Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Good." They nodded and then fell into silence as both considered. Chords were important too...

"Hmm... do you know anything about chords? They are a string of three notes that combine the desired properties together. That is the backbone of a bard's magic - singing or playing notes in succesive chords to draw out and direct Essence and Energy as you desire. It is an alternative way of casting and far more intuitive." Aureus explained, running a hand through their scale so that it dissipated and then wrote out three notes - A, D, E.

"These three notes, for example, make a powerful combination that can greatly strengthen most general spell work. If you choose specific aspects of the note... say augmenting magics from A, communication with familiars from D, and enhancing existing qualities from E you could potentially have crystal clear communication with a familiar of yours. However," and here Argentum lifted a finger in warning, "it takes much more concentration and is more difficult to call upon multiple notes in a chord."

"Each note must remain pure... and you yourself are empowering it with your own energy. Singing and casting bardic magic are two different things entirely, Mathiaz." Argentum smiled kindly and leaned towards the sanguine, "Try it. Try singing the three notes you've heard - can you raise and maintain that level of energy? Hold onto it without it going out of control? That's what makes a chord difficult."

"However, it's not as scary as it might seem." Aureu cut in with a teasing mussing of Argentum's hair and a cocky grin, "Practice. Practice the single notes and then work on combining them into chords - with your voice... or an instrument. Both, if you manage that."

"Sure." Aureus winked, smiling evilly, "Try just one note and then add a second. See how that goes." Argentum's expression echoed his brother's as he gestured for Mat to try as well.

"It's not too hard."

The twins fell quiet... trying very hard not to laugh or wince as Mat attempted to sing a note they hadn't shown him. They weren't terrible people - they hadn't expected him to sing something he knew not... and with good reason too. He was terribly off key.

Finally, Argentum cut in, lifting his voice in the proper tune - a little lower and not so flat then what Mat was doing while Aureus filled in the gap, "Ah... stop. If you want to sing A, this is what it wounds like... we meant the three we've taught you already - C, F, and G." He chuckled softly.

Argentum trailed off soon after Mat corrected himself and chuckled as well, "Our apologies. We thought it clear." Sometimes they forgot that not every shared the same connection they did - that not everyone could finish a sentence or act as one as easily as they did.

"Good! With some practice you'll be a good singer." The silvery twin praised Mat, "Now, which other note would you like to try? We can lead you off and then you can try them together."

Aureus applauded softly, arms wrapped around Argentum's shoulders, "Yep. However, A is good for strengthening, defending, and grounding magics as well. The barrier property of C and the defending property of A would indeed stack nicely, even if that' not quite what you meant."

Lifting voice once more into C, they twins held the note and waited for Mat to match it before transitioning into A. The effect was sutble at first but then that barrier shimmered into existence once more, but stronger - more solid and robust.

They nodded as he sang out, and then trailed off to let him hear his own voice. It wasn't too bad... he wouldn't likely be a bard without a large amount of dedicated practice but it was good enough. The barrier quivered and shrank, becoming less robust as just one person was supplying the energy to to maintain such a thing.

When Mat trailed away as well, it popped and faded out of sight. "Well done Mathiaz. You just saw another effect of Bardic Magic - when you gather many bards their singing all together can further empower whatever spell it is that's being cast. On one's own you are strong but in a group...." Argentum smiled and nodded towards Aureus, "together, we are stronger. Understand?"

"It's also important to note that not all bards sing. Many choose to play instruments as well. This is often combined with your voice for better effect but it isn't completely necessary." Aureus added with grin, "Are there any instruments you like?"

"In music, the instrument can be as important, if not more important, then the actual vocals. There are qualities of sounds that instruments can produce that no voice can match, and each these qualities has its use in Bardic Magic...." Argentum replied with a smile, tapping a ring and bringing forth his treasured silvery flute simple but stately at the same time, and waved it Mathiaz, "For example, flutes - wind instruments have the kind of sound that makes them rather useful for enhancing meditative states because they effect the lungs and breathing. It has an almost sedative affect on those who can hear its haunting call." In demonstration he played a few notes, linking together some of the ones Mat had just learned and let the notes drift, trailing off slowly.

The harmony of the lyre soon joined the flute's unique sounds as Aureus brought his lamellophone into being, "And lamellophones are incredibly useful in preparing a mind for astral travel, fortune telling, prophecy, and balancing. For our job, these particular instruments make it much easier to divine and do our duty." Another chord rang out, sounding like laughter as Aureus plucked at the strings. "Drums are useful for channeling and tribal magic while electronic instruments can be particularly useful in the repair and creation of technoequips. There's a huge variety of uses for instruments and, if you feel so inclined, we suggest picking one up even if you aren't interested in Bardic Magic. Music doesn't have to applied to magic to work personal wonders."

With that, he sat back and the two curled about each other, looking like bookends and waited to see if their audience had any further questions.