Film Score and More | How To Train Your Dragon's Most Unexpected Sound @FilmScoreandMore | Uploaded June 2022 | Updated October 2024, 2 hours ago.
This exotic instrument has always seemed out of place in John Powell's How To Train Your Dragon score. I asked Tim Rodier from Omni Music if he knew anything about why it was in the score, he gave me John Powell's answer. From there, I connected the dots to create my own reasoning for the details.

This is the mystery instrument that plays the "violin solo" in The Dragon Book (2m11) and Not A Viking (4m30).

Chapters:
00:00 - 01:16 Not a Violin
01:17 - 02:17 Ethnic Fiddles and Butch Vikings
02:18 - 03:25 "A Strained Sound"
03:26 - 04:19 What's the Story?
04:20 - 05:27 Not A Viking (4m30)
05:28 - 6:00 Knowing the Right Stuff

Sources:
Esraj video: youtu.be/v488qzY6kpA

The Dragon Book, 1:37-1:52: youtube.com/watch?v=WI84RJESwyE

How To Train Your Dragon Scorebook:omnimusicpublishing.com/product/john-powells-how-to-train-your-dragon-full-orchestral-score

Not A Viking, 1:13: youtube.com/watch?v=F4lWlpMDMas

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