►►Discover 9 ways to dial in record-worthy amp sounds with my FREE cheat sheet: subscribepage.io/Nn8x8t ►►Website: zakcharguitar.com/ ►►FREE RESOURCES: zakcharguitar.com/free-resources
Ughhhh... I FEEL that comment. I inherited my best friend/bandmate's studio, and his drop C guitars (predictably with FR tremolos) are staying in drop C for the next decade. I shit you not, I consider it mandatory to have at least 3 sets of strings to change tuning on a guitar with a tremolo... one set to get it in tune and set the action, one set to replace the string that breaks as I'm setting the intonation, and one set to piss about with the FR balance point. I'm left with a set of strings that sound kinda dead. If I actually want a fresh shiny sounding guitar, 4th set go on. I plan 6 hours for a string change if it's got a FR, a never settle for anything less than perfection because holy fucking shit, that guitar isn't getting a string change until I see rust. This is why I don't (didn't) have any guitars with tremolos, I HATE setups. (This is coming from someone who will, if money permits, happily change strings bi-weekly chasing that beautiful fresh sound that turns a DI SansAmp PSA-1 into an industrial metal powerhouse...)
@@strongbad666 Check out Velveteen too. No bass. I love bass though. I love guitar too. But my current band I'm bass and there is no guitar on purpose. Unique sound.
@@iDoqz If you can do that, more power to you. I have a 7 string, but honestly it's a crappy guitar compared to my Charvel (dead notes, less sustain, worse tone on the cleans, no floyd). The less I use the cheapo-7 and the more I play my decent 6 the more I want to play guitar in general. However, I can't blame you for thinking that way -- especially considering the bass player. Why show up for a gig with a 5 string when the guitarist is only playing a 6? A bassist smart enough to ask too many questions would realize that his lowest string is primarily being used to support an illusion (unless you have sections of the music with basslines lower than E AND the rhythm guitarist is doing something other than chugging).
This guy gets it, huge props. “Heavy” is a term used to describe the overall sound of the mix with all of the elements coming together. I feel like a lot of people use low drop tunings as a crutch, and often times they miss the bigger picture.
I just use loads of dissonant chords, odd time signatures, bending high notes on the lowest string, as many harmonics as possible, long drawn out bends and differently placed palm mutes
@12-stringchords you can play pretty much anything at D standard, you just have to know you're one step down and play accordingly. I like how cowboy chords sound in D standard because of guitar temperament. Idk it sounds better to me, a bit flat maybe. You usually need a tiny intonation set up but other than that you're fine.
With the starting a song on higher notes, and having the low notes as the "notes in-between" one of my favourite examples of this is the main riff in Judas Priest's Painkiller. The low E is the "droning" notes, while most of the riff plays an octave higher on the A string, and yet it sounds so heavy! Great video!
As Bradley Hall said, a lot of the bands that use lower tunings lose their heaviness by abusing compression and losing dynamics for loudness. There needs to be dynamics and contrast for anything to sound heavy, as Zak also mentions
Some other tips for heavy riffs in e standard: EQ: Try adding more bass for a slightly sludgier sound, will easily make E standard sound a lot heavier. Then, after that, Riffs: Try playing slower riffs, or, songs with contrasting tempos. Think any sort of New York Hardcore stuff that often goes from fast d-beats to slower 2 step breakdowns. That stuff in E standard is actually quite heavy.
And put mid at zero on your amp, guitar is a midrange instrument, experiment with tone knobs on your guitar, put 42-009 set of strings, upgrade your bridge humbucker to higher output and you are good to go, D standard is a great alternative to standard E tuning too
@SSPGwemlin I know it's all preference, but you could get away with turning the mid to 0 if you crank the bass and treble all the way. Not sure if it's something you've tried, but it could be worth looking into. Thanks for watching! 🎸
@@SSPGwemlin Setting them at zero doesn't mean there are zero mids. It means they're in the middle position (no negative or positive). EQ is different from volume.
One of my very favorite heavy music albums would be the 1992 debut album by American thrash/death metal band Solstice. Despite the fact they’re using E standard tuning, they sound monstrously heavy because of how tight Rob Barrett and Dennis Munoz’s guitars lock in with Mark van Erp’s bass and especially Alex Marquez’s fantastic drum work. Combined with the fast pace riffing and Barrett’s strepthroat vocals, it is an amazing listen!!
I'll have to give that one a listen. I didn't know Rob was in projects outside of Cannibal Corpse. I certainly didn't know he did vocals 😮thanks for watching and for sharing! 🤘
@@ZakCharGuitar It’s a really amazing performance from the fellas especially for their ages, I think Rob’s vocals sound like a combination of Phil Anselmo and Chuck Schuldiner. Rob and Alex were also involved with Malevolent Creation, both appeared on Retribution (1992) and either appeared on a few other records down the line. Under a microscope I could say the sound is just a touch homogeneous and I really wish Van Erp’s bass was louder in the mix, but regardless it’s a classic Scott Burns production!! While the follow up records (Pray, To Dust, and Casting The Die) IMHO maybe didn’t necessarily capture the same vibe as the debut, they’re still very solid pieces of thrashy death metal!!
