# Theory behind Vildhjarta



## rchrd_le (Oct 22, 2012)

First off, if there's already a thread out the please post the link.

So Ive been learning bits and pieces of Vildhjarta's songs off Masstaden hoping to figure out some sort of pattern or scale they use. Me and some friends are relly into them and are trying to get the 'creepy' feel of their music and throw ourown touch into it.

I learned quite a few songs, but no dice. Im not a great observer when it come to scales andpatterns any way,but it seems like they just play random stuff and it comes out evil as shit! 

Dont really k ow if im asking the right question here but thanks to any responses  

Also, pardon the misspellings and spacing, im on a touch screen phone lol


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## The Reverend (Oct 22, 2012)

It would probably be easier if you wrote down the notes and worked out the theory from there. Scales can be played in any number of ways, so a standard minor scale could seem unfamiliar while in fact it's just played differently. 

Ask SchecterWhore, he'll give you the answers you're looking for, though I suspect he's getting tired of 'What's the theory in X band's album?' threads.


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## rchrd_le (Oct 22, 2012)

O my god...i feel like an idiot


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## liberascientia (Oct 22, 2012)

For bands like Vildhjarta, it's less in the notes and more in the execution. The notes still matter, because if the intervals have too much of a 'jolly' sound it's going to be hard to make it sound evil as fuck. But it's more in the grooves and the way the other instruments interact with the riff.


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## jeleopard (Oct 23, 2012)

http://memegenerator.net/instance/28829578

In all seriousness, I feel like a lot of augmented 5ths should get the job done....


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## otisct20 (Oct 23, 2012)

Its all about the tri tone. It makes it sound absolutely evil.


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## rchrd_le (Oct 23, 2012)

otisct20 said:


> Its all about the tri tone. It makes it sound absolutely evil.



Thanks all. Tri tones?


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## Winspear (Oct 23, 2012)

An interval of three tones, aka the flat fifth (b5). 'The Devils Interval' , 'Black Sabbath Interval'

For example E to Bb


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Oct 23, 2012)

The tritone:


```
e-
b-
G-
D--7
A-6
E-
```

Transpose as needed. I'd say to focus on minor keys, and intersperse these intervals as needed: minor second, minor third, tritone, major seventh. Also, it would do you good to get comfortable with syncopation. Really, just learn everything, and you'll not have a problem.


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## jeleopard (Oct 23, 2012)

I still say an augmented fifth might be good. That one halfstep above consonance...


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## celticelk (Oct 23, 2012)

SchecterWhore said:


> Really, just learn everything, and you'll not have a problem.



Say it with me now:

SCHECTERWHORE WINS EVERY THREAD EVER

And...scene.


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## Varcolac (Oct 23, 2012)

Comprehensive answers, courtesy of SchecterWhore.







ALL the theory?


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## rchrd_le (Oct 23, 2012)

Looks like i got homework! Thanks guys this really cleared a lot of stuff up. Oh yeah and hail ShecterWhore


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## Pooluke41 (Oct 23, 2012)

rchrd_le said:


> Looks like i got homework! Thanks guys this really cleared a lot of stuff up. Oh yeah and hail ShecterWhore



ShecterWhore is his evil twin, it's SchecterWhore who you wanna praise.


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## m3l-mrq3z (Oct 23, 2012)

Hmm in my opinion tritones don't sound that evil. Atonality does. Listen to what Stravinsky is doing in "Fireworks" and "The rite of spring". There are many chords and counterpoint sections that sound much scarier and upsetting than most horror movie scores nowadays.


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## rchrd_le (Oct 23, 2012)

I'll give them a listen, but one more question. There's a chord i play a lot that is like to call the 'hardcore' chord. On the g string, 9th fret and b string 6th fret. I think is a M2 but an octave higher. Is there a specific name for that or am i just being silly?


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## rchrd_le (Oct 23, 2012)

II mean m3


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## jeleopard (Oct 23, 2012)

rchrd_le said:


> I'll give them a listen, but one more question. There's a chord i play a lot that is like to call the 'hardcore' chord. On the g string, 9th fret and b string 6th fret. I think is a M2 but an octave higher. Is there a specific name for that or am i just being silly?



That's a Minor 2nd.


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## rchrd_le (Oct 23, 2012)

jeleopard said:


> That's a Minor 2nd.



Sorry, beginner theororist.


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## jeleopard (Oct 23, 2012)

No problem. Intervals are easy once you get them down.


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## Pooluke41 (Oct 23, 2012)

rchrd_le said:


> I'll give them a listen, but one more question. There's a chord i play a lot that is like to call the 'hardcore' chord. On the g string, 9th fret and b string 6th fret. I think is a M2 but an octave higher. Is there a specific name for that or am i just being silly?



IIRC, using a capital for the "M" indicates that it's a major interval and using lowercase makes it minor.

e.g: M3= Major third and m3= Minor Third.


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## jeleopard (Oct 23, 2012)

Pooluke41 said:


> IIRC, using a capital for the "M" indicates that it's a major interval and using lowercase makes it minor.
> 
> e.g: M3= Major third and m3= Minor Third.



General rule of thumb, yea.


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## rchrd_le (Oct 23, 2012)

Cool, just did a lot of research on intervals and i do see how that works with the feel of the sound.


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## rchrd_le (Oct 23, 2012)

m2, m7, and perfect 5th are great!


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Oct 23, 2012)

m3l-mrq3z said:


> Hmm in my opinion tritones don't sound that evil. Atonality does.



I heartily disagree on the second part.

Esa-Pekka Salonen - Dichotomie - I. Mécanisme


György Ligeti - Etude No.4 - Fanfares


Atonality and free chromaticism are pretty standard devices in art music these days. I know a lot of composers that do this kind of thing, and I have a hard time believing that they want to project an image of evil in their music. Emotionally, I liken the atonal language to something you'd find in film noir: a lot of blurred boundaries. But, you know, people ultimately make music because they like to do it. One of my fellow composition students summed it up when he said that he makes music that he wants to hear, because nobody else does it.



> Listen to what Stravinsky is doing in "Fireworks" and "The rite of spring". There are many chords and counterpoint sections that sound much scarier and upsetting than most horror movie scores nowadays.


Do you mean The Firebird? That's a pretty tonal piece. Most of the 'scary' bits in that piece are either diminished somethingsomething or involve a lot of chromatic nonchord tones.



rchrd_le said:


> m2, m7, and perfect 5th are great!



They're all good, dude.


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## djentinc (Oct 23, 2012)

Basically, Vildhjarta's music has a lot of "evil" and dissonant intervals in it, and it's generally atonal from what I can tell. Basically use plenty of tritone and minor 2nd intervals and use chord progressions going up and down in minor 3rds, whole steps or half steps, and use harmonic minor scales if you want to have more of a sense of melody. Hope that this helps .


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## Pooluke41 (Oct 23, 2012)

Honestly, you just play a high voiced clean melody and drone some dissonant bullshit on the low strings.

Insta-hjarta.


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## rchrd_le (Oct 23, 2012)

Thanks guys! This thread totally cleared a lot of stuff for me today. 


So now applying this chords would be the same? Vild has some of the wierd dissonant off sounding chords that happen to match up with rest of their songs. If i were playing some minor scale rifferage just add a chord that's m2, m7, ect to that? Or is it in a totally different direction?


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