A Grove of Ashes and Aspens

Now Playing: Nascence by Austin Wintory

Many musicians have various desires concerning specific instruments, usually more high end versions of one they already play. However, things can get fun when a specific song causes someone to want to buy a new instrument.

Video game soundtracks can be a really useful way to show off various instruments that might not otherwise get a chance to shine. Journey (2012) is a perfect example of this. Sure, the cello and the C flute both get prominent solo parts, but the other solo parts are given to the harp, viola, serpent, and bass flute. (I’m aware that the harp is a semi-popular solo instrument in some contexts and generally is well known, but from what I’ve seen, it rarely gets featured as a solo instrument. Viola is similar, it’s in every orchestra and there are solo works, but it’s overshadowed hard by the violin and the cello.)

The game itself is quite pretty in an artistic sense. It is set in a desert, where you play as a lone, robed wanderer, trying to make it to a mountain visible in the distance. The game will sometimes connect you to other random players through the online function (applies to both the original PlayStation and Steam versions), and all of the storytelling is done through the environment and the occasional cutscene, though no words are ever spoken throughout the game.

The soundtrack for this game is used as a focus for the art style and the overall theme of loneliness present throughout. The opening track on the soundtrack introduces the main theme through a cello solo (played by Tina Guo) and then is partially echoed as a bass flute solo. This central theme appears throughout the soundtrack, with various kinds of development. There are various points where different solo instruments are used, between the cello, C flute and bass flute (put together here for being done by the same person), viola, harp, and serpent. The opening track is the first to prominently feature the bass flute, and the part is especially clear when listening to the album version. It comes back throughout as well, though not always as clearly.

But what does any of this have to do with wanting a new instrument?

This soundtrack has made me want to buy a bass flute. The overall work is beautiful, and the instrument has a very clear tone that is very hard to replicate anywhere else. The only downside is the same as with any other instrument, it can be hard to find, and the only place I’ve been able to find that potentially sells them has the cheapest one as a silver plated bass flute for just over $4000 CAD. Music is an unfortunately expensive hobby, and it kinda sucks.