Comments on: What is the strange instrument in "Sour Times" by Portishead?

Question: What is the strange instrument in "Sour Times" by Portishead?

dagnyscott — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 20:33:14 -0800

In the song "Sour Times" by Portishead, there is a bizarre stringed instrument with percussive elements in the background. I'm having a heck of a time figuring out what it is.

I think it's also been used in "I, Robot" by the Alan Parsons Project, but I'm not sure. I would love to know what this instrument is though, as it could work very well in a composition.

By: interrobang

interrobang — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 20:36:32 -0800

Can you post a link to this sound?

By: nylon

nylon — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 20:52:42 -0800

it's originally from Lalo Schifrin's Danube Incident. I believe it to be a hammered dulcimer, but I'll do some searching to try and confirm.

By: Lyric

Lyric — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 20:55:30 -0800

Here's a link to the sound - it's the jangly-sounding thing, if I'm not mistaken.

By: nylon

nylon — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 21:02:04 -0800

Yeah, I'm certain it's the hammered dulcimer, aka cymballum, or cimbalom. It's a Hungarian instrument.

By: nylon

nylon — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 21:08:40 -0800

Heh. Beatles Hits on the Hammered Dulcimer. New and used from $7.17

By: hellbient

hellbient — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 21:23:34 -0800

Call me out if you like, but I feel it's appropriate to mention a friend's great band: Tulsa Drone. The dulcimer is featured in every song they do.

By: kenko

kenko — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 22:53:54 -0800

I believe a hammered dulcimer isn't exactly the same as a cembalom. This is what the leader of the Chicago Klezmer Ensemble says, anyway.

By: nylon

nylon — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 23:13:24 -0800

Ah, yes, kenko, you're right, and so is your friend - the cimbalom is larger and deeper in tone than the concert grand hammered dulcimer, which in turn is larger and deeper than the straight hammered dulcimer. But they're all closely related in the same way that the alto sax is related to the soprano sax.

I deduce, therefore, that Lalo (and therefore Portishead) was using the cimbalom, the big one with legs. Check out some mp3 samples of the difference between the three instruments.

By: realcountrymusic

realcountrymusic — Thu, 04 Aug 2005 08:46:08 -0800

My guess is that it's a Santoor, the Persian variant of the hammered dulcimer.

By: realcountrymusic

realcountrymusic — Thu, 04 Aug 2005 08:50:08 -0800

Some more web poking around reveals that it is (I think) a sample from a Lalo Schiffrin spy movie soundtrack. Schiffrin's music is amazing. He's most famous for the Mission Impossible theme, but he is one of the most prolific composers in the history of Hollywood, and has specialized in spy/thriller themes.

By: realcountrymusic

realcountrymusic — Thu, 04 Aug 2005 08:50:47 -0800

Whoops, sorry. Nylon called it first, and named the movie as well.

By: lasm

lasm — Thu, 04 Aug 2005 09:29:37 -0800

If you don't have access to the real instrument you might be able to apporoximate the sound using an FM synthesizer. Another option is to get a dulcimer soundfont. That would provide more flexibility than a single sample.