Umbra
Evoke the spirits with this unique ensemble. Featuring Middle-American flutes, skin drums, and a humming Shaman.
Umbra gives you three wooden flutes: The high quena, mid-range quenacho, and a contrabass flute. Expressive and playable, with slides, ornaments, and a ‘finger-tapping’ pizzicato.
The ritual also involves percussion, including a gong drum, a shaman drum, a rainmaker, and a frame drum. Played in a number of standard and non-standard styles, including muted hits and rubber ball bowing.
The Shaman himself presides over the ceremony, with a bass voice that goes down to a low G. With arcane mutterings, and humming that morphs through multiple vowels.
All that, plus some stunning processed patches: Umbra will help you conjure another world.
Unprocessed instruments
Flute ensemble
| 01. Sustains motion morph | R:A2 - G4 | L:3 (p, mp, f) |
| 02. Sustains mood morph | R:A2 - G4 | L:2 (p, mf) |
| 03. Staccato | R:A2 - G4 | L:2 (mp, f) | RR: 6 |
| 04. Finger-tapping | R:A2 - G4 | L:2 (pp, p) | RR: 6 |
Percussion ensemble
| 01. Single hits | R:C2 - A4 | L:4 (p, mp, mf, f) | RR: 6 |
High flute
| 01. Sustains + LEG | R:G3 - G4 | L:1 (mp) |
| 02. Sustains | R:G3 - G4 | L:1 (mp) |
| 03. Sustains no vib | R:G3 - G4 | L:2 (pp, mp) |
| 04. Sustains ornament | R:G3 - G4 | L:1 (mp) |
| 05.Sustains random overblown | R:G3 - G4 | L:1 (f) |
| 06. Sustains bending | R:G3 - G4 | L:2 (p, mf) |
| 07. Portato | R:G3 - G4 | L:2 (mp, f) | RR: 3 |
| 08. Upbeat double | R:G3 - G4 | L:1 (mp) | RR: 2 |
| 09. Staccato | R:G3 - G4 | L:2 (mp, f) | RR: 6 |
| 10. Finger-tapping | R:G3 - G4 | L:2 (pp, p) | RR: 6 |
Mid flute
| 01. Sustains + LEG | R:D3 - D4 | L:1 (mp) |
| 02. Sustains | R:D3 - D4 | L:1 (mp) |
| 03. Sustains no vib | R:D3 - D4 | L:2 (pp, mp) |
| 04. Sustains str vib | R:D3 - D4 | L:1 (mp) |
| 05. Sustains ornament |
R:D3 - D4 | L:1 (mp) |
| 05.Sustains random overblown | R:D3 - D4 | L:1 (f) | RR: 2 |
| 06. Sustains bending | R:D3 - D4 | L:2 (p, mf) |
| 07. Portato | R:D3 - D4 | L:2 (mp, f) | RR: 3 |
| 08. Upbeat double | R:D3 - D4 | L:1 (mf) | RR: 2 |
| 09. Staccato | R:D3 - D4 | L:2 (mp, f) | RR: 6 |
| 10. Finger-tapping | R:D3 - D4 | L:2 (pp, p) | RR: 6 |
Low flute
| 01. Sustains soft | R:A2 - Bb3 | L:1 (pp) |
| 02. Trills | R:A2 - Ab3 | L:1 (mp) |
| 03. Pizzicato stuttering | R:A2 - Bb3 | L:2 (pp, mp) |
| 04. Upbeat double | R:A2 - B3 | L:2 (mf, f)| RR: 2 |
| 05. Staccato | R:A2 - B3 | L:3 (p, mp, f) | RR: 6 |
| 06. Finger-tapping | R:A2 - B3 | L:2 (pp, p) | RR: 6 |
Humming man
| 01. Sustains + LEG | R:Ab0 - D3 | L:1 (mf) |
| 02. Sustains | R:Ab0 - D3 | L:1 (mf) |
| 03. Humming and whispering | R:F0 - D3 | L:3 (pp, mp, f) |
| 04. Swells long | R:G0 - C3 | L:1 (mp) |
| 05. Swells short | R:G0 - C3 | L:1 (mp) |
| 06. Staccato | R:F0 - G3 | L:2 (p, mf) | RR: 8 |
Rainmaker
| 01. Single hits | R:C3 - A3 | L:3 (p, mp, mf) | RR: 8 |
| 02. Falls | R:C3 - C4 | L:1 (mf) |
| 03. Rolling | R:C3 | L:2 (p, mf) |
| 04. Upbeats | R:C2 - F5 | L:1 (mf) |
| 05. Random textures | R:C2 - G5 | L:1 (mf) |
Shaman drum
| 01. Single hits | R:C2 - A3 | L:4 (p, mp, mf, f) | RR: 6 |
| 02. Single hits damped | R:C2 - A3 | L:4 (p, mp, mf, f) | RR: 6 |
| 03. Hand scrapes | R:C3 - E3 | L:2 (p, mf) |
Frame drum
| 01. Single hits | R:C2 - D3 | L:3 (p, mf, f) | RR: 6 |
| 02. Single hits damped | R:C2 - D3 | L:3 (p, mf, f) | RR: 6 |
| 03. Superball | R:F1 - C5 | L:1 (mf) |
Gong drum
| 01. Single hits | R:C3 - A3 | L:4 (p, mp, mf, f) | RR: 6 |
| 02. Single hits damped | R:C3 - A3 | L:4 (p, mp, mf, f) | RR: 6 |
Processed instruments
Pads
|
01. Condor falls Grainy frame durm superball |
R:D1 - G5 | L:1 (mf) |
|
02. Attempted flight Echoing flute ens morph |
R:A2 - G4 | L:3 (p, mp, f) |
|
03. State of flutter Pitches flutes trills |
R:C1 - C5 | L:2 (p, mf) | RR: 3 |
|
04. Watching owl Echoing low flute sustains |
R:C1 - C5 | L:2 (p, mf) |
|
05. Earth frost Pitched flutes sustains |
R:C1 - C5 | L:2 (p, mf) |
Plucks
|
01. Upstream Layered mid flute pizzicato |
R:C1 - Bb5 | L:1 (p, mf) |
|
02. Enshrined Filtered shaman drum |
R:F1 - C5 | L:1 (mf) |
Keys
|
01. Flying sparks Filtered low flute sustains |
R:F0 - G5 | L:1 (mf) | RR: 3 |
|
02. Nighthawk Filtered high flute sustains |
R:D1 - D6 | L:2 (p, mf) |
Drones
|
01. Darkened fumes Distorted humming man mumbling |
R:Bb1 - G3 | L:1 (f) |
|
02. Remaining particles Grainy humming man swells |
R:C2 - F3 | L:2 (p, mf) | RR: 3 |
Perc
|
01. Crispy shaker Pitched rainmaker falls |
R:B1 - E4 | L:12 (ppp to ff) | RR: 4 |
|
02. Pitched shaman drum (all 12 notes) Echoing flute ens morph |
R:C1 - A5 | L:2 (p, mf) RR: 6 |
|
03. Arsis kick Pitches huming man staccato |
R:C2 - C4 | L:1 (mf) |
|
04. Umbra kick Pitched gong drum |
R:C2 - C3 | L:2 (p, mf) |