HOW TO WRITE DROP TUNED RIFFS

#guitarlesson #guitartutorial
How to write heavy rif in drop tunings!
Want to learn music theory for metal?
Want to support me and my channel? Become a Patron!
/ staymetalray
My Facebook page: / staymetalraychannel
My Second Album: • LUNA MUERTA - FATA MOR...
My First Album!: • LUNA MUERTA - RECOLLEC...
Luna Muerta Five Years Gone By EP: • LUNA MUERTA FIVE YEARS...
Luna Muerta Starlit Cavern EP: • LUNA MUERTA - STARLIT ...
Instagram: staymetalray

[@doctoribanez]

I just start with 0000000000000 then add a few others lol. I dig your riff man.

[@JanXD]

I think videos like this (simple explanations and not too much different stuff cramped into one lesson) help a lot with writer's block, even if it's nothing new to you, for some reason.

[@rivervaughanmusicstuff5771]

I agree wholly with this statement. Been away from my guitar for a couple of years as far as writing new stuff and I started writing midway through the video.

[@psc69nyc]

Great lesson to get young guitarists to stop overthinking.

[@grooveroid]

I'm 52 and actually usually a drummer. He's helping unpredictable demographics too!

[@LicksoftheLegend]

I am legit stealing your relation of major as epic rather than happy. I love that and its so true man.

[@AndreasGrellmann]

I feel like this is what I've been doing subconsciously whenever I've been writing riffs, but I've never really thought about it until this video. Thanks Ray, rad lesson.

[@jnikz]

My theory is 2nd and 3rd notes in a key are minors and the 4th and 5th would be the resolve which is the last chord of the progression. So for a key of D major, i would always start at D then pick any note for 2nd and 3rd chords and end on either G or A. Some examples are D-Em-F#m-A, D-C#-Em-G,D-Em-F#m-G. The combos are endless as long you follow the theory.

[@justindcombs6685]

This has BY FAR been more enlightening to me than any guitar videos I've watched yet and I owe all my education to KZbin. So you have defintiley helped me out brother thank you!

[@waynegerard2134]

Dude, your vibe is so awesome. I rarely see joy and joy from metal/rock players (Eddie was the most joyous rock player I'd seen)...keep doing your thing!

[@Rocktalk101]

it is always cool to see how other musicians write and create there songs and riffs.

[@allenmitchell09]

I been following Ray for a minute but I never realized he was such a riff giant.

[@deweyoogwey]

Sometimes I just do some air guitar picking and imagine the riffs on my head. Then plug in the guitar and play it out loud. Doesn’t have to sound good at first but with long hours of playing and improvisation, the tone will get there.

[@brandonbirkbeck8962]

Definitely my favourite my guitarist on youtube make my days way better💯👍

[@TrickyPickins]

I find my self using the open, first, third, fifth, and sixth frets on the low string for Drop C#. I do some pedal riff octave play, occasionally adding a tritone to the higher octave Do note. IDK what key it's in, but it sounds cool, and I feel compelled to play in it everytime I play in drop C# tuning. And no matter what tuning I play in I add random chromatics to spice it up.

[@SquirrelNuggets]

I honestly think it’d kill me to write anything outside of the minor scale in drop c 😂

[@thunder8585]

Thanks for the breakdown. As a guitarist of arouind 2 years, theory scares me

[@mcchurch118]

Very nice!!! 🤘🔥🔥🤘 love how sometimes things are heavy and yet simple

[@obiwanjustpeekinginonya]

Step 1: 00000000001000000

[@PR3DESH]

The riff got that everlong vibe going on there 🤘🤘🤘🇿🇦

[@AskingAzazel]

Thank you for this video Ray. Definitely learned something from it as I typically over think my playing. Going to try to apply the same tactics you use when playing to try and write something of my own. Even if it doesn’t work for me, it was still something new to try and experiment with.

[@kennylopezz]

this is the exact video i was looking for, thank you

[@guyfromnj]

Great lesson.

[@dominickefrim3088]

I use chromatic risres and run riffs of open notes. Kind of like Led Zeplins Kashmir. Run the background bass and drums off of the root and use the guitar to rise or fall chromatically with the root notes in between.

[@nodecrasher4991]

This overload is neat, uffffffffffff

[@Subcritical96]

Ok! After watching you… That is a great tone and you have skittles. I subscribe. Thank you sir

[@codylivingston7825]

Great Video, couldn't hit the subscribe button fast enough.

[@kyleross889]

Great video. Thanks for sharing

[@lawrencepatrick5760]

If it sounds cool it is cool🤘

[@tristank261]

Bro ray congrats on 53k subs dude

[@Rick_Johnson82]

Hey man! 😊 🎉 I really like your channel. And I love drop d. It sounds the best on my 6. It’s the tension I suppose. Any who… love hanging out here bro. Turn the bass up more on that 6 !!!!

[@Burnt_Gerbil]

Noodle around and figure out what you did later. Noice. ☝️😬

[@MrEGuy-mi4qk]

We are very similar guitar players. Great video man loved it

[@m3taladd1ct50]

3:38 Seems like Foo Fighters influenced that riff

[@DrewKHxC]

I get more of a deftones vibe!

[@PR3DESH]

definitely got the everlong vibe going on there

[@DemonFang72]

I'm willing to bet it's just the sus2 chord making you say that, which is featured heavily in Everlong lol

[@vigilantvillan1967]

Genius 😮

[@lennydobbelaere5491]

You helpt me for sure !

