As I was working on my latest mashup, “Big Furry Fox“, I faced a dilemma.
Since the keys for the songs in this mashup are compatible (A flat and D flat, both minors) and the acapella’s key isn’t the fifth in the instrumental key’s scale, I didn’t think I’d run into problems with key clashes. However, as I worked on the mashup’s bridge, something didn’t sound right. In that section of Ylvis‘ “The Fox“, there are a few places where the harmony vocal (not the lead) goes into the key of A – for example, the last word in the phrase “somewhere deep in the woods”.
Unfortunately, that note is nowhere to be found in the instrumental’s scale of A flat minor:
- A flat
- B flat
- B
- D flat
- E flat
- E
- F sharp
Based on that observation, I thought that I was heading for a note clash. I was going to submit this mashup and wait until I received feedback at The Stix in order to confirm my suspicions, but a few days before doing that, I got an even better idea.
I already had one sample from The Lion King at the beginning the mashup, plus I was planning on throwing in another sample from The Fantastic Mr. Fox (because, duh). Out of nowhere, the possibility of putting in another sample from The Lion King arose in my mind. Since I know this movie pretty well, I mentally replayed pieces of the movie in my head, including that infamous “Be Prepared” song.
Side note: this movie is an all-time personal favourite; I remember when it originally came out in theatres – without the 3D.
I eventually settled on the part I would end up sampling; it happens right after the “Circle Of Life” opening (still epic after all this time, by the way). I also got another idea: what if I threw in a non-clashing bit of Ylvis’ bridge – specifically, the part where they say “I know you’re hiding”?
If you’re curious to hear the result of these ideas, you’ll just have to listen to the mashup.
Sherlock Poirot 