Slave to the rhythm?

[irocfan]

I've been listening to quite a lot of melodic/symphonic rock recently some of it German (which I can speak reasonably well, but when it's sung I'll admit to struggling somewhat!) and, a very small proportion, in Russian. Even some of the stranger ones sung in English can be difficult to understand!

Despite the language difficulties I've, by and large, enjoyed it but did get me to thinking: when you don't understand the lyrics are you then treating the voice as another instrument to be enjoyed or not as the case may be?

Edited by irocfan on Friday 29th May 08:36

[tuscaneer]

i've never had an interest in the lyrics if i'm being honest...the only time i seem to concentrate on them is if they are awful.. then it becomes too distracting and i can't listen.

for me, someone like chino from deftones gets it perfect. i have no fking idea what his abstract ramblings are all about but that works fine for me. a vocal in a song, if done properly, is very much a woven thread through the music. when i write songs i will have between 2 and 4 guitar tracks simultaneously that i throw at the rest of the band who then take my rhythmic movements and play with them. sometimes we change things round a bit sometimes leave them as they are...

the singers job is to weave a thread right through for me. i can't write vocal parts, i think in guitar terms only but i present enough melodic developments in my ideas so that the singer can find his hooks by dipping in and out of what i've presented.... i'm always listening to the melody lines, almost never the lyrical content

[S100HP]

Rammstein are a great example. Till has a voice like an instrument.