How To Write Riffs Like SLIPKNOT

[@RaaZVan99]

All Hope is Gone has sooo many pure death metal riffs, Gematria and the title track are insane

[@jeromesimon8916]

All hope is gone is a really good album not sure why it never got the same attention as the previous ones

[@CorpseChords]

My favorite and best slipknot album IMO

[@danielfenwick6902]

That anyone would pick all hope is gone blows my mind not even top 3 imo the sound and feeling was slowly watered down after the first 2 albums as they became more commercially successfull the recent live performances had a taste of that feeling that's y I'm hopefull for the 25 anniversary album

[@DimaNSK-vy4br]

Slipknot were inspired by death metal. Especially such band how: cannibal corpse, morbid angel, deicide and malevolent creation!

[@thidebrito]

Vendetta Mick's riff is insane!

[@itopakfrppgng9764]

I love their riffs, extremely efficient but clearly not so complicated to play and compose

[@yyeeloew9974]

Man what even is complicated (aside from things clearly meant to be such). For me it feels like everything that isn't thrash or progg is deemed as un-complicated. Korn or deftones i can get but Slipknot? Curious as to why you deem it not so complicated

[@santiagoboss4830]

Yeah sounds like someone doesn’t know how read music, Mick Thomson’s song writing is very complex note per note it may sound easy on the ears but on paper its a different story

[@PERPowns]

I really need to find one of the old "HATE" BC Rich's and slap a set of those fishmans in it and fulfill my childhood dreams. Solid breakdown Trey

[@vxrdrummer]

My mate got one of those things when they came out. It's the Warlock right? He had an Ibanez RG760 that he used to use for most of our stuff and then used to switch to the Mick Axe later in the set. It was totally stock and sounded awful beyond awful. I hated that thing. It looked cool but was so nasty.

[@PERPowns]

@@vxrdrummer I think they did a like a bronze series that was not great, a made in Korea version that was better, and a USA custom series that was legit. I don't really remember as they came out in the early 2000's when I was in high school. All I truly remember is the HATE on the fretboard and I thought that was the sickest shit I had ever seen lol

[@vxrdrummer]

I love how every player always does a 'metal face' upside down smile when playing badass riffs!

[@limi.]

Personally speaking, Gematria riff is the best riff from the whole Slipknot discography... I wish they wrote more riffs like that.

[@LucasLeCompteMusic]

5:32 Gojira

[@treyxaviermusic]

I thought the same thing

[@burnedoutregretfulsoul4324]

To clear up potential misunderstanding: the definition of "chromatic" is notes with a distance of a half-step apart. They can be out of scale, but aren't always

[@TheStrykerProject]

Trey, this is now one of my favorite vids of yours. Thank you!

[@larrywade166]

This is exactly how I would've described it. You nailed it. They were my favorite band for a while because the guitarist do all the things I like to do albeit in a much better, faster, cleaner, greater, I'm garbage way. And my first instrument was drums so hearing the guitars sync with the drums was my shit. You killed this. For me at least. Subscribed

[@oTchago]

Also, don't forget about the tons of slides, hammer ons and pull offs on 5th chords. Happy writing.

[@claudiasolomon1123]

In an old interview, Mick mocked 7 string guitars, called them "a fad" 🤔well that may be, but my 7 string & Whammy pedal make playing their songs less difficult. I can only imagine what he thinks about 8-9 string guitars 😂 I'm VERY thankful you pointed out how obviously influenced by nu metal djent is. A lot of them deny this, I don't know why?? I once called Meshuggah "complicated Korn" & that got under their skin.

[@jobforarockstar]

Totally agree. I thought any more than 6 strings were sometimes cool but unnecessary. But there's some really amazing things you can do. I'd kill for a 7 or 8 string. You could totally be in drop d and standard tuning at the same time. Atleast I think it'd work. But so many people have shown me how you can damn near have your top E resemble a bass string lol. And ever since I've started looking more and more into upgrading I keep coming across the term "Djent" I have no idea what it means lol. I always thought it was like an elitist term for people who swear by 7-8 strings. Any chance you could enlighten me as to what it is? Lol. I've been playing for 23 years and I'm a little embarrassed lol.

