PROGRESSIVE DEATH METAL

Progressive death metal is a genre with heavy riffs and complex rhythmic ideas, such as mixed meter (changing of time signatures within a song) and offset rhythmic phrasing. Groups like Meshuggah, Animals as Leaders, Tool, Gojira, The Faceless, and Textures lead the way in defi ning this style. Remember, the riffs are grouped according to tempo, so once you learn them, you can combine and jam on them from one to the next. Riffs at 90bpm One of the defi ning elements of progressive death metal is the use of odd time signatures, and our fi rst example is a clean intro in . Within a concert set, this type of section is great Clean for wiping the slate clean before a heavy, high-energy riff kicks in. Clean5 œ œ œ œ œ œ & 4 #œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ 77 œ œ œ œ œ œ T 5 œ 5 œ3 œ 5 œ œ 5 œ3 œ 5 œ & 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 A #œ4 œ4 œ4 #œ4 œ4 œ4 B œ2 œ2 58 T 5 3 5 5 3 5 1354432544543 1354432544543 A 4 4 4 4 4 4 B 2 2 1344324443 1344324443 3 #œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ 3& œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ . &T 10 8 10 10 8 10 . œ 11 11 11 11 11 11 A 9 9 9 œ 9 9 9 7 . B 8 T 10 8 10 10 8 10 . 12114321411 3411 2 1211432143411 11 2 A 9 9 9 9 9 9 7 . B Next is an example of offset rhythmic phrasing,8 which means the same phrase can be thought . 1243214342 1243214342 of and played in different time signatures—in the fi rst time signature, the phrase starts and ends at the same place in the measure every time it is repeated, but in the second time signature, each iteration of the pattern starts and ends at a different place in the measure. Example 78 can be viewed as being in or . The band Meshuggah often uses this kind of riff, with guitarist Fredrik Thordendal and drummer Tomas Haake approaching it in .

First, here is the groove as a repeatable pattern in .

½ ½ ½ ½ 78 5 & 4 . œ œ œ œ 59 #œ ½ œ œ œ œ ½ œ œ #œ ½ œ œ œ œ ½ œ œ T A . B 2 (2) 2 ( 2 ) 2 (2) 2 2 (2) 2 ( 2 ) 2 (2) 2 . 22222222

44 SHREDDING DEATH METAL GUITAR Here is the phrase from the bottom of the previous page, but written over .

½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 79 4 & 4 j j j j 60 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ ½ œ œ œ œ ½ œ #œ œ ½ œ œ œ ½ #œ œ œ ½ œ œ œ #œ ½ œ œ œ ½ #œ œ œ ½ œ œ T A B 2 (2) 2 ( 2 ) 2 (2) 2 2 (2) 2 2 (2) 2 2 (2) 2 ( 2 ) 2 (2) 2 2 (2) 2 2 (2) 2 222 22 22 22 2 222 22 2

Below is an example of how heavy riffs can be offset within a groove. The phrasing is key here, and the shifting starting points are meant to throw the listener off a bit. The whole riff is six bars of , but the eighth-note phrasing can be broken down to 9–10–9–11–9. 10 etc. 9 10 ½ etc. 9 ½ 4 80 & 4 œ œ œ œ & 4 œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 1/2 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b1/œ2 œ 61 T œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ AT 2 3 2 3 2 3 AB 2 3 1 0 3 3 1 0 ( 0 ) 2 3 1 0 3 3 1 0 3 2 3 1 0 3 23104310 2310431 03 2 3104 B 3 1 0 3 1 0 ( 0 ) 3 1 0 3 1 0 3 3 1 0 23104310 2310431 03 2 3104

4 ½ 4 ½ & . & œ œ œ #œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b½œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b½œ œ œ T œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ AT 2 3 2 4 . AB 3 1 0 2 3 1 0 3 3 1 0 1 3 2 3 1 0 3 0 1 . 3102310 431013 2 31044 301 B 3 1 0 3 1 0 3 1 0 1 3 3 1 0 3 0 1 . 3102310 431013 2 3104301

The next offset groove is focused around the dotted eighth note.

½ ½ ½ ½ 81 4 & 4 . bœ bœ œ 62 #œ. ¿. ¿. œ. ¿. œ ½ #œ ½œ ¿. ¿. œ. ¿ ¿ œ ½ œ ½ #œ. ¿. œ. T A . B 2 X X 2 X 3 2 X X 2 X (X ) 3 3 2 X 0 . 112 112210

Shredding Death Metal Guitar 45 HARMONIC MINOR MODAL FINGERINGS

The harmonic minor scale adds exotic depth to your playing and composing. It is the same as a natural minor scale except it has a natural 7th. Remember, the formula for a harmonic minor scale is 1–2–b3–4–5–b6–7. In A, this is spelled A–B–C–D–E–F–G#. This is a very neoclassical tonality and is often used in various genres of metal. Just as the natural minor scale has seven modes, or modal fi ngerings, so does the harmonic minor scale. One of the easiest and most effective ways to learn these fi ngerings is to relate them to the natural minor modes covered on page 56, but with a new altered note.

The modes of the harmonic minor scale are:

Aeolian n7 (harmonic minor) A–B–C–D–E–F–G# Locrian n6 B–C–D–E–F–G#–A Ionian #5 C–D–E–F–G#–A–B Dorian #4 D–E–F–G#–A–B–C Phrygian n3 (Phrygian Dominant) E–F–G#–A–B–C–D Lydian #2 F–G#–A–B–C–D–E Mixolydian #1 G#–A–B–C–D–E–F

A Harmonic Minor Modes A Aeolian n7 D Dorian #4 G Mixolydian #1

579 12 15 375 9 B Locrian n6 E Phrygian n3

79 12 12 15 17 C Ionian #5 F Lydian #2

912 15 17 19

SHREDDING DEATH METAL GUITAR 59