Blind Guardian, The Bard’s Song - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction
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- Опубліковано 16 жов 2024
- Vlad was right: it was indeed a pleasant surprise in more ways than one, which I hadn’t really expected. Yes, I enjoyed The Bard’s Song, and it caused me to remember musicians, performances, books, and music that I studied in my music-student days.
Here’s the link to the original song by Blind Guardian:
• BLIND GUARDIAN - The B...
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Amy Shafer, LRSM, FRSM, RYC, is a classical harpist, pianist, and music teacher, Director of Piano Studies and Assistant Director of Harp Studies for The Harp School, Inc., holds multiple degrees in harp and piano performance and teaching, and is active as a solo and collaborative performer. With nearly two decades of teaching experience, she teaches privately, presents masterclasses and coaching sessions, and has performed and taught in Europe and USA.
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Credits: Music written and performed by Blind Guardian
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#blindguardian
Leave your questions ONLY here, please!
my question might sound like a critique, but I don't intend it to be. Anyway, I'm a rock fan for many decades, and the songs you are covering seem somewhat obscure selections. not completely, pink Floyd, Metallica or obviously popular bands, but the songs from them are not the top handful of songs I would of thought would of been recommended. Stairway to heaven is a exception of course. My question is basically how are you choosing you selections, there are a million songs out there, and I was curious.
Do you have any plans to check out Opeth?
it's time to introduce her to Children of bodom - Kissing the Shadows. Love your channel!
I really liked your video about this song and would like to recommend this live version to you,
Maybe you find the time.
Though they are usually heavier, this is raeslly one of the most popular songs of that band over here in Germany 😊
ua-cam.com/video/i-IcX_bccFc/v-deo.html
whats the difference betwwen an improvised melody and an nonimprovised melody? Aren’t all Melodie’s improvised? I understand improvising on a theme, but that’s not really what a guitar solo does usually. Confused 😐
You gotta go live with this one, nothing like hearing 75K people sing along with it and humm the guitar parts.
indeed
Normally the studio version is better, but you're 100% right, the live version is incredible.
One day I will experience this live...
@@charlesgrybosky1916 i think they're doing a festival tour this and next year. I was at one of their concerts without having heard anything from them before and it sure is a treat.
Yes! "Valhalla/The Bard's Song" live @wackenopenair is a must watch/hear
As other mentioned already: You should have a look at this song live from Wacken 2016
One of the most insane moments of crowd interaction.
If you pass Wacken grounds and listen carefully, you can still hear the crowd singing! :-)
Be a witness!
ua-cam.com/video/i-IcX_bccFc/v-deo.html
I saw Blind Guardian in Melbourne, I think it was 2004. We sand the Bard Song, but we also sang Valhalla, and we just would not let the song end. We kept that chorus going maybe fifteen or twenty more rounds!
Good thing: that magic will happen again in two weeks ❤❤❤
You're absolutely right about singing along. Probably the best known video of them playing live, which is a combination of this song followed by their song Valhalla, had the crowd singing as much of the lyrics on their own as it has him singing. It's a wonderful way to build anticipation in the crowd before they launch into the much louder and faster song that is Valhalla.
I do think it's a bit of a a shame you didn't get the whiplash of hearing Valhalla immediately after, because it is a drastic change in tempo, sound, and texture since Valhalla is very much a heavy metal song.
Yeah, I love how she's so often more spot on than she realises. I grinned when she said that, knowing the live versions.
Though I doubt she´d enjoy Valhalla...
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah,
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah,
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah, (and as the band neared the end of the chorus
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah, the crowd kept on singing...)
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah,
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah,
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah,
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah, (it was so enthralled, it wouldn't allow the band to move on)
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah,
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah,
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah, (and so it kept repeating...)
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah,
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah,
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah,
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah,
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah,
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah, (and some say they are still singing today...)
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah,
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah,
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah,
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah,
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah,
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah,
deliverance, have you ever forgotten me? Valhallah, ....
@@BayushiTawa yeah, it's probably too heavy for her. I still think her reaction would have been amusing to see though.
What you have to keep in mind when listening to Blind Guardian is that their songs are based in myth and fantasy literature rather than history which makes this one especially more magical. Almost like a piece of this world slipped into ours.
