I find it nice to know some tunes that dwell within one octave. 

One reason is that for the majority of my tune writing and playing, I lived with a cat. His ears didn't seem to appreciate any tin whistle notes above the first octave. So out of consideration to his ears, a large amount of the tunes I wrote stayed in the first octave.

I also play musical instruments for people with developmental disabilities. If the mood is calm & quiet, and I'm maybe trying to help them relax or sleep, a tune that goes into the 2nd octave on a tin whistle or flute may be a bit too loud. So one octave tunes are nice for this as well.

One octave tunes also give me an option of what key to play the tune in to best suit a moment. For example, on a D whistle I could play it in the first octave (D) or the second octave (G). If I'm outside and it's windy, I may choose to play in G, since the second octave is a bit more wind resistant (it's tough to play whistles in windy weather). And I could choose D or G depending on the volume of the place I'm playing. It's also nice to have options of different keys to play in so you have more of a chance of playing along with other instuments.

It might also be nice to know some one octave tunes for anyone who plays an instrument that can only play 8 notes or so. For me, this would be my pendant ocarina, which I often bring along to play while out in a forest.

And lastly, I also just find that I enjoy simplistic tunes.

So here are some one octave tunes I've recorded. Most of these are original compositions, with a few traditional tunes here & there.

One Octave Tunes

A tune titled in appreciation of a very neat looking and very neat sounding bird.

Instruments:
Gold Tone tenor guitar, Burke tin whistle, Mk Pro low whistle

Starlings In The Oak Tree

Instruments:
Hora octave mandolin, Burke D & low G whistles

Two Raccoons In A Blueberry Bush

Mezzo Soprano live recording by Dawn Walters piano accompaniment by Graziana Presicce. Sound recording Steve Brookfield in Howden Minster.

To Shallow Rivers, Mezzo Soprano solo

This Rain piece is dreamy and relaxing with some frivolous parts, like rain can be..... The sheet music (piano) is available for € 2,99. Send me a message for the purchase. Or see serge4music.nl

Rain

The Midnight Waltz

Piatitude009v1
Nouvelle piste avec piano et synthèse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkSPJOWHhhU

Piatitude009v1

Singing video: https://youtu.be/gFoG4xCyUc4

Opera

Regnava nel silenzio

Regnava nel silenzio - Quando rapito in estasi

Truths I Believed In (Piano Improvisation)

Confluence

A classic guitar track. Theme and performance - LeoMReznik.                                           
      This time I decided to record something in the traditional classical style. This winter is still causing exactly such feelings... Some of you, my friends, may like this simple composition. I'll be glad to.

Winter Adagio

Crime Of Passion,== Gene Jumper, ( cover ) Ricky Van Shelton

J.S.Bach  Largo. Mvt 2 of Triosonata No 2 C minor BWV526. Transcribed & reproduced for 2 pianos by VViljanen Feb 16, 2025. 
- A pair of Petrof Mistral 284 modeled grands, revoiced & reconfigured by VV were used on its recording. The articulations & tempos (etc) were selected by VV, as well as was made the rec. setup.
Photo: JSB .monument detail - at leipzig-saxony-historic-centre
ANY KIND OF COMMERCIAL USE OF THIS TRACK IS PROHIBITED.

J.S.Bach  Largo. Mvt 2 of Triosonata Nr. 2 C minorBWV526. Transcr. for 2 pianos

J.S.Bach:  Largo. Mvt 2 of Triosonata Nr. 2 in C minor. BWV526. Transcr. for 2 pianos

An original tune written while watching ducks waddle in the mud.

Instruments:
Killarney tin whistle, Kentucky mandolin

Ducks In The Mud

Instruments:
Burke low G whistle, tenor guitar, organ

White Goat

An original whistle waltz, written on a day that I saw a lot of Eastern Pheobes.

Instruments:
Burke tin whistle, Gold Tone tenor guitar

Eastern Pheobe

Instruments:
Burke tin whistle, Doug Tipple flute, bongos, conga, frame drum, karatala, egg shaker, shruti box, organ effect on iPad

Downy Woodpecker

Original compositions played upon various acoustic instruments. 

At the moment, the majority of music I record is original folk tunes. Most of these tunes arise whilst out in natural ecosystems or shortly after visiting a natural ecosystem. The titles often reflect an aspect of the ecosystem I had noticed while the tune came about. Lately this is usually a species of bird.

Tin whistles and flutes appear the most often in my recordings; though mandolin, tenor guitar, lyre harp, jaw harp, dulcitar, and a handful of other instruments show up fairly often as well.

And here's some more music I've made along with my friend Dan Jones:
https://soundcloud.com/user-453898279

Ducks In The Mud

Zach Schneider

Related tracks