Many fans of Daredevil can immediately recognize the show’s main title theme, which features a series of repeating notes underlying single piano tones, and Paesano explains that this repetition makes the theme more accessible. “We really wanted to try to keep the score as grounded as possible, and I think the same thing can hold true for the main title,” he said. “We really wanted to make it memorable, and when I hear the word memorable I always think of simplistic.” One way to make the music in Daredevil felt is by making use of sounds associated with Matt Murdock’s blindness and heightened senses. Instrumentation evocative of sonar signals or audio feedback are all strategic choices, according to Paesano. “We also use a lot of heartbeats for our pulses, but we definitely try to play with the idea of Matt kind of using those heightened sensibilities because of his blindness, and we try to play with some of that stuff in the score.” So how does Paesano create, for example, the sound of the blind man’s cane in the theme for Stick? “We used a cello bow on the neck of the cello. It’s a technique called col legno, and there’s a lot more of that stuff in season 2,” promises Paesano. “I wanted to try to use acoustic instruments in non-traditional forms in order to create our hybrid sound versus just using synths and sound design and stuff like that.” All told, Paesano’s musical style brings a distinctive flavor to Daredevil, including infusing little rays of hope with the major keys some of his tracks use. “Hope – that’s a perfect word,” agrees Paesano. “If anything, I think Daredevil has so much hope for all of Hell’s Kitchen, and we didn’t want to lose that.” You can hear John Paesano’s wonderful musical score as Daredevil continues into its second season on Netflix on March 18. To hear the full interview, visit Sci Fi Fidelity on the Den of Geek Podcast Network, or simply listen below.
