The Campaign Builder's Guild

In looking at what some people like to listen to when writing/creating, I got to thinking, "What do the people in your setting listen to?" For Panisadore I tend toward:

Elves: Middle- and Far Eastern classical: sitar and tabla raags, pipa, erhu, koto, etc.

Khurorkh: Jazz (esp. hard-bop and fusion), Blues, Tom Waits is and Orkh!

Dwarves: predominantly vocal and brass: Tibetan horns and throat singing, qawwali, pow-wow drumming/singing, Australian aboriginal (brass didjes), gongs & bells, trad. Sammi joiking, belching the "Alphabet Song"

Gnomes: Nordic roots. (Try a Northside Sampler, still "cheaper than food")

Halflings: hard-core percussionists (what thunder drummers at Rainbow Gatherings imagine themselves to sound like): afro, middle eastern and Caribbean polyrhythms, teiko, Santana's rhythm section

Humans: Orchestral and Opera - the more melodramatic the better

Pure hard rock. A la Jet.

When I run a game, I use a variety of different music.  I believe, a setting, or adventure has certain musical themes that play within them.

I use ton of soundtracks and music, started when I was running the Grand Realm in 1994 as a experimental campaign.  I used Raiders of the lost arc.  I find that alot of anima fits games well, For example Record of the Lodoss war,or Escaflowne and Aquarion by Yoko Kanno.  I saw how the players responded and new it added a new dimension to my game.

Pretty much what he wrote, it depends on the game.   But assuming that it's good ol' fantasy-esk D&D you're talking about.  

Various Castlevania for mood &/or battles
The D&D Soundtrack (it actually has a couple of tracks that're decent), again for setting mood/ background.  
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust OST
Kameo: Elements of Power OST
Fighting game music for battles.  
Panzer Dragoon Orta
The Baulders gate & Planescape music
The Music from God of Wars 1 & 2
Chaos Legion has a perfect track for Charduns Realm (Scarred Lands)

Sometimes I prepare, but others I play by ear.  

Actually, I'm asking more what the music sounds like that the races in your setting would play - often quite different from a soundtrack for a gaming session. If I were hanging out in a dwarf bar or at an elven festival, what would I be hearing the indiginous musicians playing?

LC, I need to here from you here...

It has been such a long time since I actually detailed the music of my settings... and I find it difficult to do so because, despite the habit that music has of melding and changing into certain states, I don't know how easy it would be  to classify anything people in my setting would listen to. I guess you could just call it a wide mix of classical and world/folk/tribal/regional/etc. music.

The most I have ever decided upon for Haveneast is that people generally favor the kind of music that rises and falls, with very epic and moving bridges and finales. For some reason I find it stereotypical to see dwarves in settings with focus on the brass or drumming (no offense to you, Snargash). Don't get me wrong, my world revolves around music - I even see it in colors - but when I see a description for music in a setting, it just ruins it. It feels to me like when playing in a setting you and your players should automatically get an idea of what might be a sorrowful dirge, or a joyous proclamation, or anything, just like everybody gets their own idea of what things in the game actually look like.

If you're looking for types of music played by various ethnic groups, here's a short list of general Red Valor music types.

Goblin: Drums of all kinds, heavy emphasis on percussion. Goblins often shout or speak along with the rhythm, and the guttural nature of the goblin language tends to make it sound like gibberish or scat. It's influenced some human performers, especially those in the northern lands. The emphasis on rhythm has led to an equal emphasis on lyrical ingenuity, rather than melody or harmony, and otherwise inflammatory or racist messages are often conveyed in what audiences who don't speak Goblin believe is simply nonsense. However, goblin symphonic composers are beginning to gain respect, a tribute to the great goblin composer-conductor Igith Moraed.

Dwarves: The Dwarves of the ancient Empire of Vultheim listened to a variety of music, their preferred instruments being a rudimentary pipe organ and  a variety of horns (the louder the better). After their confinement to the Higoth region some 1700 years ago, they largely did away with instrumentals, as the mines of Higoth were rarely a welcome place for professional musicians. Instead, dwarves placed an emphasis on communal singing, with most working dwarves able to pick out a harmony and sing easily. Folk songs of epic dwarven heroes were taught to Higothian dwarves as young children, and rarely was the need for a new song needed. A single community would have about fifteen songs or so that it would regularly know, and the folk tradition carries on to this day; the most notable technique utilized by dwarves is call and response.

