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Thursday, September 25, 2008

THE FORCE OF THE BEAT
about loudness in music
and how it sounds in the chart


What big organists (example of the workshop with Noel Tyl in Lisbon) and heavy metal drummers have in common is hitting the material hard, to produce loud music. Classical loudness is produced by organs and kettledrums. In pop music the loudest music is heavy metal, even louder than hard rock is.

Now what makes a musician do heavy metal or hard rock (apart from not being the romantic kind of beautiful guy)? The force and power of the beat must be important in the chart of the musician. And it is there! I found 3 good examples of it in the charts of 3 members of Iron Maiden. The name refers to a rather obscure object for torture and perhaps some of you have tortured ears listening to heavy metal or hard rock:)

1. Mars in Scorpio quintile Pluto in the chart of Nicko McBrain (born June 5, 1952 in London). He is the drummer of Iron Maiden and uses (Mars) force (Pluto) in a creative way (quintile). He was converted to Christianity in 2000, when his progressive Sun changed sign to change his way of living.

2. The singer of the band, Bruce Dickinson born August 7, 1956 in Worksop) doesn't have to use force, but still has Mars trine Pluto and Saturn (in Scorpio). The singer is usually the leader of the band. That is why he has a 'calling' Sun semi square Aries Point. The Moon might be square Saturn and conjunct Pluto to express the hard emotional confrontations.

Mars and Pluto are needed when it takes real power to 'do it', that's clear, even without hours of birth. Nicko and Bruce both did heavy metal...

3. How about Dave Murray, born December 23, 1956? We see Sun trine Pluto and an oriental Saturn. With progressive Sun 75 degrees away from Neptune he quit school and started his career in music, playing the distorted guitar. Mars in Aries trine the oriental Saturn gives him the energy to strike hard:) Had he not had the poor background that he has, he could have become a cricketer and of course now that he has the money, he has become a cricketer for fun. Sun square Jupiter and trine Pluto made him fanatic enough to study daily until his strong fingers good handle the guitar as he does and the physical strength to perform in loudness on stage.

Probably there are more examples of loudness in music indicated by Mars and Pluto or Mars and Saturn or Saturn with Pluto, like in the chart of Ludwig von Beethoven (born 16th December 1770 in Bonn). He had Pluto in Capricorn and Saturn semi square Aries Point and Saturn inconjunct Pluto. You might consider his music as rather loud, compared the music of other composers. And perhaps the prominent Saturn and Pluto contributed to that. He didn't produce loudness, he made others produce it. Perhaps that is why Mars is not involved directly. Beethoven didn't need muscles to write his symphonies.

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