Anyway, playing drums is so fun~! Just hitting shit and bouncing around like a bunch of idiots, it’s great. And actually, just last Thursday I revealed my Jig 2 solo to the crowd for the first time…It was kind of a disaster (I KEPT HITTING MY STICKS HELP-) but my director told me I did great for not knowing shit about drums-

Which turtle do you like to write most about?

Mikey or Donnie. Personality wise Donnie is the easiest for me to write and then Mikey is such a chaotic little guy I can’t help but go ham on him.

…

I totally did not just write like 4 paragraphs on how much of a music nerd I am help-

/sarc

[tabbykatsplayground]

TKP Characters as Instruments

Charon - Cello. A really bass-y instrument feels like their vibe

Darrell - Electric guitar. Sounds REALLY fucking cool when plugged, but still works just as well unplugged

Chazz - Percussion in general. The beat that everyone follows- sometimes the harmony. It was hard to pick a specific instrument that fits him

Sven - Had a little trouble thinking about this one. Choir was my first thought because I think he'd just have a nice singing voice And No Other Reason, but I think some kind of woodwind would also fit them. Clarinet, maybe?

Tammi - Xylophone! :o) I'm thinking specifically of those wooden, rainbow ones. Other instruments I thought of were vibraphone + slide whistle (latter for the sillies)

Percy - Something sad and enchanting.. the flute or violin

Psike - Piano or any mallet instruments, but mostly glockenspiel. I have a couple of piano pieces in Psike's playlist so it's crucial. Glockenspiel is the closest to a music box imo and is a small little thing that can make loud noise

January - Trumpet. You have to trust me on this one.

Aster - Flute or timpani. Like I mentioned, flute has a mystical feel to it. Timpani... it's more of a vibe. There's lots of adjusting to make sure it's in tune. And it's a beautiful percussion instrument. Theremin is another instrument that I feel fits. Have you heard how beautiful and haunting it is

Naomi - The most obvious instrument for her would be the electronic piano. Closest thing to a synthesizer. Other than that, kalimba feels like a nice choice for her

Kale - I'm gonna be honest he's the whole reason we're here. My main instruments for him are piano and harp. Piano reminds him of... someone. He has a piano piece in his playlist and it's so filled with whimsy and he would love to play that! I have very hard stances with the harp. It's a heavenly instrument. Haunting and beautiful, cheery. Kale.

[a-verigoodblog]

Over the Years

When Gwen was five, she asked her mother why she had to dance. She didn't like it, the teacher was mean and strict. Her mom didn't care

When she was six, she went to her grandmas house and saw a piano in the corner

By the time Gwen was seven, her grandma gave the piano to her and was teaching her how to play the black and white keys.

When she was eight, she told her mother she was quitting dance. She still played piano.

When Gwen was nine, her parents split up and her grandmother died. She still played the piano.

When she was ten, she went out with her auntie and sister to a music store. She loved it. By this time, she knew everything about the piano.

When Gwen was eleven, she joined school band and played in percussion and the flute. Her mother didn't like it. Her little sister did.

When she was twelve, she asked her mother for her first drum kit. Her mom wasn't pleased. Gwen wasn't surprised. She thanked her auntie when she got her one.

When she was thirteen, she'd gotten into honor band. Her drum skills were good and she got a ukulele for her birthday. Her teacher said she was a natural.

When Gwen was thirteen, her auntie moved away and she felt like a disappointment to her mother. She still played the piano.

When she was fourteen, she wanted a change and dyed her hair a light shade of blue. She also found writing her feelings in her notebook made her feel better.

When Gwen was fourteen, she'd saved up enough money to by herself a trumpet. Her band teacher told her she was a musician. She'd never heard that before.

When she was fifteen, her blue hair faded and she re dyed it cotton candy pink. Her mother told her she was a disappointment. She meant a doe eyed blonde girl named Julie with an angelic singing voice.

When Gwen was fifteen, her mother found the amount of instruments she played ridiculous. She ignored her and still played. She'd already filled hundreds of notebook pages with her feelings.

When Gwen was sixteen, she'd become best friends with Julie. Julie had a really nice family. She found the drums is her favorite one of Gwen's many instruments she played.

When she was sixteen, her little sister was the apple of her mothers eye and she found herself the forgotten child. She spent most of her time and Julie's house anyway.

When Gwen was seventeen, she dyed her hair yellow and green. She joined show band and  liked performing on stage. She had 15 notebooks filled with her feelings. Julie's mother told her she was given the gift of playing music, she liked Julie's mother. Mostly because, she was better then her own.

When Gwen was seventeen, her mother tried to kick her out of her own house. Her mom was happy that she was turning eighteen soon, so her disappointment of a daughter would leave. That's what Gwen thought. Then, she regretted quitting dance all those years ago.

When Gwen was eighteen, she questioned her sexuality. She'd always thought she was straight, but Julie was pretty. And her heart hammering in her chest and butterflies in her stomach and a million other things pointed to the counterpart.

