How much influence does dialect have in German? Here's a funny story: My wife and I are Canadian but my wife's parents came to Canada from Sachsen, in different towns near Dresden. My wife grew up in a German-speaking house and did not start to speak English until she started going to school, and is fluent today. On our first trip to Germany we travelled in 6 different states in the east and south, and when my wife spoke to people I noticed she had quite a different accent from them everywhere we went, which I assumed was a Canadian accent. Until we went to Dresden. At one point we were in a Taxi going to the Hauptbanhoff with all of our luggage and my wife started a conversation with the female Taxi driver, who complimented her on the excellence of her German. I was sitting in the back seat listening to the two of them and sometimes I couldn't tell who said what. Growing up in Canada, she still spoke recognizable Sächsisch!
Kids pick up accents really well, I'm from the Netherlands (So I speak Dutch, I learned my first German and English from watching BBC and German television without subtitles) and as a kid I went to see family who moved to Switzerland. After a couple of days, maybe a week, in that German speaking environment I was speaking Dutch with a Swiss accent (well, that region of Switzerland) to my fellow Dutch origin family members. :-)
Dialects still survive these days, but in certain regions, they might not get taught as directly anymore. I know of certain schools in Northern Germany that also offer 'Niederdeutsch / Plattdeutsch' as a school subject, which I think is pretty cool. I like the sound of 'Plattdeutsch' a lot! :)
@@Daveinitely The Männerchor I sing in does 'Eine Seefahrt die ist lustig' which is a plattdeutsch song. It's a lot of fun (yes, I'm an old guy). And one guy in the choir comes from Hannover and does a pretty good low-German accent when he has a few beers.
Interesting stuff dude. According to my Polish friends I sound like a drunk German (Bavarian) when speaking Polish, although I'm from Newcastle in the UK. Accents are fascinating things :)
I would totally agree, Amy. He seems to be a rather introverted guy, whereas he puts on a very extraverted stage persona for concerts and the Rammstein cosm (and I don't mean that in a bad way at all).
far as i know Till Linemann is agoraphobic or at least was, back when Rammstein started. That definitly was quite defining for his onstage persona. If he still is agoraphobic it still is defining. If he isnt i would guess he kept the persona that worked and that he is known for. Rammsteinshows work quite a bit differently from other musicians shows and you kind of need this kind of persona for the shows to work. I personally love Rammsteinshows but i also love more interactive ones.
Til Lindemann strikes me as a very well-spoken and articulate type of person in “real life.” Wasn’t his father a poet? Basically, he comes from an academic family who were probably quite middle-class, despite living in the Communist GDR, and this is quite evident when you hear him speak and read interviews.
When my oma and opa tried teaching me German when i was a kid, opa taught me to roll the r's and oma got pissed when i did. Interesting experience. Lol
Honestly, I think it’s a rhythmic thing as much as anything else. When you listen to a track like “Rammstein”, his rolled R sounds *really* emphasize those heavy downbeats…like he’s drumming with his voice or something along those lines.
I like the way the "r" sounds when Till rolls it. It's stronger than the usual "r". There's something powerfull when he sings but his voice sounds soft and kind when he talks. It's weired and sweet at the same time.
@@lemsip207 it's evident that the guy from Måneskin can roll the R like me in Spanish. There's a difference between R and RR which is stronger. Like in Spanish, pero and perro or guerra, which comes from Germanic werra. The R at the beginning of words also is pronounced with a double RR, like in ropa, which comes from Gothic raupa (brought by Visigoths who came from Gotland, Sweden), and raupa came from Germanic raupjan. Robe has a similar etymology if not the same, a bit different but comes from same Proto- Germanic as well as the others mentioned. Ward and guarda come from the same Germanic warda. English Wardrobe Italian Guardaroba Spanish Guardarropa (has two R so we roll it more than Italians in that word), same origin. Basically, we are rolling R all day long as well as other Romantic languages, except for French. As the Latin R was always rolled since its creation. I'm still looking for answer about if the R were rolled in Old or Middle German. I know R were rolled or tapped in Old Nordic and Old English.
@@Gossosgrocs There was a video about the drummer not being able to do that. I can roll the r as I am Welsh born but can't do the r moscia because I started learning French too late at the age of 11.
How about you try to scream RAMMSTEIN from the pit of your lungs in a baritone voice with a soft "r" from the back of your throat, without sounding like a middle aged bookkeeper. Lots of singers do it for the pronunciation and sharpness. Even in opera...
RAMM......... STEIN!!!! In ones deepest voice is very hard to do from the back of the throat. The rolled 'r' like the Spanish 'r' is a much better work
I've been rediscovering Rammstein during this self isolation. I forgot how phenomenal they are! Their staging is like Pink Floyd on roids. I listen only to them to get my ass walking outdoors. I'm in my 50's but teenager again on their music. Greetings from Boston, MA! 👋👋
That’s true. I just tried to sing the word “Wunderbar” in a really deep voice and you do end up kind of rolling an “r.” This topic always interested me because I had never heard of Germans doing this kind of “r” rolling.
Til himself said it's because of the way he sings (holding the notes) combined with his deep voice.... But I'm still watching, because German language love.
I studied opera in college and also spent a summer abroad learning German art song in Austria and everything you say about Till makes perfect sense to me! He very much reminds me of the German diction classes I took to effectively project a rolled r in a big theater and his voice overall is quite operatic in its timbre and the roundness of his vowels. Loved this video!
I know I'm late to the party, but what native German speakers fail to appreciate is how German sounds to non German speakers. German, being a guttural consonant language has a very dynamic range for foreign ears. Till is aware of this fact and I think it is at the heart of Rammstein's International success.
