Evolusi Musik Sheila On 7

 Ada apa dengan musik Sheila On 7? 

 Ingat lagu Dan di album pertama? Lagu yang sederhana dengan akord/kunci standar. Tapi banyak yang kesulitan meniru sound yang khas di lagu itu. Beberapa tahun berikutnya, setelah beberapa kali melihat performance live mereka, baru sadar bahwa Anton tidak memukul hihat di separuh pertama lagu, dia memukul floor Tom. Itu yang membuat suara khas intro Dan, juga membuat seakan-akan tempo setengah lagu lebih lambat dari paruh berikutnya yang tiba-tiba sekan jadi lebih cepat (padahal tetap sama) dan jadi lebih segar (Anton mulai menggunakan HiHat).

Yang jadi fokus saya dulu adalah melodi gitar Eross. Di Dan, not demi not bisa saya tiru, namun lagi-lagi tidak bisa memiliki feel yang sama dengan aslinya (tentu saja, namun setidaknya saya ingin bisa mendekati, dan ternyata susah). Sebulan yang lalu (artinya hampir 16 tahun kemudian), saya menemukan bahwa Eross melakukan melodi itu hampir selalu di senar nomor dua sembari memetik senar pertama (nada e tinggi) terus menerus, memberi efek khas Dan. (Itu juga saat saya menemukan bahwa Slash pun melakukan itu di melodi Welcome to The Jungle)

Ohya, di tiga album pertama Sheila On 7 mereka melakukan detuning pada gitar mereka. Nada diturunkan satu fret, jadi misal ingin mengikuti lagu-lagu Sheila On 7 di periode ini, senar gitar kita harus kita kendorkan hingga setem-an kita turun setengah nada. (Ini yang membuat saya menghubungkan mereka dengan Guns n Roses, meski tidak ada persamaan sama sekali :D , Slash merekam Appetite for Destruction dan Use Your Illusion menggunakan gitar yang tuning-nya diturunkan satu semitone).

Suara gitar Eross susah ditiru; setidaknya bagi saya dulu. Saya sebagai gitaris band metal saat SMU dan  susah sekali  meniru sound Sheila On 7 yang khas itu. (Eit, lagipula ngapain gitaris metal memainkan lagu pop? Heheh..). 

Ternyata kuncinya adalah “metal”. Efek yang saya gunakan adalah Boss Metal Zone dan drive/gain hampir selalu diputar penuh untuk menghasilkan melodi seempuk dan sustain sepanjang mungkin. Dengan drive/gain maksimal gitar juga jadi gampang untuk ‘menjerit’, baik itu pakai natural, artificial maupun pinched harmonik. 

Tetapi dengan drive/gain dibuka penuh akord akan kehilangan nada penyusunnya, kita hanya bisa mendengar “zet zet zet", atau "djent djent djent”  yang menjadi ciri khas metal/hardrock. Sound Sheila sama sekali lain, meski jelas memakai efek gitar (stompbox atau built in ampli), namun not individu yang membentuk akord masih terdengar, rahasianya, drive jangan dibuka penuh sehingga meskipun kita mengocok gitar pakai akord bar (semua senar), suara not individu tetap terdengar. 

(Eross memakai Ampli Tabung Bad Cat, secara alami memiliki sedikit distorsi/clipping meski tanpa efek pedal. Eross memakai StompBox eDrive buatan lokal)

Tentu saja banyak yang tidak suka setting seperti itu, termasuk saya dulu, karena dengan drive/gain yang cuma separo (di lima, atau maksimal tujuh), gitar akan kehilangan sustain. Saat mengocok powerchord dengan palmmute juga menjadi “grok grok grok” atau “grung grung grung”. Di sisi lain, dengan not individu yang terdengar jelas, kita bisa mengeksplor beragam kemungkinan melodi, termasuk menyisipkan lick-lick di sela-sela riff saat “bertugas” sebagai gitaris rhythm. Itu yang (sepertinya) dilakukan Eross, yang jadi ciri khas sound Sheila hingga sekarang. 

