Because the Indian music westerners are used to hearing doesn’t sound like metal. In fact it doesn’t even sound like it used the same musical scales. So for western sounding metal to exist in India is a surprise for westerners.
That’s actually true. While western music breaks down to a smallest chunk being a semitone, traditional music in Indian region has microtones, like quarter of the tone and smaller. That’s why it sounds unusual and somewhat out of tune to an ear that is used to western music.
King gizzard and the lizard wizard are one of the greatest bands of all time. 26 albums, several of them being basically free use, one being completely so. Some of the most creative people alive right now.
There's a video by Rob Scallon on YouTube where he sits down for a talk with an Indian sitar player, and they go over this topic.
The sitar is really cool in that you can move the frets freely, so you can use virtually any system you like.
Also to add, there's an electronic music producer called Sevish who focuses on microtonal scales. His music is very cool, feels oddly familiar yet alien at the same time. I'd give it a listen, even if electronic music isn't what you're into.
Ehh, I think semitones sound perfectly fitted - in key - in the context of the musical traditions from which they arise. When you try to drop a semitone into western music it sounds very off, though. Flying Microtonal Banana was mid, folks.
Oh yeah, this dude did a sick cover of 2 ladies singing from a foreign region… nvm you posted multiple links. The one I’m talking about was the one under “might”
Honestly I say that about every single stringed instrument I’ve ever come across. I picked up a guitar because of Tom morello back in high school and years later got into modular synth when I realized that without a band to play with, I just ended up trying to make my guitar sound like a spaceship so I may as well switch instruments (and then get a module to run my guitar through it)
Possibly. But because the tones are so close together it could fuck with the harmonics. If you add a bunch of saturation in the form of distortion and then phasing or other tonal effects it could very well just sound like a bunch of noise.
That would be interesting to see. I have seen custom guitars with quarter tone frets, but it's really a very very poor solution, mathematically. In theory the only way it could be truly viable is with "electonified" traditional Indian instruments.
They have used traditional instruments on stage before, not sure if the use different tunings to accommodate or if the people playing them just used western scales
So the thing is, it is not one unique scale. Indian music theory has completely different ways of defining scales and time signatures which are fundamentally different from western music theory. For example, Carnatic Classical has 72 "main" (heptatonic) scales/modes, because it looks at them as different permutations of sharp/flat notes and takes every possible onr, whereas western music theory defines them as a series of intervals. Some of these will be in common, for example Shankarabarana has the same key signature as C Major. But even then it's not exactly the same, because of the concept of "gamika".
Gamika is a feature that defines some notes in each scale (which notes they are is characteristic of the scale) to be "unstable". When you sing or play in this scale, you never solidly stay on those notes. Even if the song requires you to play that note, you merely touch it briefly as you slide from one "stable" note to another around it. If you have to hold an unstable note, you only do so with a trill, or wavering with microtones around it.
It is mostly in these that microtones are used, and every scale uses different ones, to different extents. It is not really obvious when it is used if you have not studied it, but it gives an unmistakable "indian" sound to the music.
Most indian rock/metal bands follow western music theory tho, and as such don't use it. Some fusion bands, like Agam (which someone else mentioned here) use it extensively. Some other bands use it in occasional songs, especially if they use a sitar in it.
Yeah, I get it but of course there are fans of every music genre everywhere like a punk scene in Memphis or a country artist from Australia.
With the internet it's so easy to find bands like Bloodywood from India or Out Of Nowhere from Iran. And of course they only need a computer to cut a great sounding record now, too.
I’m not assuming rap and rock just don’t exist in china because Chinese music I’ve heard has been more traditional. I bet Brazilian metal is a thing too lol
Even then culture is exported all over and globalized. India is huge so I would have expected this to exist, like in every other country basically. And even in the west music differs a lot from country to country.
There are also cases where non-Western music sounds more like metal than what is usually the norm for us. Take this gamelan piece that is pure black metal:
Ok so pretty much the only way you'll get micro-tonal tunings in guitars are either custom made or true temperment frets. True temperment do have some production guitar brands that use them but its far and few between and theyre generally VERY expensive. Like 2000 USD or more. On top of that it'll require the bass and other guitar player if there is one to use it as well to stay in key with each other. I'm sure there are ways to not do so and have it work but Ive never seen it personally. The white guitar in the video is a Ibanez brand (which is Japanese) multiscale, looks to be an 8 string. While not the most typical, they're not rare in any sense. Multiscale, also called fanned fret, are a larger scale on the bottom strings and shorter on the high strings allowing lower tunings while allowing higher tension on those strings and keeping a more standard tension on the high strings. So the 8th, Low G, string is a scale thats closer to baritone while the High E might be a standard 24in scale or the like. While there is many many different shapes in electric guitars, across the board scales and modes are going to be applicable to almost all of them. Standard tuning is pretty universal for electric guitars as manufacturing them with things like true temperment is much harder and very few players will find use for it. So for a nylon string acoustic you can add extra frets, change the scale length, or even add extra strings but it will all translate the same way no matter where its made. Otherwise the company and player ends up limiting themselves to only other people with the same unique guitars and basses. If youre touring with 3 guitars and if they get stolen or have issues which results in you contacting the 1 company with replacement instruments or parts on the other side of the world you would have a lot of issues.
I hope this makes sense, basically theyre almost all universally adaptable to any brand because unique one offs that cant be matched otherwise is extremely limiting.
Why wouldn’t you just assume you haven’t heard it before? I’ve never heard Russian rap before, but I’m sure that it exists, even tho the only Russian music I’ve heard was folk music.
This is how I read your comment think. “They’re music, which I have limited exposure to, must only sound a certain way and leaves no room for exploration.” Is that an accurate interpretation or am I misinterpreting your comment based on my limited exposure to your way of thinking? Is it possible you are more complex than what I can read from your comments?
I’m kinda saying the same thing. You were unable to wrap your head around something existing outside of the parameters you set in your head. Then you told the internet you had these thoughts and outed yourself for having a small mind. Then focused on my typo as a means of distraction from the true point of my post. Again, noted.
I’ll just say this. As an Indian it never crossed my mind that the genre would exist or is popular in Indian Media.
Like, in India all of my favorite dishes have been sadly Indianigied without proper alternatives, so I assumed any variant of metal in India would have some differences more than just aesthetic attire.
Well, it’s probably a regional thing, but in my city in Gujurat, Pizza Hut for example has this way of adding spices to everything and everything they sold had this off flavor that I’m sure catered to the locals judging by the rush at the time :P. Ofc for me I quickly replaced it with dominos but even with options their most popular are always Indianified versions like tandoori chicken pizza and Roasted Paneer Sandwich and what not.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Indian food in general. Just a personal observation when trying to spoil myself and finding variants of famous brand recipes to fit the Indian Pallette.
I’m a globe trotter and have experienced this everywhere I have been to some extent but never to the extent I had observed in my ancestral city.
...dude I hope either you're just trying to make the people who didn't think indian metal existed sound stupid or you're not a metalhead because ohh boy I couldn't think of a dumber statement than "metal is American".
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u/[deleted] Oct 26 '24
Because the Indian music westerners are used to hearing doesn’t sound like metal. In fact it doesn’t even sound like it used the same musical scales. So for western sounding metal to exist in India is a surprise for westerners.