Ok, first up, no one can actually TELL you how to play death metal guitar because it's a very experimental genre of music, like jazz (and the two genres have in fact fused brilliantly). But as this is the first of two specific death metal guitar lessons, I'm going to first take you through the basic core techniques and a little theory behind the mayhem and misery.
The gain/distortion/overdrive on your amp should be turned right up for this, and to make things sound a little more authentic we're going to tune down to drop C - head over to the drop tuning page to tune your guitar to drop C!
Death metal has two extremes - "blast beat" and "doom". We'll look more at the technical speed involved with complimenting blast beats in part 2. The doom side of death metal is about the slow, lumbering riffs that add some atmospheric weight to the genre.
Death metal guitar basics - the "death" scale
Sorry about the lame title! In this genre, the aim is often to create the most brutal music possible. Now, most of this brutality rests on the drummer's skill and the vocalist's warped childhood, but there are intervals used in heavy metal that naturally sound ominous and aggressive...
Click any of the diagrams on this page and you'll hear an example in your computer'smedia player.
The scales most associated with death metal are exotic (e.g. Spanish) and minor scales (e.g. harmonic minor, Phrygian). The diagram above shows (in drop tuning) the typical power chord positions relating to that open root of C (as we're in drop C).
These intervals (including the infamous "tri-tone" between the open C powerchord and the 6th fret F# powerchord) are what have been used in metal for decades to create an atmosphere of impending doom. Played one after the other as powerchords, they create the tension we need for heavy metal.
As you probably know, drop tuning changes the shape of the power chord only on the lowest two strings.
Making a simple riff from the scale above
What you'll find is if you use the scale above, mix it up a little and add a rhythm pattern, you instantly get a riff that sounds very typical of death metal, like the example below...
That was a very slow riff using only the power chords from that initial scale. See what I mean? Not exactly wedding music by a long shot.
Most extreme heavy metal builds on those movements.
Note: you don't always have to start on the lowest open string, these interval movements are relative to where you start your riff - also known as the "tonic".
We're by no means limiting ourselves to those 'chords anyway, but they act as good injections or links between riffs.
Palm muting in death metal
Here's just a quick extra palm muting exercise for you to try but you should learn this technique properly here.
(for the tab below the / and \ symbols are "slide up" and "slide down" respectively.)
Use a metronome to help with the accuracy. Palm muting needs to be very accurate in death metal (as we'll find in the more advanced part 2) to work with the drummer.
Palm muting can also be used more subtly just using the bottom, open C string as part of a more kinetic riff like below...
The palm mute kicks in basically where there would be just a stop in the rhythm. If you're having trouble, use a metronome to start off slow and gradually build up speed until you almost subconsciously punch that pm in to keep the rhythm kinetic.
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Downward dynamics
Death metal often uses descending dynamics, the final root being that open drop C power chord. This is a naturally satisfying cadence to hear for any metal fan, but doesn't mean the riff has to be predictable.
The following exercise will get you used to descending from powerchords on the G string down to the drop power chord shapes more quickly...
When changing from the regular shaped power chords on the G string to the drop power chord shapes directly below, your middle finger can come in handy, as it's not being used and can hammer on to the chord on the string below.
Again, start slow with a metronome and build up your speed. Or, even better, use the techniques covered in the Burning Metal Series to really build up your speed and stamina to the level of a pro.
Basics of tremolo picking in death metal
This is covered in more depth in the fast guitar picking for metal section.
It's a technique born out of thrash using alternate, up down up down, picking that can be welded into a riff, as a base (as that low "chugging" sound heard in a lot of metal) or within a melody higher up the fretboard.
The example below is a typical combo and keeps the drummer alert because of the time signature changes!
Drummers will often use double-bass during the chugga part and what you get is a brutal sequence of noise. If played accurately it's truly invigorating (and not like that new herbal shampoo).
You have to know when to switch out of the machine gunning, so count 1 2 3 4 while you're alternate picking. It will form something like this (with your pick, d= down stroke u= up stroke):
1------2-------3------4 etc.
d u d u d u d u d u d u d etc.
...start that off slow and build up, preferably with a, yep, metronome.
Moderate speed playing
As this is part one, we'll start of at moderate speed, which is still quite fast. We're going to fuse that palm mute picking above with speed strumming. In the tab below I've put upstroke and downstroke markers to help you with the speed strumming...
So it's just like before, but this time we're not palm muting on that speed picking riff and we're alternate strumming the whole powerchord, not just the bottom string note.
