Is Modern Metal Still Heavy In E Standard?

Is E Standard still heavy in 2024?
Check out the Harley Benton ST-Modern Plus here: bit.ly/4eL17NE
Support The Channel:
- Patreon: bit.ly/3aut5lx
Guitars & Gear (Thomann):
- Harley Benton ST-Modern Plus: bit.ly/4eL17NE
- Cubase: bit.ly/3O2nXWM
- Focusrite 2i4: bit.ly/3RorCxC
- Ernie Ball Strings: bit.ly/2IitKWG
- Dunlop Jazz III Picks: bit.ly/3rnxWNi
Guitars & Gear (Sweetwater):
- Cubase: sweetwater.sjv.io/KjzeAe
- Audient ID44 Interface: sweetwater.sjv.io/4PEK7Z
- Ernie Ball Strings: sweetwater.sjv.io/5gnb31
- Dunlop Jazz III Picks: sweetwater.sjv.io/m5GgBO
Guitar, Bass & Drum Tones:
- Neural DSP Archetype Nolly: bit.ly/3riSBlJ
- Solemn Tones MayoBass: bit.ly/3D5lZi4
- MDLtone Ultimate Heavy Drums: bit.ly/3LrxxQT
My Music:
- Spotify: spoti.fi/3rbYz7Q
- Apple Music: bit.ly/44hfXXv
- Amazon Music: amzn.to/3XM10dx
Follow Me:
- Instagram: bit.ly/3ySz8JQ
- TikTok: bit.ly/3pyeAVs
- Facebook: bit.ly/3nR6ToK
- Twitter: bit.ly/3yl5c7S
DistroKid:
- Get 7% Off DistroKid Here: distrokid.com/vip/petecottrell
Business Enquiries:
[e-mail]
Video Chapters:
0:00 - (If Applicable)
This video was made possible with the support of my awesome Patrons: Jason Lowman, Florian Bayer and more over on Patreon.
I'm Pete and I play music! Having fun with metal guitar doing everything from modern metal, extended range 7 strings and 8 strings to thrash metal on a good old 6 string. Riffs in the styles of other bands, shredding and lots of fun with metal music!
*All links are Affiliate links*

[@peteplaysmusic]

Is E Standard still heavy in 2024? Check out the Harley Benton ST-Modern Plus here: bit.ly/4eL17NE

[@yourfriendlyitalianweeb4037]

yes

[@thegodk1ller]

Sylosis is THE answer to this question

[@andrij.demianczuk]

I liked it!

[@Eckathor]

​@@thegodk1ller Except Sylosis started downtuning to C# standard

[@cristianbarajas1895]

Yes it is

[@BaenaCarcosa]

Carcosa in E Standard is cursed.. thank you

[@peteplaysmusic]

You love it haha :)

[@SamBrockmann]

Hahahaha

[@MetalGuitarGuy]

lol 😆

[@PeJota615]

I actually thought it sounded better lol

[@TheBanana93]

|Still brutal

[@NicuMihai]

Next: E standard riffs tuned higher

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

Ukecore

[@manuelhernandez2017]

🤯🤯🤯🤯

[@kadenzook3826]

I’ve tried this! Played a bunch of thrash stuff and it was…interesting

[@chrisfalk9762]

Vektor has entered the chat

[@stefanstuder2810]

@@chrisfalk9762was just about to mention them!

[@apoplexiamusic]

Basically this shows that Thrash metal is still everywhere in the genre and it’s just the tuning that changed. These are all amazing

[@MacDaddyBlack546]

Plenty of bands still ripping Slayer riffs from two decades ago

[@Gabo__]

00000000​@@MacDaddyBlack546

[@Merybelt06]

"We're bringing 80's trash metal back" ahh comment

[@primus6677]

The Architects one sounded like a power metal riff

[@Waas]

It reminded me a bit of old CKY.

[@nickj4785]

@@Waas oh wow.. you are right!

[@loweffortproductions1985]

I personally thought the higher tuning made it sound kind of Proggy

[@sterlingburnsides9712]

Here to put my spin on this too: It was literally like Dream Theatre in 4/4

[@gub4941]

It sounded like symphony x

[@timothymckane6362]

Rip and Tear sounds very cool in that tuning surprisingly.