Solstice is nasty dude. I have a massive collection of old school death metal and I always say Solstice is pretty much the heaviest and angriest possible thing ever. I'm friends with a guy who knows them very well and he told me that their name is named after the NES game, haha. There's even a section of music that they took from the game music too haha.
I think weak and hard pressure when palm mute are both useful, if I'm doing open notes and little ghost notes in between I will press hard so that they sound dead and fast, or if I want to make a very empty sounding rhythm, but if I want something to sound brutal and "monster-like" I press less so it sounds like the whole CHUGCHUGCHUG
@@havable without a compelling beat a gnarly chord is just that. Even major chords can be heavy with the right musical context. Look at deafheaven, for instance...
@@havable I honestly feel a open D in a drop D tuning with a good chug heavier than a diminished 5th any day, by itself. To me a chord [specially those dissonant ones] always make more sense in a progression. It's like making a point and choosing a specific word to nail the coffin with. That word alone don't carry the same weight it would if it was in a powerful sentence.
I only play in E standard tuning. Old school bands like Mercyful Fate, Megadeth & Iced Earth are a big influence on me. Most of them tune E standard or Eb standard.
I have found that heavy is for the most part in how you play. you have to be careful with adding bottom end with e.q. because you dont want the guitars to be fighting with the bass guitars low frequency.
True. I prefer to leave the lower range frequency to the bass and kick drum, then run a high pass filter over pretty much everything else. Thanks for watching!
I love creating atypical heavy sounds. Rather than aggressive playing, I love letting the actual harmony create the darkness. Some of the heaviest shit I've ever heard was played on a nylon string.
A trick I did back in the 80's was using a radio shack parametric eq. It was stereo so you could route the signal back in to double its effect. Before the internet my friends called the muted chugging "speaker coagulation." Using the double route trick would make some crazy heavy sounds. This is all tone and nothing related to chord voicing.
Solid suggestions! Downtuning is a nice option to have, but if that's the only way you can make something sound heavy, then you aren't as creative as you might think. Strongly suggest trying to make the heaviest songs without downtuning, it's a fun challenge!
I found alot has to do with gear as well in this type of situation. I've been playing this way for almost 35 years. I like that you can get really heavy and staying in E keeps the low end naturally tight. A great pedal I love to use is the Digitech Drop, again because you keep tuned to E it stays tight even dropping on the pedal. I started using it so I can play with lower tuning without having to reset my Floyd Rose guitars. All my Floyd Rose I added Fu-tone Titanium saddle blocks and screws with the brass big blocks, it just helps keep note clarity on my stuff. Just different ideas. Cheers!
Cool advice. When I was starting out playing guitars in bands 20 years ago, I discovered this, kind of by accident but also out of my own lack of knowledge. I didn't know about any other kind of tuning, but we were playing metal ish stuff like Linkin Park and similar stuff which was massive around that time. I hadn't even experimented with drop D, I was still trying to get to grips with regular tuning. Haha. I don't think I really thought about it, but I realized that the fourth was a good substitute for a power chord. Couple that with a really bassy setting on my Zoom guitar pedal, which I never even thought to attempt to edit, and hey presto. I played heavy tracks for a good few years before I even thought of dropping the D, and I haven't got much further from that, all these years later. :)
I've made it my "mission" to try to play heavy drone-doom in E Standard, using inverted 5ths a LOT. The tone knob on your guitar makes a big difference, too. Roll it back to half or less - your tone thickens up so much, and almost takes on a "vocal" quality.
I've been going back to standard, it really is the most practical if you want to learn more about theory. Also having 2 guitars so one is always in standard is very helpful.
Check out the Japanese proto black/thrash metal band named Sabbat. Listen to the album "Evoke", a prime example of how dark and heavy E standard can get.
@@Environmental-Time yeah much better example lol and also try Deicide's Legion and the other old school death metal band Solstice which is even better and heavier and angrier in my opinion
I play a BC Rich Warlock with a hardtail bridge, tuned to E flat. I don't think it sounds "heavier", but I do like it more for some reason than E standard.
Really great, practical advice. Context is everything. A good musical example is 'Forced Gender Reassignment' by Cattle Decapitation. The first time I heard that I was taken aback. It sounded menacing and huge. The tuning is E flat l, but the guitarist is using heavy palm muting and 4ths to really grind it out.
Much appreciated!! It's fun to discover all the pieces that form a song after first experiencing it. We can always go deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole. Thanks for watching! 🎸
If you are on the wrong side of 45 and your singer is too Eb and D standard might be the way to go to protect those aging pipes! But you are dead on accurate.