To create that "stop" where the X's lie on the tab, simply rest your finger over the first 3 strings on the 1st fret, barely touching them, but not fretting them. This creates a thudding sound when the strings are hit.
This technique takes time to get accurate, and we'll be looking at faster, more technical riffs in part 2 of how to play death metal guitar.
You can use this alternate picking playing in inventive ways by mixing palm muted and non-palm muted riffs, in quick sharp bursts or in grinding rhythms. Try working through the exercise below for diversity...
Note: those sharp high pitched tones are harmonics (if you didn't know) and are represented in tab by a < > bracket symbol surrounding the fret number. The harmonic can be achieved by juuust resting your finger over the string in line with the fret wire. More on this in the lead guitar section!
Turning lead notes into riff explosions
Death metal tends to focus on the deeper tones of the guitar, even with lead.
Pretty simple this one - you start with a basic single-string riff (typically low down the fretboard in death metal) and then explode into a full-on power chord attack along those same positions:
e.g...
This sounds absolutely awesome if the drummer puts in his 2 pence correctly. Because the initial lead part is done in palm mute, the power chord explosion is even more of a smack in the face.
You can use the same fingers you used for the lead line, but the only difference in this exercise is you're fretting 2 strings instead of one which gives you some good crushing tones amidst the chaotic rhythm.
This is all about groove (for lack of a better word!). To really get to grips with this type of riffing, try the Burning Metal Series.
Making more of a journey out of your death metal riffage
One of the annoying things about death metal is how "samey" it can all get if you hang around those first few frets all the time.
A really good way to make your metal music sound fresher is to make it go on a journey, away from that root drop chord and then bring it back down as a really satisfying cadence. It's often called returning home or returning to the "tonic" and is used in jazz a lot.
Let's look at a practical example...
Makes it sound a bit more interesting (in... uh... my opinion anyway).
This means climbing and descending around the fretboard with your chords and injecting relative movements from that scale we looked at right at the beginning of this lesson.
If you want to take you're listeners on a journey and keep them interested this is a great way to do it.
Ready for something a little more... technical?
The Burning Metal Series is the perfect continuation from this lesson and provides you with all the info and tools you need to become a metal guitar pro in very little time (at your own pace of course!). I reviewed it recently on this page.
Death Metal Guitar LessonPart 2 - Blast Beats & Tremolo Picking
In the first death metal guitar lesson, we looked at the basics of building a riff, using percussive palm mute techniques and moderate speed playing. This part is all about more technical speed elements and complimenting "blast beats". Death metal is schizophrenic, as you know - it can plod through an achingly slow riff and then flick switch in to alternate picking mayhem.
I have to admit, this isn't an easy lesson to teach (even if I was face to face with you) because I have to trust you have at least some sense of rhythm and timing here! The fact remains the same though - start slow, and gradually build up speed with a metronome. This lesson will introduce these more complex techniques.
We'll be looking at 3 core elements in this death metal guitar lesson:
1.) Riffing at speed (in drop C tuning)
2.) The "chainsaw effect" (born out of thrash)
3.) Fusing the first two elements together to create progressive death metal
Before we start with part 2, it's vital for you to be confident with everything covered in part 1 - that is: palm muting and alternate picking. If you don't know them, you probably don't stand a chance with this lesson, so head back to Part 1 where you'll find the appropriate links!
As I mentioned, we're gonna be playing in drop C, if that's OK with you. A lot of death metal is played in drop B But you really need to have at least .52 gauge low E string to make drop B work smoothly, so I thought we'd compromise for those of us with standard gauge strings. You can tune up on the drop tuning page (opens in separate window).
There's a storm brewing outside, so while I'm in the mood...
Cheesy : )
Chromatic exercise for speed riffing in death metal
In the 1st lesson we looked at the "death scale" which represented the movements and cadences that naturally created a dark and unsettling atmosphere. When riffing at speed though, blasts of chromatic progression are often used as bridges between the more coherent phrases. In plain English, that means moving the the riff up and down the fretboard fret by fret, in recurring half step movements...
OK, maybe it'll be clearer if I tab it out :o)
Slow example - Faster example
So we're jumping around the fretboard a bit with chromatic phrases that climb and fall - fits well with blast beats (as long as your drummer is competent!)
TIP: With faster drop tuning powerchord riffs, use a mixture of your 3 main fingers (index, middle, ring) and sliding just your index finger. In that riff above, when ascending up the fretboard, I use the sliding technique with my index finger. See what works best for you.
