In my previous article about the music of Skyward Sword, I talked about how the classical orchestra has a major presence in its soundtrack. As I thought on the subject leading up to Skyward Sword HD’s release, I realized there was a little more I had to say. Not on the orchestra as a whole, but on one of its many parts.
With the size of the orchestra and its many different instruments at play, the work of a composer is to balance all the voices. They need to create not just a good harmony but also a good melody. The act of choosing which instruments to use (and which to leave out) is called instrumentation. Sometimes, it may be nice to make more interesting choices with your instrumentation than just the bog standard. And if you know what you’re doing, you can even make one of the most unlikely choices of instruments into something that truly sings.
A classic example is Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, which uses a different instrument to represent each character in its story. In Skyward Sword’s case, I especially enjoy the instrumentation of one of my favorite instruments in my personal favorite track in the entire game, “Crimson Loftwing,” the tune that first plays once Link is reunited with said feathered companion during the early hours of the game.
The instrument in question is the trombone, the low brass instrument you hear in duet with the flute. The solo trombone is usually considered as something for humor – you can even hear it being used that way whenever Groose’s theme plays. But here, the trombone is more calm and soothing. If you’ve ever heard old swing music, that is the tone the trombone is trying to emulate.
In one of the comments of the hosted YouTube video for this piece, the user complementing the instrument choice mistook the trombone for a french horn. Other users were quick to point out this user’s mistake, but it got me thinking about how we often think about musical instruments in a certain way. The trombone is more than silly Lanky Kong-style antics, though admittedly Lanky Kong is who got me to choose the instrument for my sixth-grade band. It can be sweet and sappy, or full of fanfare. And the trombone’s unique properties is one of the things that lends to this piece: Its slide is what allows it to achieve that wavy vibrato sound.
When a composer considers the instrumentation of their work, whether it be a ditty on the guitar, a chiptune loop, or a full orchestra, they keep in mind instruments’ strengths and limitations. A song that represents the bond between a boy and his bird didn’t need a trombone, but is all the better for it.
