I Transcribed Over 100 Meshuggah Riffs. Here's What I Learned:

[@wrongperfection]

As Metal Music Theory put it, "Looping asymmetric guitar riff patterns that phase against quadruple meter backbeats and are truncated to realign at hypermetric boundaries" Or Yogev Gabay made the guest/host system...

[@lerippletoe6893]

The more I know about music theory, and I'm studying thoroughbass and counterpoint type stuff, the more I realize the "dude you just do something like this" type insights are golden. You just gave people a creative platform to experiment with Meshuggah composition NOW.

[@blakehawley1540]

sick. You'll definitely enjoy part 2 where I show how you can develop the beat cycle. Drops on Monday.

[@barankaypakoglu7643]

The passion is contagious on this one! Will try this at home.

[@blakehawley1540]

YES. TRY AT HOME. NERW VIDEO DROPS TODAY. SAME CONCEPT. NEW BEAT CYCLE. ENTIRELY DIFFERENT RESULT.

[@Jacket441]

youre such an amazing teacher - that didn't even feel like a 14 minute video

[@blakehawley1540]

part 2 is called "Developing the 33 Beat Cycle". Dropping on MONDAY.

[@lgab]

Implying 14 minutes is a long time...

[@thumb_bass_guy]

Dude this video is mind blowing. Sick stuff man

[@blakehawley1540]

thanks!

[@g.fweber]

man I love your energy hahaha

[@blakehawley1540]

Good. Check the latest video, it's 3NLIGHT3NING.

[@SPLIFFZPUFFZ]

Dude.. YES... exactly what I needed. Thank you! 33!!

[@blakehawley1540]

h3r3 for you

[@guitaristssuck8979]

The intervals iii, bV, VI form a dim chord, it doesn't get more cyclical than that harmonically speaking 😎

[@blakehawley1540]

G0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O00O0O0O00O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O00O0O0O0O0O0O0O00O0O00O0O0O0O00O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O00O0O0O0O0O0O00O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O00O0O0O0O0O0O0O00O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O00O0O0O0O0O0O0O00O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O00O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O00O00O0O0O0O0O0O0O00O0O0O0O0O0O00O0O0O0O00O0O00O0O0O0O00OD.

[@sikkis4007]

I will always remember the moment I realized what Meshuggah is all about.

[@blakehawley1540]

Good.

[@brucedao2360]

Hope this video gets you on the map man!

[@blakehawley1540]

If not this one, the next one for sure. Or the one after that. Im about to rapid fire these kinds of videos all of 2024. Thanks for the encouragement!

[@Chronic_meshuggah_face]

Oh man I feel your enthusiasm on such a fucking spiritual level - I'm getting 'cøked out Jack Black dialing random people on zoom' vibes, and I love it - your point made so much sense too - simply genius

[@blakehawley1540]

much appreciated. I'm glad you were able to receive the message.

[@timnordberg7204]

precisely this Jack Black kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKCpoGdtYrOFgKcsi=XVQ3urlNUjOZBi8c&t=92

[@MrButera]

Everything is good. Damn straight

[@blakehawley1540]

G0OD.

[@chris407x]

That is excellent. Even with those goofy tones it sounds like Meshuggah. It is also a great way to write odd meter and polyrhythmic songs using the computer to visualize it. I also broke my finger last year in the Mosh pit at a Meshuggah show and it’s still not healed. I’m 54 years old. I guess I’m a slow learner! Subscribed.

[@blakehawley1540]

That finger will be heal up in no time if you keep feeding your mind with CYCLICAL RHYTHM.

[@aaronbandell1244]

Realizing that a band as highly regarded as meshuggah might be writing all their music on a computer as weirdly broken me out of a serious case of imposter syndrome

[@blakehawley1540]

Good. I definitely think we need to embrace the technology in order to innovate. Meshuggah is a perfect example of that.

[@mybiggrin]

@@blakehawley1540 The singer actually contributes to the guitar AND drum parts and he said in an interview that they are writing all of the drum parts on computer at least.

