Oh, the tangled chords we weave...

[MaxWolf9]

Hey guys,

I was browsing your page, looking at pics and stuff, and I noticed that you run with three guitarists. Now, I love metal, but I have to admit that I don't know jack when it comes to things like instruments or the complexities of music. Most bands (as far as I've noticed) seem to have a basic two man set-up when it comes to guitar work. A lead guitarist and a bass guitarist. And I'm pretty sure I grasp the role they play in relationship to each other.

But you guys run with a lead guitarist, a bass guitarist, and a rhythm guitarist. Now, the third one there is what I'm not familiar with. If the bass guitarist does the heavy bass chords, and the lead handles the more audibly obvious riffs and stuff, what does a rhythm guitarist do?

By the way, whatever role each of you guys plays, it all comes out as one hell of a mix. Any plans for a second album yet?

 

[Helspyre]

Hey Max,

Well, first off, I'm going to preface this by saying I'm not going to count the bass guitarist in what I'm about to say mainly to avoid confusing myself. LOL

Although the bass is technically a guitar, in terms of the way most music is written, and metal in particular, it is definitely its own beast and when I talk about the guitar parts as they relate to the music, I generally am not referring to the bass parts. While the bass can follow what the other guitars are doing, because it is in it's own register it can safely go about it's own business as well, independent of what the other guitars are doing and give the music an entirely different effect, just like any other type of instrument. Unfortunately, if you do not have a stereo system with a good bass response, the bass parts can often go unheard.



So, the difference between the rhythm and lead guitars...

Well the rhythm guitar is usually what is being referred to when you are talking about the main riffs in a metal song. James Hetfield is a prime example of this. Pick any Metallica riff...opening to "Seek and Destroy", verse in "Creeping Death", chorus in "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"...that's all rhythm guitar.

Lead guitar is all the solos for one thing. Lead guitar can also be considered the single note melodies that play over the main rhythm part. The beginning of "For Whom The Bell Tolls" is a good example...the rhythm is playing some mutes and some chords while the lead guitar is doing a catchy melody over the top. Iced Earth's "Birth of the Wicked" has some great Egyptian sounding lead parts during the intro, verse, and heck it just keeps going. Some may argue both of those to be rhythm parts since they are not solos. In our band we sometimes refer to 2nd guitar parts like that as "lead rhythm parts". That is probably not a generally accepted term but that's what we use.

For our album, I recorded all the rhythm guitar parts which is pretty much everything except the solos. For live shows the lead guitarist has to learn all the main rhythm guitar and 2nd guitar parts.

Not all bands operate this way...sometimes the self proclaimed "lead guitarist" records just as much rhythm as the rhythm guitarist. Guitarists that are the only guitarist in their band usually refer to themselves as the lead guitarist even though they do both rhythm and lead. Bands in which both guitarists play rhythm and solos usually state both guitarists as being lead guitarists. My theory is that this is because there is more glory in being a "lead guitarist".

Hope that helps.

 

[Helspyre]

Oh--and...

Any plans for a second album yet?

Yes.

 

[MaxWolf9]

Wow, Jeff. I think you just fried a couple circuits on my board with that explanation.

Okay, I think I definately have a better grasp of what a rhythm guitarist does in a band, but at the same time, I feel equally confused. I certainly couldn't explain it to anyone else, but I think I get the general idea. Thanks for the enlightenment.

Do you have any idea at this point when the second album might be coming out, or is it still too early in the process to even speculate? You guys have got me excited now.

 

[Helspyre]

Yeah sorry that may have been a bit wordy. Strong Bad might be able to explain it from a different angle:
http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail36.html

The only thing I know about the next album is that we want to do one. We haven't done much writing for it yet (a little) but I'm guessing we will have more time to focus on that after we wrap up the last two shows in a couple weeks while we are starting the hunt for a new lead guitarist.

 

[MaxWolf9]

<Still laughing> Oh, man. That link was awesome.

 

[tbhride]

The beginning of "For Whom The Bell Tolls" is a good example...the rhythm is playing some mutes and some chords while the lead guitar is doing a catchy melody over the top.

I hate to throw a big wrench in the works as this might confuse maxwolf even more but here goes.

The catchy melody in the beginning of that song is Cliff Burton.

 

[tbhride]

 

[Helspyre]

I hate to throw a big wrench in the works as this might confuse maxwolf even more but here goes.

The catchy melody in the beginning of that song is Cliff Burton.

I have that video and I actually thought he only did that live. I haven't listened to any Metallica albums in years though. Bad example I guess.

 

[DemonJames]

So here we have an example of lead bass...

 

[tbhride]

Lol yup. Lead bass.

As far as I know it isn't just a live thing. He also plays a one of the solos in Orion as well.