Single string phrases can be used in between powerchord riffs to add a bit of texture. A common technique used in death metal is where you palm mute a few lines of the phrase and create a rhythmic, non-muted "stab"...
Slow example - Faster example
TIP: Some guitarists (like me!) prefer to use only downstrokes rather than alternate picking on slow-moderate riffs like above. I think it produces the best tone, allowing you to use more defined pinch harmonics, and the punch of the strings when palm muted is most emphasized with firm down picking. However, if the riff was faster, you might have to use alternate picking. As always, use a metronome to gradually build up speed.
A technique that really compliments the violent rhythms is using palm mute bursts, usually in groupings of 3 fast alternate picking strokes - down up down / down up down / down up down / etc.
For a good intro to using alternate picking palm mute bursts, take a visit to the advanced palm mute section, or take a listen to, and then try, the exercise below...
Slow example - Faster example
Another example is using "blast" groupings of 5...
Hear me speed up gradually from slow example - Faster example
Tremolo picking in death metal rhythm guitar
This technique was born out of thrash metal, and both genres push it right to the limits of speed and endurance. It's mostly used alongside the drummer's blast beats and these elements together create a frantic, warzone-like atmosphere.
Again, you'll need to be confident with part 1 and its accompanying lessons to pull this off.
So, just to recap - we're using alternate picking, up-down-up-down-etc. at high speed. The "secret" to pulling this off at break neck speeds is to relax. Don't tense up your picking wrist or hand, just learn to gradually speed up those up-down strokes whilst keeping in rhythm. Easier said than done, I admit, but there's no other way to explain it.
TIP: Rest the edge of your hand (the same part of your hand you would usually palm mute with) on the bridge of your guitar - just find a spot near the upper corner, towards you. With your hand rested there you can pivot over this point, almost like you've gone crazy and nailed your hand there (not advised).
Also make sure the "nib" of your plectrum is only just showing past your thumb.
This allows you to just scrape over the surface of the string and not get obstructed. The actual picking distance either side of the string should be as small as possible.
The rhythm will come with time, and if you use a metronome to gradually build up speed, you'll be surprised how fast you can reach your playing goals.
Let's try a couple of open "chainsaw" exercises. Take a listen to the slow examples then the faster examples to get to grips with the rhythm and timing.
We'll start with a rather simple riff just the bottom string...
Slow example - Faster example
Now let's try using the bottom 3 strings in a riff - this means you have to switch strings at the same time as alternate picking in rhythm, but it allows you to create more dynamic riffs, mixing high and low tones. This'll be a good primer for learning fast lead guitar picking (although we'll move onto all 6 strings in the lead guitar section).
Slow example - Faster example
You can also use fast alternate picking over diads (two notes played together, like a cut-down chord) other than the standard powerchord root-fifth. This creates more melodic riffs without sacrificing the brutality of this chainsaw technique.
When alternate picking over two or more strings at the same time, you obviously have to widen your picking movements. You also need to block out the unwanted strings by resting one of the fretting fingers over the unwanted strings and effectively muting them.
Try the exercise below, it includes the use of major and minor diads. I've placed red markers on the tab to help you keep timing (count: 1 2 3 4 - so it's one count every 4 strokes)...
Slow example - Faster example
Remember: you can also use the same "chainsaw" technique but with palm muted strings so you get more of a "machine gun" effect. Mix muted and unmuted riffs to make your death metal more interesting and progressive!
Finally, let's put to practical use what we've learned in this death metal guitar lesson and create a riff that goes somewhere...
Creating progressive death metal
Death metal doesn't need a coherent structure (e.g. verse - chorus - verse), in fact, the erratic nature of the music lends itself well to a progressive structure. Let's look at fusing the elements we've looked at in both these death metal guitar lessons...
See the tab for this riff (fairly long) here (right click to save recommended as viewing in your browser can scrunch the image up too much)
>> Click to hear the track!
Not done yet...
Hopefully, from both death metal guitar lessons, you now have the solid foundations to build on these core techniques and create your own progressive riffs. The great thing about metal is the musical freedom you have to experiment - as long as you keep that raw aggression and a good level of rhythmic accuracy using the techniques we've looked at, you'll be able to create dynamic and engaging death metal through every minute of your tracks.
We've only scratched the surface though!... soon I'll add another lesson that will look at using alternating time signatures to add even more depth to your metal.
Until then... happy thrashing!
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