Thank you for the analysis! As a huge Rammstein fan who's learning German, I always wondered what the deal was! You mention he rolls the R, but I find he also pronounces words like "ich" and "dich" like "ish" and "dish", which I *know* is not how people speak.
The 'stage German' makes the most sense to me, even as an American with only mild comprehension of Deutsch- but that comes from being a fan of Brecht and listening to old recordings of Die Dreigroschnoper. And I know the Rammstein guys love Brecht as well.
Exactly. I couldn't even understand why so much fuss about that 'r' -- compared to Morität in the original 1931 Dreigroschenoper movie it's nothing. That was really rolling. Und derr Haifisch, derrr hat Zähne, und die trrrägt errrr...
he started to sing, using the rolled "R" because in the first studio recorded Album he had to sing so low that he couldn't sing a good pronunced "R" without rolling it. Flake said that in his book "Heute hat die Welt Geburtstag". and they dindn't want to provoke anybody with the Riefenstahl footage, they dindn't even think about it. Watch the Making of Stripped.
As a foreigner, the reason why I love Rammstein so much is I get to focus on the notes and the music rather than lyrics. I don't really prefer even knowing the full translations, just to know what each songs narrative is and hearing the emotions in the tones of Till's voice and the chord progressions. It's a unique experience.
As I'm an "only-knows-a-few-words-in-German-has-to-guess-everything-else" kinda guy, Till's pronunciation is really helpful. Clear, crispy, easy to differentiate between words, this helps a lot to understand the message.
I actually never noticed, haha. Maybe it’s because I’m Dutch and speak with a rolling-r myself. I only noticed a difference when you played the part where Till spoke ‘normally’. Your videos are very informative!
I've used rammstein to teach myself German for years, i started when i was 8 and i am now 23 going on 24, and i can actually hold small coversations in German, i knew about the different dialects but i didnt know exactly what parts of Germany they came from, i did know that Hoch Deutsch is the most widely used dialect though.
As someone who enjoys Rammstein but doesn't know any German language, I found this video to be very informative and well put together. Thank you for the insight.
Coronavirus lockdown is getting to me. This vid was recommended for me and I just watched the whole thing, even though I haven't listened to Rammstein since the late 90s. It is interesting though
You've missed out on many awesome Rammstein tracks then! Feel free to browse around, I've analyzed various Rammstein lyrics and explain their linguistic features in English :)
"In the typical Rammstein style it would sound like this: ..." Just loved it! 😂 I think those R's also make his German a little more familiar to Italian and Spanish people, who are already scared by the German language itself 😂
Well in my experience, no matter where I am, German Opera has been sung with rolled a R so maybe it's to add an operatic element, which I find often really adds to the epicness.
I was watching a TV show and I felt like the accent wasn't "German" enough. I now understand that it is actually the Austrian accent that is the most beautiful and closer to what I consider German.
"Frühling in Paris " also has non-rolling resources, so it makes sense that the softer and quieter songs have the softer r's. I was wondering about this as well before, thank you for your interesting videos!
Autocorrect changed "r's" to "resources" ... geez, makes my comment a little confusing. "Fuhre Mich" has non-rolling r's only for the word "Fuhre", maybe so it rhymes better with "Fuhle"
The lead singer from Sabaton also rolls his "r's". You brought up some great points and that was great! I learned a lot from this video. Also though when most singers hold a note they hold it on a vowel because it sounds more pleasant to the ears so you're right he probably wanted it to sound harsh so he rolled his "R's" to do so. Rammstein's lyrics are usually pretty intense and they want to bring that intensity to the sound.
The first thing that called my attention when I first listened to Rammstein back in 2002 was that rolling "r". I know a bit of German (I have German background), so I knew they were from Germany, but even people who didn't know a single word in the language could guess where they were from. I think the stereotype factor is one of the main reasons for Till to sound like that. I also think the rolling "r" is perfect for ther type of rough music and Till graspy voice, it's like a great combo. And finally, yeah, I've thought many many many times that they were inspired by Adolf H. speeches, a strong rolling letter shows determination and strength in your ideas, as if they were playing the main actor in an opera, just like A.H. would love to watch and imitate. Last but not least, Great video!
I’ve heard the rolling of the ‘r’s described as the alveolar trill. Bizarrely, I had an (Australian) girlfriend who also did this and her family was from UK! 😄 I love the way you deconstructed this and examined it from all angles. Very German 😄 Grüße von Australien 🇦🇺😎
If you don't already listen to Heldmaschine, you should. They started as a Rammstein tribute band called "Volkerball." They have a song called, "®" which basically talks about how Till rolls his 'R's. When they play it live, they have replaced the "R" with an "L," an obvious reference to Till. Although they are no longer a tribute band playing Rammstein songs, their music is still heavily influenced by them, and the influence is obvious.
I am an opera singer from the United States. I have always used Till’s singing diction. I’ve had compliments and been asked who I studied German diction with. I say Mr. Till Lindemann and my fellow coaches and colleagues say that I was taught the proper way to sing German lieder. I can’t help but smile, as they don’t know who he is. Some have even asked me to ask him to teach a German diction class for classical voice! I say hopefully someday, but he has another full time job 😂.
In Norway we learn our third language usually around our eight year in school. I chose german simply because I hated the posh girls in class who chose french. Haha. But I never got the "r" right. I struggled so bad. Several other students in my class struggled too - In the region I live in we use hard R's. When I discovered Rammstein the same year I just decided to go with the pronounciation Till uses. I learned more by doing that. And even if most people don't pronounciate german like I do, at least I can make myself understood.
