How to Write Better Djent Riffs

[@HackMusicTheory]

►Djent PDFs: HackMusicTheory.com/Djent

[@adorethered]

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE that you guys are covering bands like Periphery and Tesseract now! Prog ideas like polymeters polyrhythms metric modulation and adding such depth to heavy music in general is something I've loved ever since the earlier days of Tool. Thank you for being such a great channel for easy to understand explanations of deeper musical concepts than the 4 chords pop theories.

[@franklinfisher7776]

For the past 2 years I've been trying to learn how to properly go about prog metal, and learning poly rhythms, and I just got 2 steps closer to it, than where I was. You guys are incredible. Thank you so much. And Novelists, or Polaris are two bands I really love.

[@HackMusicTheory]

If you like this video, you'll love our METAL playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLgYcaQlDpHN4CU-74EQ7NQnoDbHt8ZDH_

[@joetroutt7425]

I write alot of metal on daw bc I don't play guitar (I'm a drummer) so I have to get all my ideas out this way. I'm glad to see someone else doing it besides make trap beats or dubstep or anything fully electronic. I've learned a few things so far watching your videos. Keep up the great work

[@HarshFrequencies]

I was very skeptic when I started watching but then when you started throwing out all these time signatures, notes and so on, I realized this is exactly what I needed. Subbed

[@vyrgill]

This was actually impressive, sounds so good! And it's really Periphery style, great job

[@balinttakacs6951]

I have seen this video 4 years ago, when Garden in the Bones just came out. I have been searching it ever since. Today is the day, youtube algorithm throw it in front of me. Thanks.

[@SadTown99]

Total honesty… First time watching a video from this channel and was expecting a generic guide like most videos… Then BOOM an awesome metal power couple is giving me dope magic tricks for my melodies. So rad!!! 🖤😈🤘

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha, thanks so much Aaron, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of metal do you make? Take care, and we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks 🤘

[@artificialnemesis7347]

I love that you guys have tips and hacks for multiple different genres. Best thing I ever did was subscribe to your channel and purchase your class.

[@orchidcolors]

Thank you for the video.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Aww, thanks so much for sharing orchidcolors :) We're super happy to have you in our community, and we really appreciate you being here! Also, we're doing well, thanks for asking :) Until next time, we wish you a wonderful week/weekend full of music making!

[@JeremyPrado]

wow, this is great!!! thanks guys!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey thanks so much Jeremy, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make? Take care, and we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks :)

[@JeremyPrado]

@@HackMusicTheory hello Kate and Ray! Thanks for welcoming me to the community. I am doing music as a hobby. Your videos are really interesting. BIG help especially for someone like me who does not have proper learning on music theory. I want to learn djent music by the way😅😅😅. I don’t really have a specific genre but I really enjoy guitar music. Thanks for teaching us!!!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Cool, thanks for sharing, Jeremy! We're always happy to hear from theory newbies, and if you haven't already, may I suggest that you check out our free music theory book, '12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales and Chords'? It's a refresher of the basics and it's a super fast and fun read. You can download from our website: HackMusicTheory.com/Books. While you can use all of our hacks in any genre of music, you'll find our metal-specific videos in this playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLgYcaQlDpHN4CU-74EQ7NQnoDbHt8ZDH_. And our guitar-specific videos here: kzbin.info/aero/PLgYcaQlDpHN40HvbKkj7yzdjjeGLuzfv3. Lastly, have you checked out our newest videos? At the end you'll find special Djendings ;) Here's the one we published yesterday: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jIjddGdjeZ5gn8U. We really appreciate you being here, Jeremy, and are cheering you on in your music making journey! Have a great weekend :) Kate

[@JeremyPrado]

@@HackMusicTheory thanks Kate

[@uhaveaidslulz]

It would be awesome if you could hack some Polyphia, Cheers and thanks for your Videos!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey hey christheg, lovely to see you again, hope all's great your side! Thanks big time for being a part of our Hack Music Theory community, we really appreciate you, and we hope to see you back here soon for more theory hacks! Until then, have a wonderful week/weekend :)

[@baraldobumpa3447]

I second this, but NLND style polyphia

[@finlet3874]

You should do this with Jinjer they are very djentle

[@tfwnoyandere]

djindjer

[@elusiveinstinct]

Spiritbox

[@Luxaudiodesigns]

This is great. Awesome channel

[@klerp6322]

7:11 is the coolest thing i have ever heard a 3 minute loop of that would be juicy

[@HackMusicTheory]

Aw thanks Billy, I'm deeply grateful for your incredibly kind words. And welcome to the Hack Music Theory community, we really appreciate you being here! We publish a new video every Thursday, so we hope to see you back soon for more theory hacks! Thanks again :)

[@clintb3927]

This explained Djent better and in less time than most videos

[@tempy121]

New subscriber here. Cheers for the great content!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Aww thanks so much Michael, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make? Take care, and we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks :)

[@xHRVSTRx]

Just found this channel today, and as a newish guitarist, man this is amazing. Im excited for all this LEARNING

[@OGChadney]

That VST is so cool! What guitar simulated synth is it?