"How To Make E Standard Tuning Sound MASSIVELY HEAVY" Step 1.) play an inverted powerchord and trick your brain into thinking it's not E standard Step 2.) ??? Step 3.) c h u g s
The A double-stop played open A string, up to the D on the third fret has a particular heavy drone, when allowed to sustain for multiple beats. When droning out on the E string, the slower that the tempo is, the more that I feel inclined to introduce the octave for a full power chord to get the same effect on the lower notes. Regarding distortion tone, It took me way too long to discover how using a tube screamer really enhances metal rhythm when using it carefully. The trick is to apply extra gain sparingly (dial at about 1/4), on top of an amplifier's in-built gain (dialed back down accordingly to mitigate excess noise and feedback). Adding a generous amount of treble on the pedal really can help add a nice aggressive edge to the overall tone and clear up the muddiness, without becoming too tinny. Gear : Ibanez Tube Screamer, Marshall avt-50 combo (solid state amp with tube pre-amp)
Good stuff! I use tone settings that are nearly identical to how you described them. Starting with the amp's built-in gain is a crucial step that I feel is often overlooked. Thanks for watching! 🙂
I like to play 4 note power chords to get sounds that feel like having the low B string. ie. 2 on E and A string, 4 on D and G. The root notes are on A and G strings, the 5ths on E and D. This works for some things, but sometimes you really do need to just tune down. I like to play lot of slipknot, and a lot of their riffs are actually just single notes which means you have to have your tuning set to either (drop) B or A or you're just never going to get something that sounds good.
One of the more interesting things about e std tuning, you can dial in a much fatter tone. Using a lighter gage set of strings can also help bring out clarity due to having less harmonic overtones.
If your bass player uses a 5 string dropped to A you can effectively use those fourth/inverted fifth chords to turn E standard into drop A. Your bass player supplies the missing root note an octave lower, giving you the collective sound of a drop A power chord. A good example is Sabaton’s Great War. It sounds like it starts with a drop C power chord, but it’s a combo of the inverted C chord and a C note on the bass’ fifth string.
Thank you!! I dabbled a bit in Vektor a while ago, but for some reason never dove deep enough into their music. I just started giving that album you recommended a listen. My first impression: utterly mesmerizing and heavy. Very daring of them to tune UP of all things! Thanks for watching 🎸
I’ve also been toying with all kinds of drop tunings lately, but I’ve almost begun to think Eb tuning is one of the better ones out there for much of the same reasons as you said for E standard
@@Eckathor That it is. I’m a bit torn between it, B standard, and Drop B rn mostly(I also have a guitar with a Floyd Rose and I don’t wanna change the tuning again)
Dial in tone is much needed skill thanks for sharing. To many trying to push gear hence they intentionally ignore the mechanics of music that can be dialed in.
I'd say the next best thing would be to play along to songs so you can get a feel for playing with other instruments. You could also look into playing over backing tracks, drum loops, and even to a metronome. Do you have some way to record yourself? If so, it could help to playback your recordings to find out if you're coming in on the beat. It's not always easy for people to determine that in the moment as they're playing. Thank you for watching!
I just revisited them for the first time in years. I had no idea they tuned UP of all things. A bold move on their part, but they totally pull it off. Thanks for sharing and for watching!
I've come to the conclusion (as a guitarist!) that the heavy in heavy music really originates from the snare drum, and the main role of the guitar and the bass (and the rest of the drumkit, especially the kick/double bass) is to fill space in a way that keeps the momentum going into the next snare hit. I'd definitely go as far to say that if you can get that snare to hit like a derailing freight train, it's going to matter a lot less what range your guitar has or what it's tuned to. Especially if you're producing for yourself or your band, I think that's the real key.
I gotta recommend playing some E shaped chords where you usually have the low E as your root or barred root- but can ignore that and basically treat your E string like your A string, when it comes to an e shaped open or bar chord. I find it makes you sound like a baritone if people aren't expecting it, and need to be careful to not oversqueeze the flubby notes- being in pitch and intonated helps sound heavy.
Been doing that for years. Anything with an inverted fifth sounds nasty through distortion. I love an inverted fifth with an perfect fifth above it. Inverted power chord, and then I like to shift the high fifth note up half a step to an augmented fifth/minor 6th.
@@ZakCharGuitar I love your guitar suggestions but your video editing jumps around too much, it's really off-putting and distracting...I understand u can't do things in one take but many other UA-camrs also have many takes, but the zoom doesn't get affected, like it'll be jumping in and out and in and out and drives me nuts
honestly the bass in a more modern interpretation is the most important things. thats why the guitars tune down so essentially it becomes an extention of a bass that is way sharper. like in dnb and verry high pitched stuff can imitate the sound of some acid synths
Winds of Plague did this on Decimate The Weak and The Great Stone War, and those are two fkin DEATHCORE albums, the genre known for downtuned 7 and 8 string guitars. Creed of Tyrants has to be one of the heaviest songs I can think of and that shit is in E Standard.
@@ZakCharGuitar Not a problem brotha. As someone who has played in E Standard for over 20 years, I always appreciate when someone else recognizes that it can still be heavy as fuck.
