What a name for a rock band. How to choose a name for a rock band

Constellations are areas of the starry sky. To better navigate the starry sky, ancient people began to identify groups of stars that could be linked into individual figures, similar objects, mythological characters and animals. This system allowed people to organize the night sky, making each part of it easily recognizable. This made it easier to learn celestial bodies, helped to measure time, apply astronomical knowledge in agriculture and navigate by the stars. The stars that we see in our sky as if in one area can actually be extremely far from each other. In one constellation there may be stars that are in no way connected with each other, both very close and very far from the Earth.

There are 88 official constellations in total. In 1922, the International Astronomical Union officially recognized 88 constellations, 48 ​​of which were described by the ancient Greek astronomer Ptolemy in his star catalog Almagest around 150 BC. There were gaps in Ptolemy's maps, especially regarding the southern sky. Which is quite logical - the constellations described by Ptolemy covered that part of the night sky that is visible from the south of Europe. The remaining gaps began to be filled during the times of the great geographical discoveries. In the 14th century, Dutch scientists Gerard Mercator, Pieter Keyser and Frederic de Houtman added to existing list new constellations, and the Polish astronomer Jan Hevelius and French Nicola Louis de Lacaille completed what Ptolemy had started. On the territory of Russia, out of 88 constellations, about 54 can be observed.

Knowledge about the constellations came to us from ancient cultures. Ptolemy compiled a map of the starry sky, but people used knowledge about the constellations long before that. At least in the 8th century BC, when Homer mentioned Bootes, Orion and the Big Dipper in his poems “Iliad” and “Odyssey”, people were already grouping the sky into separate figures. It is believed that the bulk of the knowledge of the ancient Greeks about the constellations came to them from the Egyptians, who, in turn, inherited it from the inhabitants of Ancient Babylon, Sumerians or Akkadians. About thirty constellations were already distinguished by the inhabitants of the late Bronze Age, in 1650−1050. BC, judging by the records on clay tablets Ancient Mesopotamia. References to constellations can also be found in Hebrew biblical texts. The most remarkable constellation, perhaps, is the constellation Orion: in almost every ancient culture it had its own name and was revered as special. So, in Ancient Egypt he was considered the incarnation of Osiris, and in Ancient Babylon he was called “The Faithful Shepherd of Heaven.” But the most amazing discovery was made in 1972: a piece of mammoth ivory, more than 32 thousand years old, was found in Germany, on which the constellation Orion was carved.

We see different constellations depending on the time of year. Throughout the year, we see different parts of the sky (and different celestial bodies, respectively) because the Earth makes its annual voyage around the Sun. The constellations we see at night are those located behind the Earth on our side of the Sun, because... During the day, behind the bright rays of the Sun, we are unable to see them.

To better understand how this works, imagine that you are riding on a merry-go-round (this is the Earth) with a very bright, blinding light emanating from the center (the Sun). You will not be able to see what is in front of you because of the light, but you will only be able to discern what is outside the carousel. In this case, the picture will constantly change as you ride in a circle. Which constellations you observe in the sky and at what time of year they appear also depends on the geographic latitude of the viewer.

Constellations travel from east to west, like the Sun. As soon as it begins to get dark, at dusk, the first constellations appear in the eastern part of the sky to pass across the entire sky and disappear with dawn in the western part. Due to the rotation of the Earth around its axis, it seems that the constellations, like the Sun, rise and set. The constellations we just observed on the western horizon just after sunset will soon disappear from our view, to be replaced by constellations that were higher up at sunset just a few weeks ago.

Constellations arising in the east have a diurnal shift of about 1 degree per day: completing a 360-degree trip around the Sun in 365 days gives about the same speed. Exactly one year later, at the same time, the stars will occupy exactly the same position in the sky.

The movement of stars is an illusion and a matter of perspective. The direction in which stars move across the night sky is determined by the rotation of the Earth on its axis and really depends on the perspective and which way the viewer is facing.

Looking north, the constellations appear to move counterclockwise around a fixed point in the night sky, called north pole world located near the North Star. This perception is due to the fact that the earth rotates from west to east, i.e. the earth under your feet moves to the right, and the stars like the Sun, Moon and planets above your head follow the east-west direction, i.e. to the right left. However, if you face south, the stars will appear to move clockwise, from left to right.

