Recently, I'm writing a bit of viking metal songs, though I'm wondering if there is any theory or scales I especialy should use. I guess the major scale is used a lot in the more "heroic" songs, but could anyone give me some pointers?

(p.s. I'm just a eeny-bitsy more read than an complete theory n00b)

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I slept through history. If you let me know what culture vikings came from and from what time period it was, I should be able to dig up a scale for you.

holy shit dude you really dont know when/where the viking came from?!!?

scandinavia(norway,denmark,sweden ect)
793=first viking raid on the island of lindisfarne

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Excellent question brains, I would also like to know.

lol, I wasn't joking when I said I slept through history class.

Cool, I'll try and find you a scale either later tonight, or tomarrow night.

that's the 2nd, 793, was the attack at a monastery in lindisfarne

789 = first one was england!

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I'm only writing viking metal song... there is not really a theory or a certain scales u can use. If ya listen to known viking metal bands, you can hear there patron they use, do some improvisation, make your own riffs, and there ya go, you have a great viking song.

i could post some riffs in guitar pro and post them here, so you have an idea.
i have one riff at post your own riffs, there is a viking riff there.

if ya need some more details, private mail me, or feel free to reply.

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thanks for the enlightenment darkenelf!

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This would be a thing that Thrashboy and I would differ. For one thing, if you're asking for a scale of that specific time, there were no such thing as "major" and "minor," so everything is in mode. I'd suggest the mixolydian scale. It starts on the fifth scale degree, and is major sounding. I say mixo because that is what most irish songs were written from.

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So basicly thats WWhWWhW instead of WWhWWWh?
Thanks, I'll try that out.



I'm curious what you'll come up with



Cool, could you post some?

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well my band im in now started out as a viking metal band...but really you do so much of it, it kind of limits you to do other things...but with that said il try to dig up our guitarist CORPSEVOMIT himself!!!!!!!!! and maybe he can help u...

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you dont need to give me props, im no music theory major, nor am I a true viking metal band member. Dakenelf has probably the best idea. Listen to some true folk bands and base it off of that. it also depends on what type of viking metal. Ensiferum writes some really amazing riffs. Like I said I would just go with listening to some bands that Darkneelf could tell you about. My band is more like a melodic death/progressive death with nordic based lyrics.

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Lindisfarne is a small island of the north-east coast of England, near Newcastle. You can walk to it when the tide is out.

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did they even have any sence of scales and shit back then? alot of areas had their own 'sound' but wernt scales derived from these sounds later on? and not they created the sound cause they had a certain scale they knew of?

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what defines viking metal? i dont think i have heard any

amon amarth
bathory(some-hammerheart,blood fire death, nordland)

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Here are some:


