Ged Grimes: Bard's Tale IV puts Gaelic heritage in the game

Fast-forward 20 years and so much has changed… Today, computer games feature engaging characters, multi-layered storylines and stunning, photo-realistic graphics. They demand music scores of the highest quality which play an integral role in immersing the game player in a virtual world of unlimited possibilities. For my latest project, I was commissioned by US company inXile to compose the soundtrack to their game, The Bard’s Tale IV. This is a role-playing fantasy game based in 18th Century Scotland and, at the outset, little did I know of the amazing musical journey I was about to embark upon. The game called for an authentic soundtrack of Gaelic voices, young and old and songs in every genre, from traditional waulking songs sung by Gaelic women while softening tweed, to Gaelic psalm singing. Working closely with a new generation of Gaelic singers and musicians, I discovered a group of talented youngsters with a deep respect for their language and its traditional songs. Through the Fèis movement, whose roots are on the Isle of Barra, young individuals come together to develop skills in the Gaelic arts and music is a key part of this. A generation of multi-talented musicians has emerged from this movement, self-assured individuals with a keen sense of their identity and heritage. The teaching of traditional music in an informal environment at Fèisean has greatly strengthened local communities and built self-esteem amongst the participants. These young musicians are also acutely aware that digital technology has transformed music production and consumption. With the prospect of Gaelic songs being a key element of a cutting-edge computer game, these musicians fully embraced this opportunity and together we worked on over 30 songs for the game. I wanted to capture the breadth of outstanding voices and musicians in my homeland and create a soundtrack which reflects Scotland’s unique musical heritage. I have witnessed first-hand the benefits and opportunities Gaelic music brings to young people and traditional musicians through being able to express themselves and represent their culture in this way. There is an abundance of Gaelic talent in this country, and it’s important to harness this potential and, more importantly, communicate the message that our indigenous music culture is thriving. The Highlands and Islands was recently listed in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel list for 2019 and my hope is that the success of young Gaelic musicians, will add to the attractions of Scotland, ensuring the country becomes an ever more popular visitor destination for international travellers. Since the The Bard’s Tale IV game was released in September 2018, the soundtrack has been streamed over 80,000 times and has attracted fans from as far afield as Russia, South America and the USA. A live game music concert featuring the performers will take place at Celtic Connections on 31 January, 2019 to coincide with the release of a second volume of songs from the game (which has been produced due to popular demand). Games music has the power to build strong emotional bonds between the player, the story and the game characters. The game’s use of Gaelic songs is a prime example of the marriage between Scottish folklore and modern digital technology. This collaboration of past and future provides a unique opportunity for the Gaelic language to be heard by an audience of young and engaged gamers around the world. The ancient songs that feature in The Bard’s Tale IV tell us stories of the past, but also give us wisdom, vision and hope for the future of the Gaelic language. Tickets for The Bard’s Tale Game Music live at Celtic Connections on January 31st are available at http://ow.ly/dfvh30mvBsl. Download the first soundtrack here. https://ffm.to/thebardstale.odl Ged Grimes is Simple Minds bass player and composer and producer of The Bard’s Tale IV Barrows Deep videogame Gaelic soundtrack