Guitar World brings you a series of guitar lessons with Lamb of God's Mark Morton called "Dominion." For more guitar lessons, gear reviews, and more check out guitar world.com
Mark Morton's techniques are the seminal building blocks of heavy guitar riffs that are quintessential to becoming a well rounded guitar player. He is a master well before his time all the while reaching new depths of the art of guitar playing. His Southern roots are are forged and unmistakably recognizable in his phrasing and grind-core groove. Mark speaketh unto us. Artist!
I was actually lucky enough to meet him after they played in Louisville Kentucky a few years back. I was about 16 or 17 and snuck back stage and there he was. I asked him for a picture but he said he couldn’t because he didn’t wanna be seen but he told me he appreciated me being there and gave me one of his guitar picks that’s had his name on it!!
@alexn3139 that's badass. That was a kind gesture. Him telling you he appreciated you as a fan personally Imo is better than a pic where would of take 10 secs which probably wouldn't have been as personal.
Never ever judge a book by its cover.. Lamb of God with Randy Blythe, Willie Adler, and Mark Morton have the evil sounding kind of music that freaks parents out, but they are all educated very intelligent and well rounded people.. \…/\m/
Tool riffs are harmonically very simple. Tune your guitar in Drop D, use the last 3 strings on the frets 0, 3, 5, 10 and 12 (sometimes 2 and 7, also), and some D minor pentatonic licks. Play around with it, add some syncopation, odd bar meters, some palm muting and you'll have a Tool riff. Many of their songs are based on that: Vicarious, Lost keys-Rosetta Stoned, The Pot, Parabola, Lateralus, etc. In this case, in my opinion, it sounds a lot like many of the riffs in Rosetta Stoned. All those musical elements are commonly found in funk and classic rock, only they're used in a different way. So it's very likely to "sound like Tool", but it's just that Tool overused it.
Dude is a fucking ripper on the guitar. anybody on this level should understand why he does this as an exercise without the easier fretting. Good shit! Mark, VA love
Heyhey, I didnt have a clue what I was doing When I bought my very first guitar, and for the first 10 years or so, ALL I DID was upstrokes, my mother was always telling people there was something wrong with my hands, that I was not normal. Eventually I switched to the conventional down strokes, but still feel I get more control and power with up strokes.
Very good demo, Mark, and YES it is decidedly more chunky when you play the riff on two strings instead of playing it like a normal scale. This is a fine example of "technique=distinctive style or sound". Any normally executed riff or scale (strictly reversed picking while staying in the same position) would sound identical no matter who plays it. When you play it on two strings we know when we hear it that it's "Power Crunch Mark melting our brains again!".
anyone who wants alternate picking practice, I HIGHLY recommend the fast riff from Lamb Of God's song Hourglass, sometimes referred to as the "vomit riff".
wow i really like his jackson!!! i mean when you think of a jackson you imagine a pointy headstock, shark inlays and a sort of pointy shape (talking about the rhoads, king V, and kelly)... this one is nothing the same
Great guitarist...love lamb of god. Definetly knows his shit because starting from the first record up to Wrath, his sound and playing have improved a lot.
@zoraliciousful It doesn't. Just sounds loose and sloppy, no matter what gauge strings and amp settings you want to use. That's why LoG stay in drop d, to retain the punch and tightness. :)
Mesa Mark V and a slant 4x12 cabinet. Mesa are great sounding but I've heard of problems with consistency and quality. My friend has a Mesa Triple Rectifier that is always in the shop. Tried to sell it to me. Ha. No. And then my shop had a Mark V that was back in for repairs less than a week after the guy bought it.
@NICK000DICK Both mark and will do not use any pedals, except for a wah and/or a dunlop phase 90 pedal for solos, otherwise all the tone and distortions come from their mark boogie amps, they both like a pure organic distortion midrangy sound, which is very original to their style and the less effects you have between your guitar and your amp, the purer the sound ;)
@lefthandedmetal27 no worries, take it easy bro, i would suggest looking up children of bodom, wintersun, ensiferum, kalmah, witchery etc, yet more bands that are heavier than LOG
Man... I´m playing guitar for 7 years, and I never was comfortable on down picking... Now after 7 years I realized that I´m not holding the pick right xD
@Xxdonuts16xX first time I heard lamb of god I thought they were in a much lower tuning. which is surprising for me because I usually play in d standard or drop c or even a
One can write a riff that sounds good and can be used to get better at certain techniques. However, it takes more than a guitarist who plays in a thrashcore band and learned guitar from scratch.