Tentang kunci gitar, Eross sepertinya memiliki kebiasaan membiarkan senar nomor satu terbuka. Bagian dari blues style atau memang menyukai tantangan “seberapa kuat aku mendegarkan dissonant nada E ini”. Namun hasilnya terdengar unik dan sampai saat ini menurut saya dia berhasil, :)

Contohnya pada Perhatikan Rani, kunci A memang punya nada E secara alami namun G dan F tidak dan dengan membiarkan senar E terbuka maka kita akan mendapatkan progresi akord A G6 Fmaj7 dengan cuma-cuma, :)

Juga di lagu Saat Aku Lanjut Usia di bagian reff”genggam tanganku”

Kunci normal A C#m/G# F#m E D E A 

Namun dengan semua kunci ditambah dengan senar pertama terbuka yang dipetik maka hasilnya adalah

A C#m/G# F#m7 E Dadd9 E A 

hasilnya adalah sebuah semiblues/jazz instan, atau malah punk, bagi saya terdengar seperti itu, :)

Di Pejantan Tangguh, kita bisa mendengar sedikit perbedaan sound musik SO7. Saya ingat saat itu adalah saat di mana banyak iklan Eross yang memainkan Epiphone. Sepertinya ini adalah masa-masa Eross menggunakan gitar dengan pickup humbucker; bisa dilihat di rekaman live pada saat-saat itu; Eross menggunakan Les Paul, bahkan Gibson Flying V. 

Juga ini titik saat Anton pergi dari SO7.

Kepergian Sakti  sedikit merubah karakteristik sound Sheila. Yang paling mencolok adalah pada saat mereka membawakan lagu-lagu tertentu yang dobel rhytmnya dominan seperti lagu Jangan Beritahu Niah secara live.

Saat live, ketika ada Sakti, kedua gitaris bisa "jual-beli" rhythm, juga tandem melodi pada bagian "bagaimana lagi, yang harus kukatakan…” suara gitar Eross dan Sakti saling melengkapi (satu memainkan meladi root, satu memainkan nada harmonik ketiga).

Tak bisakah Eross memainkan dua nada tersebut sendirian? Tentu saja bisa, namun satu gitar dengan overdrive memainkan dua nada sekaligus akan beda dengan dua gitar dengan overdrive memainkan masing-masing satu nada.

Kan bisa drive/gain dikurangi? No no no. Karakteristik Sheila on 7, drive separo. Jika satu gitar akan jadi sepi. Tergantung lagunya juga sih. Beberapa lagu seperti Dan, Kita Melompat Lebih Tinggi, Pejantan Tangguh tetap baik-baik saja dimainkan dengan satu gitar.

Tentu saja lagu Itu Aku juga baik-baik saja dimainkan dengan satu gitar, karena basisnya adalah piano. Hanya saja saya merindukan saat Sakti memainkan melodi bareng Eross sebelum melodi utama. 

Album berikutnya, meski tanpa Sakti,  tetap memakai dua gitar di sebagian besar musiknya, seperti di Pasti Ku Bisa; meski menggunakan rhythm dengan gitar akustik. Eross sepertinya tak rela meninggalkan Sakti. Saya membayangkan saat recording atau menciptakan lagu dia masih mengikutkan "gitar Sakti" di sana. Tentu saja agak keteteran saat tampil live dan terasa sepi.

Di sini juga Eross mulai terlihat dominan menggunakan Gitar Telecaster (entah Fender atau Squier by Fender)

Di album Musim Yang Baik kita bisa melihat dari lagu Lapang Dada; Sheila On 7 kini memiliki style 4 piece band, dengan satu gitar. Yang juga terlihat beda dan baru adalah  drum yang sepertinya menggunakan trigger atau malah elektrik sepenuhnya.

Sepi? Tidak juga, hal ini karena absennya gitar Sakti dikompensasi dengan permainan gitar  Eross yang lebih rapat di album ini (seperti di intro selamat datang). Biasanya permainan gitar Eross terkesan santai (atau malas-malasan, hehehe) karena ada Sakti. Sekarang jadi terdengar seperti "pekerja keras” atau gitaris yang “rajin”, :)

Bagi saya sih, setelah membandingkan penampilan SO7 live secara akustik, lagu-lagu di Musim yang Baik lebih enak didengarkan versi akustiknya. Tapi tetap menyukai permainan di album versi original, :)

Apa iya? Jangan-jangan musik terdengar lebih ramai karena ada piano, string section atau brass section? Tidak, karena piano, string atau brass selalu ada sejak album pertama jadi tidak begitu berpengaruh. Yang berbeda di album Musim yang Baik ini adalah gitar yang terdengar hanya satu bagian.

Yeah, Eross telah merelakan Sakti untuk mengejar tujuannya (Pencariannya? Cita-citanya? Hasrat terpendamnya? Takdirnya? Kepuasan batin?) dan telah mantap tuk jadi single-guitarist tuk Sheila On 7.