[@nekurobaito]

Original sounded gnarly like a chainsaw dismembering demons, E standard sounds like the Doomslayer trims his beard with an electric shaver.

[@KasbashPlays]

Rip and Tear in E Standard places it right back in the original Doom games. Feels like a coming full circle moment, quite honestly.

[@VeritabIlIti]

IIRC in Mick's behind the scenes of making Doom 2016, he discussed starting in E, then got a 7 string, then thought he needed lower... So found a 9 string. Dude's a madman

[@lorder233]

I have to disagree, however the Architects sounds just as good in Es

[@thomaswheeler5216]

I agree - really caught off guard by how much I enjoyed it!

[@GOAT-rl2uq]

I think a critical point here is that the tone seems to me like it's set up for super low tunings, and sounds a bit too smooth in E standard. Could handle a bit more dirt with E standard.

[@progfox]

this

[@sigiligus]

Yes. Honestly a noob move in the video.

[@NX2Official]

Isn’t that the point of the video though? He’s not necessarily making the video for it to sound good because that wouldn’t be a fair comparison. That would be like saying “let’s compare this apple to that apple but I’ve modified the other apple to make it taste better anyway”.

[@codcade]

Right, the lower the tuning, the less gain needed. But in higher tunings it benefits from more distortion

[@nonyodambiz]

Oh yeah Higher tunings thrive on dirtier, gnarlier production. The reason why a lot of modern metal sounds so clean is because the tuning is so low that you wouldn't be able to hear it on otherwise dirtier production.

[@BlackSheepCheckMyMusic]

Imo what really brings the heavyness it's the drums, vocals and groove. Lamb of god play a lot of songs on drop d and they are quite heavy

[@swissarmyknight4306]

Yep. Speaking as a baritone main who still plays regular guitar and bass, lower isn't better, neither is it worse. Its just lower. Higher isn't better, its just higher. I say they all have their place and use. Higher like E, Eb, D give you more cut and punch, lower like C# down to B, A, or Ab on baritone/7 string has more "chug" and "weight" but you trade away a bit of the "punch". Going lower past some point below baritone starts to all kinda sound equally low due to the limitations of human hearing (like lower than A on a 5 string bass just turns to rumble to my ears, so I see no reason to go lower than the basement). None of these are better or worse, they just sound different. I feel like past a certain point, guitar players are reverse-engineering bass guitar with extra steps. Like, did you know that bass is a cool instrument that can be tuned really low? You could have a higher tuned guitar play above that, it sounds really cool.

[@bottomtext251]

​@@swissarmyknight4306 advantage of 7 and 8 string guitars is that you can play low and high at the same time alone and the distortion sounds better on the lower strings than on a bass.

[@edge4266]

agreed, i personally think Drop C is the sweet spot for heavy music though

[@swissarmyknight4306]

@@bottomtext251 The disadvantage is that I can't get my head around 7 or 8 strings, which is why I play bari. I almost never hear anyone playing as you say in any popular music.

[@bottomtext251]

@@swissarmyknight4306 It might not be popular but I heard it a few times before, I also play fingerstyle sometimes and you can play triplettes with a pick with low and high strings alternating

[@GuitarPlayer42]

1:30 Doomsday (Architects) 2:02 A Plague (Carcosa) 2:31 Holy Roller (Spiritbox) 2:58 Gored (Loathe) 3:25 Rip & Tear (Mick Gordon) 4:09 Icarus Lives (Periphery) 4:35 The Saw Is The Law (Whitechapel)

[@pergproductions]

Modern Metal in E Standard mostly sounds like royalty free electric guitar tracks that you hear in the background of pro wrestling top 10 videos

[@exmarinplorer]

Cuz most of bands today lack creativity so they have to drop 123 steps

[@Neb222]

Painfully accurate

[@philipvargas2605]

@@exmarinplorer This guy gets it.

[@oldfart6938]

Sylosis - let me introduce myself!

[@heavymetalkid5715]

I think of some retro ish game

[@gauzed7556]

Periphery, Mick Gordon and Architects go traditional Prog! Those sounded awesome! Doomsday particularly sounded like something DGM would make.

[@Naughtylius]

"a good riff is a good riff and it basically works in any tuning" - AMEN!

