# Writing Viking Music



## jfino (Feb 3, 2018)

Hi Everyone,

I need to write some viking style music.

Any tips?

what key is best?

What type of harmonies did they use?

Any advice would really help!

Thank you!


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## mac (Feb 3, 2018)

I can't help with the theory, but I often listen to this playlist and play along / transcribe, so I'd recommend doing the same. If you're familiar with theory, the patterns will probably fall into something you're familiar with. For me personally, the scales used seem to be remarkably similar to what I'd play in metal bands.


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## thov72 (Feb 3, 2018)

they had flutes (wood/bone), fiddles, etc. since they did not write down music it´s hard to recapture but I´d stick to folk- ish medievalish pentatonics. An arabian traveller once noted that the singing of them sounded awful, worse than "the barking of dogs"


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## Nico (Feb 3, 2018)

For inspiration, maybe you could check Wardruna. I think the singer even played in the show "Vikings".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardruna


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## JohnG (Feb 3, 2018)

If you are a guy and can sing low enough, add in a little chanting of your own with plenty of reverb. It can sound cool, even if it's not prominent.


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## TheNorseman (Feb 3, 2018)

Nico said:


> For inspiration, maybe you could check Wardruna. I think the singer even played in the show "Vikings".
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardruna



This. Norse people didn't really have a any musical instruments or theory back in the Viking age. They just had a lot of out of key chants. Werdruna gets close in a sense that they use Viking style sounds with a modern twist to make it palatable to the modern ear.


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## brynolf (Feb 3, 2018)

Do NOT listen to what is now known as Scandinavian "folk music" for inspiration. That's mostly 19th century stuff at the oldest.


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## bryla (Feb 3, 2018)

Check out Drømte Mig En Drøm I Nat


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## Mundano (Feb 3, 2018)




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## Mundano (Feb 3, 2018)

http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/search?q=viking+folk&searchBtn=Search&isQuickSearch=true

*Article*

*http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000046523?rskey=2jX7iz&result=4 (Stråkharpa) *

*Birgit Kjellström and Styrbjörn Bergelt*

Published in print:
20 January 2001
Published online:
2001
Sweden (9th century; see Rotte , fig. ). The Arabic geographer Ibn Fadlan, in his account of a Vikingfuneral on the Volga in 921 ce , mentions a harp that was placed with the body of a chieftan to accompany him on his final journey. This could in fact have been a lyre. One might speculate that the use of a bow in playing string instruments, first mentioned in 10th-century Arabic writings, might have been encountered and brought back to Scandinavia by the Vikings. See also Rotte . Bibliography O. Andersson : Stråkharpan:


*http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000025603?rskey=2jX7iz&result=2 (Shaw, Martin) *
*Watkins Shaw and Julian Onderdonk*
Published in print:
20 January 2001
Published online:
2001

Works ( selective list ) Stage The Vikings (incid music, H. Ibsen), 1900 Brer Rabbit and Mr Fox (musical frolic, 5 scenes, M. Dearmer), 1914 Mr Pepys (ballad op, 3, C. Bax), 1926 The Thorn of Avalon (op, 3, B. Baron), 1931 Philomel (operetta, E. Farjeon and Bax), 1932 The Rock (pageant, T.S. Eliot), 1934 Master Valiant (masque, Baron), 1936 Waterloo Leave (ballad op, Bax); Faithful Jenny Dove (ballad op, Farjeon) Sacred music A Modal Setting of the Communion Service, 1914 An Anglican Folk Mass Founded on Native Hymn Melodies, 1918 A Parish

*Article*
*http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000012244?rskey=2jX7iz&result=3 (Hallén, (Johannes) Andreas) *
*Axel Helmer*
Published in print:
20 January 2001
Published online:
2001

choral masterpieces then almost unknown in Sweden, including the first Swedish performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion ( 1890 ). Works ( selective list ) MSS in S-Skma Stage Harald der Wiking (op, 3, H. Herrig), Leipzig, 16 Oct 1881, vs (Berlin, 1883) Swed. trans. as Harald Viking, Stockholm, 18 Feb 1884 Häxfällan (op, 2, F. Hedberg), Stockholm, Royal, 16 March 1896 rev. as Valborgsmässa, Stockholm, 15 March 1902 Waldemarsskatten [Waldermar's Treasure] (op, 4, A. Klinckowström), Stockholm, 8 April 1899, vs (Stockholm, c 1900) Incid music to 6 plays, incl. Over