Canadian content - 40 yrs ago, a younger friend was taking German at University. In one of our conversations over a dutch b##r, he informed me of the "High" and "low" German language. The R's was something I remembered. As for Ramm - Well I am just a Fan. Cheers
I find that the way he sings and pronounces goes brilliantly with their type of music. There are fantastic. Many countries in Europe pronounce r the same way. Nothing to do with Hitler. Great video!
I studied opera in England, we were taught to always roll our Rs whilst singing English, French and German arias - as well as Italian of course. Great video! 🖤
I’m from fife in Scotland and find Germany easy to understand but in this area the dialect has many words that sound very like the German. We call church- Kirk, daughter- dochter, off- af, apple, aipple, for- fur. There are lots more but my mind is blank lol our accent is very strong and I often get mistaken for German lol. I was in koblenz a few years ago and in a shop asked my husband something in my normal dialect. The lady behind counter answered me in German lol. She was very surprised when I said I was Scottish lol. I was taken for German in Belgium too as they thought my accent was german. I adore rammstein and have been a fan and gig goer for many years. danke für das video, Tschüss 🤘🤗💕🏴
I roll my "r" in German because I grew up hearing my grandparents doing it on a lot of words (not all), since they were "German" immigrants, but from modern-day Romania. I would love to see a video on the Donauschwäbisch accent/dialect.
You nailed this on the dramatic style, I've even done this with the R in English, which is normally not done as a way to emphasize the sound. Till is also a baritone as am I, so this lends to delivery. You Mentioned Hitler's rolling of the R as well, and it was known he did emphasize this and a harder sound for dramatic effect. Naturally any language can sound hard when enunciated in this dramatic fashion. Frankly I love R+ often double meaning to their lyrics. And in Tills Solo project where he did his first albulms all in English, with his German accent actually lended to it sounding cool, as well as the offbeat lyrics staying true to R+. They are one of the most successful acts in the world, and I'm hoping this Covid-19 doesn't get this year's tour canceled, as I am anticipating seeing them live again. :)
Thank you so much for clarifying ! I was aware of the rolled R in Southern German and Austrian dialects, but hadn't heard of the "stage German ". This totally explains why I was confused/assumed that operas were performed in the " Austrian" accent..I had just guessed that it was some tribute to Mozart .
This reminds me of Kyo from Dir en grey, his English doesn't sound like English, and his Japanese (native language) doesn't really sound like Japanese. He changes the pronunciations of things on purpose to bend their meaning or fit a melody.
Wow. I thought there were more Germans in the comments... Well German here to see how this dude does on explaining one of my favorite bands and how his accent is :P Dude. Nice video. Appreciate it.
Transatlantic, or Mid-Atlantic, accent... The same thing was done in older American moves with the "Continental Accent" Dialect - It's just an obsolete Hollywood movie script derived abstraction of English for the movies and stage. Till is cool. Great explanation.
Inch liebe Rammstein! I am American, but my dad was stationed over in Germany in the ‘90s and I learned some German from his German to English dictionary and from Rammstein and other German-singing bands.
Omg I can't believe I found your channel! Rammstein is my favourite band and has been for many years. A day without them is like a day without sunshine! I live in Canada and I don't currently speak German but it's on my bucket list. I love Till, we were born in the same year. My most favourite concert was seeing them in Toronto. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. The cd I made for my son's funeral :( had Ohne dich on it. One of my pet peeves is people mispronouncing their name... like rammsteen, ugh!
Just seen Rammstein in Chicago last weekend. It was intense! Definitely the most epic concert I've ever seen! No music is loud enough for me now 😂 So I'm on a Rammstein kick now...
Loving all the ramnstein content, it's awesome thank you. It's so fascinating how there's so many different dialects in German. To me I think Till rolls his rrs on certain songs because it's become a trade mark of his, and sounds awesome :-)
I spent three years in Deutschland and it was amazing. I didnt learn a lot of the language and over the years I have forgotten most of what I learned but I am trying to pick it back up. I miss that place and am ready to go back.
I love your videos! Rammstein is my favorite band. Til does them "R's" for sure but so did my mother. It's really just good ole fashion German! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE it. German language is the most beautiful language in the world!
OMG, you hit all my buttons with this vid. You're articulate, intelligent, you spoke Deutsch (Ich war eine Austaus Schülerin) and I looooove Rammstein as well as learning about languages and dialects. 💓 Vielen Dank!
so bottom line till simply knows how to harness people's itch while making big hits. he's just awesome and forever will be. Been listening to Rammstein since I was a kid. that's like 20 years of listening to them every day without tiring one bit.
Im very happy to have found your videos. My desire to learn German has been brought back to life. I have German heritage and I want to embrace it completely. Thank you for your videos
I think I'm going to start paying better attention to your channel, as I hope to see Rammstein live in the next year or two. I'd also like to roam around the Bavarian region and see if I can find the town my grandfather spoke about, where many of the townsfolk had the same last name as him.
Rolling an r while singing is just a common way to pronounce the letter clearly while keeping the throat and vocal space open instead of closed like other spoken ways to pronounce the r
Thank you for this examination of Lindemann and his art. As an artist he psychological exists on the periphery of his culture and whether he know it or not he is channeling the culture, history and spirituality of Germany. As a foreigner, with my rather primitive language skill, I could only discern northern dialect ( platte) of Braunschweig in Saxony of the 1970’s from Augsburg, Oberbayern. However, visually, musically, and historically his imagery evokes Kurt Weil, Lenny Riefenstahl and the master stage illusionist Albert Speer.... he was aware Of what it would evoke in the listener. Lastly,, Jung might offer that he was simply creating what is unconscious in the German people at this time. Watch the crowds faces the Wagnerian stage ambiance, social realism, and yes..... his Linzer accent. At an obvious level he understood what he was creating as a work of art. I might critique you for putting too fine a point on the ‘ aussprache ‘ angle....and not enough on the psychological angle.