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks Chadney, but that's actually a real guitar. I played it :)

[@HackMusicTheory]

If you're looking for a heavy guitar synth though, I recommend the one in this library: www.soundsonline.com/ghostwriter

[@lucaguitarplayer]

hi, I'd like to thank you, this video explains better tha 98% of other videos on youtube

[@buhimoth]

Hack Archspire?

[@kazenriq]

Beautifuly structured.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Awesome, thanks Carlos, and a warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make? Take care, and we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks :)

[@kazenriq]

@@HackMusicTheory I appreciate. Naah, I'm not making songs yet. Still on the learning phase hehe. I plan to specialize in prog/djent.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Cool, thanks for sharing Carlos! What are your favourite bands? We're loving the new Leprous single :) By the way, while all our hacks can be put to use in any genre, you'll find heavier hacks in our Metal Music Theory playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLgYcaQlDpHN4CU-74EQ7NQnoDbHt8ZDH_ Also, we absolutely encourage music makers to explore different genres as it helps with inspiration and creativity! We did a video that might spark some thoughts, called "The Truth About Genres": kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6OYmoqoi66LZsU. We really appreciate you being here, Carlos, and are cheering you on in your music making journey! Have a great week :) ps. you might like "The Djends" at the end of our new videos, check 'em out!

[@kazenriq]

@@HackMusicTheory Wow great! Gonna watch'em all. Hahah lovely question. Then, heading straight to the point, these are the bands that somehow sparked the will to create songs of my own, chronologically, here they are: TOOL, Animals as Leaders and Acadence. All of them discovered from 2020 up to now. I'm other words, pretty recent. I need to fix some things before composing for real, like, a musical theory course, equipments and softwares. Anyway, I'm not starting from zero, I know kind of the basic of guitar and music theory, but I want to get more deep on it. Right now I only got an old acoustic guitar and the will to create things hahahaha. But I'm settling these things up, slowly. Thanks for the feedback man. Cheers from 🇧🇷. A brazilian djent fan. 🤘🏽

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks again for sharing, Carlos, we absolutely love your passion and enthusiasm! We've got a couple TOOL videos, which you may have found already, in our Metal Music Theory playlist (above). And while we don't have a video, we do have a PDF on how to write a Djent riff like Animals as Leaders, which you'll find here: HackMusicTheory.com/Djent. Sounds like you have a plan for getting started, which is awesome! If you haven't already, may we suggest that you check out our free music theory book, '12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales and Chords'? It's a refresher of the basics and it's a super fast and fun read! You can download it from our website: HackMusicTheory.com/Books. Lastly, when you're ready to make music, we'd suggest taking a look at our online apprenticeship. It consists of 17 hours of unedited video which captures every second of the songwriting process, from blank screen to finished song, while also teaching every single step and theory hack along the way. You'll learn how to start songs, make new sections for existing sections, transition between sections & finish your songs! If this sounds like it would be helpful to you, then you can find out more here: HackMusicTheory.com/Courses. All the best, Carlos, and please do let us know how you get along with your music making! Take care and talk soon 🤘

[@elkiadeerling8358]

Ahhhh takes me back to the days when I was still a die-hard metalhead. I still like metal, although I don't listen to it as much as I did in the old days. This lesson was a bit advanced for me, but I still learned something: Dorian mode. Also, you play awesome on guitar, Ray!

[@mickkorba5242]

Awesome video , explained so clearly. A video on animals as leaders would be excellent 😁

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hi again, Mick! Happy to hear you dig our djent video, do you djent?! We do have a PDF lesson for Animals as Leaders called "How to Write Thump Riffs" and you'll find it here: HackMusicTheory.com/Djent. By the way, you'll find all our Metal Music Theory videos in this playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLgYcaQlDpHN4CU-74EQ7NQnoDbHt8ZDH_. And lastly, just for fun, check out the end of our newest videos for some tasty surprise "Djendings"! Wishing you a lovely weekend :) K

[@Pr0v0kat0r777]

awesome channel, glad that i found you! would be nice to see your opinion on principles of the song/band, for example how to play over some chords, how to build riffs from this chords, which chords/scales are usually used in those kind of genres. That will help to develop something for ourselves, otherwise poeple will try just copy what youve done. Anyway that was helpful alot, keep it up!