Adhur (Basque Pagan Metal)
Adorned Brood (Viking/Folk Metal)
Adultery (Black/Folk Metal)
Agalloch (Folk/Dark Metal)
Akallabêth (Folk Melodic Black Metal)
Allegiance (Black / Viking Metal)
Amon Amarth (Death/Viking Metal)
Ancalagon (Pagan Black Metal)
Arvinger (black folk viking metal)
Ashen Light (Pagan/Folk Metal)
Ashtar (Folk/Celtic)
Asmegin (Nordic Folk/Viking Metal)
Bal-Sagoth (Symphonic Black / Death Metal)
Bathory (Black/Viking/Thrash Metal)
Battlelore (True Arctic Fantasy Metal)
Belinus (Celtic War Metal)
Bergthron (Pagan/Black Metal/Ambient)
Berserk (Pagan/Black Metal)
Bewitched (Pagan/Black metal)
Bifrost (Epic Viking/Thrash Metal)
Bloodaxe ( Viking Metal )
Bran Barr (Celtic Folk/Black Metal)
Butterfly Temple (Folk Metal)
Carrantuohill (Traditional Celtic Music)
Conorach ( Folk/Vikingmetal)
Corona Borealis (Folk)
Crifotoure Satanarda (Viking Black Metal)
Cruachan (Celtic Metal)
Crystal Moors (Pagan/Black Metal)
Darkestrah (Pagan Black/Folk)
Die Saat (Viking/Folk/Black Metal)
Doomsword (doomy heavy / viking metal)
Drudkh (Ambient/Folk/Pagan/Black Metal)
Echoes of Dalriada (folk metal)
Einherjer (Viking Metal)
Eljudner (Doomy Pagan Black Metal)
Eluveitie (Celtic/Pagan Metal)
Elvenking (Power/Folk Metal)
Empyrium (Folk/Dark Metal)
Ensiferum (Epic - Pagan Metal)
Enslaved (Viking/Progressive Black Metal)
Falkenbach (Viking Metal)
Fejd (Acoustic Folk Metal)
Fenris (Black/Viking Metal)
Finntroll (Hummpa Folk Metal)
Finsternis (Viking Black Metal)
Fjoernir (Teutonic Pagan Black Metal)
Forefather (Anglo Saxon Metal / Heathen Metal)
Forlorn (Melodic Viking/Black Metal)
Fortíð (Black/Viking)
Framtyr (Viking Metal)
Frost (Black Metal)
Furthest Shore (Viking Metal)
Galder (Folk Music)
Glittertind (Folk Rock / Viking Metal / Punk)
Graveland (Pagan/Battle Metal)
Ha Lela (Atmospheric Pagan Metal)
Heathen Dawn (Heathen/Black metal)
Heidevolk (Heathen Metal)
Hel (Pagan/Folk/Black Metal)
Helheim (Melodic Black - Viking Metal)
Hellebaard (Pagan/Black Metal)
Helrunar (black/pagan metal)
Heol Telwen (celtic folk metal)
Himinbjorg (Viking Metal)
Hin Onde (Viking/Heathen)
Hollenthon (Folk/Symphonic/Death/Heavy Metal)
Insomnium (folkish melodic death metal)
Isengard (Folk/Black Metal)
Iuvenes (Viking Metal)
Kampfar (viking black metal)
Korpiklaani (Hummpa Folk Metal)
Landvaettir (Pagan Black Metal)
Lindisfarne (Black/Viking Metal)
Lumsk (folk metal)
Mael Mordha (Celtic Doom Metal)
Magog (Viking/Black Metal)
Malefactor (Epic Black/Death Metal)
Månegarm (Viking/Folk/Black Metal)
Menhir (Pagan Metal)
Mensura (Viking Metal)
Mithotyn (Viking Metal)
Mock (Viking Black Metal)
Moonsorrow (Epic Viking Metal)
Mordaehoth (Pagan/Black Metal)
Morrigan (Black Metal)
Mournings Ends (Viking/Black Metal)
Myrkgrav (Viking Metal)
Nachtfalke (Black/Viking Metal)
Nargaroth (Black Metal)
Níðhöggur (viking/black metal)
Nocternity (Black Metal)
Norden (Viking Metal)
Numen (Heathen/Folk Metal)
Nydvind (Heathen metal)
Obscurity (Black/Viking Metal)
Obtest (Pagan metal)
Odroerir (Epic Pagan Metal)
Of the Wand and the Moon (Folk)
OMNIA (ancient Celtic Music)
Orden Ogan (Power/Folk metal)
Orlog (Pagan Metal)
Otyg (Folk Metal)
Pagan Reign (Melodic Pagan/Folk Metal)
Perunwit (Slavonic Folk Ambient)
Primordial (Heathen Dark Metal)
Rakoth (Epic Black/Doom/Folk Metal
Rapalje (Celtic Folk)
Riger (Pagan/Melodic Black Metal)
Schandmaul (Folk Rock/Metal)
Skidbladnir (Viking/Folk Metal)
Skyforger (pagan/folk metal)
Slechtvalk (dark/blackmetal)
Solstafir (Viking Metal)
Stille Volk (French traditional music)
Storm (Folk metal)
Subliritum (Black/Gothic/Viking)
Suidakra (Folk/Black Metal)
Sunchariot (Folk Pagan Black Metal)
Surturs Lohe (Viking/Folk Black Metal)
Svardenvyrd (Moravian Heathen Metal)
Symbel (AngloSaxon heathen metal)
Temnozor (Folk/Black Metal)
Tenhi (Folk-tinged Metal)
The Enchanted (Celtic Metal)
The Soil Bleeds Black (Neo Medieval Folk)
Theudho (Viking/Black Metal)
Thore (Viking Black Metal)
Thronar(Battle Metal)
Thyrfing (Viking Metal)
Troll Bends Fir (Slavonic Folk Metal)
Tuatha de Danann (Celtic Folk Metal band)
Turisas (Battle Metal)
Turulvér (Pagan Black Metal)
Twin Obscentiy (Viking/Pagan Metal)
Tyr (Viking Metal)
Ulfsdalir (Epic/Black Metal)
Unchained (Irish Folk Heavy Metal)
Unleashed (Viking Death Metal)
Valkyria ( Folk/Gothicmetal)
Vigrid (Pagan metal)
Vintersorg (Viking Metal)
Vintersphrost (Viking Metal)
Vordven ( Pagan - Black metal )
Wapenspraak en Drinkgelag (flemish heathen trashmetal)
Waylander (Celtic Metal)
Windir (Viking Metal)
Wintersun (Folk Metal)
Woodtemple (Pagan/Black Metal)
Wyrd (Heathen Black Metal)
XIV Dark Centuries (Pagan Metal)


