Lexical Compendium

Wait... what is this? Sometimes I come across a word, phrase, idiom, quote, reference, bit of slang, person of interest, etc that either I don't know or I find amusing, interesting, etc. This is a collection of those items so that I can refer back to them in emails, texts, etc.

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djent

Djent, pronounced "duh-jent", is a subgenre of progressive metal music characterized by guitar riffs that produce a percussive, and rhythmic sound. The term is derived from the sound the guitar makes when playing it in this fashion, resembling a "djent" noise. Duh-jent. Duh-duh-duh-jent. Duh-duh-jent. Duh-jent. Puh-keng-keng-keng.

When I recently saw my nephew, he was wearing a Meshuggah shirt. I asked him what genre they were and he replied djent which, of course, I had to have him further explain what that meant. Meshuggah are considered pioneers of the djent sound.

The phrase "pick up a pancake" is sometimes used when describing this sound, but I haven't been able to figure out why. Perhaps the way the guitar pick is held? Perhaps that the sound is so strong that it could literally pick up a pancake?


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Tags: slang, music

Date Added: 03 Dec 2024

leitmotif

A leitmotif is a recurring theme, idea, or motif that runs through a work, often associated with a particular character, concept, or situation. The term originates from German Leitmotiv, meaning "leading motif" and was used to describe Wagner's characteristic association of a melody to a character.

I was introduced to this term while watching Music by John Williams. In the documentary, George Lucas describes how he wanted John to create a theme for each of the characters in Star Wars.


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Tags: vocabulary, music

Date Added: 06 Jan 2025

skramz

There is a point in one's life in which not only does the music of the younger generations make no sense, neither do their labels. For me, this is illustrated by the musical genre of "skramz" (I've also seen it spelled "scramz"). When I asked my nephew what he likes to listen to, he told me skramz. When I asked what that was, he told me it was a synonym for screamo. And, well, the rabbit hole continues to HXC and post hardcore.

Listening to this music, it all just sounds like punk. But... maybe these are all just subgenres of punk?


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References:

Tags: music, screamo

Date Added: 25 Jun 2024