Me and my band play in E standard and Drop D, because my bass is a piece of SHIT. I will be getting a new one once I get more money. This is a Great Video.
E standard sounds as heavy as you wanna make it. I've heard standard tuning songs that sounded detuned, but they were just well executed (and they generally respected their bass)
Haven't seen this mentioned yet: The perfect 4th/inverted 5th will also create an audio illusion. Your brain assumes that it is hearing a power chord, and fills in the missing root for you. In other words, use lots of distortion, play F# & B, on the 6th and 5th string, and you will also hear a low B on the 7th string you don't have/aren't actually playing. Note that what you hear is not a resultant tone, it is an illusion. If YOU don't hear it when you try it, play it for someone else and ask if they hear it. 80%+ chance they will say yes.
@dadahlberg3 Perfectly described! That's partly why I haven't invested in a guitar that has anything more than 6 strings. Thanks for watching and for the thoughtful comment! 🎸
(Commented before watching) I’m gonna be honest, as an aspiring audio engineer (I’ve had a few gigs) seeing people tune their guitars super low for a “heavy tone” just hurts me to my core bc…that’s the bass’s job
It would be better to say that a Floyd works best when one tuning is decided on and stuck with upon completion of the set up. I also wish you could've driven your point home about lower tunings losing tonal definition with an example. Of course the right string guage and correct scale length will offset the flubby sound that lower tunings bring. But I agree, leave room for the bass player. Every other point you've made I fully agree with.
The best advice I can give a metal player to stand out is to learn some old acoustic blues techniques. Before there was distortion - or even amps - people had to be very creative to give their music a chunky sound.
I cant do without a lowB after understanding how awesome it is. All the same principals here can be exploited with BStandard to then make that even heavier too
@@ZakCharGuitar Thats how the old 80s thrash guys did it, ala James Hetfield. I can get a CHUNKY, percussive chug in e standard with my palm pretty much full force on the strings.
►►Discover 9 ways to dial in record-worthy amp sounds with my FREE cheat sheet: subscribepage.io/Nn8x8t
►►Website: zakcharguitar.com/
►►FREE RESOURCES: zakcharguitar.com/free-resources
Crank up everything to 11 and you will have 666 jk.
The real reason to play in E standard is once you setup the floyd rose perfectly you never wanna change tuning. 😂
That's what did it for me 😂 thanks for watching!
Lindsey Buckingham EEEEEE tuning all day.
Damn right lol
I got a guitar w/ a floyd rose in 2008, and it's been in drop D since. It's just not worth the hassle to change it.
Ughhhh... I FEEL that comment. I inherited my best friend/bandmate's studio, and his drop C guitars (predictably with FR tremolos) are staying in drop C for the next decade.
I shit you not, I consider it mandatory to have at least 3 sets of strings to change tuning on a guitar with a tremolo... one set to get it in tune and set the action, one set to replace the string that breaks as I'm setting the intonation, and one set to piss about with the FR balance point. I'm left with a set of strings that sound kinda dead. If I actually want a fresh shiny sounding guitar, 4th set go on. I plan 6 hours for a string change if it's got a FR, a never settle for anything less than perfection because holy fucking shit, that guitar isn't getting a string change until I see rust. This is why I don't (didn't) have any guitars with tremolos, I HATE setups.
(This is coming from someone who will, if money permits, happily change strings bi-weekly chasing that beautiful fresh sound that turns a DI SansAmp PSA-1 into an industrial metal powerhouse...)
Finally a guitar player who respects his bassist
Without bassists, we are WEAK! Thanks for watching! 🙂
@@strongbad666 gotta check that out but the omnific uses 2-3 bassists no guitar😮
@@thedizzlefizzel6940 Interesting. I'm going to have to check that out. Thanks for the reference.
@@strongbad666 Check out Velveteen too. No bass. I love bass though. I love guitar too. But my current band I'm bass and there is no guitar on purpose. Unique sound.
@@thedizzlefizzel6940 Cop Shoot Cop has two basses!!
Dillinger Escape Plan has been destroying scenes for 20 years in standard E....
That's kinda crazy since I consider them heavy AF
listen to Darkthrone
The 4th on bass with the bass making the root is killer
I love the sound of that combo. Thanks for watching! 🤘
i feel like you might as well get a 7 string and play in drop A to get slightly thicker version of that
@@iDoqz I would if I had one
@@iDoqz I would if I had one
@@iDoqz If you can do that, more power to you. I have a 7 string, but honestly it's a crappy guitar compared to my Charvel (dead notes, less sustain, worse tone on the cleans, no floyd). The less I use the cheapo-7 and the more I play my decent 6 the more I want to play guitar in general.
However, I can't blame you for thinking that way -- especially considering the bass player. Why show up for a gig with a 5 string when the guitarist is only playing a 6? A bassist smart enough to ask too many questions would realize that his lowest string is primarily being used to support an illusion (unless you have sections of the music with basslines lower than E AND the rhythm guitarist is doing something other than chugging).
