Soundscapes & Sonatas by Aron Radford

Back in late December 2103 i turned my thoughts as many do about New Years resolutions. Now I’m not a great believer in them on the whole but this year i wanted to set myself a goal, a task that would require some planning, dedication and learning of new skills. The resolution was to write and record 12 original new weissenborn instrumentals worthy of featuring on an album. I had previously recorded and released a cd the year previous “My Weissenborn Journey” but this one was going to be different. Continuing my musical journey i wanted to write and perfect 12 tunes that had structure and proper arrangements, what i called “big boy stuff”. These instrumentals would be written, recorded, mixed and mastered by myself and that was a little scary but in a totally good way. So for the 12 months of 2015 i wrote, perfected, recorded, mixed and attempted mastering of these tracks.

So 11 out 12 wasn’t bad and i did take the kind of of a friend to master the album but only after i had mastered the tracks myself. The end result is “Soundscapes & Sonatas”. The album title refers to the two differing styles of instrumentals on the album. Firstly we have the ‘Soundscapes’ which i define as vivid musical landscapes with multi layered loops, drones and backing tracks. The themes are normally random in execution with some repeating phrases linking the whole piece together. Tracks like “Harpers Creek” and “Another Place” are perfect examples of the approach and create an ambient, almost relaxing atmosphere that capture the weissenborns ethereal, dreamy qualities and its ability to evoke pleasant moods and calm feelings.

The other style of compositions on this cd are ‘Sonatas’. A sonata by definition is; …”a piece of music written for one or two instruments that has usually three or four large sections that are different from each other in rhythm and mood”. These tracks have more structure and were very much written, refined and polished into a finished ‘sonata’. They have intros, main melodies, bridges and outro’s etc. Tracks such as “Autumn Smile”, “Sono Felice” and “Winter Soul” are typical of this approach and come across as contemporary/traditional recital style instrumentals.

Aron Radford is an independent Weissenborn soundscape artist who has a sound and style that is best described as "Ambient, Immersive & Contemplative".

Quote; "The Weissenborn is an instrument that you can fully express yourself through. It has a intrinsic tonal beauty and capacity to evoke moods and feelings that no other instrument i have played has offered me"

aronradford.com