Death metal and Modulation

[WNxScythe]

Alright so I'm doing a "listening journal" for my music class at school on Necrophagist (they're my "popular music" selection), and I'm supposed to analyze musically the album (I'm doing Epitaph). I'm very rusty in my ability to read music and theory in general (used to play piano when I was a kid but unfortunately I quit), so I have trouble telling when modulation is happening-- that is, when the band is changing key. Can someone give me an idea of how often a band like Necrophagist might modulate in a given song, if ever?

 

[zim18]

well obviously in the solos there gonna, besides that its not very often

 

[WNxScythe]

Also, does anyone know what the musical term for a "narrative structure" would be?

 

[Jreg]

Death metal isn't really known for using traditional scales or melodies, so when they do and don't change key is probably gonna be a gray area at least some of the time. With melodic death it's obviously easier, and there are probably less common scales you can pinpoint, but even then it's only not always intentional since a lot of the musicians write by sheer feel, especially once you get into brutal death territory. Honestly, I'd personally just say "fuck it" and pick another band since analyzing most death metal in the context of traditional music theory seems a little pointless, IMO. But if you stick with them, just consider that any of your discoveries will be a little ambiguous.

 

[MasterOLightning]

I notice key changes much more in black metal.

 

[skeptik]

This would probably be a question better addressed in the musicians forum.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

That said, I'm moving it there. Good luck.

 

[billcraftmetal15]

I don't really have time to go and look up specific examples on Epitaph for you but i'll try and help you out.
Some common modulations that you'll find are:

Going to the subdominant. (changing key to the fourth, so if you're a guitarist it's like going from say the 3rd fret on the 6th string , to the 3rd fret on the 5th string. So if you were in E standard, thats a key change from G to C.

Another common change is going to the dominant, which is the fifth, so on guitar its like changing key to the top note of a power chord, say go from the 5th fret on the 5th string to the 7th fret on the 4th string, you can also get the same by going from the 5th fret, 5th string, to the 5th fret on the fifth string, so again in E standard, this is going from D to A.

Other common key changes are to move up or down by a semitone/tone. So go from D to E, or E to F, or F to E. etc. So on guitar thats just moving up or down one or two frets on one string.

You'll find that in death metal you're mostly in minor keys. When you are lucky enough to be in a key, necrophagist are usually quite tonal so they tend to stick in key and not bring in too much chromatic stuff.

Theres a really good example of modulation and stuff at the end of the title track of Epitaph, where it goes to the classical part. It's a modulation to the subdominant i think...thats just by ear i'd have to look at some music to tell you properly. But that would be a good place to look as its dead obvious whats happening.

I hope you find this helpful, but god damn, death metal for music classes is always a nightmare! I love metal, but gahh i'd never be able to cope with trying to get my music teachers to listen to it properly to work with it.

Good luck! You can find loads of stuff online which might help too.

 

[BlackMetalWhiteGuy]

Death metal isn't really known for using traditional scales or melodies, so when they do and don't change key is probably gonna be a gray area at least some of the time. With melodic death it's obviously easier, and there are probably less common scales you can pinpoint, but even then it's only not always intentional since a lot of the musicians write by sheer feel, especially once you get into brutal death territory. Honestly, I'd personally just say "fuck it" and pick another band since analyzing most death metal in the context of traditional music theory seems a little pointless, IMO. But if you stick with them, just consider that any of your discoveries will be a little ambiguous.

Necrophagist isn't an ordinary death metal band though. They're technical death metal, which requires extreme proficiency with theory to be able to write well.

Necrophagist uses D phrygian in the beginning of Epitaph, but it also switches between G phrygian and D# phrygian, depending on which riffs are being played. I didn't look at the solo closely enough to know exactly what's being done throughout most of it, but a lot of it seems to be diminished scales based on E and Bb harmonic minor.

You'll find that in death metal you're mostly in minor keys. When you are lucky enough to be in a key, necrophagist are usually quite tonal so they tend to stick in key and not bring in too much chromatic stuff.

For more dramatic types of death metal, phrygian keys are probably the most common.

Theres a really good example of modulation and stuff at the end of the title track of Epitaph, where it goes to the classical part. It's a modulation to the subdominant i think...thats just by ear i'd have to look at some music to tell you properly. But that would be a good place to look as its dead obvious whats happening.

I believe the song your thinking of is Only Ash Remains, and it is the music from Romeo & Juliet by Russian composer Sergey Prokofiev (1891 - 1953). It's a relatively famous piece (at least by classical music standards), so it shouldn't be too hard to find the music for it if you feel like looking into it further.

 

[billcraftmetal15]

Fair enough to the Phrygian being used more. You're clearly more of a death metaller than i am so fail play.

Ah cheers, i couldn't remember, i thought it was on the end of epitaph but i hadn't checked.

 

[BlackMetalWhiteGuy]

Fair enough to the Phrygian being used more. You're clearly more of a death metaller than i am so fail play.

Yeah, I came up with this handle back when I was just getting into extreme metal, so I didn't have any concept of a distinction between the two. Ironically, I don't even like most black metal now

Ah cheers, i couldn't remember, i thought it was on the end of epitaph but i hadn't checked.

Eh, same album... Close enough

 

[billcraftmetal15]

aye, haha! s'all good, ah man, didn't mean to get so pissy in the other thread about tunings...sorry to cast a bad impression, i'm not a bad person, really...honestly, you seem like a good guy, so yeah, no hard feelings? i felt like a prick afterwards

 

[BlackMetalWhiteGuy]

aye, haha! s'all good, ah man, didn't mean to get so pissy in the other thread about tunings...sorry to cast a bad impression, i'm not a bad person, really...honestly, you seem like a good guy, so yeah, no hard feelings? i felt like a prick afterwards

Hahaha, that's fine