Semakin ke sini kita bisa melihat Eross lebih sering memakai Telecaster, kita bisa melihat karakterestik Tele yang nge-twang di lagu-lagu SO7 di album terakhir. Di Musim yang Baik bahkan hampir seluruhnya memiliki karakteristik sound Telecaster.

Telecaster. Gitar yang sulit dijinakkan. Klasik memang, namun jika kita lihat, pegang dan mainkan, telecaster seperti gitar buatan sendiri, tanpa banyak fitur dan ketika kita genjreng untuk lagu pop maka tetangga akan protes, (tak peduli walau akord kita sudah benar). Yeah Tele memang ’suaranya aneh’. Jika setting ampli kita tepat suaranya bisa crispy, mengeram, seksi; jika tidak suaranya seperti gitar yang tidak di-stem nama sekali, hehehe. Tapi eross berhasil menjinakkannya. Eross juga di-endorse oleh Squier dengan menerbitkan gitar Squier by Fender Telecaster Eross Candra Signature Series. Sebuah Telecaster Klasik dengan bodi Pine namun memakai bridge pickup stacked-humbucker (humbucker yang berbentuk single-coil seperti pick up bridge tele standart). Suara pickup bridge jadi lebih garang karena menggunaka humbucker.

Evolusi? Sheila? Yup 

Eross? Gitar? Yup. 

Eross? Style? No. He's the most consistent guitarist I knew

video (dari akun sheilaVEVO)

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The Evolution of Sheila On 7 s Music

What's with the music of Sheila On 7?

Remember the song Dan on the first album? Simple song with standard chords / keys. But many have difficulty imitating the unique sound in the song. The next few years, after several times seeing their live performances, realized that Anton had not hit the hi-hat for first half of the song, he hit Tom's floor. That makes Dan's intro distinctive sound, it also makes it seem as if the tempo of a half song is slower than the next half, which suddenly becomes faster (even though it remains the same) and becomes more refreshed (Anton starts using HiHat).

What became my focus was the melody of Eross's guitar. In Dan, I can copy the notes for notes, but again I can't have the same feel as the original (of course, but at least I want to be able to approach, and it turns out to be difficult). A month ago (meaning almost 16 years later), I discovered that Eross did the melody almost always in the second string while picking the first string (high e-tone) continuously, giving Dan's distinctive effect. (That was also when I discovered that Slash did it in the Welcome to The Jungle melody)

Oh yeah, in the first three albums of Sheila On 7 they detuned their guitars. The guitar tuning was lowered by one fret, so for example if I wanted to follow the songs of Sheila On 7 in this period, we had to let our guitar strings go down so that our tunes dropped by half the tone. (This is what makes me connect them to Guns n Roses, even though there are no similarities at all: D, Slash records Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion using a guitar that is tuned down by one semitone).

Eross's guitar sound is hard to imitate; at least for me first. I was a metal band guitarist during high school and was very difficult to imitate the distinctive Sheila On 7 sound. (uh oh.., after all, why the metal guitarist play pop songs? Heheh ...).

Apparently the key is "metal". The effect I use is the Boss Metal Zone and the drive / gain is almost always fully rotated to produce a melody that compressed and had sustain as long as possible. With the maximum drive / gain of the guitar, it's also easy to "scream", whether it's using natural, artificial or pinched harmonics.

But with the drive / gain opened fully the chord will lose its individual tone, we can only hear "zet zet zet", or "djent djent djent" which characterize the hard rock metal. Sheila's sound is completely different, although it clearly uses guitar effects (stomp-box or built in amps), but individual notes that form chords are still heard, the secret is  the drive should not be fully opened so that even if we shake the guitar using chord bar (all strings), the sound of individual notes still heard.

(Eross using Bad Cat Tube Amp, naturally has little distortion / clipping even without pedal effects. Eross uses locally made StompBox eDrive)

Of course many don't like such settings, including me first, because with only half the drive / gain (at five, or a maximum of seven), the guitar will lose sustain. When shaking the powerchord with the palm mute it also becomes "grok grok grok" or "grung grung grung". On the other hand, with clear individual notes, we can explore a variety of possible melodies, including inserting lick-licks between riffs when "in charge" as a rhythm guitarist. That is what Eross looks like, which has become the trademark of Sheila's sound until now.

