Kyuss Style

by Gabriel Leopardi

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  • Hi GMC!

    Welcome to my new Stoner lesson! If you check GMC archive, you'll find that I already worked on two generic Stoner Rock lessons which have been very popular here. I received many messages with request to cover many different bands. I think that it’s time to work on some of the coolest Stoner bands ever. That’s why I decided to start with the fathers of Stoner Rock… yes, some of you will say “Black Sabbath” but not, they invented Heavy Metal… I’m talking about the band that was inspired by the sound of the first Sabbath albums which invented fantastic atmospheres and songs that have been labeled as Stoner Rock. I’m talking about the American band called “Kyuss” which was formed in 1987 (at first with other name) and led by Josh Homme (who plays now in Queens of the Stone Age) and John Garcia.

    Music Style:
    Stoner rock is a subgenre that combines elements from heavy metal, psychedelic rock, blues, acid rock and doom metal. This style is usually slow to mid tempo and includes bass-heavy sound, melodic vocals and retro sound. I based this tune on songs like “One Inch Man”, “Demon Cleaner” and “Space Cadet”.

    Tonality, Chord Progression & Scales:
    This lesson is in A minor tonality. I used Phrygian mode to compose the first riff, you will notice he exotic feel. The chorus melodies are in A minor scale and the last riff in A blues scale which shows the bluesy side of this interesting style.

    Techniques:
    This lesson is not difficult but you have to pay attention to timing. The groove is everything in this slow tempo songs so you will have to concentrate on it. The techniques used here are alternate picking, bending, palm muting and legato.

    Sound:
    I used my Pod HD 500 to create this guitar sound. I basically combined a Vox combo with a Fuzz pedal to get this guitar Stoner sound. I also worked on the mix to get a retro sound close to Kyuss music.

    Click HERE to download the POD HD500 Patch.

    Tuning:
    I used standard 440.

    Tempo:
    90 BPM

    Ok guys – welcome to the desert.



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