Borders of Salt

“Borders of Salt” … a new arrangement for traditional Celtic instruments of a traditional Celtic theme put to words in the 1990s by the Breton musician, Dan Ar Braz. His song was an instant hit in the Celtic world when he released it on his 1994 album “Héritage des Celtes”. His lyrics are a positive message to Celtic peoples. They speak to their deep roots in their lands (Brittany, Cornwall, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, etc.) and also speak to the end of difficult times, with new opportunities arising. His lyrics also describe the nature of the Celtic lands – lands of stone, lands of crosses and lands bordered by salt water and sand. I was introduced to Dan Ar Braz’s music by a long time Breton friend and have always been thankful to him for that introduction. Dan Ar Braz is a fantastic musician, both in terms of his performance and his composition abilities. He has collaborated over the years with many artists, in particular with another great Breton musician, Alan Stivell. The two of them frequently perform together – Dan Ar Braz on guitar and Alan Stivell both singing and playing a variety of instruments including Celtic harp. I would encourage anyone who has not yet heard of these artists to listen to their work – it is quite magical. MUSIC INSIGHTS: Like many traditional Celtic works, this music is quite simple at its heart and yet contains many subtle changes. It is essentially a series of triadic cadences but uses 4th combined with 7th notes in many of its chords. In that way, the harmony (which is mostly the tonic chord) subtly changes to support the tension and reach of the melody. I arranged this for several wind instruments – Celtic flute, penny whistle and flageolet. They layer together over a set of pedal notes provided by double bass and cellos. As the arrangement progresses, more instruments are added. At first an Irish fiddle and then some Breton bagpipes. Finally, highland pipes join to provide a fuller harmony. The meter is 6/8 and the tempo is that of a march, though I also gradually increase the tempo in concert with the dynamics of the arrangement. Finally, there is the matter of percussion – very important in Celtic music. I used a combination of 4 percussion instruments: an Irish drum, a very deep bass drum, a snare drum, and a closed high hat. Each is slightly syncopated and plays off the other percussion instruments. The result is a beat that is both constant and yet in some ways fluid enough to provide what I feel is the right texture. VIDEO INSIGHTS: This is music that is about Celtic lands and their bordering oceans and seas. So, the scenes are appropriately some ancient Celtic structures but mostly showing Celtic coastlines. Please do indicate if you like the music and/or music video – it would encourage me to release other new works. Also, please do subscribe to this channel so that you get announcements of all future releases. “Borders of Salt” was arranged and recorded in mid-April 2024 using Ableton Live with final instrument voices from sample libraries of Spitfire Audio, UVI and Native Instruments. The post processing and master mix was done with iZotope Ozone 9. At some time in the future, it will be released for streaming. Be sure to subscribe here and follow-on social media or signup for the weekly newsletter through the Solo Hands website (if you sign up for our newsletter, you will also receive our free eBook, Musical Notes – Composing & Arranging): http://www.solohands.com Facebook: @SoloHandsMusic Instagram: @SoloHandsMusic