Riffin' Like METALLICA: How To Write Metal Riffs

[@purohanpirilu5841]

🎵Hello Internet so nice to see you! You have the best intro of all the music guys I watch 😊👍

[@jschwibs]

That's really true 😊

[@handler803]

Weirdly enough, I agree with this way of improvising or writing motifs/riffs. When I try to write with a scale or a mode in mind, i end up "forcing" myself to write something that sounds like a scale

[@cryo311old]

funny to see how he's talking about Metallica when he looks like a member of Anthrax

[@ThrashRebel]

I’ve been writing thrash metal since the late ‘80s/early ‘90s. This video may address how some approach writing thrash, but it definitely is not how I approach it. I do write chord progressions. I use the “single notes” to accent the progressions. Yes, we pedal rhythms out on a single string, the root note of the chord. Also, I do add a lot of notes. So keeping it simple isn’t a necessity. Also, I use full chords in certain parts, not just power chords. So, if you are planning on writing thrash metal take this video with a “grain of salt.” Most importantly, don’t allow yourself to get boxed in to these ideas of not using too many notes. It’s all how you use the notes. He gives an example of scale notes, which is, well... I won’t say anything about that. I use single notes, but they are parts of the chord progressions, not scale runs. Think outside the box. You don’t have emulate another artist completely. Make the music your own, add YOUR ideas. Don’t be a “Zerox Machine” (I know it isn’t the correct spelling. It is the title of a song).

[@jamesmaxwell5415]

It is incredible how small changes, like one note or rhythm, completely change the ENTIRE sound

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

and adding some high gain makes a big difference as well!

[@andrevinicius137]

Great job man, thank you for helping us to take our musicality to a whole different level.

[@Potatointhehood]

currently working on composing a metal song and this video showed up OwO

[@zedxxx9]

Thanks for doing that demonstration without using much distortion! You made the riffing sound great. Let's forget Metallica and use these techniques for punky pop!

[@idkwhattocallthisaccount9660]

Honestly I feel like a lot of other videos/lessons miss out on the whole note thing. I think what you said about forming a pool of notes will really come in handy so I'm not just playing an E minor scale over and over again. Thanks!

[@JESTERGUITAR]

Wait for my album to come out, i'll credit you lol

[@matthias18gr]

I was once at an electric guitar seminar ,and the presenter was trying to explain how each mode ''colourizes" a song with the notes that differ in each mode . He concluded by saying "think of what each mode brings to your mind.in my mind mixolydian tastes like meatballs !!" Hahahah ,thats a lesson ill never forget

[@jessemontano6399]

Haha. Yeah.

[@denisblack9897]

i had the exact same approach and my girlfriend made fun of me and went on and on about how music is not about cool... i got discouraged and switched to bass to study music theory seriously and never wrote a riff in 3 years... bitch robbed the world of so much mind melting music! i recently bought a proper japanese stratocaster with a wah pedal, i'm like a kid again i detuned E to D and had the best day of my life, no drugs or sex involved this is the best first lesson a man could have! you are a great teacher!

[@marshwitch9610]

I bet one day you will incorporate what you know on bass into your new sick riffage... knowledge can be reused and repurposed. It’s like collage: cut it up and make a new picture!

[@EclecticEssentric]

Thank you for all that you do, TZ. I enjoy the blackboard bits mixed with whatever teachings, just keep dropping the knowledge my man.

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

Mixing up power chords with diatonic scalar sequences is not only a good warmup but can help form song ideas for heavy metal.

[@JohanTillgren]

So simple yet so effective regardless of level!

[@musicmangm7572]

You are such a good teacher!! Thank you 🎸😊

[@PeteGuitars]

I can’t claim to know how Metallic, Megadeth, or any other artist creates their riffs or chord progressions. But I can say that a lot of the lead work borrows from the Harmonic Minor (think playing from the 5th degree and you get Phrygian Dominant).

[@manojkrishna8839]

I don't believe in rules. Any combination of notes that can be pleasing to the ear is music. It should also express something. For me, heavy metal is the expression of hell.

[@davejones4292]

Really useful video even though I'm primarily an acoustic fingerstyle player, and not much of a metal fan. I will definitely use this approach next time I'm stuck trying to find the right notes for a guitar part. Thank you.

