Death Metal = Scales?

[RideForVengance]

I listen to alot more thrash than Death Metal, but still have a fairly large interest in DM... I know alot of thrash is written in E minor, but DM seems to be largely chromatic. I play guitar and I've been thinking about trying to start a DM project, so I was wondering if you knew any scales that work well for DM.

(Im mostly into technical Death metal, not MeloDeath (which would obviously be using scales)

 

[Barking Pumpkin]

Cryptopsy seems to use a lot of half-step diminished scales in their writing.....

That's....half-step, whole-step, half-step, whole-step, etc.

 

[RideForVengance]

Cool, thanks... Cryptopsy is a good example of what I was talking about... that kinda technical shit, maybe suffocation as well... although MeloDeath can be pretty technical. I stumbled across a really cool augmented scale that I'll post up here once I remember it... I dunno if it'd be good for rythm guitar in DM, but it sounded pretty badass and I guess you could write some cool solos with it.

 

[Nostalgiaplatz]

Why do you need theory to write DM tunes? I never learned theory and to date, I haven't found the need for it in DM.

 

[CF87]

DM uses scales since a lot of the playing is fast picking,single notes. I don't think a lot of guitarists in death metal intend on playing specific scales. It's just something that happens. A lot of guitarists can play scales, it does not mean they know what scales they're using. You have to be able to scan the neck well which is the most important aspect. A lot of time's death metal musically is an extention of thrash playing technique's. Death metal is mostly about ear,technique creating sounds that represent something. A lot of the times strange scales can be used unintentionally to create a feeling,vibe of something. It's about ear being able to flow on the neck.

 

[Barking Pumpkin]

Well.......I haven't written any, but by knowing theory and being able to recognize intervals, a lot of Cryptopsy songs become a whole lot less mystifying about what they're playing.

 

[Hawng]

Why do you need theory to write DM tunes? I never learned theory and to date, I haven't found the need for it in DM.

If you study some theory you might find that you are using certain scales due to the way they sound other than "knowing" them. At least thats how it went for me...

 

[ProjectedBlack]

I have a band of my own, my rythm guitarist is completely self-taught and doesn't know any theory, the lead guitarist studies it extensively though. I think it's important to know some but not in all cases, self-taught guitarists tend to be pretty creative but at the same time limited in certain ways.

 

[sonofhendrix13]

Melo-death uses the harmonic minor scale quite a bit. Otherwise, quite abit of it uses the chromatic or diminished scale.

 

[Sphinx]

Death metal just doesnt use like 1 specific 'metal' scale.. its may use a mixture.. take arch enemy.. the solo in the song 'ravenous' is jus your average Major scale in a pattern... nothing fancy.. in Flames you Many many majors scales in their riffs... just depends on what overall sound you want.. the Meloidic minor is a good scale. its kinda weird but i think sounds pretty awsome.. you could experinemt with other modes. change them if you want..

 

[BlackMetalTyrant]

death metal like Cannibal Corpse, or Krisiun, the more raw shit like that is just whatever the fuck you want, if you listen to some of it alot of the notes are technically wrong, but they still sound cool.

 

[DownedMysery]

I use Harmonic Minor Scales(Testament used them a lot i believe) and Hungarian Minor Scales

 

[Silver Incubus]

well i think death metal is more rapidly changing keys and chromatic scales + the other stuff in there. I play progressive death metal, and so I have some experience in this. I mean obviously some riffs depend on theory, but the is only so that both guitar parts fit, otherwise, we let it flow. Diminished 5ths are always death metal

 

[sorceron]

well i think death metal is more rapidly changing keys and chromatic scales + the other stuff in there. I play progressive death metal, and so I have some experience in this. I mean obviously some riffs depend on theory, but the is only so that both guitar parts fit, otherwise, we let it flow. Diminished 5ths are always death metal

hell yea dude, info wars.

 

[chris-o-fer]

some of it alot of the notes are technically wrong, but they still sound cool.

honestly, i feel there is no note combination that is 'technically wrong', only new sounds using approriate improvosition.

 

[chris-o-fer]

or is it 'improvisation'?

 

[Barking Pumpkin]

The latter is correct. And no notes are "incorrect," they can just be outside the scale for whatever key/scale combination you're using.

 

[infoterror]

in Flames you Many many majors scales in their riffs...

in Flames is arguably not death metal however.

 

[Barking Pumpkin]

They're not only arguable not death metal, they are not death metal. What happened to being assertive, infoterror?

 

[Wonderer_Nick]

There different. In Flames are melodic but at the same time Technical enough to not be classified as Melodic Death. Aslo the Growl Vocals put it under the Death Category.

Scales are useful with any kind of music, but dont base your playing around a scale. i find when i jam with my friend we do alot of death metal stuff and we use alot of harmonics. Usually it will just be the same riff but one of will take whatever the scale of the progressions is (say a Minor e) and find the 3rd or 5th of that scale and harmonize over it.

And I dont find cryptopsy to be overly techincal at all. If you wanna talk about a technical band then check out Necrophagist. There literally AMAZING. The best Tech Death band ive ever heard.