*Article*
*Leifs [Thorleifsson], Jón *
*Árni Heimir Ingólfsson*
Published in print:
20 January 2001
Published online:
2001

Annie Riethof; during their honeymoon his fascination with Icelandic folk music began, and although he had at first decided to pursue a conducting career, he now resolved to create a national style of composition based on folk material. In a series of articles published in 1922–4 he argued that the severe, acrimonious character of Icelandic folk music was a direct expression of the national character, forged by the country’s harsh landscapes and frequent natural disasters. His earliest work based on folkmusic (op.2, 1922 ) uses the elements of tvísöngur (a type of

*Article*
*http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040050?rskey=2jX7iz&result=6 (Finland) *
*Ilkka Oramo and Ilkka Kolehmainen*
Published in print:
20 January 2001
Published online:
2001

Institute for Folk Tradition (founded in 1965 ) at the University of Tampere. The Folk Music Institute in Kaustinen was founded in 1974 as a result of a folk music revival which started after the first Kaustinen Folk Music Festival in 1968 . The institute has a large collection of contemporary Finnish folk music. Other activities can be divided into four categories: service, education, research and publishing. Kaustinen is also the home of a folk music group Tallari, a folk music school ‘Ala Könni-opisto’ named after a famous folklorist and folk music collector

*Article*
*http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000020332?rskey=2jX7iz&result=7 (Olsen, Poul Rovsing) *
*William H. Reynolds and Jens Brincker*
Published in print:
20 January 2001
Published online:
2001

and Variations, op.6, 1947 Krydstogt, op.32, 1954 Medardus, op.35, 1956 5 Inventions, op.38, 1957 Images, op.51, 1965 3 études, op.63, 1969 Many Happy Returns, op.70, 1971 Principal publishers: Bote & Bock, Engstrøm & Sødring, Hansen, Moeck, Samfundet til Udgivelse af Dansk Musik, Viking Writings ‘An Aulos in the Danish National Museum’, DAM , 5 (1966–7), 3–9 ‘Om at componere musik’, Berlingske tidendes ‘kronik’ (29 Jan 1967) ‘Notat om “Belisa”’, DMt , 43 (1968), 67–8 Musiketnologie (Copenhagen, 1974) with J. Jenkins : Music

*Article*
*http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000047318?rskey=2jX7iz&result=8 (Karlsen, Kjell Mørk) *
*Arvid O. Vollsnes*
Published in print:
20 January 2001
Published online:
2001

barnerim fra Gudbrandsdalen, op.54, S, pf, 1981 Partita on a Folk Tune from Lom, op.7 no.3, fl, pf/org/hpd, 1983 Sonata, op.74, tuba, pf, 1985 Om kjaerlighet [About Love], op.77, 5 songs, S, pf, 1986 Divertimento, op.79, va, vc, db, 1986 Musica decima, op.85, 7 ww, 2 hn, db, 1987 Bruheim-songar, op.86, Bar, pf, 1988 Missa da tromba, op.87, tpt, org, 1988 Sonata da chiesa, op.94, tpt, org, 1989 Nuncdimittis, op.63 no.2, (S/A)/(SS, AA), fl, tambourine, org, 1990 Sonata ‘Mesto’, op.96, vn, pf, 1990 Sonatina on a FolkTune from Etne, op.7 no.4, fl, pf/org, 1991 Nor. Suite,