[@Dethrojethro]

Rip & Tear actually reminds me of early thrash which does work considering a lot of Ultimate Doom’s soundtrack was midi versions of popular thrash, groove, and grunge before ‘93

[@metalswifty23]

I know theyre not "modern metal," but Opeth (when they were still death metal at least) record in E standard. The album Deliverance is a great showcase of how heavy standard tuning can be, Master's Apprentices in particular a favourite of mine.

[@harku123]

A lot of heaviness comes from the dissonance of the locrian scale and the Byzantine scale which are used a heck of a lot in metal so the interval between notes, these scales have a lot of semitone intervals compared to more traditional music

[@EggTamago7]

Same with a lot of DImmu Borgir's work. Honestly, I think they leave more room in the mix for the bass than modern mega-drop-tuned bands do, and you end up with something super heavy without really needing to detune at all. For my own stuff, you can call it laziness (it is), but I feel like I have the most fun and write the heaviest/coolest riffs when I'm hovering around drop D. No long scale lengths, hyper thick and hard to find strings, super tight pickups, or crazy eq-ing needed. Just a bone-stock HSS Strat with 10s - so simple lol

[@digitaljanus]

Great pick. I love the closing section of Deliverance's title track, where the one guitar plays a high ringing melodic riff, and the rest of the band plays a low heavy syncopated riff. I think having the contrast in pitch and rhythm makes the lower part feel even heavier.

[@AI-ke9pp]

​​@@harku123 tbh imo most of opeths "heaviness" isn't the same heavy as those bands. It's more of an evil ot dissonant type sound. Dropping the moors riffs won't make it that much heavier to me for example. But masters apprentice on the other hand is a riff that gets "heavier" when tuned lower since it's closer to how other bands make "heavy"

[@harku123]

@@AI-ke9pp I agree, if you have riffs that incorporate chords or just multiple strings used simultaneously, it gets mushy at lower tunings but single string riffs benefit a lot from low tuning which is where meshuggah gets it right in that sense. Another way music can be heavy is for it to be groovy and low rumbling or bassy. Masters apprentice would be pretty cool at a lower tuning I'm sure just like you said, the moor is so chord heavy and dissonant that running it lower than maybe drop d or c would only be detrimental.

[@CellarStudioProductions]

Architects in higher tuning = prog? XD

[@devoncahill7088]

Architects was always prog leaning, no one payed enough attention to see it.

[@TheGaryHughes]

Icarus lives sounded pretty sick in E

[@groovy_9633]

depends on how the riff is written. A Plague, Doomsday, and even Rip & Tear all made it work, but stuff like Holy Roller and the loathe riff i cant remember the name of just...needs the lower tuning for that riff to sound "good". Not saying it sounds bad, infact it sounds pretty good! Just...better lower.

[@usaflagraybans]

I actually think Holy Roller sounded great in standard. All of these sounded entirely workable in standard though.

[@tim290280]

Agree. But I'd add that if we'd heard all those riffs in standard first we'd probably think they were heavy.

[@very_not_emo]

holy roller and gored sound like gojira in this tuning

[@nitroanilinmusic]

If these songs were made for standard tuning, chances are there'd be some production tricks to make the final result sound darker.

[@swissarmyknight4306]

Standard and Drop D have a cut and punch that you absolutely don't get in lower tunings, for example "Painkiller" by Judas Priest. I often play baritone and bass vi, but I'll never give up regular guitars in standard-ish tunings like Eb standard and Drop D. Also worth trying is C# standard or C standard with your regular string set on your normal scale guitar (I think of it as "Iommi/Pike tuning"). Very loose fretboard, sounds cool, makes you play differently.

[@MrMockigton]

i keep praying this for years: drop B is the perfect middle ground. you got the low growl, but you get so much punch (more than C imo)

[@ryanweinburger135]

Can confirm, the tunings I use most frequently are Eb standard, Drop C#, and C# standard, and the amount of versatility I get with just those three tunings is amazing

[@kaiserYT_]

​@@MrMockigtonyes, drop B is goated

[@EggTamago7]

I'd also argue that the quintessential huge, heavy power chord (think Rammstein) sounds best in Drop C and up. Anything lower and you start to lose the clarity and note separation, and the impact diminishes.

