Gifted Teens Finding Relief In Heavy Metal

[rumsurfer]

Gifted teens finding relief in heavy metal

From correspondents in London

March 22, 2007 10:15am


TEENAGERS who lock themselves in their bedrooms to blast out heavy metal music may simply be trying to cope with the pressures of being gifted.
A British study said that teenagers often work off the stresses and strains of being a bright outsider by listening to bands such as System Of A Down, Slipknot and Tool.

Researchers questioned more than 1000 members of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth, whose members rank among the brightest five percent of youngsters in Britain.

"There is a perception of gifted and talented students as being into classical music and spending a lot of time reading.

"I think that is an inaccurate stereotype," Stuart Cadwallader, a University of Warwick psychologist , said.

"We are looking at a group with lower than average self-esteem that does not feel quite as well adjusted.

"They feel more stressed out and turn to heavy metal as a way of relieving that stress."

Mr Cadwallader added that heavy metal fans often appreciate the "complex and sometimes political themes" of the music.

"It has a tendency to worry adults a bit but I think it's just a cathartic thing," he said.

"It does not indicate problems."

Many of heavy metal's biggest stars are closet geeks - Brian May, guitarist with Queen, is currently finishing a doctorate in astrophysics, while Iron Maiden star Bruce Dickinson is a history graduate, international fencer and qualified commercial pilot.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599...487-2,00.html#

[rumsurfer]

I had no idea Brian May is doing a doctorate in astrophysics, of all things.

[Birdman87]

very interesting...

[jkaps]

a lot of heavy metal bands, especially tool, don't get enough credit as being amazing musicians, and i think kids like from this report (what ever you wanna call it) are the only ones who notice it.

of course there are plently of heavy metal bands who don't know all the notes in one octave.

[Skinart]

^
Thats because they are using pentatonic scales...or perhaps some of the Arabic or Indian
ones...I know I have to fudge timing sometimes because my music wants quartertones...It
can be frustrating.

Being facetious of course...but you don't have to know the notes to play them...

Sucky bands can't be repaired by knowledge of music theory.

[ivebeencanceled]

One of my long time freinds is VERY into Death Metal, and Black Metal, he is also an AMAZING guitarist, and he is one of the smartest people i know.

It dosnt surprise me, alot of Metal bands have very compicated, and very "genius", time signitures, guitar riffs, etc...

and alot of them just dont.

[rumsurfer]

I don't think it's got to do with how complicated the music is. It's more about the rebelliousness of heavy metal, expressing the frustration of these gifted teens, whose 'gifted' talents are not being recognised by their parents or peers or school teachers.

If you want to talk about how complicated the music is, it's applicable to jazz and classical music too. But to young teens, the expressed anger and frustration isn't as prevalent as it is in heavy metal.

[bucksaw87]

ah yes, this explains a lot...except for why all my dumbass friends listen to metal (i mean it, these people have the approximate IQ of a rock)

[rumsurfer]

ah yes, this explains a lot...except for why all my dumbass friends listen to metal (i mean it, these people have the approximate IQ of a rock)

I'm sure they've got their own reason for being angry and rebellious.

[SpookTheHamster]

It's not just metal that "gifted" kids like, it's any sort of music which shows some intricacy or meaning. This could come under any genre; rock, metal, indie, rap, classical, blues, jazz, pop, folk, anything... Except maybe country. I kid!

Oh, and Tool are overrated musicians.

[Birdman87]

I like all three bands listed.
I basically spend hours sittin here, vegging to harsh music.
Why? you tell me...
I find my self screamin along silently.

Maybe im a genius? ( i was actually supposed to skip two grades in school, im actually quite gifted... I just dont care enough to make anything of it)

[Skinart]

I don't think it's got to do with how complicated the music is. It's more about the rebelliousness of heavy metal, expressing the frustration of these gifted teens, whose 'gifted' talents are not being recognised by their parents or peers or school teachers.