*Article*
*http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000005708?rskey=2jX7iz&result=9 (Christiansen, Henning) *
*William H. Reynolds and Thomas Michelsen*
Published in print:
20 January 2001
Published online:
2001

vv, the composer, 1964 Perceptive Constructions, op.28, 1964 En rose til frk. Stein [A Rose for Mrs Stein], op.31, 28 str, 1965 Sym. no.2 ‘Den forsvundne fuldmaegtig’ [The Missing One], op.69c, 1971 Conc., op.83, rec, str, hpd, 1973 Viking-Music, op.96, wind, perc, 1975 Danish Summer, op.98, pf, orch, 1975 Summer Festival Music, op.101, band, 1976 Summer Dance, op.106, 2 cl, brass band, 1976 The Jutland Gipsies, op.108, ens, 1972 Chamber 

*Article*
*http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000020101?rskey=2jX7iz&result=10 (Norway) *
*Arvid O. Vollsnes, Reidar Sevåg and Jan-Petter Blom*
Published in print:
20 January 2001
Published online:
2001

and O. Saeta , eds.: Norsk folkemusikk , ii: Slåtter for vanig fele [Norwegian folk music, ii: Slåtter for the normal violin] (Oslo, 1992–7) B. Aksdal and S. Nyhus , eds.: Fanitullen: innføring i norsk og samisk folkemusikk [ Fanitullen : Norwegian and Saami folk music] (Oslo, 1993) T. Kvifte : ‘Om variabilitet i fremføring av hardingfeleslåtter: og paradimer i folkemusikkforskningen’ [On variability in the performance of Hardanger fiddle tunes: and paradigms of folk music research], Insitutt for musikk og teater, Universitetet i Oslo: Skriftserie 1994


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## Piano Pete (Feb 3, 2018)

Let your inner musicologist go wild, but still make it viable for today!


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## Iskra (Feb 3, 2018)

A listen to hedningarna albums (specially trå and kaksi) might serve as a point of inspiration.


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## Lassi Tani (Feb 3, 2018)

This might give some inspiration for harmonies, it's an old Finnish folk song:


The harmonic structure is quite simple, but the patterns in the singing make it interesting. Also in nordic folk music small ornaments in melodies are common.

You could experiment by making a similar harmony and voicing, and use old string instruments, like nyckelharpa, for the voicing, and add other instruments, like rhythmic instruments etc. Keep it simple, during that time, there weren't many instruments to use.


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## jfino (Feb 5, 2018)

Awesome info guys thanks so much for the advice and links!


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## TheNorseman (Feb 6, 2018)

This one is funny as hell


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## synthpunk (Feb 7, 2018)

I think its all about the vocal.


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## Hanu_H (Feb 8, 2018)

I think it's important to understand that the music vikings really played and the viking music you hear in the movies/series are totally different things. Before you go too deep in it, make sure what your director wants. I think Skyrim has some viking influences in the music. I would use really simple melodies in minor and dorian.

-Hannes


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## Mike Greene (Feb 8, 2018)

With apologies, I deleted a few posts here that were drifting into a religious debate. I do hate to delete posts, because obviously time and effort went into them, but the original topic is a very good one, and I don't want to derail it.


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## SyMTiK (Feb 9, 2018)

If going for the way “viking” music is portrayed in modern film and video games, then that sound is more based around the dorian mode, or harmonic and melodic minor keys, commonly in D. Including mideival and renaissance instruments can help contribute to the mood, I use ERA II a lot for those. When I think Vikings, I imagine the use of war horns, frame drums/war drums, and medieval reed instruments and bone flutes. Skyrim (as cliche as it is) is a good example of a very popular soundtrack that people may consider “viking” in nature. Incorporating a choir can help too, Id personally use Storm Choir II as the Bulgarian accent carries a more “mideival” sound imo

Simple stepwise melodies with few large leaps are more common in this aesthetic, i also found using a sol to do pickup in the melody is pretty common. 

Im no expert, im just merely going by some of what ive heard in recent film tv and video games to achieve this sound.


