wacking up the blue danube

[Tash]

me and a friend are arranging the wonderful blue danube waltz for our handbell ensemble, and then decided to take it one step further and make some kind of parody of it. i was thinking cluster chords for one of the waltzes, and then remembered a person can only hold 2 bells at once and it could get complicated. but composition is really not my forte and i'm slightly freaking out! any budding composers have any brilliant suggestions of how to make strauss sound bizarre but not stupid?!

[quantum]

Since were with percussion, you might need to change textures for some sections so maybe additional instruments: gongs for accents; celeste for delicate moments; tubular chimes for big moments, xylophone for piercing accents.

Whimsical: jaws harp; flexatone; musical saw; drawing violin bow accross edge of cymbal or metal music stand; playing timpani while simultaneously retuning it.

You could improv some bird calls if you have a recorder.  Just use some of the really high pitches. 

Is this bizzare enough?

[ramseytheii]

me and a friend are arranging the wonderful blue danube waltz for our handbell ensemble, and then decided to take it one step further and make some kind of parody of it. i was thinking cluster chords for one of the waltzes, and then remembered a person can only hold 2 bells at once and it could get complicated. but composition is really not my forte and i'm slightly freaking out! any budding composers have any brilliant suggestions of how to make strauss sound bizarre but not stupid?!

You should try and find the Victor Borge video of his "version" of the Blue Danube.  You will get many ideas, and never forget it!

Walter Ramsey

[jas]

Hans Zimmer wrote a skewed version of The Blue Danube for the film Hannibal. I've got the soundtrack on CD. No handbells involved, but it's interestingly warped. Want me to upload the track?

Jas

[Tash]

no we're stuck with handbells only so no other percussions! actually we could probably arrange that but it might get complicated...

jas that would be cool if you uploaded the track, i just need some inspiration! i can imagine victor borge's being humerous. well now that i've got chicken pox and can't leave my house i've got plenty of time to think about it!

[mikey6]

If you're limited to no other instruments, you could use bodily.....ahm....sounds/functions - there was a similar rather unhumorous rendering of a similar piece on animaniacs.

[quantum]

Ever heard of overtone singing?  You use the harmonic series to sing pitches higher or lower than your natural voice.  Multiphonics is also possible. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throat_singing

[jas]

no we're stuck with handbells only so no other percussions! actually we could probably arrange that but it might get complicated...

jas that would be cool if you uploaded the track, i just need some inspiration! i can imagine victor borge's being humerous. well now that i've got chicken pox and can't leave my house i've got plenty of time to think about it!

Ok, I'll do it today at some point.

EDIT: Here it is:
https://rapidshare.de/files/24655708/04_Gourmet_Valse_Tartare.m4a.html

It changes into something else towards the end of the track. Since it's a soundtrack there are some non-musical noises in there but it's really good all the same. I think I prefer this version, to be honest.
Oh, and I said in my last post it was Hans Zimmer. Most of the soundtrack was by him but this is by Klaus Badelt, if you're interested.

Jas

[Bob]

I don't know if you want funny weird or scary weird weird.  Here are some more ideas....

Different meter -- like 5/8 or shifting
Different mode -- minor, whole tone
Change the chords -- 7ths, 9ths?  If you have the melody, you can add the "chic, chic" with any chord you want.
Add a counterline?

[Tash]

bob's on the ball, thinking exactly what i was- i told our handbell conductor i was going to make it modal and he looked at me strangely haha. ok am downloading the file jas, gonna take me 20mins cos my internet SUCKS so will come back to you with comments on what i think...but thanks heaps!

[quantum]

bob's on the ball, thinking exactly what i was- i told our handbell conductor i was going to make it modal and he looked at me strangely haha. ok am downloading the file jas, gonna take me 20mins cos my internet SUCKS so will come back to you with comments on what i think...but thanks heaps!

I see, so maybe you could do parts like an Indian Raga if you wanted to play with meter.   Maybe some Solkattu added in.  Or a hemiloa like an alternating 3/4, 6/8 every bar. 

Or an addative like a 7 = 3 + 2 + 2;
or 7 = 2 + 2 + 3;
or 12 = 3 + 2 + 3 + 2 +2;
or 13 = 1 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 3 + 4 (kind of sounds like a chase sequence from an action movie)
or 13/4 = 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 1 (fools listener in thinking it's a regular rhythm)


You could change up the modes and uses something like Hejaz (same as Hava Nagila).  Quartal harmony would be kinda cool - like quasi Scriabin. 

Maybe you could do a boogie variation, with bass ostinato.