Deep my guy
With the exception of A Night At The Opera, which is based on more historical themes, like Nietzsche, Galileo, The Iliad, etc.
so the opposite of Sabaton :D
If you watch Blind Guardian playing this song life you'll notice that the entire crowd sings along. Blind Guardian is known for their amazing crowd interaction - and it is indeed something special when a crowd of 80,000 people sings along to a song. Usually the vocalist, Hansi Kürsch, only sings a few lines every now and then, while the crowd sings the entire song.
Blind Guardian is one of the most well known Power Metal bands which means that most of their songs are indeed a lot heavier, however they have a few other songs like this one as well (Mordred's Song and The Wizard for example). But even with the heavier songs the crowd oftentimes sings along as well, at least in some parts.
I'd say there's no one out there who is better in crowd interaction than Blind Guardian.
PS: They have performed at the Wacken Open Air a few times (the world's largest anually held open air Metal concert, held in the village of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany each year in August. Wacken has less than 2000 inhabitants, but each year during the festival 80,000 metalheads come to the village...and to many people's who are unfamiliar with Metal surprise it is one of the most peacefull events ever).
Blind Guardian's Wacken concert in 2016 in particular is legendary, and the Legend says that if you stand on that field in Wacken, close your eyes and listen you can still hear the crowd sing even today.
PPS: There are quite a few Metal bands performing what is known as Medieval Metal. You'll often find these bands using instruments that are not in widespread use anymore (like harpsichords or backpipes) alongside the typical modern instruments.
Wacken is only the largest in the number of bands in attendace, no small part in thanks to the Metal Battle.
However, there are quite a few Festivals larger in the number of attendees, like GMM, Hellfest and Copenhell since they all have 80K paying visitors, Wacken only has 75K with a few thousand attendees from other sources.
"No one should ask you for the name of the one who tells the story"... I love that line. Makes me think of how bards were not like modern pop stars. There was no cult of personality, just the song and the story.
And that's not true. For sure there are not famous im a modern way, cause of the lag of media to distribute their work. But they had fans and they sponsored their lives. Like, one or the most famous in Germany Walther von der Vogelweide. Who was sponsored a lot by Bishop Wolfger von Erla
@@lemiras Walter von der Vogelweide will always be remembert for his very true sentence, Wes Brot ich ess des Lied ich sing, (whos bread i eat whos song i sing, i think would be good transaltion, but pls correct me if i am wrong)
@@samael7867 i would translate it as "whose bread i eat his song i sing"...dessen lied...or "the song i sing" das lied... Not sure whicĥ "des" is closer to
I thought that the bards were famous, but that the stories they sang were more important. So not like pop singers today, who are more about fame than substance. And they had more purpose in their craft.
@@randomname4726 actually same as most painters will most certainly sign a painting, most bards who composed a piece had often some stanza where they added a reference to the narrator, the one who tells the story, etc and when it comes to scalds in norsemen they also often doubled because of travelling and extensive heraldry knowledge as well etiquette and protocol familiarity as masters of proceedings or protocol or ceremony in many cases where a let's say more rural lord had other nobles as guests and had a bigger event planned and did not want to embarass himself showing his ignorance so he relied on a well travelled bard or skald to organise the pomp. And of course singing ability and talent differences aside a composer singing his own song usually adds something special to it.
Sometimes heavy metal bands play "quiet" and calm acoustic songs, which are called ballads. This is one of those (same as Rammstein's song you heard), and usually, it has little to do with the band's regular sound. You will most likely find them more pleasing to your ears, but you should not judge the group as a whole based only on them (and vice versa).
Moreover, people who recommend songs to you will try to choose those that have a high chance of being liked. This can create an unrepresentative sample of the repertoire for many groups. Especially now, in the beginning, when each group is 100% associated with only one song you listened to.