[@christorres5809]

Could you please hack First Fragment?

[@JB._.Uzumaki]

Do you guys have a tab for this riff?? Love it!

[@MarkyPaligs]

Awesome! That track sounds like Garden in the Bones that I immediately thought is was periphery's song in the background haha

[@mastertonberry9224]

Seeing the lil' Reaper logo in the top left validates me so much haha

[@HAZARDOUS88]

Never knew I needed this, lol. Thanks!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Lol. Yup this is a good one! Have fun using it, and all our best to you!!

[@HAZARDOUS88]

@@HackMusicTheory Thanks!

[@theaviary238]

This video was so informative. Thanks again! So I keep watching these channels that do this thing where they get people to submit their songs and open them up in their DAW and then go through the song and help fix things ot give suggestions. Would be awesome if you are some channel did this with rock music. It could really help people to see theory applied to their songs. Just an idea. Cheers!

[@Aeronaut1975]

Is it just me, or does he look like "Murphy" from Robocop?

[@budgetguitarherogeartv4143]

😂😂😂😂😂 was just thinking the same

[@muhammadrezahaghiri]

Hello my friends! Recently I watched a movie called "Lords of Chaos", although the movie wasn't good enough, It reminded me of the days I was a fan of black metal music, so I just found my old CD's and files, I listened to Shining, Mayhem, Darkthrone, Nargaroth, etc. again! I enjoyed them again! It was the first sub-genre of metal which actually touched me! (The first ever "metal" track I heard was the third track of V-Halmstad album by Shining). Now, you just hacked one of my favorite bands, I can be sure that you can read my mind :P. I have a writer's block on writing new riffs and of course, this video helped me a lot. I love bands like Periphery and Animals as Leaders, they have a lot to learn for musicians like me! Anyway, talking about "2 in 1" riff, I heard that a lot in melodic death metal music, specially songs from one of my most favorite death metal bands "Amon Amarth". Have a nice time my friends, keep shredding \m/

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey hey Muhammadreza, lovely to see you again, hope all's great your side! That's awesome to hear that you're reconnecting with your metal roots, it's such a great genre for finding super interesting music (like Periphery, who just keep getting better as they mature!). Really glad you liked the video, and yeah the 2-in-1 riff has been around or a long time - since before the mighty JS Bach in fact, so it's a very old concept, but it sounds just as great now as it did back then! Anyhoo, have a lovely weekend, and thanks again for being here! Looking forward to catching up with you next Thursday :)

[@brandonwardlaw981]

please look into and explain how John Browne arranges his music from his band Flux Conduct and explain whats going in depth for next video. I think you guys would be pleasantly suprised at his technique. and by the way, love what you guys are doing. no one makes understanding theory as simple as you do!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey thanks so much Brandon, and a warm welcome to our Hack Music Theory community! Thanks for the suggestion, we'll keep an ear out for him :) We hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks! Until then, have a wonderful week/weekend :)

[@joeybates5451]

Could you do a hack on archspire?

[@nickhaas9185]

Please do Necrophagist

[@obi-wannabekennotbi2418]

Yes!

[@Velopod]

Awesome dissection guys!

[@jistsomeguy]

please do a lesson on tom waits: goin out west, i love that beat as much as it confuses me.

[@DeadHeroDubstep]

this is amazing, please do Berried Alive sometime!

[@MASoldier4221]

I double dog dare you guys to hack berried alive..

[@anthonybatone2339]

I 2nd this lol

[@KurtValenciaExIm]

Lit riff dude! Aha :D Can't wait for you to hear the new songs Ray! ;)

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha thanks dude! Good to see you again man, hope all's well in London! Can you hook me up with a promo? I'd LOVE to hear the new ExIm :)

[@Hiro.the.God.]

damn, that sounded so dope.

[@delawareguitars5222]

Can you hack some monuments??

