By Max Wright mxwright SoundCloud imbrog Tumblr YouTube YouTube ← Cobalt Corsair Previous track by this artist → Dawn of the End [Countdown] Next track by this artist.
Cover art by Soju sojubrew Twitter sojubrew Tumblr.
Released 4/13/2012.
Duration: 2:45.

Listen on Bandcamp or YouTube.

Download sheet music files.
Read artist commentary.

Tracks that reference Dapper Dueling:

From Fandom:

• Bronze Brawling by Max Wright

Tracks that sample Dapper Dueling:

From Fandom:

• Broper Dueling by Ian White

Flashes & games that feature Dapper Dueling:

• Of Ladies Gray and Lusii White

Print or download sheet music files:

• Rough sheet music

  • Shared by the composer on Tumblr, alongside a rough piano recording.
  • Dapper Duelling Piano Rough - Max Wright.pdf (121.6 kB)

Artist commentary:

Max Wright: (composer, Tumblr) 4/14/2012

So, I was a HUGE fan of Dapper Dueling when you first put up the original version, but I LOVE what you did with it for the Homestuck music contest. I can't wait to see what you came up with next, because holy crap you are talented. What inspired you with this one, since it's telling me to ask you something? It has a very Firefly, Joss Whedon sort of feel to it, which I personally really like about it.

Dapper Dueling was inspired originally by a Steampunk band named The Cog is Dead - after listening to the song I just linked, I tried to take down the general feel and basic instrumentation, and then work on my own from there. Instruments used in the piece are:

• Acoustic Guitars
• Accordion
• Whistle Synth (fun fact, I'm pretty sure it's the same one as used in Horchestra)
• Banjo
• Harmonica (1:14, panned left)
• Violin/Fiddle
• Full string section (1:28)
• Maracas, castanets, very very faint snare (you can hear it at 0:10, under the whistle), constant bass drum beat
• bang bang wink

I also gave the original Showtime strife mix a few listens for the purpose of structuring my piece - after all, it's meant to be a Strife theme. However, pretty much all sources of inspiration were only used in the parts before the banjo solo; the rest was just me having fun with music.

Let me also point out that it made me extremely happy to see in canon that Jake bounces from side to side before he is about to fight; it was the exact image of him I was hoping for.

Also, while composing, I imagined Dapper Dueling to fit a fight scene similar to this (dead link), from Sherlock Holmes (2009).

Max Wright: (YouTube description, excerpt) 12/14/2011

This was my interpretation of a Jake Strife theme. After the intensity of Cobalt Corsair I wanted to make something fun to listen to, and ended up with this. Imagine Jake English bouncing nimbly from side to side, facing off to wrestle his eager opponent.

Soju: (track artist, Tumblr / DeviantArt, excerpt) 11/13/2011

Obligatory Jake art, 30 min doodle that I took too seriously ;7;