When I suggested the song on ko-fi I wasn't sure if I should take the live version (because it shows the "hymn" character of 70.000 ppl singing along) or the studio version (for the pure experience and analysis of the song). Anyway, I am glad you liked it, and maybe you just check the live version on your own. Your take on the "sing-along" chorus was absolutely spot on. The Bard's Song has become a highlight in any Blind Guardian show, where the vocalist let's the audience do like 60% of the singing. It has become a classic in the metal world (even though, as you pointed out, it is not metal), but what connects the song to the rest of the harder music is the theme of fantasy. Musically they have made a metal song, that is kind of the sister song of this one, called "The Bard's Song - The hobbit" which is about Tolkien's hobbit, but I am not educated enough to see how they connected the songs in terms of harmonics and keys. Both songs are also directly next to each other on the album. So maybe one day you can check out how that metal song musically relates to this ballad kind of song. Anyway, great video!
interestingly enough, I think this song actually managed to pick up what Bard's songs used to be in a way that might be unexpected to some peoplel. This truely is a "classic" for huge audiences. At their concerts, EVERYONE knows this song and will sing along. It is the piece (probably more than any of their other songs) that brings people together and enjoy the athmosphere and a good time together, like what Bards might have done in ancient times.
I think, personally, that a LOT of people are missing out on a lot of great songs because of their ideas about what metal is and how it sounds like. I played some stuff at work, and some were like "Is this metal? I had no idea. This is good." But people think everything is just the wildest death metal or something. XD And no, these kinds of songs are not unusual within the metal genre at all. Most bands have at least one or two per album.
I used to get that all the time. These days metal is more accepted in the broader community, so now people listen to harder stuff than me and they still don't care what I listen to! haha
@@bluebehir Yeah, it's really changed over the years. That's good. :)
This is one of my favorite Blind Guardian songs and every time I hear it, I cannot help but sing along. Hearing them play it live was an experience that will be with me for the rest of my life.
They also have a version of this same melody with their full instrumentation that tells the story of The Hobbit.
While I enjoy metal, I love the slow ballad type songs the most from metal bands. Or the songs that contrast the soft and hard. My favorite Blind Guardian song is Nightfall from their album Nightfall On Middle Earth.
While their music may have a traditional folk influence, it is portraying a fantasy setting. Many metal groups are influenced by modern writings of fantasy, scifi, and horror.
Blind Guardian has does a full album that is orchestra only called Legacy Of The Dark Lands. It under the project name Blind Guardian Twilight Orchestra because the lead singer is the only member that plays on the album. It is a rock opera that is based on a fantasy novel.
I hope you return to Blind Guardian and listen to some of their heavier sound.
I agree about Nightfall. That and Wheel of Time are my two favorites.
Man, I love when everyone reacts to Blind Guardian but everyone just does The Bards Song. Id reccomend doing Skalds and Shadows (Its similar) and Noldor Dead Winter Reigns.
I would prefer some more variety.
Noldor is SOOOOO good. And much more representative
Well, their sound is much heavier. This is one of their balladish songs, so I agree with the choice of the song, because I really don't think you would be able to fully understand and appreciate some of their regular songs. However, this one is very popular. You should check the live version and hear the crowd singing it. I had the pleasure to go to their concert long time ago and experience it myself and it was really beautiful.
Can't wait for the analysis. I am very curious what you will say about the song. And also it would be wonderful to hear you play a part of it on harp. 🖤
Good job. Having watched the In-Depth, it looks like you were successful in getting Amy to watch a live performance of this song.😀
Nightfall in midle earth is a good album, based on Tolkien's universe, but their heavier sound can afraid our Virgin Rock, except some tunes like Noldor, The Eldar or Harvest of sorrow.
@@LeeKennison Well, to my defense, I was not the only one suggesting it, lots of people did it in the anauncement video. 😁 But anyway, it surely couldn't hurt her. And she said herself that it feels like you want to sing along, so I thought she might wanted to see people actually doing it. 😊
I think it's reaaaally appropiate your point about the chorus as a kind of part of the song where everybody sings along in the castle with the bard....because this song is a must in every BG concert and it's mostly sang by the crowd. And it's one of the most touching moment in every concert and a song that really bonds people with the band.
Deffinitively you should take a look to some live performance. It's lovely the engagement they have with fans live
Oooh Blind Guardian!
A more contemporary reaction!
How daring!
After Nightwish I didn't think we'd be coming back all too soon 😂😂😂
I love your nickname
@@Wok_Agenda Thanks man! Very much appreciated!
I thought after the war of the rings those 10,000 dead Urûk Hai must have left a lot of poor orphans behind, so the least Saruman could do would be to open an Orthanc Orphanage Foundation or Saruman's Orc Orphanage 😅
Folk rock. Steeleyespan, Fairport convention and Pentangle spring to mind
Pentangle are one of my favourite bands ever.This a call real music.I didn't know about them up until few years ago
the live performances of this song are a very special experience. i would recommend live at wacken 2016
I heard them perform this song live. I love Blind Guardian.