[@aiklolo7976]

Man, u make me subscribe in seconds. Nice intro!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey thanks so much Aik Lolo, and a warm welcome to our Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make? We hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks! Until then, have a wonderful weekend :)

[@nathanlooney]

Love this, I am going to try this when I get home, instead of a guitar going to use an analog synth. Fun!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Well hey there Nathan, it's been a long time since we last connected! Hope all's great your side. Thanks big time for stopping by and watching, and we're super stoked to hear that you'll be using this hack on an analog synth, it'll work great on that! Have fun, and we hope to see you back here next Thursday for more theory hacks :)

[@braxtonmarshall1883]

Please do After The Burial

[@CarlosKTCosta]

What a sneaky pair of tricks! Thanks for this

[@HackMusicTheory]

Happy you enjoyed this one Carlos, and a warm welcome to our Hack Music Theory community! We publish new vids every Thursday, so we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks! Until then, have a wonderful week/weekend :)

[@krazykalle4518]

This Video is at least worth a watch just for the riffage at the end, really smooth. Very informative video, thank you :)

[@nandakoryaaa]

Wooow once again right what I need! Thank you very much Kate & Ray! (yes, I'm reading the book)

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha that's awesome to hear, Andrei, we're so happy that we seem to keep giving you the right video at the right time! And yay, that's great news that you're reading the book! Really hope you're enjoying it :)

[@nandakoryaaa]

I really do! I liked the "This is the sole reason for the existence of flats." explanation because no one else told me about it before :)

[@RingOfRae]

this is actually good hacking, congrats!

[@johncostopoulos7741]

excellent tutorial! Many thanks

[@halvdunkel969]

Mmm how can i apply this to EDM?

[@bennyelsensohn9299]

Captain here! With mouse and keyboard works fine. *flies away

[@AndresCano]

Experiment broo

[@johnyang799]

Just swap the instrument with your favorites and speed it up.

[@Jarsonia]

Thanks for the book.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Our pleasure jarsonia, and a warm welcome to our Hack Music Theory community! We publish new vids every Friday, so we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks! Until then, have a wonderful week :)

[@nathanmcdairmant9318]

What program are you using?

[@HackMusicTheory]

www.reaper.fm :)

[@bleighhh]

Ehi sorry for my ignorance but how do You get that big piano roll for midi in reaper?

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hello my friend, thanks for stopping by and watching! To get the piano roll in Reaper, simply double-click on the MIDI event, and then it will open the piano roll. Hope that helps :)

[@metalmaniaclukeuk]

Incredible video. Thanks.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks so much Luke, and a warm welcome to our Hack Music Theory community! We publish new vids every Thursday, so we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks! Until then, have a wonderful week/weekend :)

[@AndreyAtapin]

guys, you're very inspirational

[@braxtonortegon5361]

Hack The Contortionist!!!!!!!!!! (: also love the video !! Periphery is awesome

[@ghostuncle]

I'm not generally a metal head, (and I had never heard of djent) but that is one hot groove! Unrelated artist suggestion: The Claypool Lennon Delirium. I just discovered them and I'm intrigued.

[@28rwags]

Love you guys this is a amazing tutorial!!!!!!!!!!!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Aww thanks so much Richard Wagner, and a warm welcome to our Hack Music Theory community! We publish new vids every Thursday, so we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks! Until then, have a wonderful week/weekend :)

[@mannequin1832]

Subbed, great content!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Aww thanks so much Luis, and a warm welcome to our Hack Music Theory community! We publish new vids every Thursday, so we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks! Until then, have a wonderful week :)

[@musicgamer33]

What plugin are you using for the guitar?

[@HackMusicTheory]

No plugin, that's me playing :)

[@musicgamer33]

@@HackMusicTheory Oh okay, I just assumed because you had the midi written out that you had a plugin or samples loaded on the track. Thanks

[@TheAntarcticaProject]

Nice!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks, The Antarctica Project, and a warm welcome to our Hack Music Theory community! We hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks! Until then, happy music making :)

[@sabrishmenon2806]

Nice video.....can u hack how kygo writes his melody plz

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks so much Sabrish, and a warm welcome to our Hack Music Theory community! We'll keep an ear out for new Kygo tracks, as we specifically focus on new releases. We hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks! Until then, have a wonderful week :)

[@WizardOfArc]

Great tips! I love me some polymeters!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha, yup they're great!! Happy you enjoyed this one, Azi, and we wish you a lovely weekend!

[@jaredturner6560]

Would love to see you do some architects stuff

[@HackMusicTheory]

Here you go, Jared. Enjoy :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5bcl2iLgdmDZrc

[@heroic6863]

Not sure why nobody is talking about the fact that this is pretty much exactly the same as the verse riff from Garden In The Bones, but this video was made before the album was even released, so does this mean that the riff from Garden In The Bones was inspired by this video or was it just an insane coincidence? 🤔

[@judsonchristudas]

Can you do a hack "Animals and leaders-CAFO"?

[@Ksyonyxneostep]

i need help with piano roll building Palm Mute Djent

[@guitargamez7930]

Do a hack on archspire

[@Josh-it6uy]

Machine gun vocals

[@cashewwalnut3589]

OMNIFIC PLEASE!!! Or Polyphia or Animals as Leaders or Shokran, Erra Damn I'm going through my whole playlist

[@drewbairdummel]

Great explanation :)

[@adriansc732]

Hola!!!! your work is amazing!!! HACK PLINI!!!!