When she was eighteen, she dyed her hair a lavender purple and got a full ride scholarship to a prestigious music school in California. By then, her drums were her main focus.

When Gwen was eighteen, the summer before she went off to college, she was going through her room, packing things. She already had all her instruments ready to go, the small ones anyway (the drums were a lot harder to pack) Gwen was going through her clothes when she tipped off balance and bumped (into what she thought) was her desk. She'd turned around, clutching her side when she realized that it was not her desk, but the piano her grandmother had given her so many years ago.

She pulled off the sheet which revealed a rather dusty old black and white keys. She swallowed the lump in her throat when a million memories came rushing back to her in an instant. The last time she played it her mother had yelled at her for being too loud...

[uj453]

no wonder cage did 4’33” 

3/12/2018 

0 Comments 

about a hundred musicians, one conductor, and compositions by some classics...

i have never understood how musicians do it. play to the tunes of others. of what kind of commitment that is needed by the percussionist to wait for their turn to bang the symbals. and wait they do. they sit, they text or whatever people do on their smartphones, take out the score of the next composition and wait they do. for the time to hammer the instrument that makes sound like a church bell. for the triangle, for the harp. all to create a beautiful ensemble of sounds, that sounds like music. music as we know it, the classics, that one has heard in one form or the other. in all it’s poise, in all it’s predictablity, of rhythm, of harmony. with it’s full effect and force.

standing there at the door of the hall, a hall which was just large enough to have the about hundred musicians (of course the viennese architecture with its really high ceilings and so on help), i was standing right next to the percussions, couldn’t help but think of that beautiful film in which we only see the drummer of the orchestra who is dozing off, looking into the camera, and so on, but continues playing (how do i not remember the name of the film). the conductor in all his glory of being the conductor, with his wand, was swaying away for the music. I guess considering the orchestra was mostly of very young people, also not taking himself too seriously, and being soft, friendly and funny, was still listening to the notes that he needed to.

isit the same thing, being in a film crew as in being in the orchestra? if so, then i kind of get it. but film shoots @re so shitty, so dirty, so ugly, whereas this right here was beauty, in all it’s conventional understanding beauty, thing that will emotionally move you, and take you to with its musical curve, where it’s going.

what was missed by most in the hall, also because they were part of it i guess, is the endings of each of the compositions. and the gaps in between the plays. most of the compositions designed in a way, that it ends with a high, for applause. i could hear the applause, almost as part of the composition. But they never happened. It was a rehearsal after all.and there were sounds of relief, sounds of people losing the poised positions, keeping their instruments down, putting on the new composition, but of course sound of the conductor telling them their next thing, correcting what needed to be, and so on. but that right then was what made it so real, so out of the musical bubble that was being created. no wonder cage thought of 4’33”.

i never knew harp was so beautiful. to see those things there, and imagining them being carried in, brought in, was all lost when it was being played in all it’s heavenliness (cliche yeah, but that’s how the idea of heaven is conditioned in, so well...)

it is all about the timing. which instruments get in at what point, and what loudness and so on. to some extent, i do understand what and why there’s so much tall about cage and the composition of 4’33”.

i wish the conductor spoke more english. he was quite fluent in it, but i think because most musicians were germans, german made more sense. maybe it was also nice to not know what he was saying. the musicians all had the music notes and so on, as the common language. at one point, half an hour two of them walked in with plastic bags and were unabashed (to my surprise) at arriving late. they had actually got stands for notes, for people who didn’t have it already. post that composition, many went and picked one up, getting access to the notes. even as the trumpet man was making marks of highs and lows on his. having stood there for about a couple of hours ‘observing’ (and with so many filmic ideas) stepping out, i could hear better. the sounds of the tram, of that roads, of the footsteps, and so on. no wonder cage did 4’33”.

thanks Emily (my former flatmate who is a cellist in the ensemble and told me about the rehearsal)

leaving with this image of cage’s composition of 4’33”.

[clowngames]

Ok so no one asked but there are a few key things that give the Rescue Team soundtrack a unique identity, which are only amplified in the DX remaster.

(dont know how to add a Read More on mobile, so apologies)

The first is the instrument choice. Red Rescue Team was for the GBA, so to keep things simple Blue Rescue Team used the same, limited soundfont. This makes heavy use of the GBA's chiptune capabilities, which most games (especially DS games) avoid in favor of MIDI samples.

If you boot up Blue Rescue Team it definitely sounds more dated than, say, New Super Mario Bros, which adopts the DS's drastically improved sampling system, leaving chiptune channels behind completely. In fact, its use of chiptune surpasses even other GBA games - if you compare it to the music of Pokemon Emerald, those soundtracks don't sound anything alike!

In fact, the other Pokemon GBA games are a great point of comparison here. Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald are notoriously brass-heavy, while Fire Red/Leaf Green doesn't seem to favor any particular instrument, electing to take the spirit of Red/Blue's chiptune soundtrack and improve the quality of those sounds.