[@vlorschbuug]

@@jobforarockstar look it up

[@mysticmagicsmurfdarklord6844]

@@jobforarockstarDjent is a subgenre of prog metal and metalcore that uses Meshuggah’s style of polyrhythmic chugging, elements of metalcore, and often use of atmospheric synths and clean guitars

[@tophertaylor68]

Excellent video breaking down the wizardry of the Knot

[@BlackacreDoe]

Long shot here but most of my channel is dedicated to covering/teaching Jim’s parts in Slipknot songs, would love to collab if you do more Slipknot guitar stuff. Awesome job on this video 🤘🏻

[@mattbertrand9496]

I think the point in limiting oneself to promote creativity is great. By setting boundaries it allows you to really work within a structure and to the plan with that structure.

[@PeterCleff]

I've been a semi fake fan for a while now. Just knowing the hits. Now I've started digging into their discography since the new drummer joined. Great band. Solid video👌👌

[@JimDewdGuitars]

The intro to left behind has some major groove to it!

[@andrewpappas9311]

Will definitely be keeping these in mind for when I come up with stuff, I don't usually go down to Drop B or A but it definitely helps to have that range as well and I'll be damned if the 'Knot don't have some killer riffs that straight-up punch you in the face and it's fucking awesome. As for some of the death metal influence, I remember hearing an interview with Mick who said he was a bit fan of death metal so a lot of it comes from his style as well

[@jacksonmills961]

Yeah I think mick was a huge black/death metal advocate before he started working with slipknot

[@kittavares4334]

Just found your channel a few days ago, it’s some of the best stuff I’ve seen on KZbin.

[@ChrisPuckett]

Just see these guys once and you’re a fan for life

[@TheMirrorify]

I know you like to push vocals and songwriting stuff but for me guitar based content is where you really shine. Love it.

[@ametalfan-rt6wh]

He looks like he put his very life and soul into those keg hits

[@13flaws18]

Love this man! Definitely more of this content🤘

[@devin7141]

Nice work Trey 👍

[@nostromoalien2]

Awesome instructive video. Mick was the reason i picked up guitar 20 odd years ago 😊

[@Shonuffyessir]

Great vid! Thanks for the info! I'm just getting started and this helps a lot so thanks man!

[@Real_Name_Jim]

Mick Thomson is definitely the death metal influence on the band.

[@gabrielreis7319]

Thank for this Man, hugs from Brazil!

[@engreem9281]

Great video! All your points were well explained, and were well dissected

[@BcBaxley]

Them Keg Skills though 😎🍻🤘

[@woodward_alan]

I hope this becomes a series! :)

[@bwoods311]

Room is looking extra sick today! Great video

[@treyxaviermusic]

Normally I'm not about a red look but it felt fitting for this one

[@noodle845]

Nice video man. Enjoyed that. Id like to see more of these type videos

[@hawnick7234]

Anybody else have a hard time not watching the drumstick/guitar head stock tension? 😁

[@Durkhead]

Slipknot has rapping, catchy chorus,samples and turntables their def numetal

[@Corey91666]

Not in every song though and thats why its sometimes diffucult to put them there. E.g. how much nu metal is the whole iowa album in comparism to stuff like spit it out?

[@Durkhead]

@@Corey91666 i think the main thing that "puts them there" isnt even in the music its the mask. But yes iowa is super heavy but theres still rapping and catchy chorus and turntables and as their discography goes on theres way less turntables and rapping it really doesnt change the fact that there basically pop metal. Disturbed kinda did the same thing but i would still say they are numetal

[@hyperbolekid]

Amazing video man!

[@vincentemerald2574]

Great video Trey!!

[@-cobainism-]

the oil can makes the vid- love it!

[@mysticmagicsmurfdarklord6844]

Groove in metal existed before nu metal. Case in point: Pantera

[@treyxaviermusic]

It did, but it was rare

[@andreguimaraes2528]

Btw that's my two favourite metal bands. You know why

[@kittavares4334]

@@treyxaviermusic I don’t know if it was a thing in the US, but here we had a genre plainly called “Groove Metal”. All the stuff like late sepultura, machine head, fear factory, etc. fell under that category. It predated nu metal a few years. And of course, there was Pantera. Vulgar Display of Power was the record that got Jon from Korn into metal.