This guy gets it, huge props. “Heavy” is a term used to describe the overall sound of the mix with all of the elements coming together. I feel like a lot of people use low drop tunings as a crutch, and often times they miss the bigger picture.
Much appreciated. Thanks for watching! 🎸
A metal guitarist who knows that other instruments exist? Am I dreaming?
😂 I didn't realize we're a rare breed!
Step 1: Be Mikael Akerfeldt
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Profit
HEIR APPARENT 🤘
Step 2 is acoustic guitars
@@ZakCharGuitarThat song is disgustingly heavy for standard tuning.
bleak is literally one of the heaviest songs I've ever heard and it's in E standard
Yeah that's what I'm sayin!
I just use loads of dissonant chords, odd time signatures, bending high notes on the lowest string, as many harmonics as possible, long drawn out bends and differently placed palm mutes
That'll get the job done for sure. Thanks for watching! 🤘
dillinger……
I mean you think how heavy "Tomb of the Mutilated" is. It's in Eb and it's one of the most crushing death metal records ever recorded.
OP this sounds very interesting, do you have any music up online?
There should be a precision sour tuning for everything that has sweetened tuning @creamwobbly
D standard has been my favorite tuning for years now.
@12-stringchords I mostly play metal. Gojira uses D standard, and you can drop into C from it. It works well.
@12-stringchords Yeah mostly in D standard, a few here and there in drop C.
@12-stringchords you can play pretty much anything at D standard, you just have to know you're one step down and play accordingly. I like how cowboy chords sound in D standard because of guitar temperament. Idk it sounds better to me, a bit flat maybe. You usually need a tiny intonation set up but other than that you're fine.
@@fossfacei have a guitar i keep exclusively in d stand and drop c to play gojira bc i know all of their songs. best fucking band ever
gojira loves to use the techniques shown in this video in d that same tuning and they are fuckin killer!
With the starting a song on higher notes, and having the low notes as the "notes in-between" one of my favourite examples of this is the main riff in Judas Priest's Painkiller. The low E is the "droning" notes, while most of the riff plays an octave higher on the A string, and yet it sounds so heavy! Great video!
Painkiller is a prime example. Thank you!! 🤘
As Bradley Hall said, a lot of the bands that use lower tunings lose their heaviness by abusing compression and losing dynamics for loudness. There needs to be dynamics and contrast for anything to sound heavy, as Zak also mentions
Servitude has a sick riff, i remember when i heard it at the first time and couldn’t believe that riff was in E standard tuning
That was my experience when I first listened to it, too! Thanks for watching! 🎸
Some other tips for heavy riffs in e standard:
EQ: Try adding more bass for a slightly sludgier sound, will easily make E standard sound a lot heavier. Then, after that,
Riffs: Try playing slower riffs, or, songs with contrasting tempos. Think any sort of New York Hardcore stuff that often goes from fast d-beats to slower 2 step breakdowns. That stuff in E standard is actually quite heavy.
And put mid at zero on your amp, guitar is a midrange instrument, experiment with tone knobs on your guitar, put 42-009 set of strings, upgrade your bridge humbucker to higher output and you are good to go, D standard is a great alternative to standard E tuning too
@@simseven4967 Yeah I dunno about zero mids personally
Although I do scoop mine relatively low
Not all the way tho
@SSPGwemlin I know it's all preference, but you could get away with turning the mid to 0 if you crank the bass and treble all the way. Not sure if it's something you've tried, but it could be worth looking into. Thanks for watching! 🎸
@@SSPGwemlin Setting them at zero doesn't mean there are zero mids. It means they're in the middle position (no negative or positive). EQ is different from volume.
One of my very favorite heavy music albums would be the 1992 debut album by American thrash/death metal band Solstice. Despite the fact they’re using E standard tuning, they sound monstrously heavy because of how tight Rob Barrett and Dennis Munoz’s guitars lock in with Mark van Erp’s bass and especially Alex Marquez’s fantastic drum work. Combined with the fast pace riffing and Barrett’s strepthroat vocals, it is an amazing listen!!
I'll have to give that one a listen. I didn't know Rob was in projects outside of Cannibal Corpse. I certainly didn't know he did vocals 😮thanks for watching and for sharing! 🤘
@@ZakCharGuitar It’s a really amazing performance from the fellas especially for their ages, I think Rob’s vocals sound like a combination of Phil Anselmo and Chuck Schuldiner. Rob and Alex were also involved with Malevolent Creation, both appeared on Retribution (1992) and either appeared on a few other records down the line. Under a microscope I could say the sound is just a touch homogeneous and I really wish Van Erp’s bass was louder in the mix, but regardless it’s a classic Scott Burns production!! While the follow up records (Pray, To Dust, and Casting The Die) IMHO maybe didn’t necessarily capture the same vibe as the debut, they’re still very solid pieces of thrashy death metal!!
Thanks for posting this. I'll check this band out.
Solstice is nasty dude. I have a massive collection of old school death metal and I always say Solstice is pretty much the heaviest and angriest possible thing ever. I'm friends with a guy who knows them very well and he told me that their name is named after the NES game, haha. There's even a section of music that they took from the game music too haha.