[@blakehawley1540]

@@mybiggrin Yup. Jens was apparently the original guitarist of Meshuggah. I tend to think that the concept of Meshuggah was originally conceived by Jens and Fred.

[@KevinTheCardigan]

It's what you record with. Why would you not write as close to the recording process as possible? The less separation from writing to recording, the easier the workflow.

[@miggychan]

If you're up for a band suggestion "behold the arctopus" writes all their music on the computer so that they don't fall into the same muscle memory trappings that we normally tend to do. There's so many ways to make and write music and all of them valid as long as you're having fun

[@ryanstinson726]

33 :) i was familiar with the pneuma pattern for years and then my mind was blown when i counted along to a quarter note pulse in the verse and 33/4 works

[@Ssssssnakeisone]

What I learned after decades of Meshuggah: *0*

[@blakehawley1540]

yeah that too for sure

[@SlyHikari03]

That early mock-up sounded very 70’s Prog, Emerson Lake and Palmer came to mind.

[@blakehawley1540]

sick

[@DeskLazer]

great analysis here! meshuggah uses the octatonic scale a lot in their compositions. this is def a fun way to write where you have the end rhythm in mind, then figure out how to harmonically get it to fit in the same space.

[@blakehawley1540]

Absolutely. I've got some great videos on octatonic opportunity coming soon.

[@buildusarocket3410]

I love your enthusiasm, it makes me want to make record an album right away

[@blakehawley1540]

perfect. Thats exactly what I'm going for.

[@buildusarocket3410]

@@blakehawley1540 make more, need a discography

[@blakehawley1540]

@@buildusarocket3410 your wish is gonna come true. Check the next TWO videos

[@buildusarocket3410]

@@blakehawley1540 Just bought your music on BC :) It'll be great if you could make more tool videos too!

[@ElephantWatchtower]

I'm only a minute in and this is already perfect!

[@blakehawley1540]

Good.

[@serenaally]

This reminds of what Buster Odehiem does, so inspiring. I read and practice a lot of guitar tabs and recently got into transcribing drums in my DAW. This stuff is so neurotic but fun 😂🎉

[@blakehawley1540]

Neurosis leads to Greatness.

[@blackedelweiss601]

For this style when I'm riffing on guitar with a metronome I tab my idea out on guitar pro afterwards. Often time my favorite feeling Meshuggah style riffs I write are in big ol bars of 9/4, 11/4, or 13/4. I tab out based on what's most easy to read and edit on guitar pro first. so 4/4 stuff is actually 16/4, and 3/4 is 12/4 for example. Take all those bars and then occasionally YOU JUST KNOW, to add a 1/4, 5/4, or 3/4 bar in there or at the end of riffs (this is reflected in the video, the "creative" end part choices). I also find my "big ass bar" method really works when a phrase (repeat of notes) ends like a 16th or a dotted note (something weird) before or after the conventional 4/4 bar.

[@blakehawley1540]

makes complete sense

[@AxeFxMike]

I'll join your skool bro, I'm so glad you're going this route and being more active. You've been so hard to reach on facebook LOL

[@blakehawley1540]

G0OD.

[@Gradiencedk]

What is life. how cool was this! What a great analysis!

[@blakehawley1540]

im about to DISRUPT THE INTERNET with this kind of content.

[@Gradiencedk]

Keep it coming and I will continue to be baffled

[@blakehawley1540]

@@Gradiencedk next video is gonna be a doozie. DON'T miss it

[@bimchlasnaga8583]

Should do Vildhjarta next, this was neat

[@blakehawley1540]

maybe

[@Diftonez]

Actually this one is really good. Love it.

[@blakehawley1540]

Good.

[@I_Am_BearSquatch]

I remember my first time doing mushrooms lol But in all seriousness, great vid dude

[@blakehawley1540]

Good.