If you want to talk about how complicated the music is, it's applicable to jazz and classical music too. But to young teens, the expressed anger and frustration isn't as prevalent as it is in heavy metal.

Eh? What jazz are you listening too? Coltraine has lots of anger.

Anyway, bands like Tool I have found to be similar to listening to Baroque music. This is to say that I do better on math tests
when I listen to them--on the other hand, stuff like say, Pantera or other 'Hardcore' type music, I do worse on math tests.
I think the blast beats just concuss me and numb my head. Fun to aggro out to--but not good if you need to think clearly, quickly
and concisely.

Serious, there is a 20% difference in my grades on math tests depending on whether I was listening to Otep or Tool that morning.

Another great band whose complexity is often overlooked: The Pixies.

What? Pixies complex and mathy? Better believe it buddy. Listen to 'Debaser'. They seem to off rythm in the chorus, but if you listen
carefully, it is a VERY consistent and precise displacement--the timing of the vocals is consistently asynchronous AND has a consistent
and precise 'drift'. They are a very tight impressionistic band. I think the guitars like concertina wire and the appearance of wild abandon in
their music (part of their impressionism) cause people to overlook how 'on' they are and how crafted their music is.

Furthermore they make subtle, almost offhand use of biblical imagery--and I would be very surprised if Frank Black hadn't read Chekov given some
of his compositions.



Favorite songs: 'Hey', 'In a State', 'Here Comes Your Man', 'Surfa Rosa', the last song on Doolittle...

[HerBDerb]

I need to listen to more metal. The last standardized test I took I only scored in the top 10% statewide, if I had listened to metal I probably could have made the top 5%!

[Birdman87]

I need to listen to more metal. The last standardized test I took I only scored in the top 10% statewide, if I had listened to metal I probably could have made the top 5%!

ive been no lower than top 5% in math, my entire life...
but, i dont think im that much smarter than anyone else. I dont know why i posted that.

Skinart, I know exactly what you mean. I find my self to do extremely well when listening to Darkest Hour. Something about them just vibes oh so right...

[Lee W]

Math metal all the way. This chemist loves his messed up time signatures!

[rumsurfer]

Eh? What jazz are you listening too? Coltraine has lots of anger.

Coltrane is only one part of jazz, and even so, that period of Coltrane does not represent his entire breadth of work. And not many people are aware of that genre of jazz either. Heavy metal is a more obvious genre of music that reaches a far wider audience and is a lot more accessible to these young kids.

[HerBDerb]

ive been no lower than top 5% in math, my entire life...

Same here basically, it's english/writing that brings me down alot.

[sniffleless]

I heard a story on this yesterday morning on BBC radio on the way to work. They intro'ed in with Motorhead's "Ace of Spades." The song alone made my morning.

Punk and hardcore can have the same effect as metal as far as this study goes I'd suspect.

[bpz]

Hearing Slipknot mentioned in the same breath as Tool sucks...

Tool is awesome, Slipknot blows.

[Skinart]

Yeah, Rum, I know Coltraine was more than a one trick pony--and there is a wide world of jazz.
But I think the same is true of metal--which was more of what I was getting at by asking what
jazz you were listening to.

If all you are exposed to is tinkle jazz or...'cool jazz', then yeah...not a lot of catharsis there.

Squirrel Nut Zippers is a blast though.

I actually do best on verbal/written sections of standardized tests. Always in the top 2%. I
generally make the top 50% in math...but that was in grade school when I was reading instead
of doing homework.

These days, still top-shelp in verbal written, but I do much better in math. Even though in my
esteem I suck at it--I'm just very determined and love the feeling of success.

Theres this joke about how a girl dumped her math major boyfriend because he was crazy.
He'd spend hours sweating over a problem, cursing and scribbling like a man posessed. Sometimes
taking a break in a rage. But always going back to it. By the time he was done the wasebasket
was overflowing with crumpled failures. And then when he solved it, he'd look at in disgust and
declare himself an idiot.

But when asked about it later, his face would glow with happiness and he'd say he loved
every minute of it.

It's like that.