tips for becoming harder

[nevershine]

You have to have a specific touch when playing metal. It doesn't matter if you have a superturboultramegaboostdistortion. It still doesn't sound the way it should if your touch is lost.
You should watch metal bands play live or from tv and listen to lot of metal music. That should get you to a start...

 

[JesterRace]

Originally posted by metalraven
did Jeff Loomis also use seven-strings on Dead Heart in a Dead World?

Yeah, he used a 7 string tuned down 1/2 step to Bb for the entire album.

 

[JesterRace]

Originally posted by AjDeath
Do not tune down, IMO opinion, if you can't sound heavy in standard tuning, then you will never sound heavy, also playing metal on acoustic is not profoundly stupid, obviously Jester has never tried to play Angel Of Death on acoustic, it builds chops, I write a lot of parts and riffs on acoustic, I do this because the band I am in have a lot of meloncholy break downs a la Master of Puppets (the song) and this helps, but also I practices my solos and technique on acoustic, once you nail something down on an acoustic, it will be easy as cheese when you convert it to electric. So don't knock it if you don't do it, technique and a good one is a guitar players goal IMO, sloppy sucks.

No, I'm not familiar with angel of death so I can't say that I have tried to play it.. but like other technical metal bands (i'm assuming they are) it will be very difficult to do so on acoustic. Therefore, yes, it can build your chops and allow you to play faster if you switch over to an electric. My point was in if your trying to write songs, I would only attempt melodic overdubbings or something of the sort, because what you play without distortion may sound good with distortion or vice versa. Basically I'm implying that you shouldn't overdo it if you choose to practice metal on an acoustic. Fear Factory has used this method for getting the beat down for their songs, which aren't technical but are very hard driving and emotional. Such as Replica.. it was originally played acoustically.

 

[Nesidara]

ok well.... thank you everyone for your tips.

AjDeath: Thank you for the tips for working with the acoustic guitar. It's give me hope, since guitars aren't cheap and I frankly don't have the money to just go out and spend it on an electric guitar. I think having food and heating are a little more important right now, then me getting a guitar right now. So your tips and experinces with the acoustic are very helpful.
I know Luca Turlli writes half of Rhapsody stuff on acoustic and the other half on an unplugged electric.

To everyone else thanx for the advice on additude and song writting, you've all given food for thought.

Nesidara

 

[JesterRace]

Originally posted by phyre
Hrm... "Angel Of Death" is Slayer's (arguably) most well-known song...

I realized this in a latter post. I thought he was referring to the band "Angel Of Death".