Blind Guardian is one of the best in this style. Very respected by it’s peers. Indeed, they incorporate some of their folk roots into the 2000 . Miss, super first impression reaction and output. Keep up the good work. Respect.
Now you all know
The bards and their songs
When hours have gone by
I'll close my eyes
In a world far away
We may meet again
But now hear my song
About the dawn of the night
Let's sing the bards' song
Tomorrow will take us away
Far from home
No one will ever know our names
But the bards' songs will remain
Tomorrow will take it away
The fear of today
It will be gone
Due to our magic songs
There's only one song
Left in my mind
Tales of a brave man
Who lived far from here
Now the bard songs are over
And it's time to leave
No one should ask you for the name
Of the one
Who tells the story
Tomorrow will take us away
Far from home
No one will ever know our names
But the bards' songs will remain
Tomorrow all will be known
And you're not alone
So don't be afraid
In the dark and cold
'Cause the bards' songs will remain
They all will remain
In my thoughts and in my dreams
They're always in my mind
These songs of hobbits, dwarfs and men
And elves
Come close your eyes
You can see them too
The lyrics seem to be all over the place.
If I had a student that wrote this song, I would ask him to explain it all and then, if it all makes sense, I would tell him to put what he explained in the song.
@@isheetfromaswhole3657 I agree that the second verse in particular has a really awkward part. The chorus washes it all away though.
Settle down guys, he's writing lyrics in his second language. Give the guy a break.
Another interesting Metal ballad you could check out is *"Manowar - The Crown And The Ring"* The pipe organ is very prominent in this one.
What a wonderful reaction! I know and love Blind Guardian for over 3 decades now. THIS very song was the first one I ever heard. A friend of mine had his Discman and a new CD with him, and so I first heard The Bards Song. In a School Bus ;)
It does sound renaissance to me. Blackmore Night do this type of thing so well. The vocals sound a little like Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull.
This is a song you need to experience live. This is a quite powerful singalong song and highly popular because of that. The audience knows every line, every word and every note.
And in the end it’s about what music means to one personally (in my thoughts and in my dreams always on my mind) - but also about coping with angst and fear off the future - and about company and music connecting people even if they are separated.
It's quite remarkable that you brought up the band Queen because that band was a big influence on the Blind Guardian. In the 90s, their sound was compared to how Queen and Metallica would sound on a recording together.
I really feel like you captured well what this song is for me, with all the elements you notice and picked out. I agree it's definitely not celtic music, but it still takes me back to a simpler time (just not so far back as medieval time).
The truth of the matter, as per some interviews in a TV show called Metal Evolution (episode 10), is that Blind Guardian - who are German - grew up in places where a music called Schlager was common.
It's really simple melodic crowd based music to get a pub crowd to just sing along to.
Blind Guardian (so they have said) keep this element of melodic rhythms and so forth in their mind when they write songs, so that the crowd can either join in, or in many cases just take over the vocal melodies of the song, and for the band it is just pure magic to hear that.
If you're still reading this and would like a little bit more folk elements to listen for, there is a band called Rhapsody of Fire (previously just known as Rhapsody). They include a lot of folk elements in their music, for example they have a piccolo in "Village of Dwarves". They have instrumental tracks that really are more folk, some are just a flute. Personally I skip them, they aren't metal enough for me ;) If you're interested and reply, I will definitely be more specific.
wow this takes me back to my youth - as most of these reactions, you chose the music I really grew up on. I'm glad you have made a career out of music, when I was young it was my dream and it always pulls on my heart stings since I came into music as a passion far too late (well, I would assume) to make it a real career, and instead, I chose the sea and sailing as a career. This is what really makes me emotional, the fact that in another life I can be a musician, but in this one I really love it - I'd rather go blind. I'm fully committed to what I do now, and music will always be there for me to use as a crutch in tough times, but I will always dream of being on the stage , as opposed to being in the audience. This is why I'm glad for your breakdowns, it helps me see it from your perspective and I can learn from this. Thanks for doing this music.