First Album first Song: Sehnsucht versteckt Sich wie ein Insekt Im Schlaf merkst du nicht Wie es dich sticht Glücklich werd ich nirgendwo Der Finger rutscht nach Mexiko Doch er versinkt im Ozean Sehnsucht ist so grausam... Whoah. Its obviously where this is coming from. The pain of being trapped behind the iron curtain of the GDR. Just brilliant.
Hallo! As a native English speaker from Texas and a Japanese learner....."R" is a headache for me sometimes. 😂😂 English "R" Spanish "R" Japanese "R" - which is a "R/L" hybrid but English speakers tend to not hear mentally. It's a mess but I enjoy the challenge. I noticed but had no reason to take note as I don't speak any German. Thanks it was an interesting video.😊👍 Do you think it's possible it's the German equivalent of English heavy metal growl of sorts ? Metallica or Five Finger Death Punch "Wash It All Away" intro. I'm glad they don't depart from German. Engel has an awesome contrast between the metal and classic vocals. Cheers!
I don't listen to Rammstein so I don't know if they have scream parts in their songs but there are many German metal bands screaming. Look up Verloren by A Long Way To Fall unfortunately that is the only German song they have but the rest is in English ;) it is a really good one though. I listen to metal for a longer time but mostly English metal like Five Finger Death Punch but now I started to hear more German metal. It sounds impressive too! I don't nessecary like how German songs sound but metal needs some rough sounds. As a non native speaker the American way of pronouncing the r is also not that easy eventhough I think that my English isn't so bad.
I'm from a really rural part of the midwest in America. We have small towns where the street signs are in German and mass is in german. I grew up speaking our dialect of German and we roll our rs in everyday speech.
Yea I cant really understand german from germany very good tbh. I guess our dialect is an older form. Truth is I'm one of the few younger people who speak it, and I dont live there anymore. Idk anyone younger than me who speaks it. Itll be gone soon
How much influence does dialect have in German? Here's a funny story: My wife and I are Canadian but my wife's parents came to Canada from Sachsen, in different towns near Dresden. My wife grew up in a German-speaking house and did not start to speak English until she started going to school, and is fluent today. On our first trip to Germany we travelled in 6 different states in the east and south, and when my wife spoke to people I noticed she had quite a different accent from them everywhere we went, which I assumed was a Canadian accent.
Until we went to Dresden. At one point we were in a Taxi going to the Hauptbanhoff with all of our luggage and my wife started a conversation with the female Taxi driver, who complimented her on the excellence of her German. I was sitting in the back seat listening to the two of them and sometimes I couldn't tell who said what.
Growing up in Canada, she still spoke recognizable Sächsisch!
Kids pick up accents really well, I'm from the Netherlands (So I speak Dutch, I learned my first German and English from watching BBC and German television without subtitles) and as a kid I went to see family who moved to Switzerland. After a couple of days, maybe a week, in that German speaking environment I was speaking Dutch with a Swiss accent (well, that region of Switzerland) to my fellow Dutch origin family members. :-)
Dialects still survive these days, but in certain regions, they might not get taught as directly anymore. I know of certain schools in Northern Germany that also offer 'Niederdeutsch / Plattdeutsch' as a school subject, which I think is pretty cool. I like the sound of 'Plattdeutsch' a lot! :)
@@Daveinitely The Männerchor I sing in does 'Eine Seefahrt die ist lustig' which is a plattdeutsch song. It's a lot of fun (yes, I'm an old guy). And one guy in the choir comes from Hannover and does a pretty good low-German accent when he has a few beers.
@@Daveinitely By the way, this is a very well-thought-out video.
Interesting stuff dude.
According to my Polish friends I sound like a drunk German (Bavarian) when speaking Polish, although I'm from Newcastle in the UK.
Accents are fascinating things :)
Till's stage persona is quite a bit different than his off stage personality. There is a difference.
I would totally agree, Amy. He seems to be a rather introverted guy, whereas he puts on a very extraverted stage persona for concerts and the Rammstein cosm (and I don't mean that in a bad way at all).
far as i know Till Linemann is agoraphobic or at least was, back when Rammstein started. That definitly was quite defining for his onstage persona. If he still is agoraphobic it still is defining. If he isnt i would guess he kept the persona that worked and that he is known for. Rammsteinshows work quite a bit differently from other musicians shows and you kind of need this kind of persona for the shows to work. I personally love Rammsteinshows but i also love more interactive ones.
Til Lindemann strikes me as a very well-spoken and articulate type of person in “real life.” Wasn’t his father a poet? Basically, he comes from an academic family who were probably quite middle-class, despite living in the Communist GDR, and this is quite evident when you hear him speak and read interviews.
There’s a difference in fried and baked chicken
Genious comment. That probably fits all artist that perform on stage
He began to roll the "r" because it allowed him to pronounce the words better in the baritone tessitura.
Also rolled r is the original r in almost all european languages: french, danish, english..
@@Unknownmanwhoisunknown Yes, that's true.
When my oma and opa tried teaching me German when i was a kid, opa taught me to roll the r's and oma got pissed when i did. Interesting experience. Lol
Are you Brazilian?
She got pissed bacause you couldnt do it ;)
You can benefit from it in Spanish.