[@letsdjent1416]

Could u guys Hack blood eagle by periphery

[@theFailQuail]

While the song is epic as hell, I feel like it basically reinforces a lot of djent cliches. Not sure if it really needs the hack treatment (unless of course they want to cover the solo, which is probably one of the best parts of the song).

[@junaidisutara4577]

Nice one! Your videos are great for inspiration. Btw I'd love you to analyze Susanne Sundfør if you can.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Aww thanks so much junaidi, and a warm welcome to our Hack Music Theory community! Thanks for the suggestion, we'll keep an ear out for her :) We hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks! Until then, have a wonderful week/weekend :)

[@halvdunkel969]

Hey there Ray and Kate can you check out Lost Frequencies and make a video about his typo of melody and how to use guitar in EDM Thanks

[@DiegoPujolT]

God, I love this channel. Thank you!! I’d suggest Haken (Darkest Light, Pareidolia, Earthrise are good options!).

[@MikaelaHedberg]

Hack more Periphery, please, maybe Marigold from Periphery III: Select Difficulty. That song is awesome!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Love that song!

[@zyon3101]

With this subject , what misha's face were doing? Amazing video man! Very instructive!!! I recived my EBOOK on my email!!! I'll eat it with farofa and TEA!

[@joeybates5451]

Hack archspire plz

[@chaseclarkemusic]

What daw do you use

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey hey chase, thanks so much for watching and connecting! We use Reaper and are big fans of the software. Take care, and we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks!

[@chaseclarkemusic]

@@HackMusicTheory thank you

[@nitroanilinmusic]

omg so I can suggest an artist to hack? SCAR SYMMETRY

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey hey NitroAnilin, and a warm welcome to our Hack Music Theory community! Thanks for the suggestion, we'll keep an ear out for them :) We hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks! Until then, have a wonderful week/weekend :)

[@Leon-Jordan]

sounds like garden in the bones by periphery

[@rome1283]

Bro he is the bear grylls of theory

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha love it!!! Welcome to the Hack Music Theory community, Roman, we appreciate you stopping by and connecting :)

[@ghostmode3971]

Jonathan deily from northlane would be an interesting hack. Particularly the discoveries album.

[@BierMeister360]

Is this the tatted up djent flea

[@Just-Michael]

Or you're like me and don't figure out what key/ time signature you're playing in until after you've written it. If someone tried to breakdown my work, they'd be giving me too much credit. :P

[@AlienProbe73]

I think thats about 99.9% of all metal riffs including probably this one.

[@FabianoChagas]

FA as usual. This time it kinda tangled my little brain but I'll definitely watch it again. Peace out guys!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey hey Fabiano Chagas, lovely to see you again, hope all's well in Montreal! We're pumped you enjoyed this one :) Thanks big time for being a part of our Hack Music Theory community, we really appreciate you!

[@FabianoChagas]

@@HackMusicTheory hi dude! I'm a rookie bass player and I always learn a lot with your videos. As I already mentioned you guys make it seems easy, and with the hacks it really becomes not-rocket-science. lol. Thanks again for sharing the knowledge! Peace!

[@GeminisArising888]

All this is fine...and we appreciate it. Can we do something on SKRILLEX/KORN type vibe......

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey hey, thanks for stopping by, we really appreciate it! While we haven't hacked that specific collab, you can check out our Metal Music Theory playlist for other bands you might like: kzbin.info/aero/PLgYcaQlDpHN4CU-74EQ7NQnoDbHt8ZDH_ Take care and have a lovely week :)

[@joshrichards6486]

Hack Silent Planet - native blood or any of their other songs.

[@kevinstewart8120]

haken tho?

[@bloodwizard3120]

Alan Ashby without hair?

[@JacobNamchu]

I like this guy he like tea instead of caffeine

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha, thanks Jacob! What kind of tea do you drink?

[@graysonrucker1621]

Please god do video on chon

[@kytk5450]

i think that matt always plays drums on this theory.

[@maul6117]

Do more metal videos.

[@BDBigBenjamin]

underrated

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks so much for stopping by and connecting, BDbendenderman! We hope you have a great week :)

[@BDBigBenjamin]

@@HackMusicTheory no. thank YOU

[@Rain593]

Symphony X's The Odyssey? :p

[@maurelius21]

The Veer Union next please 🙏🏾

[@tfwnoyandere]

good

[@tfwnoyandere]

this is actually useful unlike every other metal tutorial

[@holierthan]

Genious!