What sets Rescue Team apart from those games in particular, and other GBA games in general, is the way it uses chiptune to provide fullness to a song, and samples to provide rhythm and melody. The chiptune is often playing chords, or arpeggios, while the samples, being higher quality, are made the focus of the song. It's hardly the only game to do this, but it puts so much more emphasis on it by only having 2-3 sample channels active at any given time.

And what are the samples it uses? Plucked strings. Solo violins and flutes. Miscellaneous percussion. It brings to mind a sort of toy box orchestra. It contrasts nicely with the grandness of the Emerald soundtrack - while the mainline Pokemon games follow a story of humans collecting a team (and more) of Pokemon, Mystery Dungeon zooms in and focuses on the Pokemon themselves. It's a physically smaller story, and the soundtrack supports that.

There are instruments that lean more toward a "bigger" sound, such as a celestia, when appropriate. But they always play in the background with the chiptune.

As a pure coincidence, almost all the instruments chosen for this soundtrack are sounds that the GBA can more easily replicate with minimal quality loss. The plucked strings of Rescue Team sound more like plucked strings than the trumpets of Emerald sound like trumpets. So paradoxically, despite the soundtrack sounding more dated than other DS games, it has also aged significantly better than other GBA games.

This is where I bring up the DX remaster. All the remastered soundtrack did was boost the quality of the samples, and change the mixing. The chiptune backing is still chiptune, but now it's smoother, and balances better with the other instruments. The violin is still MIDI, but now it's so high quality it sounds like someone recorded someone playing a violin, and then edited that recording into a different melody than it originally was (which, to be fair, is how MIDI samples work typically).

This creates a music experience which is simultaneously modern and rich, and extremely authentic to the original soundtrack. The violin is both real and fake. It once again amplifies the smallness of the game in a way that makes it feel intimate, but not too intimate for comfort. It makes it...cute? Without the music actually being "cute."

The second thing is the composition itself. You can roughly divide the soundtrack into 4 different categories: menu/town, dungeon, battle, and scene. Each of these categories has a distinct compositional philosophy.

Town and menu themes almost all have the main game's motif in them, and the rest still have one of a few other motifs in them. In addition, they also all have a swing rhythm, whether they're upbeat and adventurous, or slow and chill. This gives them a consistently fun feel, like even when you're relaxing in the main menu you're still bouncing a little bit. The other thing is the melodies are written to be catchy. In fact, if you're a fan of the game, just bringing up the main motif probably put it in your head - or maybe you're humming the town theme as you read.

Dungeon music works a bit differently. It's less melodic, and a bit more repetitive, and as a result it's a lot more ambient. I would describe these songs as "iterative" - they repeat phrases which add variations to over time. They don't demand your attention like the town themes do, but they don't grate on you with their repetitiveness. They're extremely comfortable in the background.

What surprised me about the dungeon songs was how much of the emotional spectrum they cover. I won't cover this too much because I'm on a roadtrip and will not subject my fellow riders to the soundtrack again. But the basic gist is that the dungeon songs match the emotional beats of the narrative the present those dungeons, which helps make each dungeon feel distinct in a game whose generation formula never changes.

Then we have the battle themes, which again I'll cover quickly because they're a level of complexity which requires another listen. But one thing you notice when you listen to them is how jazzy they are. The rhythm is wild and syncopated, there are sections which seem improvised. It reminds me of the way Cowboy Bebop will use jazz during action sequences to emphasize the chaos of a chase, or turn a fight scene into a dance scene.

It actually really nicely ties the more melodic town themes with the more ambient dungeon themes. The battle themes exist in a state between the two - insistent enough to require your attention while too improvisational to hum along to. It adds to the tension while sounding cool as hell.

Finally, the cutscene music. If I say "pokemon personality test" you can already hear that song with plucked strings rising along with tremolo strings and a celestia - a song that invites curiosity, importance, and reflection. This song, along with most cutscene music, has very little chiptune compared to its much heavier use of samples.

Cutscene music also uses far fewer instruments than the rest of the soundtrack, amplifying that feeling of smallness and intimacy, but this time reveling in the intimacy for maximum emotional impact.

Now, nothing I've said will compare to the academic paper I'm still trying to find that someone wrote a number of years ago, since I'm a self-taught composer and lack the vocabulary to get into the specifics while typing up a long tumblr post in the car. Maybe I'll listen to the soundtrack for another 6 hours and come back with a longer post. In the meantime, I hope this have given you a greater appreciation for the care that went into the soundtrack.

Yesterday I listened to the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX soundtrack twice over while I worked and now I am ready to read the academic paper someone wrote about it. Hell, I could write one myself.

[smoooothoperator]

I am going to talk about something: F1 as Orchestra

(This is based on my own orchestra experience)

Lewis Hamilton-Violin

Definitely a first violin of the orchestra

Had been the concertino for so long

The friend of the conductor that always is joking around with

Valterri Bottas-French Horn

He has me that metal wind face

He doesn't play always, and when he's waiting he plays with his phone

He's the one that creates the inside jokes on his section

Max Verstappen-Cello

He has that face of passion (yeah, his neutral face)

Like, imagine that he plays one of the most difficult pieces for cello

THAT face is absolutely beautiful

Obviously the principal

Sergio Perez-Guitar

His Mexican blood wants him to play Luke a mariachi

But he's good at what he does

Always joking with Max telling him the typical "Oh, is that a guitar what you wear inside that case?"