[@GrantUsEyesenhower]

C# standard is the heaviest tuning invented by man, full stop

[@ЖандосАубакиров-р9н]

I like how "Doomsday" has instantly become "Birthday "

[@SamBrockmann]

Now you understand. 😂

[@TheMonkeThatGoesWild-ue7tf]

I think that, what actually makes a song heavy, isn't necessarily the guitar but the drums

[@austinhanna8328]

It's actually the bass guitar that makes rhythm guitar heavy. If your bass tone is shit then the guitar suffers

[@stefanfyhn4668]

Composition and arrangement

[@theperiidot]

And bass

[@RiverLionn]

all these years later and Icarus Lives still goes so hard, in any tuning. it's like seeing an old friend

[@RandomeGuy872]

My low frequency hearing loss enjoyed this, though I wouldn't mind hearing them in C# standard lolz

[@koscsa6]

okay but rip and tear is still heavy af

[@jaxweby4343]

to me, the riffs work in their tunings and not E standard because they're built around having those lower notes - they jump up to higher strings for power chords, and that gives it a clearer sound, rather than being muddy if they'd played like it was in E standard. i think Rip & Tear works better than Carcosa because it's tuned higher originally. for a different framing - imagine Metallica's "The Shortest Straw" on a 9 string versus Rob Scallon's "Envy" on a 6 string. the first ends up being muddier than an amateur rugby field after it's rained and still played the match, while the second lacks the oomph of the low notes and sounds hollow by comparison. interesting experiment, all in all

[@tim_shipp]

I still say C# standard sounds best to my ear, and Sabbath is heavy. Also, so much of the Lamb of God stuff is in drop D, so "heavy" isn't all about tuning.

[@Waas]

LoG has some of the nastiest and sickest riff and it's all in the groove and effects/pedals/cabinets/speakers. Get a good sounding sound and play that shit tight and right, it fucks in all the right ways.

[@calvinstraveldreams]

My favorite is 7 string standard but half step down (BbEbAbDbGbBbEb), because it lends itself to insanely heavy riffs, is useful for choruses (especially in more exotic keys like Db or Ab)-yet is not so low as to be muddy. The 8 string extension of this CAN also be useful (especially if you are using the guitar for low end and synths/keyboards for the middle and high end), however downtuning alone doesn’t make riffs heavier. Clever use of music theory, especially combining rhythmic emphasis with dissonant notes does add A LOT of heaviness to riffs though (nu metal (and some heavier djent/prog-metal like Meshuggah) does this REALLY well by building riffs around implied atonal chord progressions)…

[@xCreepyKidsx]

Iommi writes some of the heaviest riffs to ever exist and he played in C and E all of the time early on.

[@Cara-Calico]

Right on

[@DooDoo-f4v]

Sabbath is indeed heavy. Influenced by the blues and low octaves. If you haven't listened to Stoned Jesus yet I think you'd dig em.

[@jaimgom]

How seamless was that transition from "Rip and tear" to "Icarus lives"? Smooth as butter.

[@ghost_java35]

Why is “modern metal” always a euphemism for metalcore

[@michwoz]

Becaus modern low tuned metal is/was dominated by metalcore... and djent.

[@GrantUsEyesenhower]

Because modern metal is just 00s metalcore on baritone/extended range guitar instead of drop C

[@havenless3551]

Because metalcore has had the most mainstream appeal in the past couple decades and the vast majority of modern metal fits into metalcore. Extreme metal bands are not as popular obviously and they tend to fit into specific subgenres rather than generally calling themselves "modern metal"

[@ab72_s]

Need a full veersion of Rip and Tear. NOW!!! My ears, after listening to that tuning cannot gloss over the fact that how cool, and how different it sounds! I would really appreciate a full version of that, as it sounds so damn cool!

[@zamkowicz]

2:13 Haken - Nil by Mouth

[@loweffortproductions1985]

I can kind of hear it, yeh

[@thepotatotaxi2430]

Holy shit haken mentioned. Best band ever btw right next to periphery Train of thought pfp as well holy based

[@Viper-dz2kw]

So the reason these all have such a different vibes is because of the physics of harmonics. I can’t remember the specific term but once you reach a certain depth chords start to sound less like chords and more like clashing single notes. And that’s a key part of a lot of the super low tuned modern riffs, playing them higher literally changes the way we perceive the relationship between the notes.

