Counterpoint in Metal?

[FauxPerspicacity]

Are there any bands using four voice counterpoint in metal?

 

[Wound]

The first skyfire cd has tons of counterpoint. Therion might use four part.


Why do you ask about four part? If you want extreme polyphonic music you should check out Madrigals from the rennasaince era, that shit is insane!

 

[Bryant]

Accept used some huge "gang" vocals that were five part (six part on Metal Heart as producer Dieter Dirks joined in on the fun) though I don't know if I would consider it "harmonies" or not. They sounded great though.

Vanden Plas (German progressive band) uses three part harmonies, but they are absolutely brilliant, especially on their latest release "Beyond Daylight." If you like harmony vocals I strongly recommend that release. I can't remember hearing better harmonies from any mateal band.


Bryant

 

[Alpha Crucis]

all harmonies are, are split chords, a lot of power metal bands harmonise vocals in minor thirds and fiths composing basic triads within the vocal line alone. Four point harmony would occur when bands are using seventh chords or other 4 note chords so I don't see that it would be that uncommon. I don't listen to much metal with clean actual singing vocals in it so perhaps I am wrong, but I would have thought that even five and six part harmonies are not all that rare. I dunno, the entire point of my post could be shit, like I say, I am relatively inexperienced with clean vocals in metal

 

[Wound]

Harmonies are not counterpoint.

Counterpoint is 2 or more melodies being played at the same time and moving in different direction. Although they may have some harmonized parts to them, they are really just many melodies. A piece can have 50 voices playing the same part and 1 voice harmonizing, that is homophony. If all 51 play the same thing, it is Monophony, if 10 play melody A, 20 play melody B, 10 play melody C, and 10 play melody D... that's polyphony, and Four part Counterpoint.

 

[Indiooo]

http://www.musique.umontreal.ca/personnel/Belkin/bk.C/

A little something on counterpoint. If you read through this you'll see it's far more complicated than harmonizing a melody.

 

[FauxPerspicacity]

Well what I am talking about is traditional Bach style counterpoint. Such as that you have a theme played by a single voice and a variation of the theme played by another voice and another variation played by another and another. A good example that i can think of outside of Bach is Verdi's Requiem - Libra me. The style isn't at all like Bach but i like it. As far as I've heard counterpoint hasn't been used in metal including basic harmonizations which never seem to go out of intervals of 3rds 5ths and octaves. Eh I might be just bull shitting.

 

[FauxPerspicacity]

by the way voice doesn't always mean singing

 

[Wound]

You mean like a Fugue?

A Fugue is a main melody, then it builds up, usually counter-point style... bach has tons of fugues.

I'm sure some bands have used counter-point.. but fugue? not that likely.. if anybody probably some progressive band.

 

[fadingessence]

how about Emperor's Prometheus? The beginning of The Eruption and a few other parts come to mind.

 

[Episteme]

I have yet to hear a band try and harmonize using dissonant intervals like 2nds and 7ths or the tritone(I know it's used in chords mostly but it'd be interesting to hear). I need to read up my music theory again and start listening to more classical.

I feel like an amateur with you people.

 

[Wound]

there's a local band here that had 2 bass players that would play in harmony.. tritones.. it was nuts!

didn't slayer try the tritone harmony?

 

[SevenString]

chaotic:

listen to any "Cacophony" album (Shrapnel Records). Jason Becker and Marty Freidman do dissonant intervals all OVER the place.