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

metal has a lot of acoustic guitar parts believe it or not

[@davejones4292]

@@GuitarsAndSynths I believe everything I read on the internet.

[@marshwitch9610]

I love that you mentioned writing down the frets. I play in multiple tunings & think a lot in frets and scale degrees rather than note letters. When you are mixing up tunings like that remembering note names tends to go out the window.

[@fivetimesyo]

This is good on a Victor Wooten level

[@fumioshwartz7114]

I always say note progression instead of chord progression. Makes more sense to me.

[@cesqrw]

Grande Tommaso fantastico come sempre

[@alexanderroland4725]

MusicTheoryForGuitar

[@psbii]

Most importantly, what is the guitar on the stand in the background? I think I need one.

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Carvin X220, the OLD one, not the new model. Great guitar.

[@psbii]

@@MusicTheoryForGuitar Thanks for the reply! I thought maybe it was a Carvin, but the ones I've come across didn't look quite right. How old should I be looking for?

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Early '00 give or take? That guitar is not mine, sadly :)

[@dago6410]

I started learning musoic from Metallica, and was then deeply shocked (and that kinda turned me off of learning music in general) when I realised this is NOT how you do it in most of even rock music - I was convinced it will be all about riffing, like with Metallica, and then when I realised its mostly chords I was like... but thats boring tho!

[@IbanezRG10]

You can know all the music theory of the world but that absolutely doesn't guarantee you're going to create a kick-ass RIFF, no matter how hard you try or study; some people are just born with it #Hetfield #Mustaine #Malcom #Angus #TonyIommi

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Guarantee? Never. Makes it easier? You bet. And all the people you list know much more than they let out in interviews.

[@IbanezRG10]

@@MusicTheoryForGuitar When KEA was released Hetfield knew nothing about music theory, he was originally only the singer, and thr RIFFS came just naturally.

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Ummm... just double checking here... have you watched the video you are commenting on?

[@IbanezRG10]

@@MusicTheoryForGuitar I have. When I first commented "You can know all the music theory of the world.." I wasn't referring to you exactly"; my point is that music theory doesn't guarantee making kick-ass RIFFS. Have a great day ;)

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

Well, sure. But nothing GUARANTEES kick-ass RIFFS. If anything, theory helps.

[@4resla]

грейт!

[@cero815]

thank you for showing ..... what everybody could have figured out by and for himself?!? I don't understand this lesson. It's just what I do when there is no one to teach me: trying out notes and combining the ones I like...

[@fivetimesyo]

The point is that everybody who knows any basic theory will immediately pick out the seven notes that make up the given mode they're working with and write from there. All those notes sound "good" because they're "right". What he's saying is not to think in terms of the "right" notes but to think in terms of the "taste" of all the notes on the full chromatic scale against the given tonal center. That's not something that's immediately obvious even to advanced players, and most certainly not to beginners. Even if a beginner spontaneously does what Tommaso is suggesting here, he will most likely end up picking the "right" notes of the diatonic scale, thus missing the point entirely.

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

fivetimesyo: yes, you nailed it. Thanks.

[@jessemontano6399]

Does it chug?

[@AXEL-fg5gi]

4:20 reminds me of a song but I can't remember it.

[@tylercady3985]

Its some variation of Blackend's main intro riff

[@CarRobots]

@@tylercady3985 its YYZ by rush!

[@joselekiwi5695]

I dont like this video. Nothing bad against your channel.

[@MusicTheoryForGuitar]

You know, if you tell me WHY you don't like it, maybe I can do something about it in the next videos. I don't read minds...

[@joselekiwi5695]

MusicTheoryForGuitar The video is not very entertaining, and not very useful. You are almost saying that, to make good melodic lines, you need to find the notes that sound good to you. I think that is not very useful.

[@fp-ko7vg]

@@joselekiwi5695 You may have a point, it might not be as useful as other stuff, but he is right. This may not be a video about rules, but one that teaches how to use rules/scales as tools to produce whats in our minds

[@cero815]

@@joselekiwi5695 I will support you: it is not useful at all and it is self explanatory, isn't it?