[@nathankirkwood3018]

13:46 The homies making underground Mario music at the Nintendo studio

[@blakehawley1540]

you know it

[@SashaGarcia]

Brad's taste in music, talking about good music, for once. Just kidding, awesome breakdown!

[@blakehawley1540]

You talking about Brad Baker? Thanks!

[@davelanciani-dimaensionx]

Now I need to try this. 33. Uh, is that why they named an album Catch 33? Now that makes sense.

[@blakehawley1540]

I think 33 means a lot of things to Meshuggah. The beat cycle application is definitely very useful.

[@rickjames5684]

I'm getting Charlie with the whiteboard vibes. Just got yourself a new sub lol

[@blakehawley1540]

you get it

[@theshillpill6937]

I love how you have investing videos too. I just got into it

[@blakehawley1540]

nice

[@jessefriesen9666]

This is awesome, I didnt quite understand how the kick drum was arranged. Maybe someone with more knowledge can fill me in or maybe I missed something. Sounds so meshuggah even with a keyboard its wild!

[@blakehawley1540]

Thanks! I copied and pasted the rhythm of the riff to the kick drum so the kick drum is playing the exact rhythm of the riff. The takeaway is that your kick drum will usually be reinforcing the exact rhythm of the riff. Does that make sense?

[@jessefriesen9666]

@@blakehawley1540 thank you that makes sense! Love the video and the vibe of you rocking out to the riff 😁🤘

[@blakehawley1540]

@@jessefriesen9666 awesome! You'll definitely enjoy the next video!

[@nyctonihilanth]

Killer video! keep up the good work

[@blakehawley1540]

Follow every video and become a super fan

[@tommcmahon3200]

5:51 DYNAMITE!!! Love that shit man 😂But seriously watch your back, youve exposed the 33 secret society 😱

[@blakehawley1540]

I am prepared to face the consequences of my actions.

[@mtg_synergizer6022]

33 !!!! I never knew that but it's my fav sacred number

[@blakehawley1540]

Yeah man it's a powerful number

[@ObsidianEchoes69]

I’m glad this was recommended by YT. As a shaman and musician, this was a great concept I’m gonna use in my next. Thanks

[@blakehawley1540]

awesome. You'll definitely like the next video where I systematically develop this riff using 3 levels of variation.

[@moeddan85]

same here sir!

[@ObsidianEchoes69]

@@blakehawley1540just watched the 7775 video. F’ng brilliant!

[@blakehawley1540]

@@ObsidianEchoes69 G0OD.

[@nikolaystroganov652]

Man thanks a lot , very helpful

[@blakehawley1540]

here to S3RV3.

[@CraigHinrichs]

DEWD you are awesome

[@blakehawley1540]

Good.

[@GODElRigna]

Agreed. Well done on the analysis. Committing to rhythms first and placing the notes later is a fun way to approach songwriting in the Meshuggah style. I have done that on a variety of GOD tracks. Great work Blake. Its so true that once you discover the concept it is quite simple. Numbers all day every day.

[@blakehawley1540]

Yes. Thank G0D.

[@DeadzoneMusic]

This guy drugs

[@blakehawley1540]

I channel

[@krackkorn6324]

5:14 finally discovered why Catch 33 is indeed 33

[@blakehawley1540]

Good.

[@supermot34]

Preaching to the choir bro, I've done exactly the same thing and come to the same realizations

[@blakehawley1540]

OH G0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O00O0OO00O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O000O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O00O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O00O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O00O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O00O0O0O0O0O00O0OD.

[@gurukimci]

Thats craaazy

[@blakehawley1540]

Yeah its like instant enlightenment just add water

[@TempleGuitars]

Whenever there are leftovers after dinner, I also see that as a massive opportunity.

[@blakehawley1540]

OH. G0OD.

[@JBrooksNYS]

Tool is my favorite band and I have never noticed anything like this in their music. You mentioned Pnuema. I know how to play Pnuema and I dont see this going on in that song. Just some odd time signatures. I never heard them "going over the bar" except maybe the bridge of Rossetta Stoned? Do you have any other Tool examples? I would love to know.