And of course if you didn't know, Deicide plays in E standard on Legion!
I think weak and hard pressure when palm mute are both useful, if I'm doing open notes and little ghost notes in between I will press hard so that they sound dead and fast, or if I want to make a very empty sounding rhythm, but if I want something to sound brutal and "monster-like" I press less so it sounds like the whole CHUGCHUGCHUG
I hear ya! It all depends on the effect you're going for. Thanks for watching! 🎸
Heavy is a rhythmic property moreso than a tonal one. The bass and drums are the best sources of heavy, NOT the guitar.
Go play a diminished fifth and get back to me.
@@havable without a compelling beat a gnarly chord is just that. Even major chords can be heavy with the right musical context. Look at deafheaven, for instance...
@@havable I honestly feel a open D in a drop D tuning with a good chug heavier than a diminished 5th any day, by itself. To me a chord [specially those dissonant ones] always make more sense in a progression.
It's like making a point and choosing a specific word to nail the coffin with. That word alone don't carry the same weight it would if it was in a powerful sentence.
@@segueoyurias a drop d enjoyer, I concur, this and any barre chord on the first three strings within the first 5 frets
Try Vektor, They're in F standard and they slay.
F? Nice
hahaha nice. "So you think you're heavy tuning down? We'll show you what we can do tuning *up*"
Came here looking for this comment.
Think of it this way, Deicides album Legion was recorded in E standard
Skeletonwitch play in E standard for the same reason you mentioned, to stand out. And they're HEAVY
5:19 I think the coolest thing is when both of these ways of palm muting are used in a one song
That's a cool idea. Adding variety in subtle ways like that can elevate a song to another level. Thanks for watching! 🎸
I only play in E standard tuning. Old school bands like Mercyful Fate, Megadeth & Iced Earth are a big influence on me. Most of them tune E standard or Eb standard.
Very true. All those bands sound super heavy, too. Thanks for watching!
Inverted power chords are a secret weapon of sounding heavy without downtuning
Idk who said it but it went: if the riff isn't heavy in E standard, then it's not heavy, it's low
12tone, on his video about what makes something heavy
I have found that heavy is for the most part in how you play. you have to be careful with adding bottom end with e.q. because you dont want the guitars to be fighting with the bass guitars low frequency.
True. I prefer to leave the lower range frequency to the bass and kick drum, then run a high pass filter over pretty much everything else. Thanks for watching!
I don't care what anyone says, Eb sounds way better than standard E.
I love creating atypical heavy sounds. Rather than aggressive playing, I love letting the actual harmony create the darkness.
Some of the heaviest shit I've ever heard was played on a nylon string.
@@chrismuratore4451 I'm 100% with you on that one. Thanks for watching! 🎸
A trick I did back in the 80's was using a radio shack parametric eq. It was stereo so you could route the signal back in to double its effect. Before the internet my friends called the muted chugging "speaker coagulation." Using the double route trick would make some crazy heavy sounds. This is all tone and nothing related to chord voicing.
Interesting. Is that like double tracking guitars for a wider sound?
@@ZakCharGuitar no, it just doubled the parametric eq with it looped once through it.
Solid suggestions! Downtuning is a nice option to have, but if that's the only way you can make something sound heavy, then you aren't as creative as you might think. Strongly suggest trying to make the heaviest songs without downtuning, it's a fun challenge!
Well said. Love it! Thanks for watching 🤘
This is one of the best thumbnails I've ever seen lmao
Haha thank you!
I found alot has to do with gear as well in this type of situation. I've been playing this way for almost 35 years. I like that you can get really heavy and staying in E keeps the low end naturally tight. A great pedal I love to use is the Digitech Drop, again because you keep tuned to E it stays tight even dropping on the pedal. I started using it so I can play with lower tuning without having to reset my Floyd Rose guitars. All my Floyd Rose I added Fu-tone Titanium saddle blocks and screws with the brass big blocks, it just helps keep note clarity on my stuff. Just different ideas.
Cheers!
I have the same guitar. Mine is blue though.
Right on. The blue one is 🔥
Cool advice. When I was starting out playing guitars in bands 20 years ago, I discovered this, kind of by accident but also out of my own lack of knowledge. I didn't know about any other kind of tuning, but we were playing metal ish stuff like Linkin Park and similar stuff which was massive around that time. I hadn't even experimented with drop D, I was still trying to get to grips with regular tuning. Haha. I don't think I really thought about it, but I realized that the fourth was a good substitute for a power chord. Couple that with a really bassy setting on my Zoom guitar pedal, which I never even thought to attempt to edit, and hey presto. I played heavy tracks for a good few years before I even thought of dropping the D, and I haven't got much further from that, all these years later. :)
I've made it my "mission" to try to play heavy drone-doom in E Standard, using inverted 5ths a LOT. The tone knob on your guitar makes a big difference, too. Roll it back to half or less - your tone thickens up so much, and almost takes on a "vocal" quality.
