Uploaded April 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Le Cygne (The Swan) is the 13th and penultimate movement of The Carnival of the Animals by Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns. Originally scored for solo cello accompanied by two pianos, it has been arranged and transcribed for many instruments but remains best known as a cello solo.
Four months ago, my wife gave me a cello for Christmas, and I've played it everyday since. Having never mastered orchestral instruments, my time was spent practicing string crossings and vibrato. Both of these skills were required to play this piece, so after about 1,000 plays my wife is probably regetting her present choice.
To record the piece, I've used a non-traditional set-up using compression, a limiter, an EQ boosting 100 Hz to 1 KHz, as well as reverb, delay and a slight flanger. The reverb was required to give the sense of playing in a larger hall, rather than a studio that eats up the sound reflections. The flanger and delay were added towards the end, to provide a timbe as though the Swan was flying away.
For the Backing Track, click here ... youtu.be/hZ5Sd-Ho45g
For the Guitar Solo, click here ... youtu.be/Wd7xgBjS00E
For the Guitar & Cello version, click here ... youtu.be/et4qQTD7Oy4
Le Cygne (The Swan) is the 13th and penultimate movement of The Carnival of the Animals by Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns. Originally scored for solo cello accompanied by two pianos, it has been arranged and transcribed for many instruments but remains best known as a cello solo.
Four months ago, my wife gave me a cello for Christmas, and I've played it everyday since. Having never mastered orchestral instruments, my time was spent practicing string crossings and vibrato. Both of these skills were required to play this piece, so after about 1,000 plays my wife is probably regetting her present choice.
To record the piece, I've used a non-traditional set-up using compression, a limiter, an EQ boosting 100 Hz to 1 KHz, as well as reverb, delay and a slight flanger. The reverb was required to give the sense of playing in a larger hall, rather than a studio that eats up the sound reflections. The flanger and delay were added towards the end, to provide a timbe as though the Swan was flying away.
For the Backing Track, click here ... youtu.be/hZ5Sd-Ho45g
For the Guitar Solo, click here ... youtu.be/Wd7xgBjS00E
For the Guitar & Cello version, click here ... youtu.be/et4qQTD7Oy4
