A formação musical da banda Sanctifier: um estudo sobre prática e aprendizagem na cena metal de Natal-RN

Abstract

Sanctifier is death metal band from Natal playing this subgenre of heavy metal belongs to a strand called "extreme metal". This research is set as a case study (Yin, 2015; Gil, 2009) that sought to understand how Sanctifier’s musical practice is determined both by its actuation in the scene and by the musical backgrounds of its members. Individual and collective formative processes were found, such as the discovery of heavy metal music and insertion into the local scene, other musical practices outside extreme metal, the personal assimilation of skills and knowledge, the purposes and commitments to Sanctifier, the integration of group learning, the use of technologies and media, as well as the performances themselves, whether live or recorded. The results allowed not only to know about Sanctifier itself, but also how musically operates the scene of extreme metal in the city of Natal, as well as what are the non-sonorous results of these relations. This research explores and discusses two thematic axes: heavy metal and the musical formation process. The first axis deal with the heavy metal culture (Christe, 2007; Weinstein, 2000; Walser, 1993), delves into extreme metal (Kahn-Harris, 2010), especially death metal (Purcell, 2003; Mudrian, 2004; Phillipov, 2012) and culminates in its insertion and consolidation in Brazil (Leão, 1997; Janotti Júnior, 2004). The second axis discusses musical formation based in immersion in the musical scene (Straw 1984; 1991; 2006; 2015) and from the perspective of informal musical learning (Green, 2001, 2002, 2012), focusing on the self-learning in non-school contexts (Corrêa, 2008), considering rock and heavy metal bands as formative spaces (Campbell, 1995), as well as processes individual and collective musical learning in an extreme metal band (Carvalho, 2011). Furthermore, the term “musicking” helps to understand of music as an activity, not as an object, since its nature and meaning reside in human actions when playing, listening, training, rehearsing, composing, dancing, prepare and recording performances, among others (Small, 1998), therefore configuring performance as a central element of a musical formative environment for the actors in a scene. These findings are expected to maybe influence new researches aimed at understanding musical learning in the extreme metal context, the discussions of Music Education on the possibilities of musical learning beyond school contexts, as well as strengthening existing discussions on these subjects.