Zodiac constellations- these are those through which the Sun moves. The most famous constellations out of the 88 existing ones are the zodiacal ones. These include those through which the center of the Sun passes during the year. It is generally accepted that there are 12 zodiacal constellations in total, although in fact there are 13 of them: from November 30 to December 17, the Sun is in the constellation Ophiuchus, but astrologers do not classify it as a zodiac constellation. All zodiacal constellations are located along the visible annual path of the Sun among the stars, the ecliptic, at an inclination of 23.5 degrees to the equator.

Some constellations have families are groups of constellations located in the same area of ​​the night sky. As a rule, they assign the names of the most significant constellation. The most “largely populated” constellation is Hercules, which has as many as 19 constellations. To others large families include Ursa Major (10 constellations), Perseus (9) and Orion (9).

Celebrity constellations. The largest constellation is Hydra, which covers more than 3% of the night sky, while the smallest constellation, the Southern Cross, covers just 0.165% of the sky. Centauri boasts the largest number visible stars: 101 stars are included in the famous constellation of the southern hemisphere of the sky. To the constellation Canis Major enters the brightest star in our sky, Sirius, whose brilliance is −1.46m. But the constellation with the name Table Mountain is considered the dimmest and does not contain stars brighter than the 5th magnitude. Let us recall that in the numerical characteristic of the brightness of celestial bodies than less value, the brighter the object (the brightness of the Sun, for example, is −26.7m).

Asterism- this is not a constellation. An asterism is a group of stars with an established name, for example, the “Big Dipper,” which is part of the constellation Ursa Major, or “Orion’s Belt,” three stars encircling the figure of Orion in the constellation of the same name. In other words, these are fragments of constellations that have secured separate name. The term itself is not strictly scientific, but rather simply represents a tribute to tradition.

Are you looking for an easy to remember name for your band? The name of the band can play a key role in your success or failure. Choosing the right name is one of the main points for your band. And one day, when you become famous, the process of choosing a name for your band may even become legendary. So don't miss it!

Steps

Basic rules for choosing the right name for a group

    The name should be quickly and easily reflected in Internet search results. These days, one of the criteria for choosing a suitable band name is how easy it is to find on the Internet. When searching online, generic titles like "Girls" can get lost in the sea of ​​links to other girly things.

    Avoid names with hidden negative connotations. You have to feel how far you can go without damaging your group's reputation. The example of a band called "Viet Cong" can give you an idea of ​​how a band's name can become a problem in getting booked for concerts.

    • Meaning must not be condoned bad behavior. One Scottish group called themselves “Dogs Die in Hot Cars,” which literally translates to “dogs die in hot cars.” This is not the best image for the group, although it is provocative.
    • In the group name, avoid speculation on tragedies or human suffering. If the name is obscene, some radio stations may have difficulty pronouncing it.
  1. Keep the name fresh. You should avoid names that were popular a long time ago and are clichés today.

    Present the image of your group. What is your group? What will you try to convey to people? What is your group like? Who is your target audience? Understanding the nature of your group will help you choose a name.

    • The band name should be consistent with your brand and genre. If you're a country band, you probably don't want your name to sound too punk rock. You don't want people to be disappointed because your band name implies something the band isn't.
    • If you understand who your target audience is, then you can choose a title that will appeal to your listeners. Popular group“Green Day” was guided by this principle in choosing its name. "Green Day" refers to smoking marijuana, and the band appealed to a specific audience of young rebels through slang.

    Choosing a name

    1. Look to pop culture or literature for inspiration. This theme is long lasting. Famous example is the group "Veruca Salt", whose name was borrowed from the book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".

      • Mikey Way was working at Barnes and Noble and saw Irvine Welsh's book Three Stories of Love and Chemistry ( English name books - “Three Tales of Chemical Romance"), which gave him the idea to name the group "My Chemical Romance". The band's name "Good Charlotte" also comes from literature. The name of the group “Avenged Sevenfold” (literally from English “seven times avenged”) was taken by Matthew Sanders from the Book of Genesis (the first book of the Pentateuch, the Old Testament and the entire Bible).
      • Once upon a time there was even a group called “Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head” (literally from English “Natalie Portman’s shaved head”). It is not surprising that the musicians eventually had to change their name. Naming a band after a celebrity would not be a good idea. And connecting the name with some old case is even worse.
      • Use song lyrics. For example, the group “Panic! At The Disco" was inspired by the song "Panic" by Name Taken, and "All Time Low" took its title from the song "Head On Collision" by New Found Glory.
    2. Find inspiration from simple things and products. Flowers. Food. Sewing machines. Well, you understand. Take a look around. You will find great amount things with interesting names.

