Music by Joe Harrison
Music has been almost a lifetime ambition of mine. I've been 'composing' music in my head since I was a kid.
When I would play with my action figures or 'make-believe' outside, it was almost always accompanied by an 'original score'. I will
be honest, once I hit my teen years I had severe doubt that I would ever actually get to the point where I could bring my music to
life. But, as seems to be often, God had a different plan.
Within time I acquired my first music creation software and spent
the whole Summer and Fall composing original tunes. Every once and a while I would "re-orchestrate" established tunes, such as those
from video games. But mostly it was all original. At the time I was so happy I didn't even really notice how terribly fake my instruments
sounded. But throughout the next several months, God led me in all the right directions to find new and improved instruments with
much higher quality. And within the same month that I acquired said instruments, I was 'discovered' by someone who was starting a
new production company and planning to produce an audio drama that needed a score. After signing the contract I engaged in five-to-six
months of music composition. And throughout the production, my experience grew as I became more comfortable with my 'orchestra'. It's
actually very interesting listening to the music from the production from beginning to end. By the end I daresay it almost sounds
like a different composer has taken the reigns. While I may look back and wish I could re-compose a lot of the music, I believe it's
better that I am unable to because it is a sentimental reminder of just how much I have learned. And I am happy to say that the soundtrack
is now available to buy both by MP3 Download and on CD. Look at the box to the right for more information.
Doing that production
tested me to see whether or not I truly wanted to pursue music as a career (or at least part-time career). And in the end, I loved
composing music even more than I did when I began the production. But before I can engage in a career, I believe there is something
important I must do first. You see... I cannot read or write music. Everything I play I play by ear. But, I have now put plans in
my (near) future to learn music... because, let's face it.... that may be something that would be important for a composer to know....
Since
doing my first professional score I've been composing 'independent' pieces, purely for enjoyment, although I did recently provide
a main theme for a classroom podcast on U.S. History (which you can hear below).
A tremendous amount of the reason why I
love to compose and listen to music is all thanks to my sister Sarah, who pretty much introduced me to Jerry Goldsmith, in my opinion the
greatest composer who ever lived. Ever since I was I teenager I had resolved that, if I ever did get into music, I would attempt to
bring back Goldsmith's style. And while, every now and again, I do attempt (usually futilely) to emulate him, I have also realized
the importance of having my own style.
Other influences include: Trevor Jones, James Newton Howard, John Williams, James Horner,
and Danny Elfman.
So, here you will find a number of tracks along with notes to each of them containing information and my personal
thoughts on them.
If you have any questions, comments, or 'what-have-yous', please feel free to contact me.
Joe Harrison
Enjoy!
Original Music © 2010 by Joe Harrison. Authorization is preferred before usage.
Website designed by Joe Harrison with Adobe
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"Stitched Crosses"
Original Audio Drama Soundtrack
Music Composed by Joe Harrison
Also Featuring JPT
Sample Lo-Quality Tracks & Download
Sample Hi-Quality
Tracks and Buy CD
Harrison’s debut score from the audio drama uses strings and percussion with a hint of flute, reed, and chorals to immerse the listener
in an atmospheric 12th century setting of adventuring knights, medieval warfare, and soulful reflection.
Soundtrack copyright © 2010 by Grail Quest Books. All rights reserved.
I have always had a soft spot for Western scores, and one night over the Summer I just found that I could not ignore the 'calling'
of trying my own hand at a "Western theme". This piece was inspired by Jerry Goldsmith's score for Breakheart Pass, as well as Ennio
Morricone's scores for The Dollars Trilogy (and his subsequent other Western scores). While overall I like the piece, I think it would
have sounded better without the snare drum, though this can only be heard during the guitar 'solo' in the beginning, it then gets
swallowed up by the strings. Heard in this track are Steelwound Nylon Guitars (the same of which were used throughout Stitched Crosses),
a Jews Harp and Cow Bell to establish a cliche, yet classic, Western feel, and a brush-stroke on a snare drum, possibly to immitate
the steam of a train, as well as a slapstick-bell combination and, of course, strings, flute, and brass. Also, a distant pan flute
echoes the guitar during the second half.
Another "motivational"/"trailer"-esque piece. This one was also somewhat an experiment in which I accompanied traditional orchestra
with some synthetic/electronic sounds that begin the track and run through until the end. While I feel it's a nice piece, it's
not really quite my style. It has a "patriot" feel to it, which is a style of music I've never really been fond of (by "patriot" I
don't mean as in the motion picture score by John Williams). And there are a few notes that I feel don't sound quite right. But, overall
I'm fairly happy with it. Along with the aforementioned electronic sounds, this track features a triple-beat bass drum, cellos, cello
bass, strings, flute and oboe, then, following the cymbal, the flute and oboe play staccato along with a glockenspiel.