There’s only one song left in my mind, and it is this one
This song describes the mood of bards wich were acting in Tolkiens Lord Of The Rings. At the end you can hear it. And realise, Blind Guardian is a Metal Band. But with the intention of Bards to tell stories. Just like Tolkien, Stepen King and other writers of that style. And that's fascinating. They are creating moods where I get goosebombs. So you have to listen to a live version of this song to understand what I'm meaning. And you have to know that I'm a sixty years old metal bastard who listen's to this music since nearly 44 years. I've seen many good live shows but The Bards Song live means pure goosebumps. It's undescribeable. You have to be there live to realise what I'm telling. I've seen it five times live. 🤘🏻🤘🏻And excuse my bad English. I'm German just like Blind Guardian and it's Saturday evening and German beer is very tasty. 😇😇
In addition to the metal and the ballards, Blind Guardian has also released an orchestral album after more than 20 years of work. Blind Guardians Twilight Orchestra - Legacy of the Dark Lands, I would warmly recommend listening to "Beyond the Wall" or "The Great Ordeal", as they experimented with taking classical music in a whole new direction
Excellent video! Loved the teachings about History and blind Welsh harp players, thanks a lot for all the context!
It’s fascinating to see a trained mind react to various forms of rock / jazz etc. From my perspective I would love to watch your reaction to Gentle Giant for example far more then Black Sabbath (who I love btw). Gentle Giant, the Dixie Dregs (Night meets Light is a masterpiece) would surprise you with their complexity and compositional skills. Thanks for sharing your time; it’s a refreshing approach.
It's the center piece of an album which combines stories of different bards that came together and shared them amongst each other.
You're one up on me. I never heard of this band!!!!
Great song, Blind Guardian is usually a heavier band, but they almost always have one or two ballads in their albums, and they're usually really good, to have a better idea of their actual usual sound I recommend Mirror Mirror, probably their most iconic song
Great song and reaction. Reminds me of sixties folk rock.
I always got the medieval feel more from their another similar song called "A Past and Future Secret". There is even a great flute section. Of course now I realize I don't know much about actual music played in medieval times, so that is probably more modern medieval as you put.
When I was a teenager and one of my friends first discovered Blind Guardian for me, even I was really shocked and impressed with this "celtic" influence or "vibe" as they call it nowadays. Still remaining a heavy metal or even thrash/speed (power) metal band by its guitar and drum tracks and styling Blind Guardian managed to create an absolutely unique metal genre. Till now (i'm now almost 41) it is one of my favorite bands.
There are actually more of "bard" like ballads in their albums. For example much more medieval sounding - The Past and Future Secret.
You can actually find even bagpipe tracks in some of their songs (for example Somewhere far Beyond). And these "strange" folk or classical musical instruments sound really in harmony with generally aggressive distorted guitars and fast dense drums.
They also made some amazing cover songs which, to my mind, sound way better, then the originals. One of them Spread Your Wings (Queen) and To France (don't know the original creators of this song, but it uses some unusual instruments, like flute, and the guitar solo sounds slightly celtic or "medieval").
Rhapsody when? :) Thanks for your videos!!
I went to see Blind Guardian in 2006 in Milan where I am from. Loved to sing this song with so many people
I´m a huge fan of Blind Guardian and their music.
The lyrics to all their song are written by the singer Hansi Kürsch and are mostly inspired by the fiction of fantasy authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Stephen King, Michael Moorcock, George R. R. Martin, Hans Christian Andersen, Andrzej Sapkowski, and as well as traditional legends and epic poems.
Some other slower songs by them are:
"A Past and Future Secret" ("Imaginations from the Other Side", 1995)
"Harvest of Sorrow" (Bonus track on "A Night At The Opera", 2002)
"War of the Thrones" ("At The Edge Of Time", 2009)
"Lord of the Rings" ("The Forgotten Tales", 1996)
"Nightfall" ("Nightfall In Middle-Earth", 1998)
"The Maiden and the Minstrel Knight" (Bonus track on "A Night At The Opera", 2002)
"The Eldar" ("Nightfall In Middle-Earth", 1998)
"Miracle Machine" ("Beyond The Red Mirror", 2015)
"Mordred's Song" ("Imaginations from the Other Side", 1995)
Hansi Kürsch also had a side project band, Demons & Wizards, from 1998 to 2021 with American guitarist Jon Schaffer from Iced Earth (he was arrested for it). They made three very good albums, but ut it ended in 2001 because Schaffer was photographed among the protesters who stormed and ransacked the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
Hansi Kürsch then left the band out of disgust, said that the collaboration was over and that he distanced himself from any kind of violence regardless if applied against institutions or persons.