Delphian Elves: Strings, strings, and more strings. The harp, the harpsichord, and the violin are the three instruments every elven child is expected to choose from, though many are encouraged to learn a variety. Elven symphonic composition is the most well-known and well-documented, with many ancient symphonies still preserved to this day. Elven composers employ large string sections and spend years, even decades perfecting every note, bar, and movement. Elven vocalists are almost unknown, partially due to the poor range of the average elven vocalist and the cultural stigma associated with verbal music. These traditions were carried over after the destruction of the continent of Delphia.

"Native" Elves and half-elves: Elves born and raised on the Tare for several generations often belong to a distinct tribe, each of which have their own preferred musical style. As a group, native elves are much more likely to produce vocalists, of which their altos and sopranos are renowned. There is no distinctive, cohesive musical grouping, however.

Baraki Halflings:  The Baraki are a jungle-based culture, and share a love of rhythm with the goblins. Where the Baraki differ is in purpose: the Baraki use music exclusively to perform sacred rituals, most often to ward away evil spirits. A circle of dancers surround a drummer and a singer, both of whom perform one of thirteen distinct sacred songs. Singing or dancing for non-spiritual purposes is a cultural taboo.

Sorbu Halflings: The Sorbu are a nomadic folk who prefer the central plains of the Tare, but their music is anything but plain. The Sorbu do not share the Baraki's reverence for music, and Halfling troubadours play small, loud instruments meant to draw attention to sales caravans or vaudeville shows; often, the music is farcical and extremely vulgar, a fact that makes life as a Sorbu musician one of the most dangerous (but some argue the most rewarding as well).

There are about a dozen other main ethnic groups on the Tare, but that's a good sample of some of the main non-human groups.

Hmm. Humans tend to listen to their versions of daemonic music, which is often fast-paced, with complicated stringed instruments similar to the sitar and harp used to add background to a song that does not feature words. Often, two singers will harmonise with one another. Generally, there are troupes of musicians - three men playing various stringed instruments and two women who sing.

The Duer are much more into slow music, played on bells and pipes. This music is often accompanied by specific scents to add to the picture and is designed to conjure up images of particular places or people. There are rarely any vocals. A second style - the 'epic' - involves slow, constant drumming behind a speaker half-singing, half-telling a story. This has gained popularity recently as a medium for political protest, particularly by such radical groups as the TandhusomDuer movement.

The elves are arguably the most musical of all the species. Those from the Sluaan isles are famous for rapid, varied percussion of all kinds, accompanied by chants and dances in the Eldritch language. This has carried over into the Hariiji slaves, who do similar things - although the language is different. Horns and pipes are also common instruments, and in any of the thousands of smoky Hariiji Ijmalsema bars these instruments form a frequent backdrop. There is not necessarily any singing, but drumming is an integral component of these places, just as it was in the old Hariij empire.

I have already spoken briefly regarding the music of two of the cultures in my world, but I shall re-iterate and expand here.

The Human musical system is one modelled extensively after the real-world's European classical tradition. They make extensive use of harmony, grand, sweeping structures to their pieces, and all their works use the 12-TET system.

The Non-Humans, however, who are native to Reth Jaleract, base their music around the 24-TET system, just as Arabic music does in our world. However, there are huge variations from culture to culture, rather than the more-or-less universal style that Humans favour.

The Faelen, for example, play almost entirely percussive music, which, for them, is merely an adjunct to dancing, which is the important part. Indeed, as with some real-world cultures, they have no word for "music" as such - instead it's more like "sounds-to-accompany-dancing." Once you take the dancing away, the music becomes irrelevant, in their minds.

The Gwulean Uéllae play music which is very simple in terms of a arrangement, as it is often either purely vocal, or featuring only one, very simple, instrumental part to accompany the vocals.
The melodies are labyrinthine, however, and twist and turn around the various nuances of their very complicated scale forms. Harmony is used sparingly, and is usually quite simple when it is employed.

As for the other cultures, I have yet to detail them, and so their musical tendencies have yet to be formulated either... check up next time I update my setting - chances are, if I've written about a new culture, there may well be something to do with music in there too.

I use a mix of some klemzer, some metal, some electronica, some old-school celtic rock, and some recycled anime soundtrack stuff, mostly from samurai champloo and flcl. That's for when I'm running games and things.

For cultures themselves, I haven't gone into any great detail as I tend to make stuff up as I go in play, but...

Elves I think would use sort of percussive string instruments like the hammered dulcimer. Somehow I also think the musical saw is perfect for those guys. The effect of those two in concert might be quite eerie.

Gnomes would probably use the accordion and brass combo pretty heavily.

For the rest I have no idea.

I listen to a lot of movie soundtracks, and a lot of instrumental metal when I game.