@@davelanciani-dimaensionx good stuff! Thanks for watching 🎸
Deicide's Legion is in E and it is ferocious
Yup. And Solstice too I think. Have you heard them? You'd like it if you like Deicide at all...
I've been going back to standard, it really is the most practical if you want to learn more about theory. Also having 2 guitars so one is always in standard is very helpful.
Awesome dude! Just gained your 300th subscriber!!!
Sweet! Thank you!! 🙂🤘
Sylosis plays in E standard!?
Indeed! They take that tuning to the next level 🤘
Not anymore.
They tune to C# now.
@ZakCharGuitar Mors Principium Est really step it up in E standard.
@@vorpalblades🤢
Check out the Japanese proto black/thrash metal band named Sabbat. Listen to the album "Evoke", a prime example of how dark and heavy E standard can get.
The lowest I tune is drop c.
The heaviest E Standard song I know, is Slayer of Light by Ensiferum
listen to slowly we rot by obituary which is in E standard
@@Environmental-Time yeah much better example lol and also try Deicide's Legion and the other old school death metal band Solstice which is even better and heavier and angrier in my opinion
I just stopped tuning my guitar. Microtonality is the brutalest.
I play a BC Rich Warlock with a hardtail bridge, tuned to E flat. I don't think it sounds "heavier", but I do like it more for some reason than E standard.
standard tuning with drop d is super heavy already
Really great, practical advice. Context is everything.
A good musical example is 'Forced Gender Reassignment' by Cattle Decapitation. The first time I heard that I was taken aback. It sounded menacing and huge. The tuning is E flat l, but the guitarist is using heavy palm muting and 4ths to really grind it out.
Much appreciated!! It's fun to discover all the pieces that form a song after first experiencing it. We can always go deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole. Thanks for watching! 🎸
If you are on the wrong side of 45 and your singer is too Eb and D standard might be the way to go to protect those aging pipes! But you are dead on accurate.
E flat has an edge on standard, especially with strat style guitars.
YES! Taking the singer's natural range into consideration is HUGE. I believe that's what Heart credited their longevity to. Thanks for watching!
"How To Make E Standard Tuning Sound MASSIVELY HEAVY"
Step 1.) play an inverted powerchord and trick your brain into thinking it's not E standard
Step 2.) ???
Step 3.) c h u g s
The A double-stop played open A string, up to the D on the third fret has a particular heavy drone, when allowed to sustain for multiple beats.
When droning out on the E string, the slower that the tempo is, the more that I feel inclined to introduce the octave for a full power chord to get the same effect on the lower notes.
Regarding distortion tone, It took me way too long to discover how using a tube screamer really enhances metal rhythm when using it carefully. The trick is to apply extra gain sparingly (dial at about 1/4), on top of an amplifier's in-built gain (dialed back down accordingly to mitigate excess noise and feedback). Adding a generous amount of treble on the pedal really can help add a nice aggressive edge to the overall tone and clear up the muddiness, without becoming too tinny.
Gear : Ibanez Tube Screamer, Marshall avt-50 combo (solid state amp with tube pre-amp)
Good stuff! I use tone settings that are nearly identical to how you described them. Starting with the amp's built-in gain is a crucial step that I feel is often overlooked. Thanks for watching! 🙂
I like to play 4 note power chords to get sounds that feel like having the low B string. ie. 2 on E and A string, 4 on D and G. The root notes are on A and G strings, the 5ths on E and D.
This works for some things, but sometimes you really do need to just tune down. I like to play lot of slipknot, and a lot of their riffs are actually just single notes which means you have to have your tuning set to either (drop) B or A or you're just never going to get something that sounds good.
One of the more interesting things about e std tuning, you can dial in a much fatter tone. Using a lighter gage set of strings can also help bring out clarity due to having less harmonic overtones.
If your bass player uses a 5 string dropped to A you can effectively use those fourth/inverted fifth chords to turn E standard into drop A. Your bass player supplies the missing root note an octave lower, giving you the collective sound of a drop A power chord.
A good example is Sabaton’s Great War. It sounds like it starts with a drop C power chord, but it’s a combo of the inverted C chord and a C note on the bass’ fifth string.
Wow, this is greaz video on this topic! By the way, the band Vektor plays in F, tuned up, their album Black Future is heavy asf
Thank you!! I dabbled a bit in Vektor a while ago, but for some reason never dove deep enough into their music. I just started giving that album you recommended a listen. My first impression: utterly mesmerizing and heavy. Very daring of them to tune UP of all things! Thanks for watching 🎸
I'm in the same boat as a bass player. I prefer less strings than extended range as well but even on my 5, prefer standard or just drop A
I’ve also been toying with all kinds of drop tunings lately, but I’ve almost begun to think Eb tuning is one of the better ones out there for much of the same reasons as you said for E standard
Yep. Eb is just an all around better sounding E imo
@@Eckathor That it is. I’m a bit torn between it, B standard, and Drop B rn mostly(I also have a guitar with a Floyd Rose and I don’t wanna change the tuning again)
3/4 of what makes a riff heavy is groove and spamming double kicks. Going from a double time groove or blastbeat to half time always sounds heavy.
metalcore kids really are something special dude LMFAO
Blastbeats are loud maybe but not heavy 😢
Dial in tone is much needed skill thanks for sharing. To many trying to push gear hence they intentionally ignore the mechanics of music that can be dialed in.