Max kills him

Lando Norris-Viola

I am violist too, I recognise someone of my same specie

He's a dork, but a lovely one

Tries to play a part but his fingers are so lazy and sometimes he gets confused with all the notes on the score

Maybe the principal, definitely the first atril

Daniel Ricciardo-Viola

Lando's partner in crime

They are the first atril of the orchestra that always laugh when something goes wrong

I used to do that

He is the one that it takes him so long to tune the instrument

Charles Leclerc-Piano

I mean. He is a pianist

No more explanation

Not the diva one for sure

Carlos Sainz-Cello

HE REMAINDS ME OF A ACTUAL CELLIST!!!(Pablo Ferrández. Listen to him, minute 4:39. )

I mean, you know that intense gaze he has when he is looking to nowhere? Yeah

With him, playing a cello seems to be easy (is not)

Pierre Gasly-Cello

All of them are cellist wtf I am making a nice cello section

I think he isnthe one that has nice skills for orchestra and works nice

Sometimes he gets frustrated but when he gets something good he nailed it

Yuki Tsunoda-Violin

A prodigy. No more to say

He is Asian. All the Asians are violinists and all of them are fantastic

He's a little friki of the violin

Fan of Two Set Violin

Sebastian Vettel-Clarinet

There's a clarinettist on the orchestra of my city that is like him

He's smiley, jokes, and plays while he dance on his chair

Love to teach, btw

Lance Stroll-Percussion

He gives me those vibes

Like, he loves playing the timbales (Idk how they say it in english)

Definitely will be the one that wakes up Kimi

Fernando Alonso-Conductor

Of course

Everybody admires him, so everybody does what him wants

He's friendly, the typical conductor that gifts all the flower bouquets to the women on the orchestra we are like the 3% of the people there

Likes to tell the origin of the pieces they are playing

Esteban Ocon-Oboe

Don't know why

He reminds me of a friend too

Likes to have solos and tries his best to impress the conductor aka Alonso

George Russel-Piano

Maybe a little Diva but in a good way

Like, he knows he's good and likes to show it

Definitely goes to a lot of competitions

Passion. He is a passionate musician and he gives everything of his soul on the keys

Nicholas Latifi-Trumpet

I think he would be a nice trumpetist

I actually don't have much to say about this

Is like. I was thinking What instrument Nick would play? And BOOM trumpet.

Kimi Räikkönen-Percussion

This is gold

Okay. You know that video of Kimi sleeping on the car waiting?

Well, he would fall asleep waiting to play just one time in the entire piece

But hey, when he has to play that only bar, he plays it well

Antonio Giovinazzi-Cello

Just imagine: him, with a ponytail or a bun, with a cello between his legs

Plays with a lot of passion

Not the bests of the section, maybe third atril?

Mick Schumacher-Violin

His father was the concretino

Started playing at a young age and he's one of the best of the orchestra

Maybe coprincipal hm... yeah

The rookie. Everytime he fails he turns around and apologise. Or when it's his birthday he brings chocolate

Nikita Mazepin-Bass

Not that I hate him.......

But he will definitely be the one that plays a bar after

Always laughing and annoying the conductor

And annoying the entire orchestra

[maxwell-grant]

What do you think about the new Blanka theme for SF6 that just released?

I haven't been listening to the themes too much as of yet since I wanna wait for the whole soundtrack to come out, but I know they're musically overhauling every character instead of bringing back the classics, which I'm all for, and I didn't know what to expect, so I went to listen and

AHA CA RA LHO SIM

Yeah this rules. It has no right to sound this good, goddamnit, but they definitely did their research on what the top musical hits in Brazil and Carioca funk usually sound like. It's a musical style I'm not really into (and it seems that plenty of people who also aren't into that kinda wish they'd do something else), but I dig this theme a lot. I'm glad that, for once, they've gone with something that isn't a samba pastiche to represent Brazil (and I do like those a bit but, it's nice to have variety, it's nice to have something that actually sounds what's popular in the country, it's so nice to see they absolutely did their work with this).

It's got the big brassy trumpets, it mixes chanting vocals with dudes going RATATATA and TUGUGUGU in tune, it has just enough of those guitar/tribal instruments traditionally used for Blanka's themes that it still has that Amazonian jungle feel and my favorite part is THEY'VE USED A TIMBAU AND A BERIMBAU FOR PERCUSSION YES. There's not a single Blanka theme I don't love but this is the first that actually sounds like something the character would have fun moving to, it beautifully matches the new direction they've given him. I'm glad it's gotten a super positive reception even with tasteless chumps that don't like Blanka and this makes me SUPER excited as to what they're gonna do with other characters like Dee Jay.

