Thomas Newman 's score was recorded in Santa Monica , California . He mainly used percussion instruments to create the mood and rhythm , the inspiration for which was provided by Mendes . Newman " favored pulse , rhythm , and color over melody " , making for a more minimalist score than he had previously created . He built each cue around " small , endlessly repeating phrases " — often , the only variety through a " thinning of the texture for eight bars " . The percussion instruments included tablas , bongos , cymbals , piano , xylophones , and marimbas ; also featured were guitars , flute , and world music instruments . Newman also used electronic music and on " quirkier " tracks employed more unorthodox methods , such as tapping metal mixing bowls with a finger and using a detuned mandolin . Newman believed the score helped move the film along without disturbing the " moral ambiguity " of the script : " It was a real delicate balancing act in terms of what music worked to preserve [ that ] . "