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Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 8 2014, 06:54 PM

Hi Jon! Welcome to our thread for Gab's Army!

Our first goal here is to help you to be able to understand the secrets behind composing, arranging and playing Thrash Metal songs. We have been talking about this via PM but it would be great to summarize here your current level regarding technique and theory knowledge in order to start setting the main features used by the biggest Thrash Metal bands.

I recommend you to check the program of a Thrash Metal course that I gave some months ago at Vchats, just to visualize the structure of the things that we have to work here: Click http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showtopic=50333&hl=.
We can analyze those songs, some others that you like and also my own lessons here.

The first task for the next days would be to choose one of my Thrash lessons and record yourself playing it to let me check your current level, and also please let me know what you know about scales and tonalities.

I hope that you enjoy our work here!

Posted by: ibanezgrg170dx Jan 7 2015, 12:19 AM

Happy new year, I here is my .response to your testament style example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R8tHROXKxs. What do you think? It's a tricky one, I'll keep at it.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jan 7 2015, 06:05 PM

Hi mate! Thanks for the video. This lesson is really tricky because it combines very fast rhythm with many soloing technique is just 1 minute of music. You learnt the whole thing perfectly and now it's time to adjust the whole thing. There are timing issues on both soloing and rhythm sections that should be adjusted. I recommend you to work on small sections and put all your focus on groove and timing. You can use a metronome or you can loop the backing to practice (Amazing SlowDowner software is great for it).

At the same time, it would be very interesting if you read the texts below the lesson and get into the theory behind this composition. Check out the scales, progressions used, and why I decided to use them like that. Try to make your own conclusions behind Testament Style.

Besides this, it would be good if you start working on another Thrash Metal lesson from my list: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/lessonseries/Thrash-Metal/

Posted by: ibanezgrg170dx Jan 7 2015, 08:53 PM

Hi Gabriel,

Thank you for your reply. Its a great exercise because of the diversity of picking and timing styles used. I will keep it in my repertoire and choose another from the series to look at for next week.

I like the authentic feel/keys changes of the “Sodom style and Kreator Teutonic examples, I also like the Bring me the Horizon metal core excerpt that you made too.




This is how I understand the song.

Riff 1 : E5 C#5 C5 G5 F5 E5 / I VI bVI iii bii I
I understand this to be in the key of E minor but I do not know if the first chord is actually functioning as an inversion and the riff is in A: IV III iii vii vi IV?

Riff 2 bar 9: the notation quotes E5 tonality. the bass is clearly droning F# : bar 9 ii iii I iii bii

Bar 10: ii iii I ii ( iii descending run)

Bar17 the middle 8 is another F# drone the previous chords in bar 16 G5 A5 A#5 function as iii IV #IV in Eminor but the descending interval of F# in bar 17 , I think this tab can be summered as a makes me think a Key pull I- II I – II for each riff or functions as a bVI in the key of A?



Most of the lead solo feels like phrygian to me , Spanish or Latin maybe Dorian but the score appears to be plain aeolian mode. I don't know. I cant decide what chords are functioning in the sweep passage the first chord in bar 24 looks like D second inversion but overall the whole passage bars 24 – finish look like they are derived from Gminor.

I am not very accurate, my chord theory and songwriting skills are based around folk music and the nashville system, I am familiar with ii V I and I IV V concepts but I do not know how to resolve chords or sketch metal /thrash songs as chord diagrams because I fail to target an overall tonality in my riffs.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jan 8 2015, 03:32 PM

Hi mate, great job analyzing the lesson. It's not very important to understand the correct way to call or identify each thing based on music theory, but it's important to notice what's happening, the intervals, the distances between chords, and the root. These are the things that will add ideas to your vocabulary.

Just to clarify a bit a section. The first part is basically on E Phrygian mode, that's why chord F5 appears. The apparition of C#5 is also curious becuase it's not part of a minor mode since it's a major 6th. This chord could be explained with a concept called Modal Interchange, in which you can take a chord from a parallel tonality. Parallel scales means that have a different quality (mode) but the same root.

Posted by: ibanezgrg170dx Jan 19 2015, 10:24 PM

Gabriel,

Thank you for your tips! I have had a great time using the Awsome slow downer software, I never had the tape machines with the speed and pitch wheel but I heard all about them so this was fantastic for me. I am familiar with using parallel keys in contrast to relative keys, the theory anyway. The sweeping trainers are a great help too.

I have made a video repose for the Teutonic Thrash Metal II- Kreator Style Metal - Extreme backing track in E minor E Phrygian. Which is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHB4I2m70Jw&list=UUlheLj6HNFPnbJct7UN-WQg Again, the more time with meternome the better to get the optimum technique with out pushing my PPS potential picking speed. I am not at all happy with the quality of my recordings, my distortion sounds cheap I want my uploads to be the same professional quality as the masterclass main lessons. Can you recommend any advice: I use windows line in, zoom gfx8 and atm an iron gear active pick up.

Overall, I am still in the dark when it comes to interpreting metal scores into correct chord charts, resolving chords/targeting chords, using song writing theory to create authentic metal songs. I assume for example creating rhythm I could use C pentatonic for the first two beats of a bar and then F and G pentatonic for the last two beats of a bat

I attempted to solo over a Dmin/Fmin backing track but I really didnt know what to target other than the thrid degree of the chord. because of this lack of targeting, it means that I dont know how to use licks correctly either https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeI97eQYWm0&list=UUlheLj6HNFPnbJct7UN-WQg

cheers

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jan 20 2015, 03:21 AM

Hi mate! How are you? Great to hear from you and receiving some videos!

I can say that your technique is promising. You have speed for both soloing and rhythm. However I note important things to improve based on this video. Here we go:

1- You definitely need to improve your videos quality, mostly your guitar tone. I think that it has too much distortion, and this makes it sound noise, but I also think that the device that you are using to record your guitar isn't the best things you can use to get a good tone. I think that having a good tone is very important to be able to hear your playing clearly which will be helpful for you, while you play and also for me when I check your stuff to give feedback.

Please check this video where you will find all the necessary tips to improve your videos. Be sure to check the free virtual amps which are great! I'm currently using them in my lessons.



2- Unfortunately the guitar sound doesn't help to hear clearly what's the problem but I note that your riffing technique is a bit noisy and is lacking clearness. I think that if can be something related with your palm muting, so I would like to ask you to record one of the riffs of this lesson, again, without backing and if it's possible using the plug ins suggested in the video.

3- About the improvisation. I think that there must be something wrong with the scale choice. What scale are you using?