[@sigiligus]

The harmonics overlap and make it sound muddy.

[@KaiDown]

I believe the term you’re referring to is low interval limits

[@ACColorado]

Standard E is fine. It worked for 80s thrash metal so it works for me.

[@damanOts]

This is one of the only one of these types of videos where i wasnt disappointed in the song choice. You have great sensibilities.

[@ScootyPuff_Jr]

The technique to be heavy in E is a little different. A lot of those songs treat their low strings like a bass player would, really hammering them with no palm muting. E doesn't really give the same kind of punch, it needs palm muting and chords to be heavy.

[@AwfulWeather5684]

I didn’t even recognise the loathe song at first, and it’s one of my favourite songs by them

[@lostinpa-dadenduro7555]

I been kinda liking D standard tuning. 25.5 scale guitar. Using Ernie Ball hybrid set, 10 for three low strings, 9 gauge for three high strings.

[@mopsandmuscles7855]

That “drop D” comment really took me back about 30 years 😂 “Holy Roller” in E standard sounds like something from “St. Anger” 😬

[@jdhh1801]

You got st anger from holy roller ?😂 sounds more like pantera vibes to me

[@mopsandmuscles7855]

@@jdhh1801 my mind went to the song Frantic. Cool thing about music is we all experience it differently.

[@DakotaStupidhead]

the loathe one was sick

[@thomasdarnall8912]

I liked them all. Particularly, because I could hear the bass and drums better. Like crystal clear clarity.

[@SouthpawSparky_]

It’s the drums and bass plus the mix that make everything heavy…his mix makes everything sounds monstrous

[@beckylammas1373]

Sometimes when we discuss tone we can get caught up in the nuances(gain level/amp type/etc) as opposed to using the word in the context of speech. Something like this really shows that the bright/sharp sound of standard really pushes those power/thrash metal vibes while the same riffs in the lower tunings evoke groove/percussive feelings. Context matters. Awesome work!

[@steven.youngson]

Some of them still were awesome on E standard. Rip and Tear and the Loathe ones especially. The Architects sounded daft in E 😂

[@Codeaholic1]

My theory (okay not mine but I agree) is that sound at different frequencies is experienced and perceived differently. Related idea: percussion is just regular sounds on a very, very long timescale.

[@xCreepyKidsx]

They just became early 00s Metalcore/Deathcore

[@unchained5150]

Rip & Tear in standard tuning sounds like it would be at home on the original Doom games. Nice.

[@deathnecrobutcher3215]

this is so fun to watch! u should make a series of these

[@AkselSv]

Make a part 2! Need for more riffs!

[@patrickhunter]

I gotta say that hearing Spiritbox in E standard is truly something my brain was not ready for lmao

[@peteplaysmusic]

Haha just keeping you on your toes 😜

[@Tonepusher]

Just discovered your channel, love your content man !🤘

[@peteplaysmusic]

Hey thank you so much! Welcome! :)

[@Tm00ne]

I usually play Icarus Lives like this and, moreso, on an acoustic, so thank you for validation.

[@patriciashelton511]

May be an unpopular opinion, but I think they sound better. To my ears, anything tuned lower than B standard on the guitar gets too muddy. Besides, you also lose that combo of a distorted guitar and the bass playing perfectly together to give it that real sonic punch.

[@tktspeed1433]

it just sounds like bass and distorted muddy bass.

[@tgstk2]

Pete uploads.. i click.. it's that simple.

[@thedutchjuan]

Imagine writing such great riffs they hold up in other tunings! I think that would be the guitarists dream kinda

[@andthe4010]

Hey man, this is a strange request, but I haven't found anyone who's done a video of it yet, so I am sure you could start a trend... Anyway, my idea is Drop E tuning, but the low E is just the standard E with the other strings all tuned up a whole step. As a guitarist you know how much different the riffing feeling is in drop tuning, it's fun to have that with the clear tone of the standard tuning range. Try it. Lighter strings might help for it, but you probably already knew that.

[@mrm1dn1ght53]

I think it really depends on who mixes it. It's a pretty raw sounding mix, especially those drums. Great playing all around too.

