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The Kid by Scott Fairdosi is a modern soundtrack to selected scenes from a Charlie Chaplin film of the same name. As one would imagine, the piece embodies many of the qualities that are synonymous with Chaplin and a musical representation of a "kid." From slide whistles and temple blocks to xylophone glissandi, the piece is an homage to the silent film era with a modern take.
The piece is to be performed alongside an included video of scenes from "The Kid." A shared click track is provided that performers are encouraged to use to help with musical and visual synchronization. The Kid features a very compact setup where performers share instruments which adds to the excitement and Chaplinesque nature of the piece. This is sure to be a show-stopping favorite for audiences and performers.
Use of this product is governed by the license terms outlined here.
Glockenspiel
Xylophone
Marimba — 5-octave
4 Timpani
Drums — concert bass drum, 2 concert toms, kick drum, snare drum
Cymbals & gongs — hi-hat, sizzle cymbal, 4 suspended cymbals
Accessories — glass wind chimes (or second mark tree for glass FX), mark tree, police whistle, ratchet, slapstick, slide whistle, temple blocks, 3 triangles, 2 woodblocks
The idea behind Scott Fairdosi’s “The Kid” is a novel one: a newly composed percussion-only soundtrack to Charlie Chaplin’s short silent film of the same name, but one that is disconnected from the ragtime tradition, which we now commonly associate with those sorts of projects. Instead of sprightly swung xylophone music accompanied by plucky marimba and drumset parts, this new soundtrack presents material that borrows from rock and marching percussion, while also frequently dipping into even more distant musical corners; the harmonic language pinballs from diatonic to pentatonic to blues scales faster than you can fill out an Aural Theory bingo card, and I may have detected a sneeze of Stravinsky lurking in the gaps.
At only three minutes in length, “The Kid” is a tight and surprisingly challenging ride for the performers, who must share several instruments in the prescribed clump-like setup suggested by the composer (most of the shared instruments make sense, although I would be reluctant to share a slide whistle). As the piece is intended to be coordinated with a video, the sextet will almost certainly need a conductor unless performed by a particularly advanced collegiate chamber group. However, even if the piece is conducted, “The Kid” will provide ample opportunity for performers to develop chamber-ensemble skills due to the nonstop, toccata-like motion that hops from player to player. Balance will be an especially challenging issue to solve, given the need for delicate drumset playing, but it will be well worth the effort.
“The Kid” is sure to please audiences of all stripes, and will undoubtedly be a challenging and enjoyable experience for the performers. My strongest criticism of the piece is that it feels too short, but who am I to argue with Chaplin? I recommend this piece to anyone looking to program a short, engaging audio-visual production in contrast to similar projects that incorporate ragtime xylophone.
—Brian Graiser
Percussive Notes
Vol. 62, No. 2, April 2024
The Kid by Scott Fairdosi is a modern soundtrack to selected scenes from a Charlie Chaplin film of the same name. As one would imagine, the piece embodies many of the qualities that are synonymous with Chaplin and a musical representation of a "kid." From slide whistles and temple blocks to xylophone glissandi, the piece is an homage to the silent film era with a modern take.
The piece is to be performed alongside an included video of scenes from "The Kid." A shared click track is provided that performers are encouraged to use to help with musical and visual synchronization. The Kid features a very compact setup where performers share instruments which adds to the excitement and Chaplinesque nature of the piece. This is sure to be a show-stopping favorite for audiences and performers.
Use of this product is governed by the license terms outlined here.
Glockenspiel
Xylophone
Marimba — 5-octave
4 Timpani
Drums — concert bass drum, 2 concert toms, kick drum, snare drum
Cymbals & gongs — hi-hat, sizzle cymbal, 4 suspended cymbals
Accessories — glass wind chimes (or second mark tree for glass FX), mark tree, police whistle, ratchet, slapstick, slide whistle, temple blocks, 3 triangles, 2 woodblocks
The idea behind Scott Fairdosi’s “The Kid” is a novel one: a newly composed percussion-only soundtrack to Charlie Chaplin’s short silent film of the same name, but one that is disconnected from the ragtime tradition, which we now commonly associate with those sorts of projects. Instead of sprightly swung xylophone music accompanied by plucky marimba and drumset parts, this new soundtrack presents material that borrows from rock and marching percussion, while also frequently dipping into even more distant musical corners; the harmonic language pinballs from diatonic to pentatonic to blues scales faster than you can fill out an Aural Theory bingo card, and I may have detected a sneeze of Stravinsky lurking in the gaps.
At only three minutes in length, “The Kid” is a tight and surprisingly challenging ride for the performers, who must share several instruments in the prescribed clump-like setup suggested by the composer (most of the shared instruments make sense, although I would be reluctant to share a slide whistle). As the piece is intended to be coordinated with a video, the sextet will almost certainly need a conductor unless performed by a particularly advanced collegiate chamber group. However, even if the piece is conducted, “The Kid” will provide ample opportunity for performers to develop chamber-ensemble skills due to the nonstop, toccata-like motion that hops from player to player. Balance will be an especially challenging issue to solve, given the need for delicate drumset playing, but it will be well worth the effort.
“The Kid” is sure to please audiences of all stripes, and will undoubtedly be a challenging and enjoyable experience for the performers. My strongest criticism of the piece is that it feels too short, but who am I to argue with Chaplin? I recommend this piece to anyone looking to program a short, engaging audio-visual production in contrast to similar projects that incorporate ragtime xylophone.
—Brian Graiser
Percussive Notes
Vol. 62, No. 2, April 2024
