metal – MHS 123: Music and Technology in the Twentieth Century

A few summers ago, I and some friends were browsing YouTube for music to listen to. One of my friends came up with the brilliant idea of searching for “Yiddish Metal.” Without even hearing the music, the name of genre alone suggests something highly out of the ordinary – which the video I will discuss delivers upon in droves. Apparently, the genre of Yiddish Metal is not a highly competitive one, as only one band – Gevolt is actually involved in it.

For this Blog, I will be looking at the official lyrics video for Gevolt’s Kokhotshet (I highly recommend watching the whole thing – it’s quite a unique experience):

In this video, and in many of their other works, Gevolt creates a unique flavor by combining traditional Klezmer melodies and instruments with the sounds of modern metal music. What makes this video stand out to me it the way in which the lyrics are presented (and the random butterflies). Note how throughout the video, the font and styling of the text changes – which may or may not relate to the meaning of the text. However, as I am not a speaker of Yiddish, I cannot know for certain.

Note as well that there appears to be some general plot-line to the images presented along with the texts – from the introductory fields (and butterflies):

To the rush of crowds in the city (still butterflies):

And finally, to what appears to be an alien invasion (no butterflies):

While again, I do not speak Yiddish, and my attempts to translate the lyrics using Google Translate yielded mostly gibberish (predictable), I did gather the feeling that none of these images related to the text in any meaningful way!

So, the already rather surreal blending of klezmer and metal is only amplified by the weirdness of the accompanying imagery. The combination of trombone glissandi and sudden synthesized beeps, or klezmer violin with amplified electric guitar is definitely not a combination that is often heard anywhere else, which is a shame. This mixture of styles and forms creates a genre which is yet to be explored to its fullest potential. When there is only one ensemble creating a musical style, it is hard for that style to expand and grow at rates that other genres are. I assume that the reason that Yiddish Metal has not been expanded to a larger audience is that the initial audience is small, as there are not many Yiddish speakers in Israel (Gevolt’s home country). Though, in a positive turn of events, Gevolt did perform in the MIDI music festival in china a few years back. [check out their live vids on YouTube – they are quite bizarre]

Upon turning to the comment section in search of a few laughs (after all, it is YouTube) and maybe some further insight into this video, I instantly found that as expected, most comments were fairly useless. About half the comments were either comparing the band to Rammstein or trying to comprehend Yiddish (an infrequently spoken language these days). Then, there were some others which held no interest either. Of the comments which I found interesting, the first one, from a “Noam Perlman” matched somewhat my initial reaction upon listening to Gevolt the first time:

Though, without quite as colorful language 🙂

My eventual feelings about Gevolt are now most matched by “Bubba Chunk,” who remarks:

However, in terms of actual analysis, I found most useful the thoughts of “Matthew Simpson”, who writes:

“Matthew” is probably correct in associating Gevolt to what he terms the “Yiddish Renaissance.” While I would not call it just that, it is indeed true that Yiddish as a spoken language is beginning to make somewhat of a comeback. It is then not so surprising that it would return to the realm of music as well.

Sources:

https://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2017/02/pr-ven

http://www.gevolt.com/

https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Gevolt/Khokhotshet

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.813370

http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/When-Zionism-feared-Yiddish-351939

The strings on my violin are an everyday technology for me. They do not get changed as often as they should, but about once every couple of months. Strings are much more than just “the four thin strands of metal” we bow, (or pluck), on our instruments. A lot of thought is put into the string, what brand to use, what material, the thickness, et cetera.

Strings have made quite an evolution over time. The strings that were first used and used on baroque instruments are gut-strings. They were mostly made from sheep and lamb intestines. The gut strings are said to have a warmness in quality that has yet to be matched. They are still used today. Sometimes, people use different types of strings on their instruments and like the use of both metal and gut strings on their instrument, as they prefer the qualities in their sounds or tones that are the result of these combinations. For example, among my many hours of research, I read that Jascha Heifetz would use gut A and D strings, which is uncommon because on the modern violin, one would tend to use a gut string on the upper strings, not the middle combination.

These days, the most popular are the metal, steel core strings. The metal strings were introduced in the early 20th century. They produce vibrant sounds with many colors. However, it is said that they do not have the same richness to the core that gut strings provide. Also, metal strings tend to have a bigger and brighter sound and are more stable in pitch. It is interesting to see how there used to be no choice in the type of string one used to play and now there are many options within the three main material families of strings. We have to take into account that metal strings tend to last longer. Thus, it is a better investment to buy them so one does not have to spend too much money and change his/her strings too frequently.

There are also synthetic strings, which are described as the “bridge” between metal and gut strings. These were introduced in the early ’70s and produce a sound that is said to be more similar to the gut strings but synthetic strings are more durable. However, they lack the “complexity” that gut strings are popular for.

I would say that the reason I use the strings I do is because it is what has been suggested to me by family, teachers, and the luthier who I usually bring my violin to. Overtime, it has become a habit to just stick with what I am used to. These days, I always buy Dominant A, D (silver wound) and G strings and a Goldbrokat E string. The Goldbrokat E string is the newest member of the set, suggested by the luthier I see in my town. I have not ever experimented with gut strings on my own violin but I have played instruments with gut strings on them, and I do understand why some may prefer them. From what I remember, the tone quality is very sweet and rich. I do like a more sweet and vibrant tone quality on the top without it being too bright, while I prefer a darker, richer sound on the bottom range. I understand that it takes more than just four strings to produce the type of sound that I like but something that I have learned through this research is that it is important to understand how each string has its unique qualities. I wonder now if I have found the best combination for my instrument, but at the moment, I will probably stick with what I am used to and what I know works for me and my violin.

Sources:
http://www.violinstringreview.com/history.html

https://www.gamutmusic.com/new-page

http://www.violinist.com/wiki/violin-strings/

http://www.ifshinviolins.com/Articles/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/411/Guide-To-Choosing-and-Using-Strings-for-Violins-Violas-and-Cellos

http://www.the-violin.com/violinstrings/ (Helpful layout of the pros/cons of each type of string)

Media:
Slideshow of how strings are wound : https://www.gamutmusic.com/violin-setups-1

Video of violin strings slow motion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXjdGBZQvLc
4:36-4:50

How gut strings are made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRQq_0VM110

Tag: metal

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