Till Lindemann is an Artist and a Genius, I Love this band
im an american born german and they're one of my favorite bands
the band and i are just really good friends, you have nothing to worry about when they go out for long periods of time.
And handsome man. I heard he is a kind hearted person
The first time I heard a German singer roll their r was Nina Hagen. Her octave range was Unreal. Cool Germanic memories...
Yes! She even collaborated with the guys on 'Seemann'. :)
Honestly, I think it’s a rhythmic thing as much as anything else. When you listen to a track like “Rammstein”, his rolled R sounds *really* emphasize those heavy downbeats…like he’s drumming with his voice or something along those lines.
Maybe he's Scottish all along
Hehe :D
That aggressively rolled “r” is more similar to Finnish than Scottish English.
Am Scottish, can confirm we roll our Rs plenty
The Scottish pronunciation of 'warm' (warrum) sounds just like 'why' in German.
@@KieranMc727 i dont even have a brouge an i still roll me arse lol my scottish mouth is genetic? lol
I like the way the "r" sounds when Till rolls it. It's stronger than the usual "r".
There's something powerfull when he sings but his voice sounds soft and kind when he talks. It's weired and sweet at the same time.
Even stronger than when Damiano David singer of Maneskin rolls the 'r' as in 'parla' in Zitti e Buoni.
@@lemsip207 it's evident that the guy from Måneskin can roll the R like me in Spanish. There's a difference between R and RR which is stronger. Like in Spanish, pero and perro or guerra, which comes from Germanic werra. The R at the beginning of words also is pronounced with a double RR, like in ropa, which comes from Gothic raupa (brought by Visigoths who came from Gotland, Sweden), and raupa came from Germanic raupjan. Robe has a similar etymology if not the same, a bit different but comes from same Proto- Germanic as well as the others mentioned. Ward and guarda come from the same Germanic warda.
English Wardrobe
Italian Guardaroba
Spanish Guardarropa (has two R so we roll it more than Italians in that word), same origin.
Basically, we are rolling R all day long as well as other Romantic languages, except for French. As the Latin R was always rolled since its creation. I'm still looking for answer about if the R were rolled in Old or Middle German. I know R were rolled or tapped in Old Nordic and Old English.
@@Gossosgrocs There was a video about the drummer not being able to do that. I can roll the r as I am Welsh born but can't do the r moscia because I started learning French too late at the age of 11.
How about you try to scream RAMMSTEIN from the pit of your lungs in a baritone voice with a soft "r" from the back of your throat, without sounding like a middle aged bookkeeper. Lots of singers do it for the pronunciation and sharpness. Even in opera...
RAMM......... STEIN!!!!
In ones deepest voice is very hard to do from the back of the throat. The rolled 'r' like the Spanish 'r' is a much better work
When the ads are Rammstein Songs 😍
I've been rediscovering Rammstein during this self isolation. I forgot how phenomenal they are! Their staging is like Pink Floyd on roids. I listen only to them to get my ass walking outdoors. I'm in my 50's but teenager again on their music.
Greetings from Boston, MA! 👋👋
MA. Richie from Boston said y'all are locked down and army rolling the streets is that true
@@Redshomested Not true!
@@sonjaleesloth thank you
Rammstein is just awesome, its my favorite band.
Greetings from Germany ^^
@@ronja2683 🤘👍🤘
He has been quoted as saying "when you hit pitch that low, it just happens. You end up just rolling the R"
That’s true. I just tried to sing the word “Wunderbar” in a really deep voice and you do end up kind of rolling an “r.” This topic always interested me because I had never heard of Germans doing this kind of “r” rolling.
I saw Rammstein and German so I clicked because someone can finally prononce things right
Til himself said it's because of the way he sings (holding the notes) combined with his deep voice.... But I'm still watching, because German language love.
I love black people interested in Germany
I love that you know that
Jawohl verstanden
Correct
I studied opera in college and also spent a summer abroad learning German art song in Austria and everything you say about Till makes perfect sense to me! He very much reminds me of the German diction classes I took to effectively project a rolled r in a big theater and his voice overall is quite operatic in its timbre and the roundness of his vowels. Loved this video!
I have noticed the same with Nina Hagen - clearly from her opera background.
Ah yes! I completely forgot about Nina Hagen! She would roll her 'r-r-r' s in a few songs I recall. Trained in German theatre and opera. Good example!
Apocalyptica did a cover of Seemann, and had Nina Hagen do the vocals. She sounds exactly like a female Till!
I know I'm late to the party, but what native German speakers fail to appreciate is how German sounds to non German speakers.
German, being a guttural consonant language has a very dynamic range for foreign ears. Till is aware of this fact and I think it is at the heart of Rammstein's International success.
I'll always have a soft spot for Germany and Rammstein
Thank you for the analysis! As a huge Rammstein fan who's learning German, I always wondered what the deal was! You mention he rolls the R, but I find he also pronounces words like "ich" and "dich" like "ish" and "dish", which I *know* is not how people speak.
The 'stage German' makes the most sense to me, even as an American with only mild comprehension of Deutsch- but that comes from being a fan of Brecht and listening to old recordings of Die Dreigroschnoper. And I know the Rammstein guys love Brecht as well.
Exactly. I couldn't even understand why so much fuss about that 'r' -- compared to Morität in the original 1931 Dreigroschenoper movie it's nothing. That was really rolling. Und derr Haifisch, derrr hat Zähne, und die trrrägt errrr...
he started to sing, using the rolled "R" because in the first studio recorded Album he had to sing so low that he couldn't sing a good pronunced "R" without rolling it. Flake said that in his book "Heute hat die Welt Geburtstag".
and they dindn't want to provoke anybody with the Riefenstahl footage, they dindn't even think about it. Watch the Making of Stripped.
