Nuzlocke for Solo Tuba and Fixed Media
Link to Recording: Nuzlocke - performed by Dr. Austin Crumrine at the 2024 South Central Tuba Euphonium Conference
Nuzlocke was commissioned by Dr. Austin Crumrine in the summer of 2023. The commission consortium, organized by Dr. Crumrine, includes many of his colleagues and friends.
In the summer of 2023, Austin reached out to me asking for a commission for solo Tuba and fixed media. At first, I was hesitant to accept the commission because I haven’t written music in this medium before and I felt like I was the wrong person to ask. However, after reflecting on the request and planning how I would go about starting, I cautiously accepted. What ultimately convinced me to accept was the specifications that Austin wanted for the piece; he wanted it to embody the spirit and sound of the old Pokémon games from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, most specifically Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald (2002), which is a game we both share a strong emotional connection to.
The name, “Nuzlocke,” was first coined by webcomic author Nick Franco in 2010. One of his characters is a Nuzleaf (a Pokémon) drawn in the image of John Locke (a character from the series Lost), leading to the creation of the name “Nuzlocke”. Since then, Franco created the “Nuzlocke Challenge” for Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald. The challenge consists of 2 simple rules: 1. You can only capture the first Pokémon encountered in any new area, and 2. If a Pokémon faints, you must consider it dead and release it. This challenge grew in popularity among the Pokémon community and became notorious for its intense difficulty. I wanted to pay homage to Franco and the Pokémon by creating a work that embodies the difficulty of the Nuzlocke Challenge while also emulating the nostalgic styles of 1990s video gaming.
Nuzlocke is written into two main sections. The first takes inspiration from the opening title theme, evoking a spirit of adventure and determination. In this part, both Chiptune as well as old MIDI Instrumental VST’s are used as accompaniment so the music can stay true to the vintage 8-Bit video game sounds. The second section draws heavy influence from the memorable battle themes of Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald and Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow, and strictly uses the Chiptune VST.
In addition to the inspiration by vintage 8-Bit music, I have also included influences from other sources that are connected to Austin and I. Austin and I first met when I was freshman at Baylor University in 2017, and he was the coach for my jazz combo that year. A couple of tunes that we had played under his coaching were Autumn Leaves and All of Me. Because of the fact that I cannot listen to these tunes without being reminded of Austin, I decided to include some subtle quotes to those melodies within the music itself.
Link to Recording: Nuzlocke - performed by Dr. Austin Crumrine at the 2024 South Central Tuba Euphonium Conference
Nuzlocke was commissioned by Dr. Austin Crumrine in the summer of 2023. The commission consortium, organized by Dr. Crumrine, includes many of his colleagues and friends.
In the summer of 2023, Austin reached out to me asking for a commission for solo Tuba and fixed media. At first, I was hesitant to accept the commission because I haven’t written music in this medium before and I felt like I was the wrong person to ask. However, after reflecting on the request and planning how I would go about starting, I cautiously accepted. What ultimately convinced me to accept was the specifications that Austin wanted for the piece; he wanted it to embody the spirit and sound of the old Pokémon games from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, most specifically Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald (2002), which is a game we both share a strong emotional connection to.
The name, “Nuzlocke,” was first coined by webcomic author Nick Franco in 2010. One of his characters is a Nuzleaf (a Pokémon) drawn in the image of John Locke (a character from the series Lost), leading to the creation of the name “Nuzlocke”. Since then, Franco created the “Nuzlocke Challenge” for Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald. The challenge consists of 2 simple rules: 1. You can only capture the first Pokémon encountered in any new area, and 2. If a Pokémon faints, you must consider it dead and release it. This challenge grew in popularity among the Pokémon community and became notorious for its intense difficulty. I wanted to pay homage to Franco and the Pokémon by creating a work that embodies the difficulty of the Nuzlocke Challenge while also emulating the nostalgic styles of 1990s video gaming.
Nuzlocke is written into two main sections. The first takes inspiration from the opening title theme, evoking a spirit of adventure and determination. In this part, both Chiptune as well as old MIDI Instrumental VST’s are used as accompaniment so the music can stay true to the vintage 8-Bit video game sounds. The second section draws heavy influence from the memorable battle themes of Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald and Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow, and strictly uses the Chiptune VST.
In addition to the inspiration by vintage 8-Bit music, I have also included influences from other sources that are connected to Austin and I. Austin and I first met when I was freshman at Baylor University in 2017, and he was the coach for my jazz combo that year. A couple of tunes that we had played under his coaching were Autumn Leaves and All of Me. Because of the fact that I cannot listen to these tunes without being reminded of Austin, I decided to include some subtle quotes to those melodies within the music itself.
Link to Recording: Nuzlocke - performed by Dr. Austin Crumrine at the 2024 South Central Tuba Euphonium Conference
Nuzlocke was commissioned by Dr. Austin Crumrine in the summer of 2023. The commission consortium, organized by Dr. Crumrine, includes many of his colleagues and friends.
In the summer of 2023, Austin reached out to me asking for a commission for solo Tuba and fixed media. At first, I was hesitant to accept the commission because I haven’t written music in this medium before and I felt like I was the wrong person to ask. However, after reflecting on the request and planning how I would go about starting, I cautiously accepted. What ultimately convinced me to accept was the specifications that Austin wanted for the piece; he wanted it to embody the spirit and sound of the old Pokémon games from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, most specifically Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald (2002), which is a game we both share a strong emotional connection to.
The name, “Nuzlocke,” was first coined by webcomic author Nick Franco in 2010. One of his characters is a Nuzleaf (a Pokémon) drawn in the image of John Locke (a character from the series Lost), leading to the creation of the name “Nuzlocke”. Since then, Franco created the “Nuzlocke Challenge” for Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald. The challenge consists of 2 simple rules: 1. You can only capture the first Pokémon encountered in any new area, and 2. If a Pokémon faints, you must consider it dead and release it. This challenge grew in popularity among the Pokémon community and became notorious for its intense difficulty. I wanted to pay homage to Franco and the Pokémon by creating a work that embodies the difficulty of the Nuzlocke Challenge while also emulating the nostalgic styles of 1990s video gaming.
Nuzlocke is written into two main sections. The first takes inspiration from the opening title theme, evoking a spirit of adventure and determination. In this part, both Chiptune as well as old MIDI Instrumental VST’s are used as accompaniment so the music can stay true to the vintage 8-Bit video game sounds. The second section draws heavy influence from the memorable battle themes of Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald and Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow, and strictly uses the Chiptune VST.
In addition to the inspiration by vintage 8-Bit music, I have also included influences from other sources that are connected to Austin and I. Austin and I first met when I was freshman at Baylor University in 2017, and he was the coach for my jazz combo that year. A couple of tunes that we had played under his coaching were Autumn Leaves and All of Me. Because of the fact that I cannot listen to these tunes without being reminded of Austin, I decided to include some subtle quotes to those melodies within the music itself.