Instrumental Music

[CouchCoach]

I have always been drawn to instrumental music since I first got into music. The Ventures were my favorite band, Duane Eddy my favorite guitarist, along with Chet Atkins, and Sandy Nelson, my favorite drummer. I bought their albums when 45's were the thing.

I was an easy sell on Classical music when introduced to that by my wife when we first started dating which would evolve into a love for film scores by John Williams, James Newton Howard, James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith, Howard Shore. Basil Poledaris and this generation's Wagner, Hans Zimmer.

So, I have rekindled that passion with new artists and bands that capture the essence of music for me, the music itself. And as I continue this search I am on the lookout for more and looking for recommendations.

My current favs are: the incomparable Explosions in the Sky, Collapse Under the Empire, Tycho, Ratatat, Above and Beyond, Eric Prydz which encompasses organic music as well as electronica. I also love Shoegaze and that ethereal use of voices as instruments.

I think film scoring is an art unto itself and am amazed at how good these composers are but one stands out above all others to me in capturing the feel of a place. If you have ever been out in West Texas and just gazed on the vastness and seemingly emptiness of it, Explosions in the Sky captured that for the film "Friday Night Lights". It is amazing blend of emotion with music and sets a tone for a film that completes it. Neither could exist without the other.

So whachyagot in the way of instrumental music to suggest?

 

[JIMMYBUFFETT]

Guitar Boogie by Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page is the best instrumental album I've ever heard.

 

[CouchCoach]

Guitar Boogie by Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page is the best instrumental album I've ever heard.

Yardbirds reunited, that is excellent. Joe Satriani based a career on that idea that people would support instrumental music.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Metallica's Orion and Call of the Call of the Ktulu

Joe Satriani, Jimi Hendricks Little Wing

Finally. I have basically three main musics I listen too. Rock/metal. Blues, and the last is classical. (symphonies, classical guitar, piano, etc) All of those are instrumentals.

 

[Runwildboys]

Blues is my favorite instrumental music. I wouldn't mind if there were never lyrics to blues songs. SRV, Clapton, Jimi, ZZ Top....When these guys play electric guitar blues, my whole body feels it, and I see where the idea of having a soul comes from.

Other than that, Pink Floyd instrumentals are incredible.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Laura Cox has done some good instrumental rock.

 

[CouchCoach]

Blues is my favorite instrumental music. I wouldn't mind if there were never lyrics to blues songs. SRV, Clapton, Jimi, ZZ Top....When these guys play electric guitar blues, my whole body feels it, and I see where the idea of having a soul comes from.

Other than that, Pink Floyd instrumentals are incredible.

I do dig some blues and like Sonny Landreth's slide playing but Duane Allman was my slide hero.

 

[CouchCoach]

Laura Cox has done some good instrumental rock.

Not familiar with her music, will check that out.

 

[nobody]

 

[Echo9]

Nine Inch Nails has some amazing instrumental songs. Huge range of mood.

 

[jsb357]

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

You mentioned in your post but I have always like Basil Poledouris

Love The Conan the barbarian soundtrack.
Also like Quigley Down Under

Liked the Prodigy in Electric music. The music for a gilted generation is really good and only has a few samples of lyrics in them.

As far as guitar instrumentals...Joe Satriani as others have mentioned was always a good listen.
Love Jeff Becks Guitar Shop from a number of years ago...The song on it Where where you is still haunting and sad to me.

 

[CouchCoach]

You mentioned in your post but I have always like Basil Poledouris

Love The Conan the barbarian soundtrack.
Also like Quigley Down Under

Liked the Prodigy in Electric music. The music for a gilted generation is really good and only has a few samples of lyrics in them.

As far as guitar instrumentals...Joe Satriani as others have mentioned was always a good listen.
Love Jeff Becks Guitar Shop from a number of years ago...The song on it Where where you is still haunting and sad to me.

