Uploaded December 2012 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Happy holidays! Here's something short and sweet for the festive season. I wish I had time to offer something more, but December is gig-central for musicians. I didn't even have time to write a proper intro, haha.
However, this is one of my favorite wintery melodies. Live instruments are English horn, oboe, and ocarina! And once again, I can't figure out how to not make it sound like I recorded the reeds in a bathroom with a tape player. :|
Original music is from "The Snowman", score by Howard Blake. The cover by Celtic Woman is my favorite version. :)
Happy holidays! Here's something short and sweet for the festive season. I wish I had time to offer something more, but December is gig-central for musicians. I didn't even have time to write a proper intro, haha.
However, this is one of my favorite wintery melodies. Live instruments are English horn, oboe, and ocarina! And once again, I can't figure out how to not make it sound like I recorded the reeds in a bathroom with a tape player. :|
Original music is from "The Snowman", score by Howard Blake. The cover by Celtic Woman is my favorite version. :)
![Arjuna - Cloe [English horn cover]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iExb_q19ADc/mqdefault.jpg "Arjuna - Cloe [English horn cover]
So, story about this piece - Id never heard of Earth Girl Arjuna and Im still not entirely sure what its about. However, over a year ago, I stumbled across a striking Youtube video of a series of KH sketches illustrating the red string of fate. This song was in the background and I fell in love. Since the description was in Japanese, I had no idea what it was, and only last month was a friend able to identify it for me. I should have figured it was Yoko Kanno by the made-up language featured in it.
Anyway, instead of the actual context of this music, it will always remind me of the words:
“An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet,
regardless of time, place, or circumstance.
The thread may stretch or tangle,
but it will never break.”
Original music by Yoko Kanno
Live instruments: English horn, oboe, and literally one measure of piccolo")
![Ori and the Blind Forest - The Spirit Tree [Cover ft. Patti Rudisill]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mFj0_Wc4WLM/mqdefault.jpg "Ori and the Blind Forest - The Spirit Tree [Cover ft. Patti Rudisill]
I remember when Ori was released last year. I was out of town on a week-long gig, and Im not sure WHY I knew I needed to play this game - I just knew I needed it. I drove from Starbucks to malls to McDonalds to find a strong enough wifi signal so that I could download it, but didnt succeed until the last night when I settled into a hotel. It was worth it - Ori is the most achingly beautiful platformer Ive ever played, and for that first week it was all I could think about! This is in no small part thanks to the score, which even (unusually for soundtracks) features the oboe and English horn as solo instruments.
Anyway, today is the release of the Definitive Edition. A remixing group called Materia decided a few days ago that an Ori album was needed, so I jumped in with an arrangement of whats possibly my favorite track from the original. :D It doesnt stray too far, but does open with an Up the Spirit Cavern Walls nod.
Many thanks once again to Patti Rudisill for taking on the violin solos! She was in the orchestra for Oris real deal soundtrack, and if thats not the coolest thing I dont know what is.
Will update with album info after its release next week! Hope youre all doing really well, thanks for listening!
Original music by Gareth Coker
Solo violin: Patti Rudisill https://www.youtube.com/user/Viopatti
Other live instruments: oboe, English horn, flute, clarinet, bansuri, Irish whistles")
![Chrono Trigger - Schalas Theme [Oboe / English horn cover] - Music for 25 Games](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rVVbKmfOhUk/mqdefault.jpg "Chrono Trigger - Schalas Theme [Oboe / English horn cover] - Music for 25 Games
Remember Elder-Geek.coms video series, 25 Games For My Son? Theyre back with a new episode centered around Chrono Trigger, and I was honored to be asked once again to contribute to the soundtrack. This time around the album includes a wide variety of styles by a bunch of incredibly talented musicians.
Schalas theme is pretty often covered, and with good reason, but at least I dont believe anyones used actual oboe before, haha. Im glad I had a reed that could manage pitchbending without sounding totally awful...
Live instruments here are oboe, English horn, flute, piccolo, and sho.
Original music is by Yasunori Mitsuda.
Thank you Elder-Geek for the opportunity AND the sweet video outtro! Chrono Trigger will go live next week, so stop back and check it out!
Watch 25 Games For My Son here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHQdn9S23yA&list=PL708CFACD2824B7DE
Also thanks to Shamoozal for the awesome cover art: https://www.youtube.com/user/shamoozal")
![Kingdom Hearts 2 - Roxas [Flute / Oboe cover]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/s22TMfcafKU/mqdefault.jpg "Kingdom Hearts 2 - Roxas [Flute / Oboe cover]
Sora, youre lucky...
I almost didnt upload this here to Youtube, but my poor channel needs something to tide it over while I work on bigger pieces :)
Not to be confused with Project Destatis The Other Promise, uploaded last year, this is a straight-up cover of Roxas theme. I generally use it to track my progress on flute, but really I just love it so much that I could cover it all the time and never get tired of it.
The English horn towards the end is playing Ventus theme, right after the flute hints at Xion. Because.
Original music by Yoko Shimomura
Live instruments: Flute, oboe, English horn, clarinet")
