Should you choose instruments based on sound or theme?

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Oh okay, but what do you mean by 'font', in this context?

Oh I see, thanks. Well as far as instruments from other parts of the world sounding weird, for example, here is a scene from a movie where it's done. I feel I should give a violence warning. At 3:55 into the scene you hear a classical guitar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba7zUaPlqSQ

However, it's a Korean movie, so what is a classical guitar doing in a Korean movie. Did they choose it because they like the sound, and they didn't care about where the instrument sounding foreign in the audience's eyes possibly?

Or in this movie scene at 0:44 into the scene, you hear a pan flute:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_McyI1IQfcM

But why would there be a pan flute in a movie set in NYC? Unless again, the composer just cared about sound over what the audience thought of where it was from?

i don't know what musical instruments are made in korea but in japan yamaha makes some primo quality guitars, so guitar music is not unknown in asian movies. and thanks to Zamfir, pan flute music is not unknown in NYC either

Oh okay. I didn't think Yamaha made classical style guitars though, with nylon strings, which that sounds like, unless i am wrong? Well if I have a movie set in my country Canada, but I have instruments like the duduk and xiao playing, would that be weird?

Oh okay, but if the xiao was being played in a tune similar to this, would this still be considered Western mode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6BQKFs3-VM

Oh okay neat! Well one movie I can think where people tell me they felt the music was too weird was Hulk (2003). Here is a sample of the music and they said it sounded too exotic for the movie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zhfAOF ... E&index=16

it sounded just right for the movie IMHO.

Oh okay, so maybe a xiao can start things off, but you don't want that being such a predominant instrument, you mean?

Non Western countries usually use Western instruments (and Western musical scales) in their movies. Especially if its symphony orchestra type music. So American type guitars are not unexpected in the soundtrack of Korean movies. The world conforms to the colonial west, and not the other way around.

An interesting aside: here is an American song...being covered in Arabic by a Lebanese singer...but being used in the soundtrack of an American movie, about Americans. One of the oddest musical choices Ive run across for use in a Hollywood soundtrack. But somehow it works.



The movie is "American Hustle", made a few years ago about the Abscam scandal of the Seventies. The song is "White Rabbit". Originally sung by Grace Slick and the Jefferson Airplane in the late Sixties. The song uses Alice in Wonderland as a metaphor for drug use, and dropping acid. The movie is about people caught up in a scandal involving bribing politicians,but drugs dont figure much in the story. But if you put the lyrics into a foriegn language it turns the singer into just another musical instrument. But retains the feeling of the song...a feeling of seduction into danger and doom. The feeling that fits the storyline of the movie perfectly.

Oh okay, that's interesting. Well I guess it depends on if I should go on instruments where I like the sound vs. or should I just go for an American soundtrack, if the movie is set in the U.S.

For example, here is a track that inspired me to do something some what similar perhaps:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UNBHp52KGM

But what instead of a saxophone, I use a duduk, and instead of an American electric guitar, I use the Spanish classical guitar... Would it sound too un-American, for a movie story, that is set in modern America?

Oh okay, well when it comes to how a piece of music is suppose to make you feel, in the opening part, what do you get from this piece of music for example?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RGbyaSb9ik

I get a comedic hijinx type feel from it and want to compose something that gives a similar feel. I was wondering if I should do something similar but replace the tuba with a double bass instead, since I like the sound of the double bass better. However, would a double bass in that kind of tune, completely change the feel of that kind of tune?