As a foreigner, the reason why I love Rammstein so much is I get to focus on the notes and the music rather than lyrics. I don't really prefer even knowing the full translations, just to know what each songs narrative is and hearing the emotions in the tones of Till's voice and the chord progressions. It's a unique experience.
As I'm an "only-knows-a-few-words-in-German-has-to-guess-everything-else" kinda guy, Till's pronunciation is really helpful. Clear, crispy, easy to differentiate between words, this helps a lot to understand the message.
I actually never noticed, haha. Maybe it’s because I’m Dutch and speak with a rolling-r myself. I only noticed a difference when you played the part where Till spoke ‘normally’. Your videos are very informative!
Has anyone just asked Till why he rolls his Rs?
DE4DF1SH idk it may have something to do with his social anxiety
I've used rammstein to teach myself German for years, i started when i was 8 and i am now 23 going on 24, and i can actually hold small coversations in German, i knew about the different dialects but i didnt know exactly what parts of Germany they came from, i did know that Hoch Deutsch is the most widely used dialect though.
13 yrs did your parents drop you as a baby.
@@arsonb7753 what I was thinking, if you really wanted to learn German it should only take a few years max
@@arsonb7753 oooo cruel!
Not cruel just adding fuel to the fire people sometimes just need a push I found it helps most when you are negative in ways.
@@DavidHowe-nv1nb I don't see where this is a limitation.
As someone who enjoys Rammstein but doesn't know any German language, I found this video to be very informative and well put together. Thank you for the insight.
Coronavirus lockdown is getting to me. This vid was recommended for me and I just watched the whole thing, even though I haven't listened to Rammstein since the late 90s. It is interesting though
You've missed out on many awesome Rammstein tracks then! Feel free to browse around, I've analyzed various Rammstein lyrics and explain their linguistic features in English :)
Same)
12 minutes to tell a 5 minute story. Quintessentially German.
Quintessentially RUclips.
Politicians do the same thing. They babble for an hour instead of just saying, "The economy is f@*ked."
Sounds like my ex wife, and my mother and my sister and my....
Genau!!!
Freedom Rider Most women yeah! That's why I prefere men! As friends aswell! ;)
"In the typical Rammstein style it would sound like this: ..." Just loved it! 😂
I think those R's also make his German a little more familiar to Italian and Spanish people, who are already scared by the German language itself 😂
thank you for breaking that down. rammstein is my favorite band!!!
Well in my experience, no matter where I am, German Opera has been sung with rolled a R so maybe it's to add an operatic element, which I find often really adds to the epicness.
I was watching a TV show and I felt like the accent wasn't "German" enough. I now understand that it is actually the Austrian accent that is the most beautiful and closer to what I consider German.
" Get to the Chopper!!!" 😄
Question: Why does Till roll the letter R?
Answer: Because he can? and it sound cool
"Frühling in Paris " also has non-rolling resources, so it makes sense that the softer and quieter songs have the softer r's. I was wondering about this as well before, thank you for your interesting videos!
Autocorrect changed "r's" to "resources" ... geez, makes my comment a little confusing. "Fuhre Mich" has non-rolling r's only for the word "Fuhre", maybe so it rhymes better with "Fuhle"
In French Opera, trilling the "r" is a must. There are many singers that sound one way when they sing, but sound differently when they speak.
The lead singer from Sabaton also rolls his "r's".
You brought up some great points and that was great! I learned a lot from this video. Also though when most singers hold a note they hold it on a vowel because it sounds more pleasant to the ears so you're right he probably wanted it to sound harsh so he rolled his "R's" to do so. Rammstein's lyrics are usually pretty intense and they want to bring that intensity to the sound.
Thank you!
The first thing that called my attention when I first listened to Rammstein back in 2002 was that rolling "r". I know a bit of German (I have German background), so I knew they were from Germany, but even people who didn't know a single word in the language could guess where they were from. I think the stereotype factor is one of the main reasons for Till to sound like that.
I also think the rolling "r" is perfect for ther type of rough music and Till graspy voice, it's like a great combo.
And finally, yeah, I've thought many many many times that they were inspired by Adolf H. speeches, a strong rolling letter shows determination and strength in your ideas, as if they were playing the main actor in an opera, just like A.H. would love to watch and imitate.
Last but not least, Great video!
I’ve heard the rolling of the ‘r’s described as the alveolar trill. Bizarrely, I had an (Australian) girlfriend who also did this and her family was from UK! 😄 I love the way you deconstructed this and examined it from all angles. Very German 😄 Grüße von Australien 🇦🇺😎
Was she Welsh? We really roll our R's.
If you don't already listen to Heldmaschine, you should. They started as a Rammstein tribute band called "Volkerball." They have a song called, "®" which basically talks about how Till rolls his 'R's. When they play it live, they have replaced the "R" with an "L," an obvious reference to Till. Although they are no longer a tribute band playing Rammstein songs, their music is still heavily influenced by them, and the influence is obvious.
Makes sense. I always thought he rolled his 'r's for dramatic effects.
I am an opera singer from the United States. I have always used Till’s singing diction. I’ve had compliments and been asked who I studied German diction with. I say Mr. Till Lindemann and my fellow coaches and colleagues say that I was taught the proper way to sing German lieder. I can’t help but smile, as they don’t know who he is. Some have even asked me to ask him to teach a German diction class for classical voice! I say hopefully someday, but he has another full time job 😂.