I dearly love questions that let me gush about SF6 but please be aware there's only so many ways I can say that this game has me 100% convinced and sold on whatever it wants to do and that it's on track to be the best goddamn Street Fighter game ever even before release. After how painful SFV was, I never could have thought we'd have a scenario where Street Fighter gives Blanka a carioca funk-inspired theme, and it somehow isn't the most cringe thing imaginable, but in fact rules extremely hard and speaks to the most positive direction Blanka as a character has ever gotten. Said it before and I'll say it again, but even when they don't get it right, which is most of the time, fighting games continue to be unmatched in Brazilian representation, and when they do get it right?

PANCADÃO DO BLANKA SEM FREIOS

DJ, MANDA O PASSINHO DO XOQUE

[stressed-anime-girl]

What Band Instrument I think that the Dream SMP members would play (from the point of a trombone)

I had my only band concert of the year today so your gonna have to deal with it. (AKA school band AU)

Dream - Huge fucking trumpet energy. Holy shit this man will solo like no body's business but he's the asshole who will scare you by blasting it in your ear if you sit in front of him

Sapanp - bass guitar. Rhythm section man. Everyone's favorite.

George - Fucking flute player. What a Whore (enderingly).

Karl - French horn. Tragic, I know. He also plays the Cello for some songs as well though.

Fundy - Alto saxophone. I don't like it either.

Wilbur - Either Bari sax or Euphonium. Funky little guy. Plays a mean solo on the bari.

Tommy - Trumpet. I don't really need to say anything else.

Tubbo - Tuba!!! I have never met a mean tuba player. Love those guys. He's very proud of it and named it "Vinnie"

BBH - a flute player, but, like, the one nice one.

Eret - a French horn, but can also play the trumpet.

Techno - a trombone and yes i'm based.

Quackity - a fugelhorn because i think those are the funniest shit.

Philza - pure cello bb

Ranboo - sadly, a clarinet.

FoolishG - percussion. Anything in percussion.

Punz - Drums. He's great at those.

Awesamdude - can probably play anything you ask, but mains bari sax

Ponk - Oboe or Alto sax vibes. Chaotic little shit.

[thirstyforcharacters]

When the Universe Collides (Sam Wilson x Reader)

Summary: Every person has a soulmate. When your soulmate experiences pain, so do you, and any bruises, scars, or other markings that they get appear on your skin. Or, the story of how smacking yourself in the face with a cabinet was the best thing to ever happen to you.

Notes: Hi! Since the first episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier comes out today, I wanted to write something for Sam! He’s super underrated and deserves more love! Also, this soulmate AU is extremely self-indulgent and has absolutely nothing to do with the TV show, but tbh I don’t care. Hope you all enjoy it too! (no y/n, no pronouns) (PS: any italicized text is Sam texting and the italicized and bold text is the reader texting!)

Warnings: mentions of a stab wound (nothing explicit), cursing I guess 

WC: 2.2 k

Your soulmate must have one hell of a job.

Almost every day, you woke up with dark bruises covering your body. It seemed that whenever one faded, another took its place. At completely random times, you would double over in aches that you certainly didn’t inflict upon yourself. One time, in the middle of the night, you woke up with pain in your stomach so intense, it felt like someone had stabbed you! It turned out that it was a stab wound, but given that no one had stabbed you lately (or ever), you figured it was from your soulmate. You definitely didn’t appreciate that hospital bill.

But you still desperately wanted to meet them. Meet that person that completed you: your other half. As a teenager, you made your parents tell you the story of the day they finally met so many times, you knew it by memory. They were both in the library at college, and your mom dropped a psychology textbook on her foot! Her howl of pain was only matched by the “SON OF A BITCH” that came from your dad on the opposite side of the library. When the two of them made eye contact, they instantly knew they were the ones for each other (they were also immediately kicked out for making such a ruckus). You wanted to have that moment so badly; meeting your soulmate was a huge milestone in every person’s life, and you needed it.

Your best friend and roommate, Brianna, had met hers just two months ago. They had met at the beach, when out of nowhere, Bri had shrieked in shock and pain.

“A crab just pinched me!”

When you had looked at her foot and told her nothing was there, she was totally confused, until you saw a handsome guy with a crab hanging from his foot! He had introduced himself as Julian, and the two had been inseparable since. He was living with you now, and you had honestly never felt more lonely in your life. Sure, you had your dream career; you ran a music shop in New York City, selling instruments, making repairs, and meeting all sorts of interesting people. You had a decent apartment, a chill best friend, and the cutest Yorkie, named Muffin, on the planet. By all accounts, you had it pretty good. You were just missing your other half.

It was a rainy day in NYC. The chill of winter was still clinging onto the March air, and you shivered as you trudged from your apartment to your shop. Even though you had an umbrella to protect you from the rain, the wind blew right through the too-thin jacket you yanked off of the coatrack in a rush. Still holding your half-eaten toaster strudel in your hand, you pushed open the doors to Major Instruments and Minor Repairs, your pride and joy.