[@mysticmagicsmurfdarklord6844]

@@kittavares4334that is a thing in the US, yes

[@Inlay76667]

Love your vids mate!

[@ryancurfman]

Ive always thought of them as the most metal of the numetal crowd. Their tone is so interesting to me because it works so good but I don’t know if it would work in any other band

[@jacob9368]

made me laugh, showed great knowledge, very good im subbing

[@gaberox1]

The riffs in Vermillion part one are the best.

[@DiamondPressMusic]

"slipknot riffs are simple" Kid named Gematria:

[@SilkandScrooge]

The riff mileage thing shows how much the drums are carrying the load.

[@tedd1659]

What slipknot also does in they use main riff and hi hat of a drum and before the verse starts, they combine those to to make some kind of build up like how in sulfur, people=shi or gematria right after the intro riff, main riff comes in with Joey hitting the hi hat. The main thing i would focus on learning to write or even learn slipknot songs is mostly downpicking cause they really are using a lot of fast downpicking in almost all of their songs.

[@thidebrito]

Love it!

[@GuitarNinja91]

Make more of these! Gojira or Periphery next would be cool

[@jon4904]

NUMBER 3,,,AND #5🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥✌️✌️✌️✌️✌️

[@RedBullDeadPool]

7:16 the Rammstein more

[@MykeOwns]

5:11 lol

[@treyxaviermusic]

I literally re-exported and re-uploaded the video before I published because I realized I'd forgotten to put that in, so I'm glad somebody noticed hahahaha

[@CreativeMindsAudio]

great video, but now i want an EDM Slipknot song. Like similar guitars and drums, but on synths 😂.

[@treyxaviermusic]

I bet it exists somewhere, and if not, you know what to do

[@Lattrodon]

Cool video

[@mybiggrin]

You explain things so well! Now do Meshuggah?

[@treyxaviermusic]

that's sooooo hard though hahaha

[@ariskoskinas]

Way to nice video man. May you spot if what you use for the tone? Just one word. I know you cant answer to everyobe but itbis just ine word. Example : evh5150 or neural dsp gojira or stl loomis.

[@treyxaviermusic]

Neural Omega Granophyre, really awesome with low tunings

[@ariskoskinas]

@@treyxaviermusic you rule man …

[@harrishunter9923]

Mick and Paul was in a technical death metal band before slipknot

[@patrickbevelock2171]

There's usually a triplet somewhere

[@stormdragon79]

What guitar is that? Stingray30? How did you make it a hard tail?

[@jme214]

Happy birthday and all I missed your live. Who are you?

[@treyxaviermusic]

I’m Batman

[@johnbritolima]

9:45 Tell that to The Beatles. Haha.

[@kuromyou7969]

10:40 can you talk about how this relates to Korn's "dubstep" album? I feel they still sounded like Korn, but I'd be interested in your take.

[@treyxaviermusic]

I never listened to it

[@kuromyou7969]

@@treyxaviermusic oh wow, I wasn't expecting a reply on this. 😆 Anyways, np if you haven't listened to it.

[@stormdragon79]

What amp or plug-in are you using here?

[@Dotthedese]

Nu Metal was not the first groovy metal genre, groove metal like pantera, machine Head and fear factory was before Korns debut

[@Rust7ic]

Great

[@Skeleton_Dork]

1:58 Who's gonna tell him about the Psychosocial riff...

[@treyxaviermusic]

are you saying it doesn't have it? it definitely does

[@Skeleton_Dork]

@@treyxaviermusic As far as I am aware the main riff uses the 1st, 2nd, minor 3rd, 4th and flat 5th When it modulates for the chorus, the major tonic does become the flat 2nd of the main riff but it doesn't necessarily serve that purpose

[@Skeleton_Dork]

Nevermind I was wrong you were right I'll see myself out now

[@lawrencepatrick5760]

Sweet🤘

[@PhilippeArantesTina]

How many times did you hurt yourself hitting the beer cans ?😂

[@treyxaviermusic]

None but it did actually hit the Revv cab haha

[@demongrunt7]

disturbed did that on the evolution album, that sucked ass. glad their newest album went back to what works for them

[@Mr_Riffman08]

Your point?

