Assessing guitar sound based on a historical view
of Heavy Metal. Heavy metal was called a rock critic
Robert Duncan (1984: 36-37), as an unsophisticated,
anti-intellectual, gloomy, bad, horrible and stupid
music, like death music. A similar opinion was
conveyed by Joe Stuessy, a music professor at the
University of Texas at San Antonio, according to him
heavy metal music is categorically different from
previous popular music forms, and contains elements
of hate (Testimony of Dr. Joe Stuessy , US Congress,
Record Labeling (Senate Monitoring 99-529), 117).
Both of these assumptions explain how hard the
meaning and purpose of heavy metal is. If true, the
concept of sound was made as a symbol of resistance,
then the intended intentions of Rhoma and situational
forces at that time, namely precisely the New Order
era, with fierce competition in the music industry
between pop, rock and Malay genres caused by the
arrival of music popular from the West. Another
symbol of the intent of Heavy Metal is possible as a
representation of marginalized and opposition low-
class people from the government. Dangdut music
with heavy metal nuances becomes very honest
music. A path to individual freedom and equality of
social classes in society can accumulate through the
soundness of heavy metal.
In the view of cultural sociology of heavy metal,
it is clear that in general the sociology of culture can
investigate the creation, appreciation and mediation
of cultural forms, in this case heavy metal. Heavy
metal will involve very many elements that will form
meaning starting from the artist, audience and
mediator itself (Weinstein, 2000: 4). Heavy metal is
also recognized as something more than just a
marketing category, besides having a distinctive
voice, it also has a visual and verbal meaning that is
attached to artists, viewers and mediators who build
it (Green, 1988: 33). The sound is allegedly a mystery
for musicians and guitarists (where they are very
difficult to find sound that feels like dangdut, but this
is not only because of pure sound, but can be from
how the player feels), is a guitar sound already
attached to the cultural order. The sound is inherited
indirectly through the community and the artists
themselves, in dangdut shows everywhere.
The uncomfortable sound is continuously used in
the performance of the show. Is the sound of political
value? Or intentionally and used as a means of
expressing the people? Dangdut itself has never
escaped its involvement with politics. This happened
the first time in 1977 and 1982 when Rhoma Irama
entered to support the PPP party (United
Development Party) (Tempo, 9 April 1977). Dangdut
is present not only to look at the quality of the music,
but because dangdut is able to attract and take
people's hearts, because dangdut is felt to represent
the heart and feelings of the lower class, who live
under pressure (Frederick & Kesumah, 1995: 27). In
2018, dangdut also had a political role, the emergence
of Java, Reggea and Rap dangdut which was brought
by Via Vallen, was also interpreted as a way for
musicians to criticize politics. The end of the year was
dangdut to be a treat that was not separated from
television shows, even the anniversary events of an
online company, the birthday of a television station.
Until entering at the beginning of 2019 dangdut was
still in its political reunion, and did not forget that
Rhoma was also promoted to become a presidential
candidate.
Does dangdut try to create an alienation of its own
people? Is the truth covered with fine music? Lukacs
(in Adian, 2011: 26) once said in his theory about
partial awareness. Awareness which has two separate
views between the bourgeois view and the working
class view. Both parties have different intentions,
where the bourgeoisie continues to make various
interests in maintaining its power (reproductive
domination), on the other hand the working class
continues to seek justification based on its social
totality (Eggleton, 1991, in Adian, 2011: 30). Sound
is produced in heavy metal bandages which have a
negative tendency, but at the same time as a symbol
of the people, in expressing their existence and
expression to the reality of life touched by their
political, economic and social circumstances.
4 CONCLUSIONS
Based on the above explanation the results
obtained in the review of guitar sound in dangdut
music and its relation to the color of metal music on
the guitar sound. So the description of the dangdut
guitar sound was originally possessed and produced
by Rhoma Irama in the 1970s, amid the heat of
popular American music rock genre in Indonesia,
after the Soeharto (New Order) leadership in 1966-
1967. The entry of the music genre created dangdut
colors in rock style with electric guitars at Soneta
band stretchers. Rock music that is present in the
dangdut music is produced by Rhoma Irama's guitar
sound with Steinberger guitar instruments and
combined with the distortion effect of Heavy Metal
and Booster. Sound Guitar produced from the concept
was not only played by Rhoma but also continued by
other dangdut guitar players. The direction of musical
style and the sound character of the guitar are
followed up into the Forsa community (Fans of