@GlockenspielSAS I know it's 3 months late sir, but I would like to point out to you that there are many ways of holding a pick, and not one of them is perfect or more correct than the others! What's important is that you hold it how it's most comfortable for you, as long as it's not too weird and hindering :P. For instance, I hold a pick like Steve Morse does, and you can't say he's an inferior guitarist ;)
Haha, yeah man :D You´re right on both things, I´m growing my beard and my down-picking is good now, should post a video, just waiting to get a new camera :D
@G27dude The only thing I want to add to this comment is that I don't need to play in a soccer team to tell that one of the players suck at ball control or tackling. Nuff Said.
@lefthandedmetal27 dude, you obviously haven't heard much of children of bodom, check out something wild, hatebreeder, kissing the shadows, none of the songs on any of those albums are in drop C, hatecrew deathroll only has like 1 song in drop D which is Sixpounder, as for are you dead yet, maybe 2 or 3 songs, and relentless only has 2 or 3 that are drop C, so i ask you, does 8 songs that are drop C out of 7 albums make you a drop C band?
Mark Morton's techniques are the seminal building blocks of heavy guitar riffs that are quintessential to becoming a well rounded guitar player. He is a master well before his time all the while reaching new depths of the art of guitar playing. His Southern roots are are forged and unmistakably recognizable in his phrasing and grind-core groove. Mark speaketh unto us. Artist!
Excellent comment man
Well said dude!
I swear he seems like the most genuine guy ever
I was actually lucky enough to meet him after they played in Louisville Kentucky a few years back. I was about 16 or 17 and snuck back stage and there he was. I asked him for a picture but he said he couldn’t because he didn’t wanna be seen but he told me he appreciated me being there and gave me one of his guitar picks that’s had his name on it!!
@alexn3139 that's badass. That was a kind gesture. Him telling you he appreciated you as a fan personally Imo is better than a pic where would of take 10 secs which probably wouldn't have been as personal.
2:57 he definitely brings the riffs
Never ever judge a book by its cover.. Lamb of God with Randy Blythe, Willie Adler, and Mark Morton have the evil sounding kind of music that freaks parents out, but they are all educated very intelligent and well rounded people.. \…/\m/
yeah you're right
+jason goldfinger thats not only with lamb of god, theres other band also very educated you should have a look on gojira.
If your mom gets scared by lamb of god, show her some gorgoroth
jason goldfinger yes they are!!
Slowed down it sounds like a Tool riff
confirmed^^
he probably just took a very easy riff, got blasted one night and played it at a super high rate of speed usually how it goes
Tool riffs are harmonically very simple. Tune your guitar in Drop D, use the last 3 strings on the frets 0, 3, 5, 10 and 12 (sometimes 2 and 7, also), and some D minor pentatonic licks. Play around with it, add some syncopation, odd bar meters, some palm muting and you'll have a Tool riff. Many of their songs are based on that: Vicarious, Lost keys-Rosetta Stoned, The Pot, Parabola, Lateralus, etc. In this case, in my opinion, it sounds a lot like many of the riffs in Rosetta Stoned. All those musical elements are commonly found in funk and classic rock, only they're used in a different way. So it's very likely to "sound like Tool", but it's just that Tool overused it.
Dude is a fucking ripper on the guitar. anybody on this level should understand why he does this as an exercise without the easier fretting. Good shit! Mark, VA love
I only got into Lamb of God about 6 months ago, but DAMN!!! I am really digging their music. Mark and Willie are MONSTERS on guitar!!
Love this guy, he is very well spoken.
Heyhey, I didnt have a clue what I was doing When I bought my very first guitar, and for the first 10 years or so, ALL I DID was upstrokes, my mother was always telling people there was something wrong with my hands, that I was not normal. Eventually I switched to the conventional down strokes, but still feel I get more control and power with up strokes.
