Dancehall Metal Riffing

by Cosmin Lupu

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  • Ahoy crew!

    As many of you may know, I am playing in a band called 'Voodoo', which hails from Bucahrest, Romania and plays a mix of alternative metal and dancehall music. What is Dancehall, many of you may ask? Well, here's a pretty good definition:

    Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably, with digital dancehall (or "ragga") becoming increasingly characterized by faster rhythms. - Wikipedia

    If you want to read more about various artists performing this style today such as Bounty Killer or Buju Banton - I recommend searching for the term 'Dancehall' on Wikipedia.

    Now, in Voodoo's music, you will notice the specific Dancehall groove, performed by the drums and being dressed up by the downtuned, heavily distorted yet tight guitars.

    By mastering this lesson, you will get a good grasp on:

    - Tight rhythm skills
    - Developing a steady internal clock
    - Combining power chords with octaves, balanced in the Voodoo style

    Tempo: 120 BPM

    Scale: A minor

    Tuning: Drop C - C G C F A D

    Time signature: 4/4

    Tone settings: AMT SS20 Lead Channel, having the Bass at 10 O'clock, the Mids at 9 and the Highs at 1 O'clock, while the gain is somewhere around 1 O'clock.

    Guitar: PRS Paul Allender

    Effects: DAW added compression

    If you would like to get in touch with the modern side of metal, check out these lessons here and of course write me if you have anything to ask :
    My other modern metal oriented lessons

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