Karma to Burn is a cool band.

Here is a small list of other songs:

Example Song

* Band - Song Name (Any clarification or description, "If song has a few lyrics")

Here is what I actually have so far:

Slow/Rock/Less Metal/Etc.
----------
* AP2 - Cold Breath of Sorrow (feedback-like noises, light piano)
* AP2 - The End ("I Am The Damage." repeated at the start which is a little annoying, whispers, piano, echoed note, techno metal)
* AP2 - A Thousand Terrible Things (Marching feet, Echoed synth notes, background sounds)
* AP2 - The Pact (Voiced Notes "Ay Eye Ay", vocalizing chanting Native American, Snyth notes & drums)
* Apocalyptica - Angel (Theme song to Joss Whedon's Angel)
* Apocalyptica - The Legend of Zelda Main Theme (Classical)
* Becoming The Archetype - Denouement
* Becoming the Archetype - March of the Dead (gets more metal towards the end)
* Becoming The Archetype - Night's Sorrow
* Dark Tranquility - The Mind's Eye (Guitar, small low voice samples that are hard to understand, drums)
* Ethereal Scourge - Shroud of Mist (slow guitar)
* Explosions In The Sky - Your Hand In Mine (Slow low guitar)
* Extol - Abandoned (Classical with weird noises)
* Extol - Meadows Of Silence (Slow sad accoustic guitar)
* Living Sacrifice - Emerge (some spoken word, monk singing, creepy sound)
* Living Sacrifice - Into Again (Guitar & drums)
* Living Sacrifice - Presence of God (Acoustic guitar, whispers)
* Mogwai - Burn Girl Prom Queen (very quiet start, slow)
* Mogwai - Fear Satan (16:17 slow rock)
* Mogwai - I Can't Remember
* Mogwai - Stanley Kubrick
* Nine Inch Nails - (300 Theme) Just Like You Imagined
* Rush - YYZ (Rock)
* Stavesacre - Minus (rock, with slow intro)
* Symphony In Peril - Beauty Forgotten (a few growled lyrics at the end, "Lets not let the sun go down." I think)
* Symphony In Peril - Perelandra (slow guitar)
* Symphony In Peril - Three Months (slow guitar, "In the game of solitude there is a road.")
* The Black Mages - Dancing Mad (Final Fantasy 6 )
* The Black Mages - Terra In Black (Final Fantasy 6 )
* The Black Mages Nobuo Uematsu - Battle Scene (The synth is a little annoying to me)
* The Black Mages - Vamo Alla Flamenco (Electric guitar, Rock, Flamenco guitar, Snyth, Final Fantasy 9 )
* Tiamat - Diyala (slow, notes played backwards?)
* Tiamat - Four Leary Biscuits (India instruments, woman vocalizing, borders on annoying)
* Tiamat - Kite (slow & sad, bird noises at the end)
* Tiamat - Trillion Zillion Centipedes (Guitar & whispers)
* Trivium - A View of Burning Empires (Guitar & String Instruments)
* Trivium - Ashes (Slow Guitar)
* Trivium - Inception, The Bleeding Skies (Orchestra)
* Trivium - Intro (Piano, Guitar, & some choir)
* Yngwie Malmsteen - Canon In D (Guitar solos toward the end)
* Zao - I Lay Sleepless In My Grave (slow guitar and drums)
* Zao - Violet (slow sad repetitive piano, then more uplifting piano, heartbeat)

some more I found recently:

* Alice In Chains - Whale & Wasp
* Dick Dale - Misirlou
* Dick Dale - Surf Rider (Pulp Fiction Theme)
* Dick Dale & His Deltones - Ghostriders In The Sky
* Eels - Going to your funeral II
* Evanescence - Silver Rain Fell
* Godspeed You Black Emperor - Glass Museum
* Godspeed You Black Emperor - A Silver Mount Zion
* In flames - Timeless
* Opeth - Requiem
* Spitfire - All Indentured Lovables
* Stretch Arm Strong - Transmission Demolition

