Whether it's in a hardcore Black metal band or asoft classical band, there is one concept ALL music bases it's style upon; Balance of the voices. 


There are many voices in a musical group, and I'm not talking about the Growling and screaming sounds that come out of Dani Filth's mouth. When I say the voices in a musical groups, I mean the sound that comes out of the bell of a trumpet; the distorted rock sound out of an amp; the vibrations of the crash cymbals. Every voice needs to be heard clearly. But of course every voice needs to back out when it needs to before it over powers the others. 


You could say that the Balance of the voices is like a 3 Story building, each beam on each level supporting the next. there's a foundation, then theres the first floor that keeps the other floors in line with the other; the floor that sets the pattern of the other floors, then theres the second floor that expands the building further up and showing it off more, then theres the final floor that may have a bill board on top saying what that building stands for. Each floor is equivilant to one of 4 voices in music; Bass, Tenor, Alto/Soprano, and the percussion voice.


Bass is what sets the bottom to all music. Without bass, you cannot expand your othervoices out further. Without Bass, the other voices wouldn't be heard because the bass sound in music is what catches the attention of an audience. Bass is the foundation of our metaphorical building of voices. Bass must also be heard loudly, thus bass instruments would usualy play louder than the alto and soprano sounds. Of course too much bass and all the other voices are muffled and distorted and it sounds like shit basically. Bass sounding instruments could be stuff like tuba, bass guitar, baritone saxaphone, Bass clarinet, String Bass, and bass trombone. 


The percussion voice is beyond a shadow of a doubt one of the most important things in music. Unless it's a brass quartet or some small chamber group where it's easy to keep beat with a small group, perrcussion is what keeps the entire group of musicians in line and in order. Drums and cymbals are what create a pattern on how the music is played. Percussion is the first floor of our building, setting the structure of how the other floors will be built as; Will there be 20 water coolers or 15? 30 offices or 4? Percussion is the pulse in the music, and without the pulse, your dead. Percussion inculdes, snare drums, bass drums, tom toms, cymbals, tamborines, timpani, xylophone, and the list goes on. Hell, a fucking Beer keg could be considered percussion  or Bush's skull.   Ok I'm done here.


Tenor voices are what back up the altos and soprano voices. They provide the clearness of the bass instruments and thus also bring out the bass sound further. They are the second floor of the building, supporting the altos with the same pattern and strength set by the foundation and first floor. Tenor instruments would include Tenor Saxaphone, 2nd and 3rd chair trombone, Cello, Electric guitar, and Baritone.


The Final Voice, the altos and soprano, and what express what the music is about. It this voice is soft and melodic, it could be talking about.... Flowers, and stuff. If it's hardcore and loud and heavy, it could be saying "I'm gonna dry hump you!!!!!!!!!! Then I'm gonna kill youu!!!!" or something like that. On our building, the 3rd floor represents this voice, because on this floor is the roof, and on the roof is a bill board telling everyone what this building is all about. Alto instruments may include 2nd and 3rd chair trumpets, alto saxaphone, 2nd and 3rd chair clarinet, 1st chair trombone, 2nd and 3rd chair French horns, and the viola. Soprano instruments include 1st chair Trumpet, 1st chair Clarinet, soprano saxaphone, 1st chair french horn, flute and piccolo, and violin.


Now you are probably asking yourself, "How does a building represent balance?" I shall tell you. Lets say the foundation is too loose and there's not enough strength. What's going to happen to the rest of the building? IT could colapse or fall apart all together. What if the first floor was poorly built? The rest of the floors could be poorly built. What if the second floor is more flashy and energenic and heavier than the rest of the building? Could crush the bottom floor and could bring down the top floor. Mow translate all those metaphors into what I said about what each voice stood for..... done? Ok. That's how a building represents balance. One force built upon another, insuring the force above each one is of equal size as the other.


There's my theory. Prove it wrong. If you can. Mwah ha ha! uhhh never mind.