[@nowanknows8979]

Gonna need a full version on that Doomsday one! I get why they tuned down for the original but that riff DEFINITELY holds up

[@alyssahannah8532]

With Spiritbox I started hitting around me in the air wondering where the damn fly was

[@ChiAeNima]

I normally tune in Drop B, but recently have been coming back to E standard and D standard with some of my guitars. It's good to change tunings and practice and experiment with various tunings. IMHO

[@robertdonosobuchner3129]

It sounds good but different. It has a slight different character. If I play in E standard, I change the tone settings on my amp or on my equalizer and reduce the higher frequencies and push the lower frequencies, depending what song it is. I like to be versatile and some guitar tunings can be very inspiring to try out different ideas. A tuning in g-g-d-g-b-b was something I tryed for some time...

[@AkiraSpectrum]

great video concept--had lots of fun watching!!! And yes, tuning can definitely give a song a particular vibe--especially low tunings--that high tunings just can't seem to replicate to the same degree. Of course, I am a child of the nu-metal era where every rock and metal band was downtuning, so I am naturally predisposed to those lower notes, lol.

[@sashinjamir4863]

Doomsday and Icarus lives sounded the best for me.....👍🔥

[@Erecbcrec]

tbh in E standard all these riffs sounds like a single Protest the Hero song, just great, love it!

[@MarkWiseTechno]

I had to look up the original riffs since I don't follow modern metal, and there were two, "Doomsday" and "Rip and Tear," that I thought were better in standard tuning. Very cool!

[@patrickstoops1584]

When I played a lot more (need to pick it back up), I wrote a lot of my own stuff. Occasionally I'd use drop C, maybe drop B like Mark Tremonti does. Typically though, I stayed in drop D or standard minus half a step. Always sounded awesome, intricate, and heavy. This was a good video. Thank you.

[@sEaNoYeAh]

Late to the video but how do you (or anyone else in the know) find that bridge for palm muting? It's the only think that's stopped me getting one so far. Generally people seem to say the trem is great quality but the tall saddles mean they have to adjust their palm position

[@davelanciani-dimaensionx]

I've been using E Standard for Drone-Doom Metal for years. I use a lot of inverted 5th chords, and roll the tone knob way back. Use a Big Muff or EQD Acapulco Gold, too.

[@Tjhx1138]

What’s the best tuning for tech death?

[@jeffreymartinez5829]

Got to say, I'm a fan of those Carcosa and Spiritbox riffs. Wicked job, dude! Awesome to listen to as always.

[@billstarrjr.3249]

sounds great but main thing you have is a dialed in perfect sound and create tone in your hands that we all strive for

[@Gliese710_]

Until you said that was a Harley Benton I would have 100% believed you if you said it was a suhr custom shop or something. They look amazing, and I’m so glad they opened a US store.

[@dropittohflat3610]

Higher tunings at least to me have more attack and more clarity than lower ones where as lower ones sound bigger and I guess you might say more grounded? A bit like you said a good riff is a good riff no matter the tuning but the right tuning can augment its best qualities and make it the best it can be.

[@tkdyo]

Best one is definitely the first one. Sounds like a legit metal/power metal riff.

[@arifmiftachul8626]

It gives more melodic vibes

[@radpansen]

I don't know any of the original songs. But all riffs sound pretty solid in E. "It sounds heavy when you play heavy" is the saying. This video is the proof.

[@calaverx11]

I have a guitar which allows me to change tunings on the fly electronically (Peavey AT-200). I come up with riffs in E standard, then when I find one I like, I experiment with different drop tunings to see how it feels.

[@Tangent_Frank]

They're not super heavy overall and not really metal, but 311 has some pretty nasty, chuggy, high gain riffs, especially on Soundsystem and From Chaos. I actually don't know a song by them in any other tuning, just E standard. Ever since, i'm also very careful to test riffs and really find where they groove into. Like, Pantera started in E standard but really came into with their own unique low tuning

[@bottlemanic]

I like to try and still write really heavy riffs in E standard and am proud of some of the ones I've had. Some of my favourite bands that are very heavy use E, and i have a fondness for it for that. I also just prefer to be in E for all other styles too

[@thirteenthandy]

Thanks, now I have to admit I'm old af. I couldn't give less of a shit about most of the bands the riffs are from, yet this E Standard versions make me suddenly want to listen to those songs.

