This is a short musical sketch to describe the bluebell woods of my childhood in Renfrewshire. The idea of all the kids in the street going off for hours by themselves to play in woods, out of the sight and supervision of their parents didn't seem to cause any stress in those days and we had great fun climbing trees, building dens, sword-fighting with rotten sticks etc. Early May was the best time for the bluebells, sweet-smelling and a vivid blue that bewitched the eyes. There was no problem with picking a few to give to your mum, especially if you were late home for tea and wanted to ward off a scolding. The lanes that led down to the Clyde were always lined with them too and wherever I see bluebells, I am always transported back to those remembered places.

This track was made with my first use of a new Spitfire library I treated myself to - Fink-Signatures - so everything here is virtual, including the bluebells...

(Clutha Project) Bluebells

I finally finished another piece for the Clutha Project!

The Firth of Clyde has many types of sea birds and waders gracing its shores. I particularly love the antics of the Oystercatchers. These strikingly handsome birds with their beady red eyes strut and fret through the sands and rock pools as they prod and poke for their next meal. Their pace is slow, slow, quick quick, slow, as they dispute a scrap of ragworm, or chase off the smaller wading birds that get in their way. 

Ever watchful for disturbance or danger, they will instantly take off at the slightest provocation and wheel around in their groups, low over the water, before settling down again just a few yards away. 

I find them a perky and jolly sort of bird. I was watching them during a recent holiday in Berwick on Tweed, when i got the idea for this tune, which tries to capture their strutting and their sudden take-offs. Hopefully you will find it a jolly tune. Lord knows there's a current shortage of jollity in the world....

The guitar is real and played by me. The other instruments are virtual,  courtesy of Spitfire Audio Solstice Orchestra, and 8DIO Bazantar. Field recordings were taken by me at Berwick.

The Oyster Catchers (Clutha Project)

This track was composed in response to a challenge issued by The Crow Hill Company to create a track using all of the 6 Vaults beta instruments they have created and released over the last 6 months or so. An additional part of the challenge was that each entrant was randomly given a particular key to compose their track in. I was given key of "A". The time limit for completion was one week. 

The Vaults instruments are given away free by the Crow Hill Company. If you are interested, go to their web page and sign up. They are definitely worth having. There are likely to be more in the future too.

I even found time to make a video to go with it too. This can be found at:
https://youtu.be/IC-8iCfq2_4

enlimila - Into the Vaults

Enlimila - Into The Vaults (CHC March Challenge)

Challenge - to compose a track using only the Crow Hill Pocket Strings library, one day turnaround.  Library has amazing shorts and pizz, sweeping longs, and a really intuitive GUI which allows you to blend as needed great string samples, and also two vintage string synths, with in-library effects.  Chose this genre to make something different to my usual style in the spirit of a challenge, but also make the best of those cracking pizz and shorts and see if I could use them as a creative stand-in for brass stabs and punchy bass.  Really brilliant library at the price point, I had lots of fun!  Thanks for listening!

Rachel Howie Pocket Strings Challenge Soundcloud

Will you dance with me my love

Crow Hill Company's Bridge Guitar Composing Challenge 
Prompt: Compose 30 – 60 seconds of ‘daytime/reality TV underscore’ using only Bridge Guitar from their free instruments

Video link : https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMt0ZBYtbM2/?igsh=MXQ0bWt6MHFqdzhxbQ==

Honestly composing using only plucks and a single instrument for another style completely was though. I had in mind the Intro title-sequence of a regular daily tv-serie. 

Feel free to tell me what you think about it :) this isn't an elaborate work, mostly just for fun.

Le Petit Pont

Le Petit Pont - Crow Hill Company's Bridge Guitar Composing Challenge

Made with amazing free sample libraries from the Crow Hill Company and Pianobook.

Maybe they will

I turned this track into a video: https://youtu.be/FFjrV5Ag36I  
Crafted entirely with the newly updated Marshall Brass from The Crow Hill Company, this piece is a quiet testament to resilience. Each note, shaped by the warmth and depth of brass textures, carries a gentle reminder: even in the longest days, the promise of a new beginning lingers just beyond the horizon.

Let it be a companion for moments when you need to pause, breathe, and remember that light returns.

I hope it brings you a sense of calm and renewal.
— Eleri

Rachel Howie Pocket Strings Challenge Soundcloud

Rachel Howie Composition Challenges