In Norway we learn our third language usually around our eight year in school. I chose german simply because I hated the posh girls in class who chose french. Haha. But I never got the "r" right. I struggled so bad. Several other students in my class struggled too - In the region I live in we use hard R's. When I discovered Rammstein the same year I just decided to go with the pronounciation Till uses. I learned more by doing that. And even if most people don't pronounciate german like I do, at least I can make myself understood.
Rammstein rules! Love the 80’s video game sounds!
Canadian content - 40 yrs ago, a younger friend was taking German at University. In one of our conversations over a dutch b##r, he informed me of the "High" and "low" German language. The R's was something I remembered. As for Ramm - Well I am just a Fan. Cheers
I find that the way he sings and pronounces goes brilliantly with their type of music. There are fantastic. Many countries in Europe pronounce r the same way. Nothing to do with Hitler. Great video!
I studied opera in England, we were taught to always roll our Rs whilst singing English, French and German arias - as well as Italian of course. Great video! 🖤
I agree it does provoke. It just sounds more theatrical. He is amazing.
I’m from fife in Scotland and find Germany easy to understand but in this area the dialect has many words that sound very like the German. We call church- Kirk, daughter- dochter, off- af, apple, aipple, for- fur. There are lots more but my mind is blank lol our accent is very strong and I often get mistaken for German lol.
I was in koblenz a few years ago and in a shop asked my husband something in my normal dialect. The lady behind counter answered me in German lol. She was very surprised when I said I was Scottish lol.
I was taken for German in Belgium too as they thought my accent was german.
I adore rammstein and have been a fan and gig goer for many years.
danke für das video,
Tschüss 🤘🤗💕🏴
Greetings from Germany to Scotland!
I roll my "r" in German because I grew up hearing my grandparents doing it on a lot of words (not all), since they were "German" immigrants, but from modern-day Romania. I would love to see a video on the Donauschwäbisch accent/dialect.
You nailed this on the dramatic style, I've even done this with the R in English, which is normally not done as a way to emphasize the sound. Till is also a baritone as am I, so this lends to delivery. You Mentioned Hitler's rolling of the R as well, and it was known he did emphasize this and a harder sound for dramatic effect. Naturally any language can sound hard when enunciated in this dramatic fashion. Frankly I love R+ often double meaning to their lyrics. And in Tills Solo project where he did his first albulms all in English, with his German accent actually lended to it sounding cool, as well as the offbeat lyrics staying true to R+. They are one of the most successful acts in the world, and I'm hoping this Covid-19 doesn't get this year's tour canceled, as I am anticipating seeing them live again. :)
Thank you so much for clarifying ! I was aware of the rolled R in Southern German and Austrian dialects, but hadn't heard of the "stage German ". This totally explains why I was confused/assumed that operas were performed in the " Austrian" accent..I had just guessed that it was some tribute to Mozart .
LOL
What a facinating look into how and why rammstein sounds the way they do. Awesome video!
I've been curious about this topic ever since I first started listening to Rammstein. Thank you for enlightening me!
This reminds me of Kyo from Dir en grey, his English doesn't sound like English, and his Japanese (native language) doesn't really sound like Japanese. He changes the pronunciations of things on purpose to bend their meaning or fit a melody.
Wow. I thought there were more Germans in the comments...
Well German here to see how this dude does on explaining one of my favorite bands and how his accent is :P
Dude. Nice video. Appreciate it.
I just discovered Rammstein and fell in love with them so finding this playlist was hitting the lottery 🎉
Awesome! Enjoy the ride 😁
The biggest probably only worldwide renown band that sings in german.
But we NEED A UNIQUE SOUND.
Can't fault em
Und wieder etwas über meinen Lieblingssänger gelernt. Vielen Dank für dein Video 😊
Transatlantic, or Mid-Atlantic, accent... The same thing was done in older American moves with the "Continental Accent" Dialect - It's just an obsolete Hollywood movie script derived abstraction of English for the movies and stage. Till is cool. Great explanation.
ruclips.net/video/Gpv_IkO_ZBU/видео.html
Inch liebe Rammstein! I am American, but my dad was stationed over in Germany in the ‘90s and I learned some German from his German to English dictionary and from Rammstein and other German-singing bands.
That was a pretty damn good growl when singing the chorus to "ohne dich", dave, ngl🤘!
So cool to know. Thanks for the video. Big fan from Norway (first...fan of Rammstein....and you
Omg I can't believe I found your channel! Rammstein is my favourite band and has been for many years. A day without them is like a day without sunshine! I live in Canada and I don't currently speak German but it's on my bucket list. I love Till, we were born in the same year. My most favourite concert was seeing them in Toronto. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. The cd I made for my son's funeral :( had Ohne dich on it. One of my pet peeves is people mispronouncing their name... like rammsteen, ugh!
Where I grew up in Western Germany, rolling the R is very natural.
Actually one of my friends is a professional opera singer. He also roll his R's when he sings some german operas.
Just seen Rammstein in Chicago last weekend. It was intense! Definitely the most epic concert I've ever seen! No music is loud enough for me now 😂 So I'm on a Rammstein kick now...
On another note, my mom's family is from Germany. Bavaria actually. I've always wanted to learn German and listening to Rammstein helps!
Loving all the ramnstein content, it's awesome thank you. It's so fascinating how there's so many different dialects in German. To me I think Till rolls his rrs on certain songs because it's become a trade mark of his, and sounds awesome :-)
Rumor has it, Dave is explaining this to this day.
Wrong, I actually stopped yesterday!
Thanks for putting this out there!