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## Mundano (Feb 9, 2018)

this...



https://soundiron.com/products/petroglyph


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## NoamL (Feb 9, 2018)

Hanu_H said:


> I think it's important to understand that the music vikings really played and the viking music you hear in the movies/series are totally different things. Before you go too deep in it, make sure what your director wants. I think Skyrim has some viking influences in the music. I would use really simple melodies in minor and dorian.
> 
> -Hannes



Yeah this is an important and interesting distinction. Does your director want _genuine_ ancient music... or does he/she want a score that represents a certain musical encoding to modern audiences, regardless of its authenticity.

Here's a thought... a lot of representations of ancient music have considerable reverb. Especially the "female vocal wailing" stuff. It seems to trace back to Enya or perhaps before.

Even in the example of Eivør singing live that was posted earlier, she's clearly using a reverb in her mix chain.

But is there any legitimate basis for this? Is there any evidence that ancient people used natural spaces or created artificial spaces purposely to create awesome reverb for singing? There is the example of cathedrals... but that's not very ancient.


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## Atarion Music (Feb 13, 2018)

Wow, how ironic, I just finished a project about a month ago. I too had this question. I never even thought I'd end up in such category. Anyway I ended up listening to VIKING-LIKE songs including the TV show's theme. After countless hours of repeated analyzing and listening, I tried my hand at it and it was a success.

My only. Advice is,
Imagine the voice of some guy with a smooth deep voice and use a LUTE, (I think that's what I dabbled with) dabble around and you can come up with something,

P.S I enjoyed the experience. ALSO, I did not look too far into the history of Viking music, l listened to the many examples of what is already "Considered" Viking music. I do not believe their music was so cool considering it was so early in human history lol.


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## Mundano (Feb 13, 2018)

Atarion Music said:


> Wow, how ironic, I just finished a project about a month ago. I too had this question. I never even thought I'd end up in such category. Anyway I ended up listening to VIKING-LIKE songs including the TV show's theme. After countless hours of repeated analyzing and listening, I tried my hand at it and it was a success.
> 
> My only. Advice is,
> Imagine the voice of some guy with a smooth deep voice and use a LUTE, (I think that's what I dabbled with) dabble around and you can come up with something,
> ...


i considere respectfully that composers should make a research of the music they have been commissioned. This enrich at first the composer himself, at second the audience, at third the society and the memory of culture. If we keep going superficially on clichés and poor research what we get is deviation of the source, loss of cultural heritage and lack of deepness in our work as composers. Look for Béla Bartók, Aram Il'yich Khachaturian and others, talk/communicate with musicologists, read the New Grove, the MGG, give search items in Google Scholar, etc.
Kind Regards

EDIT: with these i am not saying your work wasn't valuable. What you have made has a great value in that you explored the current trend and exploited it so good you got success, that talks for your skills! I hope you get what i mean...


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## Atarion Music (Feb 13, 2018)

Mundano said:


> i considere respectfully that composers should make a research of the music they have been commissioned. This enrich at first the composer himself, at second the audience, at third the society and the memory of culture. If we keep going superficially on clichés and poor research what we get is deviation of the source, loss of cultural heritage and lack of deepness in our work as composers. Look for Béla Bartók, Aram Il'yich Khachaturian and others, talk/communicate with musicologists, read the New Grove, the MGG, give search items in Google Scholar, etc.
> Kind Regards
> 
> EDIT: with these i am not saying your work wasn't valuable. What you have made has a great value in that you explored the current trend and exploited it so good you got success, that talks for your skills! I hope you get what i mean...




I definitely understand what you mean and typically that's exactly what I'd do. especially for a theme I had no previous experience in. However, and I quote these were his exact words. In projects like this. With the client permission of course, I record every conversation so I can always go back and relisten in case I'm unsure of something. He said "Hey it's great that you accepted on such short notice. I'll get right to the point, we are looking for a catchy theme, preferably with with the viking vibe. I've been referred to you by ****** Can you do it?" 

Lol of course I said yes. Can't ruin my reputation. Anyway from there, I began four straight days desperately getting educated on the modern viking. Day five I was working in between Pro tools and Sonar platinum. Day 7 I was turning it in for approval. Litterally sweating every hour I waited for a response.