For the best interpretation by a rock band of traditional English folk music it would have to be "John Barleycorn Must Die" by Traffic. it's beautiful.
Next to this bardic element, the song has a bit of a sea shanty quality, too
Þis song means so much to me. Wiþ regards to þe opening, a more atmospheric progression would, I þink, ruin þe image in my head of a small hamlet inn, reminiscing about older times
This was one half of the song. This part is the bards song: In the forest. Part 2 is The bard's song: the hobbit. That song is actually heavy
It's great to have a perfect understanding of the composer's intentions and how the listener will perceive it on first impressions.
Check out the video of them singing along with the audience in concert.
The first time I heard this song it was actually Van Canto's cover of it, which was done a cappella. It's certainly a sparser arrangement and the contrast always makes me feel like Blind Guardian's arrangement is a bit more boisterous while Van Canto's is maybe a bit more dynamic and contemplative. An interesting exercise in arrangement.
Van Canto is a power metal band from Germany with 6 vocalists and a drummer, originally I saw them being discussed as a bit of a novelty and they do sing a lot of covers of Iron Maiden songs but their original material is _very_ good. While most of their work is not strictly without accompaniment since they have a drumkit, most people just describe them as the a cappella metal band. Power metal as a subgenre in general has a lot of positive and humanistic tendencies which can certainly brighten one's day if you're ok with a few bands singing about dragons.
Their name "Blind Guardian" is likely due to the album "Awaken the Guardian" by the band Fates Warning, the last and best album with their first singer, Jon Arch. They were fans of that band (at least of that period, before they changed their style a lot).
A while back you asked the question 'will we meet the next Bach?'. I believe there may have been several composer/songwriters over the decades that could fit the bill. I feel the masters of the classical age would be composing in the popular music style today if they were alive now. The one that rises to the top for me is Billy Joel, he is different than most modern songwriters in that he composes his music first, lyrics/songwriting comes later. Much of his music has classical hints to it, he has actually said he draws a lot of his inspiration from Chopin among others. Did you know that Beethoven has a modern songwriting credit? Billy Joel gave L.V.Beethoven a co-writers credit as he used part of Pathetique Sonata as his chorus in the song "This Night". He is also a pianist of the highest level. Since he stopped releasing albums he says he has been writing mostly classical music...for his own ears only. I only hope that someday some of this music will make it to the public.
we propably have a few that can compose and produce massive music like classical orchestrations are.
2 that come to my mind come out of the progressive metal scene.
Ne Obliviscaris for example (And plague flowers the kaleidoscope as song example)
or Persefone (their records have one story and all songs are meant to be listened in line, early records might be too harsh for most people tho.)
Devin Townsend stands out amongs everyone else :)
Blind Guardian's "The Bard's Song (in the forrest)", what's the full title is a classical accoustic guitar song.
I nearly know the song now for 20 Years and it's my absolute No. 1 Ballad and brings me goosebumbs when i hear it.
But you definitely have to watch it live!
Go for "Blind Guardian The Bard's Song & Valhalla Live at Wacken Open Air" here on youtube to get an ultimate experience.
And i would say this Gig in Wacken was one of the best Shows of BG i have ever visited.
There's a band you can enjoy because the guitarist is the Deep Purple's lead guitarist and the style is a folkish medieval oriented one (but also with rock) : Blackmore's Night.
For exemple, you can listen "locked within the crystal ball" (i can be wrong, but i hear some harp in the middle of the song)
One of these days we’ll get to a song that grabs Amy and carries her away and shows her why people love rock as much as she loves classical. I mean, I suspect most of us put on music for entirely that purpose. I guess there’s no predicting which song/band will do it… could have been this one!
I thought that was the case with “Child in Time”
Blind Guardian, one of my favorite bands of all time.
Amy, react to "Three King Fishers" by Donovan. It's a truer version of the bard style.
And if you want the hard rock version do Monster Magnet's cover. Actually, it would be great to see you react to both to compare.
