Solo 6: Valachord Envy (Minutes 26-30 with Ralph Apel)

Star Wars Music Minute

Ralph Apel from Live Action Star Wars joins me in a conversation about the music and sound in Solo minutes 26-30. We discuss flying/soaring music, the musical foreshadowing of Enfys Nest, Rio's voice mixing, and engage in some "educated speculation" about what the valachord might sound like (based on concept art).

Timestamps:

• 00:00 - Hello there!
• 04:44 - Listening to the beginning of the minutes.
• 05:31 - Grooving percussion in "Flying with Chewie."
• 09:31 - Flying and soaring music in film.
• 34:45 - "Flying with Chewie" vs "Soarin' Over California"
• 41:00 - Hint of Enfy's Nest theme 1
• 56:00 - There's no Han & Qi'ra theme when Han brings up Qi'ra.
• 1:00:07 - Valachord! A speculative deep dive...
• 1:12:53 - Nitpick about the line "you are tone deaf"
• 1:21:00 - SWMM Questionnaire

References:

• "Soarin' (from "Soarin' Over California")" by Jerry Goldsmith - https://youtu.be/zh8_Yu_TkWE
• "Flying" (from "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" Soundtrack) by John Williams - https://youtu.be/7AR6KQOiNHA
• "Test Drive" (from How To Train Your Dragon) by John Powell - https://youtu.be/IpPIK4T068s
• "Bastian's Happy Flight" (from The Neverending Story) by Klaus Doldinger - https://youtu.be/rvuteGIuAbc
• "We're Going To Fly Now" (from Green Lantern) by James Newton Howard - https://youtu.be/TfFxoiCutLw
• Sean E. Atkinson's paper - "Soaring Through the Sky: Topics and Tropes in Video Game Music" published in Music Theory Online (a journal of the Society for Music Theory) - https://mtosmt.org/issues/mto.19.25.2/mto.19.25.2.atkinson.html
• Valachord (according to Wookieepedia): A valachord was a musical instrument, played by tapping on keys. The tone of the keys could be described as "a melodious tone tinged with a faint mechanical susurrus behind it." https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Valachord
• Matthew Savage concept art for the valachord (2nd slide): https://www.instagram.com/p/B7Yl-77DqmO/
• Harpsichord vs. Piano: How Different Are They Really? (Alice M. Chuaqui Baldwin, harpsichordist) - https://youtu.be/oo2VWo9wjJU
• Robot Piano Catches Fire Playing Rush E (World’s Hardest Song) - https://youtu.be/uBEL3YVzMwk
• Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/.

Musical Themes:

• 6. Han & Chewie
• 7a. Enfys Nest 1

Where are we in the soundtrack?:

• End of "Flying with Chewie" AKA "Chewie Untamed (2M13)"
• Beginning of "Train Heist" and "Deluxe Train Heist (2M15-16A-B-C)"

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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:

1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?

• Old, lived in.

2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?

• After this episode, Ralph wants to know what the valachord sounds like. But most of all, he is intrigued about the future of Star Wars music.

3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?

• Evolution (composed by John Powell)

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Guest: Ralph Apel

• Live Action Star Wars: https://liveactionstarwars.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/CasinoSkunk
• CasinoSkunk Productions: https://casinoskunk.com

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