It was two floors: the first was where you sold instruments, and the repair shop was above. Acoustic panels were attached to the burnt red walls to help quiet down the place, since the hardwood floors didn’t do much to help with that. The checkout desk was directly in the center in the room. Surrounding it were reeds, bottles of valve oil, and guitar strings. Picks were placed in two clear, plastic bowls on the desk itself. In the front left corner of the room was a grand piano, situated right in the window so passersby could see whenever someone plucked its keys. The entire back wall was covered in guitars and basses. To the right of the desk was a large drumset, accompanied by a pair of drumsticks and brushes. On the right wall were string instruments; string basses and cellos were leaned against the wall, while the violins, violas, and bows were displayed on it. Woodwind and brass instruments were scattered across the room in various display cases. Instrument stands, bow rosin, and miscellaneous instrument parts were on shelves throughout the room as well. The spiral staircase leading up to the repair shop was in the back left corner of the room. Behind the staircase was the door to the back store room, where you kept your extra supplies and also where you took your breaks.

“Good morning!” called Andrew, one of your closest friends from college, from behind the desk.

You waved in reply, wandering to the back store room. You were lucky you had Andrew; you could rely on him to run the front desk while you and Brianna assisted customers on the floor. Unfortunately, Bri had the flu today, so it would just be you on the floor, which would make things a little more hectic. You hurriedly finished your strudel, took off your jacket, which left you in a black and white flannel, a matching black tank top reading “Music is Life,” black leggings, and black combat boots (you had an aesthetic to uphold), and strode back out to the main area.

“You seem in a bit of a rush. Everything okay?” asked Andrew, who was currently restocking bell covers.

You sighed, “Just a whirlwind of a morning. Bri has the flu, Muffin nearly choked on a chicken bone, I almost burned my toaster strudel, and I smacked myself in the face with my cabinet door by accident.”

“Oh, that’s where the new bruise on your eye is from,” he mused.

You snorted, “Yeah, for once it’s not from my soulmate.”

“Maybe he’s a spy. Or a superhero!”

“Yeah, or a criminal,” you joined in on the restocking, grabbing some trumpet mutes since the place opened in just half an hour, “thanks for opening up, by the way.”

“It’s no problem,” he replied, “you know I don’t mind.”

The doorbell jingled and two of your instrument repair people, Sarah (for strings), and Natalie (for brass), entered. Natalie was lugging what was unmistakably a tuba case, while Sarah carried both of their instrument repair kits.

“Morning, ladies!” called Andrew.

“Good morning,” Sarah replied pleasantly.

Natalie huffed out a “morning” and dragged the tuba up the stairs.

“Her tuba’s broken. The tubing that holds up her mouthpiece completely snapped off. She’s going to try and repair it before her appointments today,” explained Sarah.

You winced, “That’s rough.”

Sarah dropped off both of their jackets and followed Natalie up the stairs leaving you alone with Andrew again. Soon after, Erik, your percussion guy, and John, the woodwind repairman, arrived, and it was time for the shop to open. For a while, it was just another mundane Thursday. Customers came and went. People tested the piano and drumsets, someone bought $100 worth of jazz scores, and a teenaged boy came in who somehow got a ping pong ball stuck in their trombone (you learned to never ask). But at exactly 1:47 pm, a time you would never forget, two very unexpected customers walked through the threshold of your store. You were up on a ladder, carrying a large, rather heavy, box of violin bows to situate on the wall, when you heard their voices.

“I’m telling you, Buck, I’m a wizard at the saxophone.”

“Sure, Sam. I’ll believe it when I hear it.”

“I’m serious, dude! I played all the time before I joined the military, and I picked it back up a little bit again after the whole Avengers thing. I just need to get a new one.”

“Hmm, okay. We’ll see.”

“Bastard.”

You whipped your head around and saw the Falcon and the Winter Soldier themselves in your shop. Having superheros in your place was a first. And who knew Sam Wilson played the saxophone?

Andrew offered them a cheerful greeting and directed them toward the saxophones, which happened to be near the ladder you were teetering on. Every time you leaned up to put a bow on display, it wobbled so badly you thought you were going to fall. You really needed to allocate some funds toward a new one.

As you continued to place bows on display, you heard the conversation of the two gentlemen browsing the saxophones. Apparently, Sam much preferred the tenor sax (which you happened to play, quite well you might add). Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him pick up a Selmer Paris model and inspect it. Those didn’t come cheap, but you were sure that saving the world gave a man a pretty decent paycheck.

“You think I can test it out?”

“I don’t know, dude. You should probably ask.”

You saw him nod, “Yeah, I guess so. And there’s not a reed in here, anyway. Excuse me!”

You realized he was calling you, so you craned your head to look at him. Both men were looking up at you, both with kind smiles on their faces.

“Is there any way I can get a cheap reed to test this out with,” Sam asked, “and are we even allowed to test them in store?”

You smiled back, “Yes, you can. We have test reeds at the front desk, just ask Andrew and he’ll give you one. That’s the only one you’ll get though.”

