As with all Betsy’s solo albums, Luminous is a rich and varied collection of instrumental songs. Betsy’s cello weaves through all the pieces, sometimes lyric and graceful, sometimes bold and crunchy, and always evoking a particular mood or image. The songs were inspired by sneaky alligators, introverted trees, a helpful elephant, courting owls, and so much more! They can’t wait to meet you! (Especially the alligators.)
The instrumentation includes not only plenty of cello, but also acoustic guitar, barred owls, more cello, electric guitar, songbirds, drums, marimba, latin percussion, and even more cello.
Track Info & Stories
This piece was inspired by the above artwork, which I created many years
ago; I then stuck it in a drawer and forgot about it. I came across it again
recently, and a cello riff promptly began playing in my head: the harmonic
“stars” motif that opens this piece. Of course, the artwork immediately ended
up on my music stand, and I got out the cello, and this piece emerged.
All sounds on this recording, including the “drum”, were made by my old
wooden cello Godiva (with my help, of course). Oh, and also a Phanpy scarf,
which I wrapped around Godiva to mute her strings and reduce the high-end
“slap” sound while I was whacking her with the flat of my hand to create the
“drum thump”. Poor Godiva; she’s an older lady and is Not Used To That Kind
of Treatment, though she endured it with dignity and grace. (Hmm, perhaps
she’d have preferred a more classic silk or cashmere scarf, instead of a
polyester scarf with a Pokémon elephant print on it… oh well; that’s what
I was wearing at the time.)
Cello: Betsy Tinney
I’m a night owl, and am often at my best after midnight. Our house is usually
quiet by then, but the nearby woods are rarely silent, even in the wee hours:
it’s not unusual to hear the hunting cries of coyotes, the shrill chorus of bog
frogs, and the eerie — and surprisingly loud — calls of barred owls. One night,
two barred owls set up a call-and-response right outside my studio window.
After a while, my cello and I decided to join the owls in their song.
(Like the snowstorm that inspired it, this piece is dark-grey, wet,
and yet still graceful — and also, like the snowstorm, pretty brief.)
Cello: Betsy Tinney
Owl calls & night sounds licensed from
orangefreesounds.com under CC BY 4.0
This piece arose when the Anxiety Hamsters in my brain had gotten out of hand
again (probably from reading the news). Fortunately, my cello is an excellent
hamster repellent. So, I crept down to my studio, hid behind my cello, and
improvised. Shortly after the first motif emerged, the hamsters quieted right
down. And, by the time I was done recording all three parts, I had indeed
Found Calm. If you are in need of some calm yourself, I hope this piece
will help you find some, at least for a little while.
Cello: Betsy Tinney
This piece is an instrumental version of the first song I ever wrote:
Alligator in the House. Even without lyrics, the song still has plenty of
alligators in it: bold ones, sleepy ones, toothy ones, and stealthy ones.
You might want to watch out for your toes…
Cello & percussion programming: Betsy Tinney
This piece is named for the helpful elephant whose simple suggestion rescued
me from writer’s block. (Yes, really. And no, I hadn’t been drinking at the
time!) My studio decor includes several stuffed animals; these admittedly
have no acoustic function, but they make me happy. There are two elephants,
a humpback whale, an alligator, a Lapras, and a dragon. The blue elephant,
Celine, was the one who helped me over come writer’s block by suggesting that
I start out simply: by “playing” her, as I’ve sometimes done with paintings and
jewelry. Celine is a greyish blue with a softly ridged texture. So, I started with a
low, blue-grey, gently ridged E, and the song quickly grew from there. I’m not
sure that the elephant can take credit for the whole thing — once I got
properly started, the music flooded out as if a dam had broken —
but she certainly started it!
Cello & percussion programming: Betsy Tinney
This piece came into existence when I sat down to record a quick cello noodle,
became completely enthralled by the sound of notes beating against each other,
and returned to consciousness more than ten minutes later to find that my cello
had been busy while I was (mentally) wandering happily among the lilies.
Cello: Betsy Tinney
A musical incantation of calm, grounding, and hope for the future.
(Cellos are magic.)
Cello: Betsy Tinney
When trying to fall asleep, I’ve have found that it helps to listen to relaxing
nature sounds. Waves are my favorite, since as a child I spent many happy
nights on our gently rocking sloop, falling asleep to the sound of the waves
lapping softly against the bulkhead next to me. Even so, I am often unable to
turn off the cellos in my head; this piece is essentially what it sounds like
inside my head when I’m almost — but not quite – asleep, with misty figments
of Tricky Pixie melodies floating elusively across the bow of that sleepy sloop…
This piece incorporates fragments of melodies by S.J. Tucker (“Sue’s Jig”) and
Alexander James Adams (“The Bow’s Turned Back”), as well as melodies from
Betsy’s piece “Valentina’s Dance.” Used with permission; all rights reserved.
Cello & guitar: Betsy Tinney
This piece might or might not be a hypercaffeinated ode to one of
my favorite little coffee shops: 5 Stones Coffeehouse in Redmond.
Or, it might just be a rockin’ piece in 5/4 time. Most likely, it’s both.
Cello, drum programming: Betsy Tinney
Electric guitar: Jeff Bohnhoff
This piece is my interpretation of a lovely haiku by my friend Xander Odell:
Trees are introverts
Waiting for you to join them
In their leafy shade
Xander’s poem strikes a deep and resonant chord within me; for I am
not only an introvert but also, I suspect, a tree.
Come, my dears, and join me in my leafy shade.
Cello: Betsy Tinney
I started this piece by experimenting with a crunchy bassline “chop”, and it seemed lonely, so I added drums (Logic Pro’s excellent e-drummer Darcy). And then, I just sat down with the resulting backline and Released the Cello. Fortunately, my studio has plenty of room to swing a cello!
This piece turned out to be an 8-count swing, which feels perfectly natural
to me unless I’m trying to actually dance to it. (I learned to dance on the
East Coast, where 6-count swing is the standard, so 8-count phrasing makes
me feel like I’m dancing off phrase 50% of the time). I used to be a serious
competitive ballroom dancer, but I haven’t danced much in the last 10 years.
I really miss it – and even more now, since I’ve been swing dancing in
my studio with my cello!)
Cello: Betsy Tinney
This piece was inspired by the lovely watercolor painting by Julia Tochilina
that currently graces my desktop (and the cover of this album). Her painting’s
vivid, rich, and occasionally dissonant colors create a rich harmonic backdrop;
you’ll also hear the jagged silhouettes of the spruce trees and the ever-changing
glow of the luminous starry sky.
Cello: Betsy Tinney
