TO guitarists that know Opeth.....

[Leper_/-\ffinity]

What kind of scales is Opeth most fond of using??? I just would love to know where they derive their tonal movements, like when they end a riff with some palm muting notes, what kind of scales are those, and what kinds of scales did they use on all of those morningrise songs, the way they move from note to note is just fucking genious, and I must learn how they do it, and create such cool melodies with single note riffing.

Thanks.

 

[Innbydelse]

no fucking clue

it would be my best guess that they dont know anything about music


in the video of the Drapery falls explanation the people interviewing mike asked him about a Amadd9 chord and he didint even know what chord it was.

 

[Leper_/-\ffinity]

Yeah, but there is no way that they write some of their solos without knowing some scales, and no doubt they may not know chord construction, but I know they sure as hell know scales.

 

[Id]

Well, the know the scale but they don't know the name of it.

 

[The Evil Toucan]

id guess mike uses pentatonic mainly, but in such a way it doesnt really sound like it because of the changes he plays over. stuff like the godheads lament solo is pentatonic im pretty sure.

 

[Id]

Mike uses the blues scale a lot too.

 

[Abou]

I think Id is right. I watched a video of theirs from guitar.com - I think that is the one - and the chords they use are so different that they basically know how to finger them.

I am pretty sure if they sat down they could figure it out but they do not care that much.

 

[fadingessence]

nah, you can play solos without knowing what scale it is or theory. Opeth does it, Pantera and Slayer did it. If you "know" what sounds good it doesn't matter if you know what scale it is in. You are of course playing in a certain key, on a certain scale anyway, but who cares? I'm more inclined to go with they (opeth) don't really know any theory, or need to.

 

[suislidE]

no fucking clue

it would be my best guess that they dont know anything about music


in the video of the Drapery falls explanation the people interviewing mike asked him about a Amadd9 chord and he didint even know what chord it was.

LOL..

Thats true, I dont think they know music in that way. They just know what sounds good, and they play it. Just because you cant name a scale or chord doesnt mean you dont know how to play it or recognize it.

 

[Leper_/-\ffinity]

Lol, I know, I don't think they know what scales they use, but I do think that they know scales, and which sound good for what. Well, Im just going to go with harmonic minor for my evil stuff, and some blues scales for melodic stuff.

 

[Innbydelse]

no doubt that they have music their blood

 

[Sfarog]

You do not need to know scales to write music.

You just have to write what sounds good to you. If you write based on your knowledge of different scales etc, you write very static, uninteresting stuff with zero feeling. Kinda like the 80's metal solos.

 

[Innbydelse]

You do not need to know scales to write music.

You just have to write what sounds good to you. If you write based on your knowledge of different scales etc, you write very static, uninteresting stuff with zero feeling. Kinda like the 80's metal solos.

petrucci knows pretty much everything about music theory and he writes very moving stuff

 

[L0bster]

Actually, it's often a lot of chromatic passing notes. In one riff ore melodi they sometimes use an almost chromatic scale using most notes there is. Allthough Eminor scale is popular, ofcourse, with added or changed notes often. Another trick is to first play Eminor then C#minor and you'll here some opeth sounding stuff if you do it right.

 

[Staffan]

Minor scales, pentatonic scales, blues scales and on some songs there are melodic scale(arabic sounding)


He doesn't play after a scale but he play the notes in the scale 'cause they sounds "good" to the ear

 

[Super Mahrio]

Thats true, I dont think they know music in that way. They just know what sounds good, and they play it. Just because you cant name a scale or chord doesnt mean you dont know how to play it or recognize it.

agreed..im very much the same way...they do tend to play alot of diminished and 9th chords and i was able to recognize that..

 

[Misanthrope]

Minor scales, pentatonic scales, blues scales and on some songs there are melodic scale(arabic sounding)


He doesn't play after a scale but he play the notes in the scale 'cause they sounds "good" to the ear

 

[Scourge of Amalek]

They used a lot of natural minor stuff in their earlier albums. They used harmonic minor a lot in Deliverance ("Wreath," for example). The harmonic minor is like a normal minor scale, but you raise the seventh note by one half-step (one fret). It sounds very mysterious and "Egyptian." Nile uses its V mode a lot.

 

[Hopkins-WitchfinderGeneral]

Mikeal and Peter have different soloing styles, mikeal is bluesy and pentatonic usually with a few notable exceptions. Peter uses more different scales such as augmented and diminished type scales.

At the end of the day I'd recommend that one learnt the really easy scales of this variety (close to Cmajor) as they have less sharps/flats and therefore the patterns are easier.

Also its true that they use these natural minors that sound egyptian... second solo on deliverence beneath the chugging E riff before the accoustic section being a good example.

 

[warsofwinter]

Mikeal and Peter have different soloing styles, mikeal is bluesy and pentatonic usually with a few notable exceptions. Peter uses more different scales such as augmented and diminished type scales.

At the end of the day I'd recommend that one learnt the really easy scales of this variety (close to Cmajor) as they have less sharps/flats and therefore the patterns are easier.

Also its true that they use these natural minors that sound egyptian... second solo on deliverence beneath the chugging E riff before the accoustic section being a good example.

Knowing your scales can be usefull but as long as you know what notes sound good in combination you are pretty much set. You aren't gonna play a "wrong" note if you know where all the "right" notes are. I find it much better knowing that I have developed my own idea of different scales on my own... I never really had a teacher but after hours and hours of just jamming you get used to what rhythm's and notes you are playing, and of course you can always get influences from thousands of awesome bands and songs.... half of them probably have no clue about scales either.


It takes more than knowing scales to write an awesome song and sometimes it takes not knowing scales at all, which allows you to view music in your own developed way rather than something put out in front of you... it's all about emotion .... the sound of Opeth comes from self-experimentation and inspiriation not their use of known scale.