[@blakehawley1540]

It's true that Tool doesn't go "over the bar" in the same way that Meshuggah does. I brought up the 33 beat cycle in Pneuma just to illustrate the innate musicality of 33 as a rhythm, however, the application of 33 in Pneuma is completely different than the application of it here. In Pneuma the time signature is 33/4 where the snare drum is aligned to the 33 beat cycle. This is the video I was referring to when I mentioned the use of 33 in Pneuma: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6G6qmeXqKyfaMk it addresses exactly what you're asking about starting at 2:48

[@moss462]

first one that came to mind is in the middle section of lateralus danny plays a 5 beat pattern on the hi-hat(in triplet feel) over the 4/4, takes 5 measures to resolve (from 4:56 to 5:38). then he plays a more complicated 10 beat pattern till 6:20. bass and guitar just play normal 4/4 feel tho.

[@drumttocs8]

Hell yeah dude

[@blakehawley1540]

Good.

[@siim1129]

god damn you are a nerd, i love it.

[@blakehawley1540]

Good dude. The next video will literally rearrange your brain chemistry

[@P3t3rPizzarelli]

The album was imm3ns3 dude, makes me want to pick up the guit again

[@blakehawley1540]

hell yes P3t3r. glad to hear it. Let me know if you're ever in the market for lessons on Applied Holdsworthian Harmony.

[@NormanTiner]

10:40 not gonna lie man, that was some sick vocal distortion

[@blakehawley1540]

G0OD.

[@theshillpill6937]

I guess that’s why they named their pedal 33 by Fortin

[@blakehawley1540]

more than likely

[@andrewlynch1754]

What I learned from this video is: Poly-rhythms For real though, what is that tune in the intro? Absolute banger.

[@blakehawley1540]

All my original music in these videos, literally creating the riffs in real time IN the video to show the power of the SYST3M. Definitely gonna do a video about polyrhythms compared to beat cycles. You're gonna love it.

[@RohannvanRensburg]

The funny thing about this is your "early mockup" sounds like it could be an instrumental part from a 70s prog song if you used completely analogue instruments.

[@blakehawley1540]

yuuuuuuuuuuup

[@RohannvanRensburg]

@@blakehawley1540 Awesome video, I always had the impression they did something like this but hadn't seen it tried outright.

[@blakehawley1540]

@@RohannvanRensburg and from here there's a lot more variation potential, it's all about staying consistent with the beat cycle.

[@emocee]

6:39 sampled edit: love the video

[@blakehawley1540]

Good.

[@kaomartin6017]

Anyone feelin’ Mario Paint? We’ve come full circle. 😂

[@blakehawley1540]

yeah this style of composition was definitely utilized by game designers.

[@chinito398]

Now thats a Catch Thirtythree

[@blakehawley1540]

ind33d

[@Epic501]

Man thinks he has cracked the code by discovering polymeter

[@blakehawley1540]

check the new video. it's crushing.

[@mtg_synergizer6022]

Ahahaa, one the coolest dudes I ever met!

[@blakehawley1540]

Thanks dude

[@NormanTiner]

12:08 sounding like Wolfenstein 3D

[@blakehawley1540]

Good.

[@markwflyge]

Kinda gives Catch 33 a whole new meaning.🤔 hmmmm

[@blakehawley1540]

Catch 33 is the gift that keeps on GIVING.

[@Alex-lm7cx]

My third eye has opened.

[@blakehawley1540]

Good.

[@ericquinn4954]

Melody in MAJOR G0o0oooood

[@blakehawley1540]

check out GSM if you're into that kind of thing

[@ericquinn4954]

@@blakehawley1540 yeah "Comet", the second to last track on GSM's "Cyclical Antiquity" is a good example of what you're talking about in this video I think

[@blakehawley1540]

@@ericquinn4954 Yup kid

[@AFRoSHEENT3ARCMICHAEL69]

Catch 22? Na catch 33.

