I AM THE KNIGHT!

See this

This is metal.

No, not because it's a Dark Knight and it's Batman (well partly).

But because it has two characteristics that makes it metal.

Characteristic 1
It's how it moves.
2 along then 1 at 90 degrees.

If you're a guitarist you'll get this if not then prepare for metal 1-0-1.

Metallurgy:  The Science of Metal!!!

Take any note on the low E string of a guitar (or B string if you're a 7 stringer).
We'll use the 2nd fret on the E string (F#).

Place your index finger on that note.

Now look up 2 frets and then look at the note on the next string up, the A string.  That note is C#.
Put your pinky or 3rd finger on that note.
Whack up some distortion.
Plays these note together.

That's an F# power chord (Example 1) right there.  You've just done gone and did metal.

example 1 (rendered as photo real in MS Paint)

Keep your your hand roughly in that position and move up 1 fret to G.  Your other finger is now on the 5th fret of the A string and that's a D.
Play those 2 notes together, that's a G power chord.

Pick a note, up 2 down 1.

METAAAAAL!

Now just play the open E string and the 2nd fret on the A string with your index finger.
That is E5.
Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera, Slayer, Black Sabbath made a killing out of that chord.

These 2 notes are the root and the 5th of the E minor scale.  Which is the relative minor scale of G major theory fans.

Characteristic 2:

Vengers horse.

Venger and his flying demon horse are awesome.
This is a fact.

Venger is voiced by Peter Cullen.

Peter Cullen is Optimus Prime.

Optimus Prime is metal!

Peter Cullen is Metal!

Venger is METAL!!!

VENGERS BLACK, FLYING, DEMON HORSE IS METAAAAAL!!!!!!

Using science to prove this:

= \m/

The next time you play chess and someone moves their knight remember:

Optimus Prime plays power chords from Vengers horses ass.

This is where Doom comes from.

That's why it's awesome.

Also, Batman.

BE TOLD!!!!

Music

I love music me.

I love listening to it
I love making it.

It's weird that when I listen to music now that I break down what I'm listening to and work out how it was made.
I can no longer just listen to a piece of music and go "YEAH!!! ROCK!" or "my word I'm moved by that".  I think in terms of keys and the chord progressions, or what the drummers doing or try in vain to understand how the fuck a composer wrote that while I struggle with righting multiple guitar harmonies (DEEP BREATH).

See music is one thing that most people have in common.  People have good tastes and bad tastes but it's all subjective and self opinion (but that's a lengthy topic for some other time).

I love music.
I heard the Inception score the other day.  Zimmer really did a good job with that and even though it's got that big epic feel, it's not quite John Williams' Star Wars.
Star Wars is the measuring stick I use for all film music.
Listen to the main theme, there's so bloody much going on it there, there's not just the trumpet fanfare, everything moves, all the time, it's incredible.

See, Zimmers score is more atmospheric, the main theme is a droning note, a big, awesome bassy note.  But it's so good because it makes you feel huge.  It's kinda hard to explain.
You get that uplift, the hairs on your arms go ZING!
But it's that feeling I like.
I don't get that feeling with metal or rock or country (well very very very occasionally I do) but that doesn't matter because it's still amazing.

Anything that someone creates and puts effort into.

Shit like this amazes me, so simple and so good: Reverend Gary Davis total feel music, he's in the zone for his shit right now.

This too, smojoblues.  Just a guy playing a 3 string cigar box.  But he's making it.  It's all him. Him and the strings.

Simple or complex, it's all created, it's all good.

Pick a tune listen to how someone worked their guts out on that solo, listen to this guys vocals on the chorus, Listen to that fill at the end of the 2nd chorus, the key change here, the bass going off on a ragga trip.
It all works together, you can tell the songs on albums that musicians really put everything into and you can tell the "we need another 14 minutes on the album, let's whack in Bryans song about chickens" ones apart.

Example:  Rearview Mirror from Vs by Pearl Jam a song that starts off simple and builds and builds up the end, same album as Blood, 3 minutes of muck.
You can tell the songs Pearl Jam crafted and the ones they bashed out.
Yeah, some people might like Blood, I don't, this is my blog, I'll say what I bloody like :)

Every band/ composer is the same.  Danny Elfman sometimes sounds like he's gone into auto pilot, so does Alan Silvestry ( you can spot both of them within a few seconds of hearing a score).
BUT!
But, maybe that's it right there, it's their style.  I can spot a Steve Vai solo or a Korn Riff or a Stevie Wonder track a mile off just like I can with most composers scores unless they go experimental, like John Williams War of The Worlds score.

Danny Elfmans Batman Suite

Alan Silvestri Predator Soundtrack - Main Title

John WIlliams Star Wars


This rant really had no point did it?

Or did it?

I'm not sure.

But musics good, don't limit yourself.  Listen to everything.  Except plastic pop shit, that'll suck out your soul.
I have nothing against a well written pop song but soulless churned out, manufactured, auto tuned, over sampled, clinical, 2 lyric pieces of shit need to die.

BE TOLD!!!!!!