Does anyone have any advice on scales or intervals that create a sort of gravely sound? That's the best I can do to describe. The only thing I've been able to do to create that sort of sound is use the Harmonic Minor scale.

Here's an example of what I mean, in guitar tab, I'm sure you've all heard this before, I'm talkin' about creatin' somethin' similar. This is in the key of D Harmonic Minor:

E|--------------------------------------------------------------
B|--------------------------------------------------------------
G|--------------------------------------------------------------
D|-----3--3--3-3--5--3-3--2--2--3-3-----------------------------
A|-----5--5--5-5--7--5-5--4--4--5-5----------------------------
E|--------------------------------------------------------------

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You mean diads?

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No, sorry if I'm not bein' clear, I'm talkin' about the FEEL of that riff. Play it, I'm sure you'll recognize it.

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I'm not sure what you're getting at. By 'feel' do you mean the way it sounds different compared to standard power chords?

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No, ignore the actual content of the riff. Ignore the fact that it is a C# Minor 3rd Diad, a D Minor 3rd Diad, and an E Minor 3rd Diad. I'm talking about the way it SOUNDS. It kind of sounds like funeral music, I'm asking about other methods of doing the same thing, cuz I hate to use the same scale all the time. Dig?

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Just use a different scale then.

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But what's one that will capture the same sort of FEEL? If I were to do it in, let's say, a major scale, it would most likely sound happy. Dig?

(god, I'm stupid)

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Try using power chords with a 4th. Those are nice. For example....


-------
-------
-------
--7----
--5----
--5----

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Well, scales differ only very slightly from each other so it's likely that only one or two notes would be changed if you change scale. Try out the melodic minor or natural minor scales and use their respective intervals. The change would be subtle but still noticeable.

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Woo, thanks for the advice johnmansley and powersofterror.

I've already tried the natural minor scale, it sounds too different, but I ain't tried the melodic minor scale. I will do.

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You could always diminish them.

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Will try, I never thought of that.

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I've been writing alot of pieces using the diminished scale. Mainly adding intervals to the home notes of the diminished triad. Play around with the Root/Dim5th interval, you can come up with some sick ass shit.

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you could always make up your own scales. that way you could get a really unique sound... maybe the type youre looking for. just take that song you like and get a few of the best notes that fit it.

A triad would probably work well for that kind of sound (w/ distortion): Try an Augmented Triad, Diminished Triad and Minor Triad:

Diminished:
E|--------------------------------------------------------------
B|--------------------------------------------------------------
G|--------------------------------------------------------------
D|---0--2--3--6---3--8-----------------------------------------
A|---2--4--5--8---5--10----------------------------------------
E|---4--6--7--10--7--12----------------------------------------

Augmented:
E|--------------------------------------------------------------
B|--------------------------------------------------------------
G|--------------------------------------------------------------
D|---2--5--4----5--444--8--7--11~-----------------------------
A|---3--6--5----6--555--9--8--12~-----------------------------
E|---4--7--6----7--666--10-9--13~-----------------------------

Minor:
E|--------------------------------------------------------------
B|--------------------------------------------------------------
G|--------------------------------------------------------------
D|---1--4-3~---33--7---6---------------------------------------
A|---2--5-4~---44--8---7---------------------------------------
E|---4--7-6~---66--10--9---------------------------------------


Hope this helps you out - just pay close attention to the chord pattern, they can be used the A string as well, if you want to use on the D or G, you have to compensate for the different tuning of the B string (too lazy to make tab of that, just move whichever note on the B string up one half step).

I don't think you can "make up a scale" as chances are someone else has already done it. After all there are a finite number of notes, in fact about half as many as there are letters in the alphabet. Try the Hungarian Minor, you can produce some pretty dark sounding riffs using it. Halftone scales can also produce some pretty cool shit.

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the first posts between john and lamb of god in this thread are good examples why you cant use the word GRAVELY to describe sound. did you mean gravel - y or grave - y. like the stuff on roads or places where bodies lie? either way, goddamn, use an easier word to describe a sound!

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Gravey and toast?

or wait... that's gravy..... nevermind.

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see?

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Whats the difference between the natural minor and melodic minor scales? And how do you diminish a scale????

natural minor is 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7 ex. in C: C,D,Eb,F,G,Ab,Bb
melodic minor is 1-2-b3-4-5-6-7 ex. in C: C,D,Eb,F,G,A,B
difference would be natural minor has a flattened 6th and 7th interval.
and diminished is 1-2-b3-4-b5-6-7 ex in C: C,D,Eb,F,Gb,Ab,A,B

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No, melodic minor is something else. It changes going up and coming down. It goes like:
Scaleing up: 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7-8
and going back down : 8-7-6-5-4-b3-2-1
So the guy before me has it right for going down the scale, but going up it it's just natural minor, it's a really weird scale, I never use it.