[@blakehawley1540]

exactly

[@Secretsoftheuniverse_333]

Dude, you're hilarious lol

[@blakehawley1540]

Good.

[@AP-rs5wz]

sick t-shirt

[@blakehawley1540]

Good.

[@dougleydorite]

The problem now is AI can spit stuff like this out immediately and it will sound just as mathematical and not any less creative

[@blakehawley1540]

I don't see it as a problem, just another opportunity. In a reply I made to a comment on this video I stated that we need to embrace the technology in order to innovate. I completely agree that AI could make all of these decisions in the same way that YOU could make all of these decisions. That's just an inevitable result of having a clearly defined system. Once the AI can execute our systems, we have more time to create new systems.

[@dougleydorite]

@@blakehawley1540 good perspective

[@emilklamer6938]

rock

[@blakehawley1540]

3693

[@emilklamer6938]

thats a cool rythm@@blakehawley1540

[@matttaylor1449]

I’ve been doing this for years but on Guitar Pro. You just need to understand a bit of theory and the formula.

[@blakehawley1540]

Exactly. You already know. You already wield alchemical mastery.

[@joecity-rp2093]

Amphetamines?

[@blakehawley1540]

not even coffee

[@oldscratch3535]

Yes please.

[@lethalbydefault]

It's called Polyrhythms.

[@blakehawley1540]

The difference between polyrhythms and beat cycles is that polyrhythms tend to be more consistent. Beat cycles tend to be more complex because they are essentially extended polyrhythms with inner variations. For example a polyrhythm might be consistent 5s over 12 like the 12/8 section of Lateralus where Danny is playing steady 5/8 on the hi hats over a larger 12/8 pulse that full the band is playing. A beat cycle would be a much longer cycle like the intro riff to Clockworks where the beat cycle is 36 8th notes and within the 36 8th notes, the combinations of 3s and 2s are constantly being reordered. So yes I agree that beat cycles are technically polyrhythms but the application is completely different.

[@laughinginthe90s]

@blakehawley1540 I believe this is polymeter, rather than polyrhythm. Multiple meters/phrases of different length played at the same tempo. Polyrhythms shove multiple phrases (or pulses) (5-4) into a constant time chunk. Effectively two tempos

[@blakehawley1540]

@@laughinginthe90s YES this is BEAUTIFULLY stated. And it's the perfect video topic.

[@fraktal9]

i dont get what is actually 33, in which context or form

[@blakehawley1540]

In this example, the number 33 represents a pattern of 16th notes that repeats every 33 16th notes. I refer to this pattern of 33 16th notes as the beat cycle. The 33 16th note beat cycle is organized as four groupings of 7 16th notes and one grouping of 5 16th notes. Does that make sense?

[@fraktal9]

@@blakehawley1540 yes, totally! thankss

[@blakehawley1540]

@@fraktal9 sick

[@marcelmiagi4579]

Was this video a joke or something? I can't tell if your being serious

[@blakehawley1540]

try the techniques for yourself because only then will you know if I am serious.

[@thekjpacino]

This sounds eerily similar to the penultimate section in tool's rosetta stoned. Believe that was in 11 too

[@blakehawley1540]

i know 333XXXACTLY what you mean.

[@maxiei9889]

please calm down lol

[@maxiei9889]

5:55 like bro i just cant take you serious when you do shit like this to a sine wave lol

[@blakehawley1540]

@@maxiei9889 buy the GSM album and shirt gasstationmentality.bandcamp.com/album/cyclical-antiquity

[@maxiei9889]

@@blakehawley1540 ur a joke

[@scottbroberts]

33 likes on this video until I just ruined it. Sorry. 🤘

[@blakehawley1540]

its fine

[@scottbroberts]

@@blakehawley1540 GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD 😁

[@blakehawley1540]

@@scottbroberts Good.

[@HamedEmine]

Someone get @YogevGabay over here! :O

[@blakehawley1540]

In this example the HOST is 4 while the GUEST is 33.