The Tables

I was on vacation in a secluded hotel I came across these large Chinese-style earthen tables and stools. As one of the few guests there, I was allowed to make a little more noise than usual and spent a little time finger tapping on these earthenware tables. To my surprise, their hollow insides provided ample resonance and I released they sounded a bit like ancient tuned percussion instruments. My mind immediately leapt back to my childhood where I played Age of Empires and I remembered the synth versions of drums that were in the soundtrack to that. I was inspired… could these ceramic tables and stools be an instrument? That night, I went out to record the tables with my phone. The crickets and cicadas were rather loud, I managed to quieten their sounds, but I wanted to keep them in there a little as an ambient sound with the instrument to give it a unique quality. There were many tables and chairs to record, but unfortunately not all the samples were usable. Through some clever effects in Reason my DAW I managed to get the best tone out of the tables and stools and that has become The Tables! I hope you find them useful as an percussive texture in your music.