Lived in Germany for almost ten years. Almost everyone I spoke too spoke or understood English. Wished I had found this channel earlier!
He does what he does because he’s fucking badass.
Because it sounds good...
This channel needs a lot more
Gott verdammt, du sprichst für immer, du musst nicht sagen, was in einem ganzen gottverdammten Absatz in wenigen Worten gesagt werden kann!
I spent three years in Deutschland and it was amazing. I didnt learn a lot of the language and over the years I have forgotten most of what I learned but I am trying to pick it back up. I miss that place and am ready to go back.
FINALLY found this! Always made me curious.
Im so happy this channel exists thank you so much!
I'm happy that enjoy are interested in watching my videos, too! :D Thanks!
Tills voice and accent to me is like ear candy💕❤☺
This was fascinating. Really great. Danke sehr!❤
I love your videos! Rammstein is my favorite band. Til does them "R's" for sure but so did my mother. It's really just good ole fashion German! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE it. German language is the most beautiful language in the world!
Hey Rebecca, thank you for letting me know and for being so kind! :)
Till Lindeman 68 already ??
Tijd vliegt *
Time flies !
OMG, you hit all my buttons with this vid. You're articulate, intelligent, you spoke Deutsch (Ich war eine Austaus Schülerin) and I looooove Rammstein as well as learning about languages and dialects. 💓 Vielen Dank!
so bottom line till simply knows how to harness people's itch while making big hits.
he's just awesome and forever will be.
Been listening to Rammstein since I was a kid. that's like 20 years of listening to them every day without tiring one bit.
I love the way rammstein sounds. I am dutch and it is quite easy to understand for me. Much more than some other german speaking people.
Im very happy to have found your videos. My desire to learn German has been brought back to life. I have German heritage and I want to embrace it completely. Thank you for your videos
From foreigners point of view it is staggeringly cool to pronounce R sound clearly. That's why he does it
That was very interesting. I had noticed that the rolled Rs seem to be omitted from the slower and more ballad-y songs; Rosenrot, for instance.
I think I'm going to start paying better attention to your channel, as I hope to see Rammstein live in the next year or two. I'd also like to roam around the Bavarian region and see if I can find the town my grandfather spoke about, where many of the townsfolk had the same last name as him.
In German class I was taught that Germans roll all Rs...didn't know it changed from place to place.
This a wonderful video and presentation. Finally found a band (late in life) that resonates with me very strong.
Pretty cool video! I definitely learned some new things. Thanks!
Rolling an r while singing is just a common way to pronounce the letter clearly while keeping the throat and vocal space open instead of closed like other spoken ways to pronounce the r
All new my guy, I didn't even know I was interested in dialects or language till I watched this video. Keep up the good fight!
Thank you for this examination of Lindemann and his art. As an artist he psychological exists on the periphery of his culture and
whether he know it or not he is channeling
the culture, history and spirituality
of Germany. As a foreigner, with my rather
primitive language skill, I could only discern
northern dialect ( platte) of Braunschweig in
Saxony of the 1970’s from Augsburg, Oberbayern. However, visually, musically,
and historically his imagery evokes Kurt
Weil, Lenny Riefenstahl and the master stage
illusionist Albert Speer.... he was aware Of what it would evoke in the listener.
Lastly,, Jung might offer that he was simply creating what is unconscious in the
German people at this time. Watch the crowds faces the Wagnerian stage ambiance, social realism, and yes..... his Linzer accent.
At an obvious level he understood what he was creating as a work of art.
I might critique you for putting too fine a point on the ‘ aussprache ‘ angle....and not enough on the psychological angle.
First Album first Song:
Sehnsucht versteckt
Sich wie ein Insekt
Im Schlaf merkst du nicht
Wie es dich sticht
Glücklich werd ich nirgendwo
Der Finger rutscht nach Mexiko
Doch er versinkt im Ozean
Sehnsucht ist so grausam...
Whoah. Its obviously where this is coming from. The pain of being trapped behind the iron curtain of the GDR. Just brilliant.
Hallo! As a native English speaker from Texas and a Japanese learner....."R" is a headache for me sometimes. 😂😂 English "R" Spanish "R" Japanese "R" - which is a "R/L" hybrid but English speakers tend to not hear mentally.
It's a mess but I enjoy the challenge.
I noticed but had no reason to take note as I don't speak any German.
Thanks it was an interesting video.😊👍
Do you think it's possible it's the German equivalent of English heavy metal growl of sorts ?
Metallica or Five Finger Death Punch "Wash It All Away" intro.
I'm glad they don't depart from German. Engel has an awesome contrast between the metal and classic vocals.
Cheers!
I don't listen to Rammstein so I don't know if they have scream parts in their songs but there are many
German metal bands screaming. Look up Verloren by A Long Way To Fall unfortunately that is the only German song they have but the rest is in English ;) it is a really good one though.
I listen to metal for a longer time but mostly English metal like Five Finger Death Punch but now I started to hear more German metal. It sounds impressive too! I don't nessecary like how German songs sound but metal needs some rough sounds.
As a non native speaker the American way of pronouncing the r is also not that easy eventhough I think that my English isn't so bad.
I'm from a really rural part of the midwest in America. We have small towns where the street signs are in German and mass is in german. I grew up speaking our dialect of German and we roll our rs in everyday speech.
Southeast indiana actually lol
Yea I cant really understand german from germany very good tbh. I guess our dialect is an older form. Truth is I'm one of the few younger people who speak it, and I dont live there anymore. Idk anyone younger than me who speaks it. Itll be gone soon
the mans a legend, i learned something new today :) hello my german friends from Texas!