      • AC/DC's Malcolm and Angus Young found the band's name on a sewing machine. AC/DC (acronym for Alternating Current/Direct Current) was printed on the back. They decided to use it.
      • Product names can also work great for this. Remember " Black-eyed Peas» ( black Eyed Peas) or " Red Hot Chili Peppers"(red hot chili peppers).
    3. Select random name. There are various methods on how you can choose a random name. Sometimes groups choose a random word from the dictionary. REM, The Pixies, Incubus, The Grateful Dead, Evanescence and Outkast did this. "Apoptygma Berzerk" followed the same path, using two randomly found words.

      Use your name or initials. It's always a good option, especially if your group has a lead singer. For example, the name of the group "Dave Matthews Band" is based on the name of a member of the band. And it works.

      • However, this method of choosing a group name involves some risks. If your band changes lead singer, it will be difficult to continue performing under the same name. And the group " Van Halen" is an example of this. Another problem with this method is that some group members may feel left out.
      • If you choose your own name for the group given name, you may need to expand on it to make it sound more interesting. Or you can just use your last name.
    4. Make up a new word. You can make a new word from several others. Perhaps this new word or phrase will have some special meaning for you.

Hello guys and ladies, in other words, blog readers. Yesterday we talked about how, and in this article we’ll talk about the fact that it’s time to choose a name for a rock band, which, although a beginner, constantly reads our rock school and takes the right steps towards success and a lot of busty fans.

So, you have already been able to play not only a couple, but also (bgggg), but you shouldn’t stop there because you don’t yet have a name for your rock band, and this is bad, because playing cool metal You won't be able to do it without a name.

The first thing to say is that the name should refer to the genre, a great example is the band Metallica, that is, we can see from the name that the group is already cool and we play in a style, here it’s easy to guess metal. Let's give an example, group SCANword, accordingly plays ska, but the group Distemper The name sucks, because even though they play ska, there is no such prefix in their name for a rock band. However, the group, Distemper, even at the dawn of its formation (back in the 90s, or even the 8s), realized well that the team should have a laconic and memorable name, and not some Cyclists of the 7th Day. An excellent example can be given by such groups as Slot, Cockroaches!, Naive, Movie, but the group “big numeral millions of yourself” will be poorly remembered, although bright. Also, for a beginning rock band, we choose how much respect they will treat it with. Negative examples - Mamkin Iron and 1.5 kg of excellent puree - although they are cool, memorable names, but, alas, they do not command respect. Here's a great example of a group: Laughter!(hero city Istra). This band, which performs their compositions in the style of cool metal, hints that the content of their work will make you smile, and the guys fully justify this name, by the way, this awesome four-chord band celebrated its 15th anniversary, and this is not easy for you. Let's give another example of a successful name - group Shadows of Freedom. This rock band, its name suggests that the music and lyrics of this group will be about freedom, and so far they confidently support this brand, and not just support it, but confidently for 10 years in a row.

These were all examples, but how do you choose a name? Think about what you all have in common, perhaps a love of music, or you have all read the same book by Carlos Castaneda or Vadim Zeland and decide to call yourself something like “Ally of the Spirit” or “Window to Another Reality”, here your imagination is limitless. Also, the name for a rock band should suit you all, if someone doesn’t like it, come up with a new one, because then you will have more grief because of the wrong phrase or word, and your cool metal will go to hell, we want to warn you as an aspiring rock band, that such an approach would be wrong.

You can come up with a name in English, or even better so that your name sounds equally cool in both English and Russian, if it also comes out in German to boot. The whole point is that if (God forbid) you have concerts in Europe, and also (God forbid) fans, then things will go much faster if you have a suitable name. An excellent example is the rock band Kerosin, which is unfairly ignored by many media outlets, and by listeners too, but in vain, the group is excellent. So, no matter how you read Kerosin, it will still be Kerosene, and that’s the whole point right choice names, so guys, whether you play reggae, or punk rock, Russian rock, or even industrial with an admixture of porn metal, you will have to choose the name correctly, a lot will depend on it. And all the best to you, don’t forget about our cool blog, come in, read, share your opinion, and most importantly, play and listen to good music.