“Cool, thanks,” he replied while looking around, “nice place you’ve got here.”

Your smile grew a little wider, “Thank you! It took a little while to get it off of the ground, but I’m really proud of how it turned out.”

It was almost as if the universe wanted you to suffer. You stretched up to display yet another bow, and the ladder toppled to the ground, taking you with it! You shrieked in surprise and braced yourself for the impact with the floor.

But it never came.

Instead, you were caught in a pair of (ridiculously) muscular arms. When you looked into the arms of your hero, of course it was Sam himself. He was too handsome for his own good. The thing that stood out most to you were his deep brown eyes. And how, on the left one, was a bruise that exactly matched the one that you gave yourself this morning.

“Are you alright? That ladder must have it out for you,” joked Sam, though you could tell that he was concerned for you.

“I’m okay,” you squeaked, “thank you.”

“It’s no problem. All a part of the job.”

You nodded distractedly, still fixated on the bruise adorning his eye. He couldn’t be your soulmate, could he?

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he questioned.

“I-yes. I just got a bit, well, distracted.”

“By what?”

Well, it was now or never. You might as well just go for it.

“When did you get that bruise?”

He looked a bit surprised by the question, “The one on my eye?”

You nodded.

“This morning. It just popped up. Hurt a little bit, like something hit me in the face. Can’t be worse than what I’ve given my soulmate, though. I got stabbed in the stomach once and all I could think about was how confused and hurt they must’ve been,” came his reply.

It was him. It had to be! All of your random, serious injuries made so much more sense now.

“It did hurt,” you murmured back, “but not as much as the hospital bill.”

His face went from apologetic to elated faster than you had ever seen, “Wait, that means it’s you?”

“I think so,” you said, “I hit myself in the eye with a cabinet door this morning, and that-” you gestured to his face, “matches mine.”

“Oh, it does!” he exclaimed.

“Are you two done over there?” complained Bucky.

Thankfully, the Winter Solider had successfully rescued your box of bows.

Sam stood you up, and you could feel the embarrassment slowly creeping over you, “Yeah. Sorry about that, guys. Promise I’m not usually that clumsy.”

“Seems like you need a new ladder,” Bucky told you.

“You don’t say,” you sassed back, prompting a laugh from Sam.

Bucky then strode off to return the fallen box to Andrew. He gave Sam a knowing look as he passed by. He wasn’t very slick, though, you totally saw him.

“Listen, since apparently we’re soulmates and all, I’d love it if I got your number. I’ll take you somewhere nice to make up for all of the times I’ve gotten you hurt,” explained Sam.

You smiled bashfully, “That sounds nice.”

He handed you his phone and you input your digits. As Sam and Bucky were in the checkout line, your phone buzzed.

Hey, gorgeous. It’s your new man.

You giggled softly and looked up at him. He gave you an exaggerated wink and launched finger guns at you, making you laugh a bit harder. You entered his number into your phone and decided to send a text back.

Looking forward to you making up for all of those broken bones.

Me too.

You knew you’d be happy with him. Whenever the universe collided in this way, it always turned out for the best. If your parents and your roommate weren’t enough proof, soon you would discover it for yourself. You couldn’t wait for all of the memories you’d make together.

[annabethy]

Percy Jackson Characters as Band Kids 2.0

based on experiences i WISH i didn’t have. i’ve been proposed to at a game by the opposing piccolo. in honor of my 20k word marching band au being posted tomorrow!

Percy

• looks unfairly hot in the marching uniform.

• would definitely be drum major and have all of the band falling in love over him.

• he would also be in the auditorium before a concert and jump off of a 10 foot ledge in the pit because he simply cannot take being in band anymore™️.

• would get up on the drum major podium and start dancing to stand tunes from the other band.

• gives high fives to all of the band right before the half-time show

• carries annabeth like a backpack during third quarter break

• him and annabeth go to meet the other drum majors in the band and are that fierce couple that every band is afraid of

• slut for big ballin

• is nearly murdered when a cheerleader does a backflip into his podium

• before halftime, “What time is it?” “HALFTIME” “What time is it?” “GAME TIME” “half time is game time Half Time Is Game Time HALF TIME IS GAME TIME”

Annabeth

• is the kid that is deadly good at their instrument and will murder you with a single look.

• you do not want to audition for the state band after her because she will tear you to shreds.

• she also happens to be dating the drum major, of course, and has the drum major wrapped around her finger.

• she is terrifying, and also happens to be the other drum major so the little kids have to ask her for help but are scared because she is very scary.

• plays piccolo and goes around telling people to “suck my picc”

• will yell at colorguard when they put a rifle on the wrong yard line during a show while every single woodwind is marching in a backwards curve.

• hates seven nation army with a passion

• flute chant. “flutes and piccs are h-o-t hot, we got something you ain’t got, we’re bad, we know it, we’re here to show it” cue screaming

• piccolo chant aka PICCS PICCS PICCS PICCS *INSTENSE SCREAMING*

Piper

• is that kid the hot bi. crushing on Annabeth and blatantly tries to steal her from Percy. but she’s just kidding (not really).