[@guyfromnj]

Dude the fission riff is killer. I’m so glad I know the name of the song now. Killer riff man.

[@SixString_J5]

3:38 I'd describe the first riff as a modal riff. It's not focused on D but it is related to the D Major scale. I'd lean towards calling it A Mixolydian as it resolves on Asus2 or Aadd9 if you view it that way. Then it goes into D major riffage in the second section. The moral? you don't need to know about or think modally in order to play them, everything is related to the major scale.

[@antonachim5224]

Can you do a tutorial for what you play exactly?

[@guyfromnj]

Rays crappy off the cuff minor riff is better than anything I’ve written. Fml

[@creepymcpeepers]

Kool vid can you do how you write riffs with blast beats

[@Invicta117]

I just realized I have the exact same guitar in blue.

[@plussizeriderlifeshardbike9318]

Wow!! Duude

[@ErrorlVlacro]

Your second example wasn’t even D minor. It was E Phrygian. Though your next riff was Dm.

[@tobins6800]

To help simplify things, I will grab the bass instead.

[@dezzywezzy5471]

Hey im 14 and I want to start recording some things, what software do you reccomend?

[@justinanthony7641]

Pick up wise, do you think this guitar is better for metal than the ultra pickups?

[@xanderraymondcharles]

Absolutely

[@Jay-ts6rj]

@@xanderraymondcharles what pick ups are these??

[@chosenone2964]

If it sounds cool it is cool is my motto, never learned theory

[@theresaosborne1453]

Love song make me cry relationship friendship faction falling in love

[@kingkcheifre]

Very useful tips brother!

[@cjleongson]

It sounds like foo fighters' my hero

[@birdsaresinners3373]

is there anywhere I can listen to fission as a full song?

[@Ottophil]

Some of his videos in guitar stores

[@aedanfreberg-hickie6061]

It’s on Apple Music under Luna Muerta. It’s probably on Spotify too

[@anakinskywalker1509]

Jesus loves y’all

[@jetaimemina]

Just a quick thought. At 7:15 the riff he plays is not in D Aeolian, or the natural minor scale (which is what most people think of when they 🤔 "minor scale"), but in E Phrygian. To put it simpler, we clearly hear that the riff "revolves" around, or hinges so to say, on the note E, which is the 2nd fret, and not around the open D. This is often a source of confusion when riffs and melodies sometimes just don't seem to fit, even though thy both supposedly utilize the same minor scale. It is true that both use the same exact sequence of notes 0-2-3-5-7-8-10-12-14-15-etc., but they have their "home", also known as root, on different frets: fret 0 /open string for D minor (aka Aeolian), fret 2 for E Phrygian, fret 3 for G major (aka Ionian), and so on and so forth. Drop tunings really help us see such enigmatic concepts as The 7 Modes of Guitar in a different light :)

[@pepperonigum5688]

Quick Tip: On the major scale in drop tuning the 5th of the 11th fret power chord is never in key.

[@xanderraymondcharles]

Well said!

[@sim1_7]

Exactly! I was thinking the same, so why we use the power chord with the perfect 5th? I mean I know it sounds “better” but It’s like we are taking a power chord from another key. So the 11th power chord is not in the key of D major

[@DeadPunk_]

i definitely see what you mean by major epic, minor heavy, thats kinda how i go by it too, i just played by ear before you explained exactly what the scales were though, very helpful!

[@Guitar4Noobs]

Remmber the Open One (0) The (1) (5) (6) and you good to go mate

[@critz4bigdmg]

When you say the placements, patterns, and shapes for scales don’t change, would that mean if I have a scales/modes chart that pertains to standard E and I’m in Drop G or something on a 7, would they be on the same frets still? Sorry if that’s a complicated or dumb question, genuinely trying to learn theory here.

[@DirectAdminReal]

3:37 Can you please link to the song this riff is from? I looked up Fission with your youtube name but I couldn't find a song that sounded like this riff... I wanna learn it so bad.. Thanks in advance if you end up seeing this

[@ryanhintz4168]

this made me realize im terrible at guitar and just need to quit

[@mrcipher8101]

Don't quit my man, just keep practicing and you'll get better

[@gustavoloebel]

great approach to think out new ideas and rifffs! Many thanks for that! I learned something new!

[@JimsevenFrankenstein]

Whats that growing on your face btw??

[@SamLibman]

Down tuning > Drop tuning. For me at least.

[@rudybanegas204]

That riff was soo EasyCore!!!

[@goopxiv]

true

[@xanderraymondcharles]

Alrightttttty then!

[@24DJX]

jak

[@donaldthescotishtwin]

If you’re just using power chords to make a song then don’t worry about theory so much as power chords are only roots and 5ths so they are all neutral.

[@AxeXavier]

Sick helpful tutorial. The riff you played around the 9 minute mark sounded like lamb of god

[@anthonyharasimowicz8452]

Great lesson. Your song has a little bit of Foo Fighters Everlong influence eh? :)

[@plussizeriderlifeshardbike9318]

Are you using your kraken pedal? Or your revv g3?

[@zerodoismetal]

Sh1t now I gotta get a silverburst guitar

[@mitcheypoo1]

Bought 2 of your lessons. Good shit man

[@HOUSEOFHIXON]

🤘💪⚡️