[@treyxaviermusic]

...wat

[@Sc3neShit]

Drop B on a 7-string guitar’s B F# B E A C# F#.

[@Shad0wReaper133]

Did you have to butcher the Psychosocial intro the way you did?

[@Davier9999]

I am a long time subscriber, and I really enjoy your content, but that Slipknot you've done is ass and it still haunts me to this day.

[@treyxaviermusic]

that's why it's called "Ghost Earth". It haunts you anywhere you go, except space (where no one can hear you scream)

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

Good tutorial, but bad history. NYDM and slam, along with a fair bit of grind influenced DM had been doing the focus on groove instead of technicality for awhile. Six Feet Under started as a groovier side project to Cannibal Corpse, Chris just got fired not long after they started.

[@treyxaviermusic]

I think that might be true, but “groovy for death metal” isn’t the same. What I mean is that they may have been trying to be more groovy, but that kind of stuff still isn’t really very groovy. No shade, it’s still cool, just not really the same

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

@@treyxaviermusic It might come down to what bands first come to mind, but when I think of bands like Mortician, CBT or Agathocles, groove is the main thing that stands out. If you know Anal Blast, that's where the crossover occurs. Jim, Paul and Joey were formerly involved with that band.

[@drcockles]

I came to this on 666 likes 🤟🏽

[@jaymz010]

I disagree. Unpopular opinion? Slipknot without the bells ‘n whistles are more a Grindcore band than a Death Metal band... ...That’sjustmedoh 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@treyxaviermusic]

I don't really think they have enough blastbeats and 45 second songs to be grindcore

[@TheInfiniteNine]

The song "eeyore" and "get this" come to mind, but that's only like 2 songs out of their entire discography.

[@dcmastermindfirst9418]

Who cares. Slipknot died with Paul and Joey

[@NKN82]

LoL slipknot based on Corey, Jim and Mike.

[@xenonvinc]

Clown and Corey will make you a member of Slipknot, just to kick you out of the band the next day and blame it on you. Then they will sue you for this video

[@Xeroforte]

The 2 most recent members both lasted 10 years and 26 years. Quit acting like it's some revolving door lineup, sheesh. They aren't the first band to have lineup changes and they sure won't be the last so get used to it, very few bands keep their OG lineup. Especially 9 piece bands.

[@Raspyist]

Ha that 1 riff that you love, is precisely the point at which I clocked out of slipknot. That riff is a bad ear worm for me like the Macarana. It's not even just meat and potatoes, its just potatoes. babies first metal riff.

[@Eliphas_Elric]

I just can’t with Slipknot. They’re like the Juggolos of metal.

[@josht7468]

?

[@andrewhill3969]

lol slipknot riffs? you mean 1-0-6-1.... there you go lesson over.

[@Xeroforte]

I'd say you must be fun at parties but I doubt anyone invites you to any. It's just a fun informational video, kid. Lighten up.

[@andrewhill3969]

@@Xeroforte who the fuck goes to parties? too old for that dumb shit

[@The_Lord_Of_Confusion]

for me its Slipk-NOT, pass

[@jesusangeles19995]

Dont watch then

[@777malkavian]

edgy

[@The_Lord_Of_Confusion]

@@777malkavian I know

[@EyesOpen369]

Slipknot sucks

[@whitex4652]

Locrian and lots of tritoni. :-)) I love it.

[@WHOREHOUSEFR]

People and critics of the time put them into nu metal because of the time they came out, and it's the same with bands like SOAD, Mudvayne, Static X, Mushroomhead or Drowning Pool. I LOVE nu metal, but come on, Slipknot is way to brutal. Plus, they don't really fit in any genre, "modern metal", groove metal may be ? BTW, songs like "All Hope Is Gone", "Orphan", or "The Heretic Anthem" are 100% death metal. "This Cold Black" or "Solway Firth" may be too. Love your tone BTW

[@treyxaviermusic]

Yeah, genre is an invention of music journalists and historians, it’s not even real. Slipknot is just slipknot.

[@dcmastermindfirst9418]

Pfft slipknot isn't brutal.

[@TheInfiniteNine]

​@dcmastermindfirst9418 sorry it's not xXX Br00taLL xXX enough for you