About the key to the guitar, Eross seems to have a habit of letting the number one string open. Parts of the blues style or indeed like the challenge of "how long can I listen to this dissonant tone of E before going crazy". But the results sound unique and until now I think he succeeded, :)

For example, in Perhatikan Rani, A  Chord does have an E  naturally but not on G and F chord  and by left the E string  open all the time we will get the A-G6-Fmaj7 chord progression for free, :)

Also in the song Saat Aku Lanjut Usia in the reff section "genggam tanganku..."

Normal chord: A C#m/G# F#m E D E A

But with all the keys added with the first string opened, the result is

A C#m/G# F m7 E Dadd9 E A

the result is a semi-blues / jazz instant, or even punk, (for me it sounds like that), :)

In Pejantan Tangguh, we can hear a little difference in SO7 music sound. I remember when it was a time when there were lots of Eross advertisements that played Epiphone. Looks like this is a time when Eross used a guitar with a humbucker pickup; can be seen on live recordings at those times; Eross uses Les Paul, even the Gibson Flying V.

Also this is the point when Anton goes from SO7.

Sakti's departure slightly changed Sheila's sound characteristics. The most striking thing is when they bring certain songs that are dominantly rhythmic like the song Jangan Beritahu Niah live.

When live, when Sakti is still in the band, both guitarists can "trade-off" rhythms, as well as tandem melodies in the "bagaimana lagi, yang harus kukatakan ..." Eross and Sakti guitar sounds complement each other (one play root, one plays a third harmonic tone) .

Can't Eross play these two notes alone? Of course you can, but one guitar with overdrive plays two tones at the same time it will be different from the two guitars with overdrive playing each one tone.

Can the drive/gain be reduced? No no. The characteristics of Sheila on 7, half drive. If one guitar will be quiet. It depends on the song too. Some songs like Dan, Melompat Lebih Tinggi, Pejantan  Tangguh is still fine playing with one guitar.

Of course the song Itu Aku also fine played with one guitar, because the base is piano. It's just that I miss when Sakti plays the melody with Eross before the main melody.

The next album, even without Sakti, still uses two guitars in most of its music, like in Pasti Ku Bisa; even though using a rhythm with an acoustic guitar. Eross seemed not willing to leave Sakti. I imagine when recording or creating songs, he still includes "Sakti's guitar" there. Of course it is rather tough when performing live and feels lonely.

Here also Eross starts to look dominant using Telecaster (either Fender or Squier by Fender)

On the album Musim Yang Baik we can see from the Lapang Dada song; Sheila On 7 now has a 4 piece band style, with one guitar. What also looks different and new is the drum that seems to use trigger or even completely electric.

Quiet? Not really, this is because the absence of the Sakti guitar is compensated by Eross's tighter  guitar playing on this album (as in the welcome intro). Usually Eross's guitar playing seems relaxed (or lazy, hehehe) because there is Sakti. Now it sounds like "hard worker" or a guitarist who is "diligent", :)

For me, after comparing SO7's live performance in acoustic format, songs in Musim Yang Baik are better heard by the acoustic version. But I still like  the original version of the album, :)

Is it true? Could it be that the music sounds more crowded because there is a piano, string section or brass section? No, because pianos, strings or brass have always been there since the first album, so it didn't really matter. What's different in this Musim Yang Baik album is a guitar that sounds just one part.

Yeah, Eross has let Sakti go to pursue his goal (his search? His goal? His hidden desire? His destiny? Inner satisfaction?) And has been determined to become a single-guitarist for Sheila On 7.

Recently we can see Eross more often using a Fender Telecaster, we can see Tele characters twirling on SO7 songs on the last album. In Musim Yang Baik almost all of them have Telecaster sound characteristics.

Telecaster. A guitar that is hard to tame. Classic indeed, but if we look, hold and play, the Telecaster is like a homemade guitar, without many features and when we go for pop songs the neighbors will protest, (no matter even if our chords are correct). Yeah Tele, 'the voice is weird'. If the setting of our amps is right, the sound can be crispy, growling, sexy; if not, the sound is like an un-tuned guitar, heheh... . But eross managed to tame it. Eross was also endorsed by Squier by publishing the Squier guitar by Fender Telecaster Eross Candra Signature Series. A Classic Telecaster with a Pine body but uses a stacked-humbucker pickup bridge (a humbucker in single-coil-form that fit in standard Tele pick-up bridge hole). The bridge pickup sound becomes more ferocious because it uses humbucker.

Evolution? Sheila? Yup

Eross? Guitar? Yup.


Eross? Style? No. He's the most consistent guitarist I knew