Composing for traditional Celtic instruments such as the uilleann pipes, Oldfield uses Ommadawn as an outlet for spiritual investigation as much as expert musicianship. A master of songcraft, Oldfield layers guitars, pipes, drums and vocals to create a masterpiece pumped full of ethereal mysticism and described by one critic as "the musical equivalent of astral projection". Says Oldfield "I do not feel I am musician. I don't know... I create sounds, that are reflections of my emotions."