I prefer the Monster Magnet version , but only because I never heard the original...I think MM is the advanced course of Rock , which I would surmise is a couple levels above where she is at...
up
The song has a heavier part 2, directly following on the album: "The Bard´s Song: The Hobbit"
(You have listened to: "The Bard´s Song: In the Forest")
Part 2 is harmonically and melody-wise building up on part 1 song, also in 3/4 or 6/8.
As a classical musician, you should maybe listen to both songs in a row, they are meant to be played like this and this is also how they play it live.
Here are both together:
ua-cam.com/video/uSTIiqKxRqQ/v-deo.html
I think i would pick nightfall because it's more representative of the sound the band usually goes for while still not being too heavy, but i understand why this one was chosen, although I'd still like you to react to their more intricate pieces.
This song is actually the first half of a two-song suite. It is actually called "The Bard's Song - In the Forest". On the album "Somewhere far beyond" it is directly followed by "The Bard's Song - The Hobbit". In my mind, those two always belong together. You may have noticed, that this first song doesn't resolve its harmony. That is because it leads into the second song which picks right up in the same key, tempo and meter but the second song is definitely Metal.
The Hobbit probably wouldn't be in her wheelhouse stylistically. They can stand alone, even though there is a melody from the first part that briefly appears in the second.
There is a you tuber who goes by the handle "Shred". He is a very talented rock guitarist with great insight into the connection between heavy metal rock music and classical composers.
You might find him interesting.
Amy, what you mention about the chorus and siging along wiht it... minute 9, minute 11... Well... You should see a live performance of this song...
Blind Guardian is one of the top representatives of european power metal, sometiimes whimsical, many times dealing with fantasy topics (BG has an entire concept album dedicated to JRR Tolkien´s Silmarillion), many times uplifting as you commented... If there is an "uplifting" subgender of metal, that probably is power metal, in which it is very common to find that uplifitng feelling with some degree of camaraderie. That is why I said this song was somehow representative of BG wihtout being actually metal, aggressive, fast etc.
I can't wait for þe follow up video
Although Blind Guardian is my all time favourite band and I love to see people to react to their songs, it would be nice to see more reactions to many other songs and not always just Bard's Song. Yes its one their best songs but all of their songs are great! No song is bad by any means! 😄
Blind harpers you say? Oh, you're going to love Jeff Healey
in blind guardian, the guitarist always plays the same thing as the singer, and not just in this song but in all of them, they've always done it that way, it's their trademark
Wanna get a bunch of Dungeons and Dragons players going? Bring an acoustic guitar and bust out this tune. Is it authentically medieval? No. But does it play the part in a fantasy universe? Heck yeah! And that's its appeal. And just in terms of the songwriting and vocal performance... Blind Guardian has got it. You don't need to really think too hard about it's authenticity to appreciate the mastery of melody and accompaniment Blind Guardian hit on with this track.
Anyway. I have a suggestion for a track to cover. Another "progressive metal" track that might go over better than the Caligula's Horse one. Haken's "Cockroach King". Willing to give that one a try?
Therion - Via Nocturna
"you wanna sing along to"...Yes!
Check Out the live Version of this Song!
It ist awesome.
this is the first of a two part song. you should also listen to "The bard's song - The Hobbit" in case you are interested in understanding how the band compose their Metal songs
For the Winter months, please investigate the "Trans-Siberian Orchestra" masters of the 'Rock-Opera'.
They are most well-known for Christmas and Winter music; however, I think their best Opera is "Beethoven's Last Night" where they imagine Beethoven making a deal with the devil on his final night in order to gain enough time to complete his final symphony.
I recommend watching the live performances
You are quite correct on most of your analyses. I would like to think that the band meant it to be this way, but regardless you hit the nail right on its head.
as others mentioned before, not going for a live version takes away a large part of the experience, it is said about blind guardian, that they are playing the audience, making it another instrument, and from my experience that description is quite real.
I don't think you could qualify it as a bardish song, but "Federkleid", by FAUN is currently my favorite folk song out there. It opens with a smaller harp, a flute and a hurdy gurdy. Lovely vocals and pleasant melody. Surprisingly I'm not a huge fan of the rest of their songs, but this one is just *chef's kiss*.
ua-cam.com/video/zOvsyamoEDg/v-deo.html
You've only listened to the first part of the song (the Forest), the second (the Hobbit) rock/metal part follows right after that...