You probably know some bands...

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i know, i definetly wanna go there some time. I think it's awesome to walk to it, when the tide is out.

Timeline vikings.
http://www.reisenett.no/norway/fact...viking_age.html

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how's your band called?

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And Darkenelf once again posts his magnificent list of the viking bands horde

One question though, did you forget Borknagar, or do you consider them non-viking?

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this is just a small part of the list

I have to update the list:

just scroll all these page, to find them all

http://www.vikingblood.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=16

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way to list some
btw nice futhark avatar

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Its called celestial darkness. Although like I said we really arent viking metal. We are more like amon amarth where we just have nordic mythology based lyrics as well alot of war anthems.

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yeah...but like i was saying, selecting one type of music to play is fun and all, but you just get some killer ideas sometimes and you know you cant play them cause they dont fit your genre...so we still try to maintain the lyrics and everything, but our style has definately changed since then...

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We never had any viking based riffs, escept for the tremolo in end of days.

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thanks I accidently found this gif somewhere... it's pretty cool.

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meh...

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I recently set a small recording to mp3, if anyone is interested. you can download it from soulseek, private message me, if ya wanna know my username up there.

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ionian mode, and aeolian...thats what i use, especially if i play chords that are relative to the scale i'm playing (i.e. if youre playing chords in G, play an E scale...)...thats just me though

like I'm working on a song that uses inverted powerchords: E D C A B...technically thats not a part of any scale, but since the E defines the mood of the song, anything played in E or G works because E is relative to G...you also have to take into consideration those damned 4ths and 5ths...(i've also been experimenting with using a C scale for it considering theres no sharps or flats)

Anyone have seen or heard Vreid, former Windir? Saw them live this weekend in the Netherlands (Patronaat, Haarlem), very good.
Right now listening to Hellebaard (Strijdkracht album). Nice pagan/black for those who like Bathory and Darkthrone.

I have the album Kraft, quite good stuff. I have that Hellebaard album as well, do you know if they produced more albums?

Btw.

Here is our "still under constructed" official bandhomepage:

http://www.svadilfari.cjb.net/

Samples will be on next week

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btw.. does any of you have soulseek? maybe we can share some viking metal stuff?

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Thats funny, you where at that Enslaved concert too? Who are you? I might now know ye

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i've got soulseek "guitar_demon"
as long as you share back ill be happy to share whatever
as far as viking metal i have
asmegin
bathory
elvenking
finntroll
graveland (kinda?)
mithotyn
moonsorrow
storm (fucking awsome)
vintersorg
windir
woods of ypres

i think thats it im sure you already have those though Mr elf

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Yeah i have all yes, but here are my accounts:
asmundr
spiritoftheforest

I have like 300 different viking/folk metal bands in my list.

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haha mr elf, god of viking metal! oden med oss

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Hey what is viking metal anyways?
or prog metal?
and thrash metal (i kinda know what it is but im not for sure)


ty

Ha ha ha ha!

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check some of the bands out foryouself
viking metal bands:thrying, windir, vintersorg, mythotyn

prog: dream theater, sleep terror (kinda) spiral architect

thrash: exodus, testament (early), anthrax, kreator

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I think this thread has long outlived it's theory shelf-life.

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