MetalTabs.com - your source for Metal tabs
Home Forum FAQ Contact Us Link to Us


Go Back   MetalTabs.com Forum > Musicians > Music Theory


 
 
Old 2005-05-24, 02:24
revoltingblob
New Blood
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 17
how to write sad-sounding guitar riffs?

hey, does anyone have any tips on writing sad-sounding black metal riffs? I am new to writing and am interested in writing riffs for my atmospheric black metal band. If anyone has any suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated.
 
Old 2005-05-24, 09:05
johnmansley's Avatar
johnmansley
Schrodinger's Cat
Forum Leader
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Liverpool, England
Posts: 5,975
Use the minor key and inverted power chords/diads. I think there's a thread in this forum about inverting power chords and some different shapes of diads.
__________________
Album of the day:

Red Sparowes - At the Soundless Dawn
 
Old 2005-05-24, 12:02
Amon rA's Avatar
Amon rA
Senior Metalhead
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 472
slow goes hand in hand with sad
and yeah, what mansley said
__________________
"The complexity of the penguins' lifestyle testifies to a Divine Creator," said one commentator on Christian Answers. "To think that natural selection or even the penguins themselves could come up with the idea to migrate miles and miles multiple times each year without their partner or their offspring is a bit insulting to my intellect. How great is our God!"
 
Old 2005-05-24, 19:04
guitar_demon's Avatar
guitar_demon
MotörCat
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: &#26132&#26132
Posts: 7,547
what inversion do you mean john? or any in general
__________________
POW MIA NEVER FORGOTTEN
no one can tell you to turn down your amp unless they're of higher skill or in your band
Why not make shit up as we go-fox
Ok. You're literate, intelligent and funny-FBS

"Calm down, Edgar back in your cage"-far beyond sane
"you suck the cat-avatar-guy doesnt"-The Doc
Now My Legacy Shall Live Forever!!
 
Old 2005-05-24, 21:05
brainsforbreakfast's Avatar
brainsforbreakfast
El Diablo sin pantalones
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Yggdrassyl
Posts: 4,321
figured black metal band play their power chords inverted
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Darko
Quote:
Originally Posted by Requiem
Why would you sig that?
Why not? Why would you sig me saying that I hate you? I was serious there, too.


I'm in despair! The internet has left me in despair!
 
Old 2005-05-24, 21:57
SARS's Avatar
SARS
Post-whore
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Liverpool, England.
Posts: 1,485
http://metaltabs.com/forum/showpost...7&postcount=409

I dunno if that'll help anyone who is looking to write those kind of "sad" sounding songs. In my opinion the root note of the chord usually defines the sound.....
__________________
That snatch is like a glove fit for God.
 
Old 2005-05-25, 08:59
johnmansley's Avatar
johnmansley
Schrodinger's Cat
Forum Leader
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Liverpool, England
Posts: 5,975
Quote:
Originally Posted by guitar_demon
what inversion do you mean john? or any in general


Just any in general.
__________________
Album of the day:

Red Sparowes - At the Soundless Dawn
 
Old 2005-06-03, 16:48
tchambliss
Senior Metalhead
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: East Texas, Contact and will drink if in area
Posts: 200
If you pull it off right you can get "sad" sounds from diminished riffs, harmonic minor riffs, or a personal favorite hungarian minor. .. yeah I know that it isn't very typical, but structuring chords from those scales can be very pleasant or using the scale harmonies to your advantage(by the way hungarian minor is just like harmonic minor except it has an augmented 4th. . . so the formula using the major scale to define it is I-II-bIII-#IV-V-bVI-VII. . . .) give it a round about I didn't even know what it was the first time I heard it on Serenity Painted Death by Opeth. . . Very beautiful riffs that they pulled off with it. . . anyways. . . It creates a somewhat dissonant tension but eh, with a few little classical resolves and such, it is quite sweet.
__________________
"Saying that people have sex only to procreate is like saying people eat only to defecate."

RIP Brian Daniel McDonough: June 30, 1983- April 13, 2006, One of the bass greats that never was discovered
 
Old 2005-06-03, 22:01
YJM04's Avatar
YJM04
Post-whore
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: nowhere,USA
Posts: 1,457
Quote:
Originally Posted by tchambliss
If you pull it off right you can get "sad" sounds from diminished riffs, harmonic minor riffs, or a personal favorite hungarian minor. .. yeah I know that it isn't very typical, but structuring chords from those scales can be very pleasant or using the scale harmonies to your advantage(by the way hungarian minor is just like harmonic minor except it has an augmented 4th. . . so the formula using the major scale to define it is I-II-bIII-#IV-V-bVI-VII. . . .) give it a round about I didn't even know what it was the first time I heard it on Serenity Painted Death by Opeth. . . Very beautiful riffs that they pulled off with it. . . anyways. . . It creates a somewhat dissonant tension but eh, with a few little classical resolves and such, it is quite sweet.

try doing a pull off to a vibrato. that makes it sound really sad, also dynamics help make it more dramatic, same with a slow tempo like adagio in g minor. perfect example
 
Old 2005-06-13, 21:29
CoreyB
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Red face

I dissect a lot of black metal I listen to and in the eyes of abyssic hate and judas iscariot, I see a lot of..

In standard Tuning.

[------------------------------------------------]
[------------------------------------------------]
[------------------------------------------------]
[------------------------------------------------]
[121212121212121211111313/-101010910910/1212]
[101010101010101010101010/- 8 8 8 8 8 8 8/1010]

(not very good at tabbing, that was probably my first attempt ever)

etc, I get pretty dramatic / haunting riffs when I pull of things like this. I think it could also appeal to your sad senses in a way as well.

I try to compose some pretty atmopsheric dark metal as well, if you would like to talk to me sometime, I have a private ftp site where we can share some musical stuff. I'd love to hear what other people are doing out there.

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off



Top

========

Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer
Copyright © 2001-2014 MetalTabs.com. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by vBulletin
Copyright ©2000 - 2014, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.