InstruMETAL songs
--------------------------
* Apocalyptica - Creeping Death (Electric Classical String Instruments, Metallica Cover)
* Apocalyptica - Sepultura (Electric Classical String Instruments)
* Becoming The Archetype - Elegy (Instrumental Parts II & III from 5:50 - 11:14)
* Canibal Corpse - Relentless Beating (brutal 2:13)
* Canibal Corpse - Skin To Liquid
* Dark Tranquility - Ex Nihilo
* Death - Cosmic Sea (slow slightly weird keyboard in the middle)
* Death - Voice of the Soul
* Extol - Into Another Dimension
* Extol - Where Sleep Is Rest
* Few Left Standing - 10,000 Angry Hardcore Kids (short)
* In Flames - Dialogue With The Stars
* In Flames - Man Made God
* In Flames - Whoracle (low female vocalizing over music)
* Iron Maiden - Genghis Khan
* Iron Maiden - Losfer Words Big 'Orra
* Iron Maiden - The Ides of March
* Iron Maiden - Transilvania
* Lamb of God - Ashes of the Wake (Small amounts of spoken word about Bagdad, heavy music)
* Metallica - Orion
* Metallica - The Call of Ktulu
* Metallica - Heavy Instrumental (hard to find)
* Metallica - To Live Is To Die
* Overcast - Styrofoam Death-Machine
* Primus - Hamburger Train (not technically metal, but it's good)
* Symphony In Peril - ...And She Was Drunk On The Blood Of The Saints
* The Agony Scene - Nausea (some growling)
* The Black Mages - Gilgamesh (some synth)
* The Black Mages - Maybe I'm A Lion (some synth, and the words "Maybe I'm a lion." Final Fantasy 8 )
* The Black Mages - One Winged Angel (Metal, Syth, Orchestra, Choir)
* Trivium - The Crusade (Over 8 mins of great stuff)

Some more I found recently:

* Apocalyptica (String instruments with distortion) any Metallica covers.  They have a lot of them : )
* August Burns Red - Eve of the End
* Becoming the Archetype - Nocturne
* Blind Guardian & Iced Earth - Beyond The Ice
* Cannibal Corpse - Infinite Misery
* Everdown - One Knuckle Shy
* Faith No More - Woodpecker from Mars
* Isis (many songs have a few lyrics and they are pretty cool)
* Megadeth - Absolution(Instrumental)
* Megadeth - I Know Jack (few spoken words, short)
* Megadeth - Into the Lungs of Hell
* Megadeth - Trust (ECW Instrumental Mix)
* Nightwish - Moondance
* Opeth - Ending Credits
* Opeth - Epilogue
* Pelican (not a real big fan, but they have nothing but instrumetal droning long songs)
* Symphony In Peril - Beauty ForgottenThe Black Mages - The Man with the Machine Gun (Final Fantasy)
* The Black Mages - Battle with the four Fiends (Final Fantasy
*Yngwie j malmsteen - zelda theme
* Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Beethoven's 5th
* Yngwie Malmsteen - Blitzkrieg
* Yngwie Malmsteen - Pachelbel's Canon

Metal with foreign lyrics (since you don't know what is being said it slides into the background more I think):
-----------------------------------------------
* Extol - Renhetens Elv (Swedish)
* Extol - Innbydelse (Swedish)
* Extol - Jesus Kom Til Jorden For A Do (Swedish, an old Hymn I think)

Quote from: samwise7I listen to a lot of movie soundtracks, and a lot of instrumental metal when I game.

Karma to Burn is a cool band.

Here is a small list of other songs:

<a lotta songs>

... you do know this isn't actually about what you play during your sessions, right? >.>

I like to go against the grain since I like to mix things up for my races, breaking away from the cliche fantasy race traditions. However for what I view as the generic racial music:

Dwarves: A solemn form of the classic Celtic music. Utilizes a mix of pipes and drums to get a sad sounding sound to the music (something that would sound beautiful echoing about in a big underground hall).

Halflings: Similar to dwarves in its style (Celtic) but more upbeat and celebratory. Again pipes and drums but more emphasis on the pipes and some harp and violin style instruments thrown in for good measure.

Gnome: Whimsical is the word that best describes the music. Gnomes like their music to be playful and it reflects this. There is a strong use of lesser known instruments to achieve a funny and entertaining sound (anybody here have ranks in perform(kazoo)?). Has plenty of more normal type instruments such as horns and lyres and the like.

Elves: I very strongly see string instruments with elves. With perhaps a dash of pipes, especially pan pipe style instruments. Their music has a very open feel to it with a tempo slow enough to allow you to sit back and listen to it and its potential meaning.

Goblinoids: Heavy use of hand drums as well as gongs and cymbals and other styles of percussion. Their music mixes in horns but relies heavily on the percussive feel. It sounds harsh and coarse, but powerful.

Lastly there is humans (I am not going to go through the half races) but humans tend to have different music based on their world setting so I wont go too in depth. Their norm tends to be western European styled though.

Quote... you do know this isn't actually about what you play during your sessions, right? >.>

Hehe, now I do... :)