Its called Symphonic Metal. I'm surprised no-one else has commented about the genre name. There's tons of bands that play in the genre. And even a few popular mainstream metal bands have had a few Symphonic Metal songs
In the 70's there was (I don't know if they are still around) band called "Gryphon" that actually played pretty medieval sounding songs, and of course, Gentle Giant had some pretty medieval elements to some of their songs, specially the vocal ensemble.
Manowar's "Triumph of the steel" has the long song about Hector and Achilles, is pretty much how I depict a Greek Rhapsode poet telling the story, minus the really heavy heavy metal rendition!
A big surprise! - Not what I expected from a band, that had been compared with Ramstein. Reminded me of The Incredible String Band.
Great song, but what happened to the audio? It's severly distorted, as if treated poorly with a digital limiter (you can even see it in the scrolling wave form: an acoustic-style song should never look like a solid block).
Apart from that, Blind Guardian are an awesome band from near where I live. I've seen them live several times, and The Bard's Song has become a ritual where the crowd sings along with Hansi. It's magical!
Well, I got my first shoes in Heavy Metal with Manowar. Manowar play very melodic Metal and that helped me to develop a sense for the more complex theme repetition in Heavy Metal music.
If you want to start with Manowar, I would suggest "Spirit Horse".
Please listen to "the bard's song + valhalla" live at wacken . This video contains 2 songs , showing Hansis voicerange , the musical mastership of all other bandmembers , the crowdcontroll of them over 75000 people , and the love of a crowd which came to Wacken for differend bands but they all are united by Blind Guardian. Everyone knows "the bards song" . Just an epic video . 🤘🤩
At the end of the day is beer song to sing to with friends and love ones and that’s what is so great on a campfire and they will remember the day on the most basic explain i can think off 😂
There are only few songs that get me emotional.
Usually I can tell why.
But not for this one.
You should try Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen or some songs by E.L.O. (Electric Light Orchestra) like Mr. Blue Sky or Tightrope. They are almost opera.
On the medieval theme, try Gryphon, who do use unusual medieval instruments from the period in an interesting way. Love Midnight Mushrumps! Less forced than Blind Guardian's attempt.
Within the genre of this song, may I suggest you listen to Fairport Convention's Tam Lin (ua-cam.com/video/jy3ihk205ew/v-deo.html) or Matty Groves (ua-cam.com/video/uK_7AqH1VGQ/v-deo.html)? These are old folk songs in a "rock" arrangement by one of the first bands to work in this genre.
You should listen to Genesis' Supper's Ready. I know it's a long song (about 25 minutes), but you'll see why I recommend this song.
They make this song from JRR Tolkien book.
Rock out dude!
She needs some Opeth in her ears.
Does Opeth use death growls? She probably isn't ready for that at all lol.
@@bludgeon1081 they have plenty of songs with clean singing.
yah, my mention of them being influenced by tolkien, you see now what i mean... at least in part. heavy metal is one of those genres that has absorbed medieval song styles, some even older, nothing quite like that happens with other genres. i'd suggest for stuff to dig through... 'in the final moment' by sirrah, 'only dust moves' by thy serpent, 'pagan' by cruachan, vlad should have a HUGE list of songs to dig through by now, so, here's more.
finally a metal song that goes beyond metal, but there's still an ocean of styles out there that aren't metal
You should listen to as well Skalds and Shadows, from Blind Guardian
Cheers!
I recommend the eclectic music by GENTLE GIANT. A truly amazing experience!
William Shakespeare is referred to a "The Bard". This does sound a little medieval, maybe renaissance.
Love BG, would be interested in your take on the acoustic version of "Mordrid's Song" from blind guardian.
WATCH IT LIVE WACKEN 2016 SOUND AND CROWD IS AMAZING
More Blind Guardian yay
You should take a listen to their songs from Nightfall on Middle Earth. And if you want to go to something really interesting, have a take at a band called Haggard and their album "Eppur si Mouve".
Its like.. like.. the song about bards. Its the attempt to do the best about the ones that never get mentioned. Its more than just what bards would sing about others.. but understanding that bards will never be cared about more than the music they play. So it trys to make everybody a bard.. and if just a little.
I see it as a song being sung by a gathering of bards before they head out each alone to tell the stories.