Even on my schedule, I still feel like I had the advantage because I looked up his previous works and got a good sense of what type of music he worked with. By baking SOME of that vibe into the viking mix, I kinda guaranteed my success. Only problem with the way I did it was,

I turned it in ONCE and on my deadline, so there was no more time for correcting it. If it wasn't what he wanted....I"d be ruined for awhile. DON'T FOLLOW MY LEAD lol


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## Mundano (Feb 13, 2018)

http://www.ancientmusic.co.uk/string.html
http://www.ancientmusic.co.uk/wind.html
http://www.ancientmusic.co.uk/percussion.html


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## Atarion Music (Feb 13, 2018)

Mundano said:


> http://www.ancientmusic.co.uk/string.html
> http://www.ancientmusic.co.uk/wind.html
> http://www.ancientmusic.co.uk/percussion.html




NO WAY! That beautiful string thingy was called the LYRE!!! I heard of it but it completely slipped my mind, I ended up using ewql's harp and I placed it in the back with a lot of reverb, kinda drowning it out a bit. For that old viking effect. 

Do you know where I can get a VST version? Truth is, I'm in my studio working on a fantasy project right now as I distract myself on the forum lol. Anyway it would go wonderful with my Pivana flute. Even better, for future references I would highly enjoy a version of all 3 of these. I'm a vst collector you see, One day in the ridiculously distant future, vsts may die off because they'll be so advanced.

I want to own at least one of every instrument. That way I'm never caught off guard. Or maybe it comes in ethno world 6? I have ethno world five and studied up on a majority of their instruments already Pivana flute included.


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## Mundano (Feb 14, 2018)

Don't forget the Kantele/Gusli!

http://www.ancientmusic.co.uk/string.html


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## Solamnia (Feb 14, 2018)

Here's something I wrote for a medieval videoproject a couple years back. I think it has that "Vikings"-vibe in it also. Tarilontes Medieval Era is used quite heavily in this piece. It really goes well with this kind of music. I also made my own chants and some scratching of guitar strings to add flavour. I know this isn't true to the original instruments or scales of the actual Viking era but maybe there's still something. Have a listen 

By the way, Keepforest has this quite new "Vikings" toolkit. Has anyone used it? That could be useful but what I've seen it has a more modern approach with kind of a hybrid feel to viking music.


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## Mundano (Feb 16, 2018)

I want to share this resource:
https://www.edx.org/course/medieval...tive learners (excluding disengaged learners)

It looks very interesting:



*The Medieval Icelandic Sagas*
Learn about the Icelandic Sagas, the characteristic literary genre of Medieval Iceland comprising roughly 40 texts.

*About this course*

The Medieval Icelandic Sagas is an introductory course on the single most characteristic literary genre of Medieval Iceland. Mainly written in the 13th century, the Icelandic Sagas are comprised of roughly 40 texts of varying length. 

In this course, you will learn about three Sagas, written at different times, with the aim of giving an overview of the writing period and the genre as a whole. These are Eyrbyggja Saga, Njáls Saga and Grettis Saga. We will explore the landscape and archaeology of Iceland to see how they can add to our understanding of the Sagas as well as take an in-depth look at the most memorable characters from the Sagas.

Participants will have opportunities to engage with an online community of Icelandic and international scholars, learners and others to explore topics relating to Icelandic and Nordic Medieval history beyond the course curriculum.

The Medieval Icelandic Sagas course is associated with a two-year international master’s program in Viking and Medieval Norse Studies at the University of Iceland; see http://oldnorse.is/.

*What you'll learn*

The history of Saga research since the 19th century.
The fundamentals of Old Norse textual criticism.
The benefits of exploring landscape and archaeological finds when reading the Sagas.
Some of the most important character archetypes that reoccur in the Sagas.
The interplay of Norse mythology and Christianity in the Sagas.
Aspects of the supernatural in the Sagas.


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## kimarnesen (Feb 17, 2018)

Listen to the soundtrack of the Norwegian TV series The Norsemen, it should be on Netflix.

You hear some of it in this one:


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