[@OneTrueVikingbard]

I discovered that E tuning creates open chords in the A minor/C major scales, which correspond to the white keys on the piano. Just like how it doesn’t make sense to only play the white keys for every song, it’s not practical to stay in tinny E tuning and never go lower (one or two steps maximum: anything lower loses tonality)

[@justincastro8964]

It sounds so much better to me. E standard was made for guitar as we know it. It’s just the design of the instrument. It’s got good mid clarity. That’s also why scooping the mids on your amp isn’t ideal. Obviously you can make it work but standard with strong mids will let you both cut through and in turn fall back if you need to. It has slightly better heard dynamics.

[@TheHobatron]

I particularly enjoyed Holy Roller and Rip & Tear, they worked!

[@benjipc5637]

They would definitely be much heavier if the bass guitar is more distorted and cranked up in the mix. A lot of people underestimate the importance of bass guitar in a band setting and it always disappoints me whenever a band doesn't have a bassist present.

[@80memes]

My favorite tuning is going up from E to F. I think only Vektor really used that tuning but it sounds so good

[@colejones8471]

Ive never subscribed to the idea that lower = heavier, I’ve always believed that having a higher tuning lets you *hear* the riffs better, and that can make a lot of songs heavy on it’s own

[@ghost_java35]

I didn’t think the riff to Holy Roller could be any more annoying. I was wrong lol. Great playing though!

[@andrewmanninen1244]

00:00 All I can think about is the skit on Psychostick's album, _IV: Revenge of the Vengeance_ , that plays before _So. Heavy._ ( _H-Flat_ ).

[@SeveredLegs]

These all sounded cool. More bass on these tracks might be able to account for the "missing" low end that is naturally present on the original recordings. Also, maybe tuning down would still be cool, just a full step instead of 55 steps.

[@thomashalley7258]

Was that on the bridge or the neck pickup?

[@peteplaysmusic]

All Bridge pickup except for the Loathe riff which was on the neck :)

[@nalesson]

Not a fan of modern metal, so I haven't heard any of these songs/riffs before Surprisingly, they really do sound great in E standard

[@zcuric]

More, please, we need more.

[@terriblecertainity]

100% agree that riffs should work on either tuning. Those sounded great! I actually write most of my riffs on the acoustic...iif its heavy there, it sure will be when playing distorted

[@goldenmaster9499]

i still do some music in standard E and post in on songsterr. but this was absolutly awesome

[@FairyCRat]

Holy Roller in E standard sounds hilarious. Before getting my .080 gauge string I used to play it on a bass lmao.

[@anqareliouth2921]

2:30 Tune it to C standard or C# and it kinda somewhat sounds like a Bolt Thrower song. 3:24 Add some gallops in there and it sounds like a Testament song.

[@Jakers80]

Nice Boss Katana Artist in the background Pete!

[@juan_5315]

Oh, that Harley Benton is beautiful!

[@Ziomaletto]

They are. It's the riffs themselves that are heavy, not how low they're tuned. Also, I need more nuDoom soundtracks in E Standard.

[@MarkNuuuuuutt]

The saw is the law sounded SICK

[@StaySic4Ever]

Always odd to see some stuff in different tunings, though yeah specific riff made for it's og tuning kinda always usually sounds more fitting. Now there's E0 tuned 42" sub-bass guitar, that would be fun to see.

[@tim290280]

I play a lot of these in drop A on a 7-string, which is a ways off for most, and they sound great. I'm actually appreciating having E-standard available on the 7 after years of downtuning everything.

[@lippi2171]

I'm a single coil Tele player who mostly plays between E standard to Drop D. I think E standard tuning for guitar is somewhat arbitrary and lower tunings bring out tonal character out of the instrument that seems impossible in E standard. It is no wonder that 60s rock / blues rock / psychedelic music used at least Eb or D. The deeper tuning with distortion sounds better most of the time, not just in metal. People like deep sounds. E standard is best for clinky or more focused tones, like playing fast chords or funky riffs with clarity and definition (RATM would be a perfect example for not-so-downtuned, heavy but funky riffage).