This was composed during a period in which I was in the mood to put together some "motivational"/"trailer"-esque pieces. This one
is a personal favorite of mine and one of only a few tracks I have composed with which I am just about perfectly pleased with
it. The tune came to me the minute I opened my eyes one morning. Immediately, as I often do (since I have no way of writing the music
down), I grabbed my cell phone, activated the recorder and hummed the tune in a very sleepy tone. Luckily, later on that day the tune
was still fresh enough in my head that I could understand the notes I had hummed while half-asleep. I knew that I wanted this track
to begin with a slow, dramatic version of the primary tune, but I was more excited about the second half, so that was composed first,
and then the first half was done and the two were mixed together. Listening to it now I daresay it somewhat reminds me of Yanni. Heard
in this track are: harp, cellos, bass, flute, strings, followed by bass and cello staccato accompanied by string staccato playing
the primary tune. A building cymbal then brings us into a mixture of flute and oboe staccato accompanying the strings, plus African
percussion and a glockenspiel. We then hear the tune replayed by a Harp and Cimbalom, ultimately leading to a building timpani and
rolling/clashing cymbal, triple-beats on a bass drum and then concluding strings, bass, and cello with cello tremolo and rolling timpani.
This one is a funny one because.... I actually really don't like it that much. It's a little too cheesy-dramatic. That said, it was
never my plan to do much with this one anyway. This piece was composed within a half hour purely for the reason of testing out some
new strings and brass I had just acquired. Initially it was meant to be sort of a 'super hero' style theme, hence the clear Superman theme
ripoff bass/cello staccato at the beginning. But it ended up, instead, turning into some weird, early 90's under-the-radar
movie trailer tune. Definitely not my style at all. That said, I still thought I'd include it on here. This track also includes string
staccato, strings, brass (trombones, trumpets, horns), flute, cymbal, and timpani.
This is actually a re-orchestration of an original tune I composed in 2009 during the Halloween season. It was only the second
major piece I had ever composed at the time during my early days as a composer, which means that the original version was done entirely
with very low quality instruments that were more akin to a MIDI. So I wanted to do the tune some justice by re-orchestrating it with
my up-to-date "orchestra". I remember the tune came to me suddenly when I was driving home from dropping my sister off at her apartment.
As soon as I got home I ran to my computer and began putting it together over the next 4-5 days. During that time I remember I wasso engaged in composing that I was very short-tempered with anyone that would dare interrupt me. Several of my family members suffered
the spewing of venom when they entered my room. After a tedious few days, the composition was done and I was beaming with pride. This
piece was inspired by two things: first off Danny Elfman's score (particularly the opening song) for The Nightmare Before Christmas,
and video-game composing veteran Grant Kirkhope's magnificent score for the X-Box 360 title, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. This
composition features some traditional 'ghostly' instruments, such as steady haunting string staccato to begin, an organ, and harpsichord,
along with some traditional march instruments, timpani, tuba staccato, and clashing cymbals. Also featuring string pizzicato and harp.
This is a very short piece that was actually composed as a test track to possibly be used in another production, but after composing
it I felt it didn't fit the atmosphere of that production, so it was scrapped. That said, I really like this piece a lot, and it actually
feels it might belong alongside "March of the Haunts" (which... it is, if you notice to the left) as being from the same concept.
It, too, is somewhat Halloween-ish. This composition features bass pizzicato, harp, glockenspiel, eerie fluctuating string tremolo,
cello bass, strings, and xylophone.
"U.S. History Study Guide Theme"
This was a non-profit piece composed for a good friend of mine's podcast series concerning the history of the United States that,
as a teacher, he had put together for his class/school. I had been away on vacation the week prior to the request, and during that
week away from my music I had grown restless and was really looking forward to getting back home to compose. The day that I got home
I received a message from my friend asking if I happened to have any 'patriotic' pieces. I didn't, but I eagerly jumped at the opportunity
to put some-thing together. And within about 2-3 hours, this piece was composed. The style I was going for was somewhat a hybrid
of Jerry Goldsmith's theme for Air Force One and John Williams' theme for The Patriot. Overall I am very pleased with this peace.
I think if I were to re-compose it now I might change the flutes to some better sounding ones, but even so, I like it. I would have
used trumpets to play the primary tune, as they are a bit more patriotic sounding, but at the time I didn't have any good quality
trumpets. So I had to rely on a trombone, which I think still works very well. This piece also features a beating snare and bass
drum, flutes, cello bass, strings, timpani, and cymbals.
This is a fan/original hybrid. It is a Legend of Zelda tribute composed for audiences over at the "Zelda Reorchestrations" website
that combines original themes from the games with new personally-composed tunes and creates the setting for a story I actually came
up with when I was a kid and had actually drawn a comic book of. The story involved the evil wizard Agahnim from Legend of Zelda:
A Link to the Past (SNES) returning and combating with Link. But the beginning of the story depicts the first battle between the two
in the video game. This piece was composed with that original battle (as seen in the Super Nintendo video game) in mind.