Film scoring is such an unique art and talent and I wonder sometimes how the experience would be different with another composer. How different would Jaws and Star Wars be with someone other than John Williams or his 6 notes for Close Encounters or LOTR with another instead of Howard Shore or the emotion of Glory with other than James Horner. What a perfect pairing. One is not then same without the other but together they are perfection.

But when it comes to the emotional tie-in with a film, one always comes to mind first. When they contacted Randy Newman, he was hesitant to do the score because he'd not done sports films and didn't feel he had the connection with it. Well, he wrote one of the most iconic film scores in film history for "The Natural". I cannot imagine that film without that score, they were made for each other. My adrenaline level rises when I hear the first note.

And what would "Lonesome Dove" be without Poledouris?

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

Film scoring is such an unique art and talent and I wonder sometimes how the experience would be different with another composer. How different would Jaws and Star Wars be with someone other than John Williams or his 6 notes for Close Encounters or LOTR with another instead of Howard Shore or the emotion of Glory with other than James Horner. What a perfect pairing. One is not then same without the other but together they are perfection.

But when it comes to the emotional tie-in with a film, one always comes to mind first. When they contacted Randy Newman, he was hesitant to do the score because he'd not done sports films and didn't feel he had the connection with it. Well, he wrote one of the most iconic film scores in film history for "The Natural". I cannot imagine that film without that score, they were made for each other. My adrenaline level rises when I hear the first note.

And what would "Lonesome Dove" be without Poledouris?

Not sure who did the score for the old movie Dragonslayer but I liked that one as well.

And your right...It becomes part of the movie and you often wonder how much different it would be if they changed it.

 

[Quickdraw]

Boots Randolph, Al Hirt and Herb Alpert are 3 of my favorite instrumentalists.

 

[CouchCoach]

Boots Randolph, Al Hirt and Herb Alpert are 3 of my favorite instrumentalists.

Ahhh, a horny man. Uhhhhh, make that a horn man. One Y can make all the difference. Y? Y because we like you. OK, for 10 bonus points, where is that from?

 

[nightrain]

I have always been drawn to instrumental music since I first got into music. The Ventures were my favorite band, Duane Eddy my favorite guitarist, along with Chet Atkins, and Sandy Nelson, my favorite drummer. I bought their albums when 45's were the thing.

I was an easy sell on Classical music when introduced to that by my wife when we first started dating which would evolve into a love for film scores by John Williams, James Newton Howard, James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith, Howard Shore. Basil Poledaris and this generation's Wagner, Hans Zimmer.

So, I have rekindled that passion with new artists and bands that capture the essence of music for me, the music itself. And as I continue this search I am on the lookout for more and looking for recommendations.

My current favs are: the incomparable Explosions in the Sky, Collapse Under the Empire, Tycho, Ratatat, Above and Beyond, Eric Prydz which encompasses organic music as well as electronica. I also love Shoegaze and that ethereal use of voices as instruments.

I think film scoring is an art unto itself and am amazed at how good these composers are but one stands out above all others to me in capturing the feel of a place. If you have ever been out in West Texas and just gazed on the vastness and seemingly emptiness of it, Explosions in the Sky captured that for the film "Friday Night Lights". It is amazing blend of emotion with music and sets a tone for a film that completes it. Neither could exist without the other.

So whachyagot in the way of instrumental music to suggest?

Anything with Pipers

 

[CouchCoach]

Anything with Pipers

As in bag pipers like Scotland the Brave or the music that pipers like to listen to when they're piping? I get to piping and I can Shoegaze myself into a coma.

Every time Scotland the Brave is played, I get goosebumps. First time we went to EPCOT a long time ago, they had these Scottish lads playing that with the drummers and I cried, it was beyond beautiful and moving. My wife's side of the family is about 50% Scottish so she was really moved.

I actually tried playing one and besides having absolutely no musical ability except to listen, I felt like I was trying to dress an octopus.

 

[GhostOfPelluer]

Look up Andy McKee if you aren't already familiar.

 

[JohnnyTheFox]