Moss Garden
Encyclopedia
"Moss Garden" is an instrumental piece written by David Bowie
and Brian Eno
in 1977 for the album "Heroes". It was the second of three instrumentals on Side Two of the original vinyl album that segue
d into one another, following "Sense of Doubt
" and preceding "Neuköln
".
The track features Bowie plucking a koto
, a traditional Japanese string instrument
, the sound of which has been likened to "a banjo
half asleep". In contrast to the forbidding "Sense of Doubt
" that precedes it, "Moss Garden" is a tranquil, ethereal piece, described by biographer David Buckley as "Bowie and Eno at their most painterly and abstract".
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
and Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
in 1977 for the album "Heroes". It was the second of three instrumentals on Side Two of the original vinyl album that segue
Segue
A segue is a smooth transition from one topic or section to the next.-In music:In music, segue is a direction to the performer. It means continue without a pause. It comes from the Italian "it follows". The term attacca is also used in classical music.For written music it implies a transition...
d into one another, following "Sense of Doubt
Sense of Doubt
"Sense of Doubt" is an instrumental piece written by David Bowie in 1977 for the album "Heroes". It was the first of three instrumentals on Side Two of the original vinyl album that segued into one another, preceding "Moss Garden" and "Neuköln"....
" and preceding "Neuköln
Neuköln
"Neuköln" is an instrumental piece written by David Bowie and Brian Eno in 1977 for the album "Heroes." It was the last of three consecutive instrumentals on side two of the original vinyl album, following "Sense of Doubt" and "Moss Garden."...
".
The track features Bowie plucking a koto
Koto (musical instrument)
The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...
, a traditional Japanese string instrument
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
, the sound of which has been likened to "a banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
half asleep". In contrast to the forbidding "Sense of Doubt
Sense of Doubt
"Sense of Doubt" is an instrumental piece written by David Bowie in 1977 for the album "Heroes". It was the first of three instrumentals on Side Two of the original vinyl album that segued into one another, preceding "Moss Garden" and "Neuköln"....
" that precedes it, "Moss Garden" is a tranquil, ethereal piece, described by biographer David Buckley as "Bowie and Eno at their most painterly and abstract".