Its not jesus kids its a Viking!
haha i love how he gets distracted by his pick for a brief moment, Mark Morton is the best, love that guy
@bladerunner900 the point of the excersise is to make ur upstroke just as strong as ur downstroke, so you'll be comfortable with both
Thanks Mark.
Very good demo, Mark, and YES it is decidedly more chunky when you play the riff on two strings instead of playing it like a normal scale.
This is a fine example of "technique=distinctive style or sound". Any normally executed riff or scale (strictly reversed picking while staying in the same position) would sound identical no matter who plays it. When you play it on two strings we know when we hear it that it's "Power Crunch Mark melting our brains again!".
anyone who wants alternate picking practice, I HIGHLY recommend the fast riff from Lamb Of God's song Hourglass, sometimes referred to as the "vomit riff".
i would kill for that MARK V!!, great tone
thats a pretty good simple exercise, when you get down to the exercise element
@metalguitarZomg2 Most of COB's stuff is in drop C. Sixpounder is in drop C and pretty much all of 'Are You Dead Yet' (Bar 1 or 2 songs) is in drop C
wow i really like his jackson!!! i mean when you think of a jackson you imagine a pointy headstock, shark inlays and a sort of pointy shape (talking about the rhoads, king V, and kelly)...
this one is nothing the same
Great guitarist...love lamb of god. Definetly knows his shit because starting from the first record up to Wrath, his sound and playing have improved a lot.
That's the point I think. By improving on your basics you make your overall playing better.
@Emceetem That doesn't mean that you're a noob if you play it. Mark's obviously not a noob by any means but he still uses it.
@GlockenspielSAS I'm glad we are of one mind on the matter!
this is one good sound mr morton!
@zoraliciousful It doesn't. Just sounds loose and sloppy, no matter what gauge strings and amp settings you want to use. That's why LoG stay in drop d, to retain the punch and tightness. :)
nice that mm sig guitar and Boogie amp make a good combination
which is why you get ernie ball heavy bottoms that have thinner g, b, and e strings
dunlop tortex picks . that helps. he uses the dunlop tortex 1.14 purple ones
cob definitely plays in D standard and drop C, other than Something Wild, which is C# standard. no drop D involved.
does anyone know from what song the riff is that he plays at 2:55???
its so awesom i gotta learn to play it on hte guitar
what is the best strings to play heavy music??i mean from the thickness aspect...
@Xkima77 no probs. that song has a great solo by the way.
Nice. What kind of head and cab is he using?
I meant what small part of a song did he just play in the end ?
Does he always use mesa boogies or just now?
@163burkey it is walk with me in hell from the album sacrament
@argyris006 just start at the note that the string iseg. e string, and count your way up, eventually you will learn where each note is.
Have Mark and Willie been on an episode of bet ya cant play this yet?
Realy nice riff!!
Guys!!! Please tell me.
What pedal does he use!!!
Or what pedal does Will use?!
nice guitar.
Am I the only that noticed he looks like and sounds like a long-haired Zack Galifanakis?
Mesa Mark V and a slant 4x12 cabinet.
Mesa are great sounding but I've heard of problems with consistency and quality. My friend has a Mesa Triple Rectifier that is always in the shop. Tried to sell it to me. Ha. No.
And then my shop had a Mark V that was back in for repairs less than a week after the guy bought it.
one of those switches controls how hot the sun is
Done on 220 bpm!!!:-D amazing riff!! Realy liked it!!! \m/
Thanks man!!
one of the only bands who sound heavy in drop d
I wish I could find the guitar world magazine this is in. Anyone know?
@NICK000DICK Both mark and will do not use any pedals, except for a wah and/or a dunlop phase 90 pedal for solos, otherwise all the tone and distortions come from their mark boogie amps, they both like a pure organic distortion midrangy sound, which is very original to their style and the less effects you have between your guitar and your amp, the purer the sound ;)
@lefthandedmetal27 no worries, take it easy bro, i would suggest looking up children of bodom, wintersun, ensiferum, kalmah, witchery etc, yet more bands that are heavier than LOG
@creation23 If you do it right it sounds good,I mean everything in tune action set up right and everything it can sound good.