• she is the person that proposes to a kid that plays the same instrument from the other band.

• probably plays piccolo because Annabeth does.

• when it’s marching season, she will watch a woodwind step out of line and take down an entire row of clarinets and not move a single muscle. they all learn somehow.

• screams the words to sweet Caroline instead of playing

• “my name is piper. i play the picc. it’s really tiny. just like your di—

Jason

• is the band kid who thinks they are the best at their instrument

• they are actually the worst at their instrument

• probably a trumpet

• doesn’t get into all county and is like “but I’m so good it’s rigged” but he actually couldn’t even play his scales double octave oop couldn’t be me

• gets hit by the guard flags during a show and gets a concussion

• crushes on piper who tells him “i only date people good at their instruments.” he goes home and cries before reporting her to the band director for harassment

• fucks up solo at mpa. idk who gave him a solo to begin with

Leo

• first and foremost, he is percussion. during concert season, he tries to muffle the gong so he uses his whole body to do so. he succeeds in humping the gong.

• cadences over and over. and over.

• throws a drum stick at annabeth and bonks her on the head

• percy does not like that and takes the drum stick and hurls it at leo. hits him in the eye

• elf hats during the christmas parade

• DRUM BATTLES

• empties a water bottle at a game by crushing the plastic. chokes as he deepthroats the water

• “Annabeth you are so out of tune you’re making me want to stab my eardrums,” and in response, she says, “I’m going to play a high c right in your ear and teach you what decent fucking music sounds like”

Frank

• the one decent kid who apologizes when they run into someone

• helps the freshmen because no one else will

• refuses to participate in senior pranks

• once tries to help a brass player take a valve out but drops the instrument and dents it and starts crying

• brass captain

• he actually tries to save the line of woodwinds when colorguard misplaces a rifle during that backwards curve

• steps in the pile of fire ants. chaos ensues

Hazel

• sweetheart but lost.

• struggles with marching on beat but once she gets the hang of it, she has so much patience for helping others

• something tame, like the clarinet.

• never squeaks because she is an ICON

• people think she is nice and will sometimes tease her and she’s too nice to do anything but then when someone decides to take her reeds, she full on throws a stand at them.

• speaking of stands, she gets abnormally frustrated when they start to fall in front of her face. slowly slipping. creak. creak. creak.

• always very helpful at the football games. cares for people that pass out of heat stroke. always has a cooling towel just in case

• makes snide remarks to the cheerleaders when they can’t dance in time to crazy train (“it’s not that hard it’s literally 4/4”)(“I thought cheerleaders could at least count to 4?”)

• director thinks she is an angel but actually has no idea she’s constantly on her phone during rehearsal.

• “im using it as a tuner”

Connor

• HEY BABY. will point to Annabeth for “I wanna knowwwww if you’ll be my girl” to spite Percy

• laughs bc Percy is conducting and there is simply nothing he can do about it

• “what you gonna do Percy? Cut the band off because you’re jealous? do it I dare you”

• crazy trumpet that runs through the stands and promptly trips and tumbles down the bleachers until he hits the bottom. may kill one or two flutes in the process

• speaking of flutes, he enjoys sacrificing them. particularly annabeth. picks her up over his shoulder and dumps her in a trashcan

• gets on the metal podium during band camp and passes out off of it. a quick and painful journey the 6 feet to the ground.

Travis

• to Piper: “One time at band camp, I stuck a flute up my—”

• evil laughter when Annabeth narrowly dodges a guard saber

• he’s the leader of the senior pranks, offering those poor freshman cupcakes with ketchup and mustard frosting

• he also sets up the pentagram with the band directors family photos, and ties percy and annabeth dolls to drum major podiums. don’t ask.

• he definitely spills coffee on the band room carpet at least once,

• likes to surprise percy and annabeth when they sneak off during sectionals to “practice conducting” (he quickly proves they were, in fact, not practicing conducting)

Grover

• trips in the whole and screams about “WHY ARE THERE HOLES IN OUR MARCHING FIELD SOMEONE IS GOING TO DIE”

• chews on a metal can at a game and cuts his mouth open but is too scared to say anything as he bleeds from the mouth because he wasn’t supposed to have a soda can to begin with so he just plays with blood!

• ceo of “MAKE MONEY MONEY MAKE MONEY MONEY MONEY” “MARCHING BAND MARCHING BAND MARCHING BAND MARCHING BAND”

• gets HEATED at mpa because “WE CANNOT BE THE CLASS TO DESTROY OUR TEN YEAR STREAK OF STRAIGHT SUPERIORS”

• hangs with percy and annabeth, arms around each of them during the football games. loves them dearly.

• has a knack for interrupting percy and annabeth at the worst possible times. they’re in the uniform room? SURPRISE SHAWTY he’s there too “what are you doing? why is annabeth’s hair a mess? didn’t you just do those braids?”