At 2:57 what song is that. It's driving me crazy
Man... I´m playing guitar for 7 years, and I never was comfortable on down picking... Now after 7 years I realized that I´m not holding the pick right xD
Mark Morton rules
this helps you stroke better
does any one understand what he is saying? coz, i dont get it. what should i be learning from this clip??
love lamb of god
@atrumluminarium I'm thinking about buying one myself.
@Xxdonuts16xX first time I heard lamb of god I thought they were in a much lower tuning. which is surprising for me because I usually play in d standard or drop c or even a
One can write a riff that sounds good and can be used to get better at certain techniques. However, it takes more than a guitarist who plays in a thrashcore band and learned guitar from scratch.
@GlockenspielSAS I know it's 3 months late sir, but I would like to point out to you that there are many ways of holding a pick, and not one of them is perfect or more correct than the others! What's important is that you hold it how it's most comfortable for you, as long as it's not too weird and hindering :P. For instance, I hold a pick like Steve Morse does, and you can't say he's an inferior guitarist ;)
would you have to play this exercise to a metronome
thanks
i play in Eb, and A#
@Xxdonuts16xX yes exactly aha But I have a five string bass so I can just drop the low b which gives me that sludgy tone
@lefthandedmetal27 lol i meant follow the reaper not kissing the shadows, however kissing the shadows is on follow the reaper :P
what song it that he plays at 2.59
lamb of god, pioneering metal at the moment, youd expect him to know his shit, and he does.
damn his amp sounds bad ass!
guys, what riff does he play at 2:58?
what song does he play 2:58 to 3:06 ?
Can anyone tell me the effects he is using?
+Henrique Kuhn (HkuhnGuitar) thats only a distortion coming from a mesa boogie head/cabinet.
+asr 01 Thanks!
Henrique Kuhn many people wish to have this distortion, mesa amps are amazing just the price ruins everything :)
depends on the amp
@VorTexXHUN What are you talking about? It takes more to do what? Mark has extremely advanced guitar skills.
@mrbuddha2026 Yeah, for sure, but I realized I´m more comfortable when picking like Mark does
Hey guys it's Jesus from Lamb of God and i am here to show you some badass riffage.
@hellmightsuck how do i know this? I HAVE THE GUITAR PRO TABS!
@metalhead142 thanx man
WHY MUST YOU MAKE IT LOOK SO EASY?!?!
i dont hve electric guitar but than olso watch such videos...
Haha, yeah man :D You´re right on both things, I´m growing my beard and my down-picking is good now, should post a video, just waiting to get a new camera :D
@Pamahana97 It's the MARK V
The beginning sounds like "Again We Rise"
@G27dude The only thing I want to add to this comment is that I don't need to play in a soccer team to tell that one of the players suck at ball control or tackling. Nuff Said.
LoG's the heaviest sounding band that plays in Drop D.
@Stonebreaker6088 thx u just saved my live
you guys are wrong mark morton isnt jezus
did you ever notice how john campbell looks like jezus and his initials are JC?????
The tone is like hell
i wanta tabs
Betcha this would sound more epic in Drop A.
@razor10haris Yep ! Well, he`s in Lamb of god, he doesn`t care :))
@neilemo1234 the first one should be pretty easy to eyeball (it's all on one string) and the second thing he did was part of Walk With Me In Hell
@lefthandedmetal27 dude, you obviously haven't heard much of children of bodom, check out something wild, hatebreeder, kissing the shadows, none of the songs on any of those albums are in drop C, hatecrew deathroll only has like 1 song in drop D which is Sixpounder, as for are you dead yet, maybe 2 or 3 songs, and relentless only has 2 or 3 that are drop C, so i ask you, does 8 songs that are drop C out of 7 albums make you a drop C band?
nice mesa
His tone is the shittttttttt
@metalguitarZomg2 Well, from what I've seen and learnt to play, most of COB's shit is in drop C.
@BLUEWIZARD40 np
The god damn noise gates in their voices
@hellmightsuck so you can play all 7 of their albums can you?
me want the Mark V mesa