My pleasure. Thanks for watching! 🎸
It's difficult to find other musicians to help develop timing.
I'd say the next best thing would be to play along to songs so you can get a feel for playing with other instruments. You could also look into playing over backing tracks, drum loops, and even to a metronome. Do you have some way to record yourself? If so, it could help to playback your recordings to find out if you're coming in on the beat. It's not always easy for people to determine that in the moment as they're playing. Thank you for watching!
I think Vektor tunes up and they're heavy af. One of my favorite Thrash Metal bands.They do have a higher pitch though. It doesn't sound low.
I just revisited them for the first time in years. I had no idea they tuned UP of all things. A bold move on their part, but they totally pull it off. Thanks for sharing and for watching!
@@ZakCharGuitar yeah man just looked it up they tune half a step up to F.
Mors Principium Est has a ton of heavy songs and they only use E Standard.
I’ve always loved how John Petrucci gets such a heavy and dark tone in E standard 🤟🏼🤟🏼
I've come to the conclusion (as a guitarist!) that the heavy in heavy music really originates from the snare drum, and the main role of the guitar and the bass (and the rest of the drumkit, especially the kick/double bass) is to fill space in a way that keeps the momentum going into the next snare hit.
I'd definitely go as far to say that if you can get that snare to hit like a derailing freight train, it's going to matter a lot less what range your guitar has or what it's tuned to. Especially if you're producing for yourself or your band, I think that's the real key.
I liked ths sylosis riff, but where can I listen to them?
Here on UA-cam. Sylosistv is their channel. If you go to their releases page it has all their music.
I love that riff! Not sure if they are on other platforms, but I know you can find them on UA-cam 🙂
Sylosis is famous af bro, you can find them literally anywhere 😂
I like to do power chords that have the root on the fifth string and add a lower octave of the fifth on the low E string.
Yooo Jack Black grew out his hair! Sick! Nice video dude, you make some solid point here.
🤣 glad to hear it! Thanks for watching! 🤘
I gotta recommend playing some E shaped chords where you usually have the low E as your root or barred root- but can ignore that and basically treat your E string like your A string, when it comes to an e shaped open or bar chord. I find it makes you sound like a baritone if people aren't expecting it, and need to be careful to not oversqueeze the flubby notes- being in pitch and intonated helps sound heavy.
Been doing that for years. Anything with an inverted fifth sounds nasty through distortion. I love an inverted fifth with an perfect fifth above it. Inverted power chord, and then I like to shift the high fifth note up half a step to an augmented fifth/minor 6th.
I love this guys hair 😊
Thank ya! 🙂
@@ZakCharGuitar I love your guitar suggestions but your video editing jumps around too much, it's really off-putting and distracting...I understand u can't do things in one take but many other UA-camrs also have many takes, but the zoom doesn't get affected, like it'll be jumping in and out and in and out and drives me nuts
@@groovy7686 Fair points. I can see what you mean by that. Thanks for watching! 🤘
honestly the bass in a more modern interpretation is the most important things. thats why the guitars tune down so essentially it becomes an extention of a bass that is way sharper. like in dnb and verry high pitched stuff can imitate the sound of some acid synths
Great video man!
Thank you! 🤘
"more weight = heavy" is the statement of all time
Man! That preview 😎
Winds of Plague did this on Decimate The Weak and The Great Stone War, and those are two fkin DEATHCORE albums, the genre known for downtuned 7 and 8 string guitars.
Creed of Tyrants has to be one of the heaviest songs I can think of and that shit is in E Standard.
@@metalfreekz13 Winds of Plague--what a throwback! Thanks for watching and for your comment! 🎸
@@ZakCharGuitar Not a problem brotha. As someone who has played in E Standard for over 20 years, I always appreciate when someone else recognizes that it can still be heavy as fuck.
i haveny played in E standard since the 90s😂🍻
Haha I may be overlooking some of the heavy-hitting genres of that decade, but was it death metal or nu metal that did it for ya?
I used to think that low means heavy
Until I realised that Tomb of the mutilated by Cannibal Corpse is in D# standard
Normally we would call that Eb. It's just to do with convention. Just like E# is technically a thing, but generally we call it F.
Deicide's Legion and another old school death metal band I love called Solstice
It's not about the tuning, but how you use it. I've heard a lot more 80s and 90s songs in E or Eb tuning that hit harder.
Great video!
Much appreciated!
could you make a video on EVH d-tuna
Thanks.🤙
Me and my band play in E standard and Drop D, because my bass is a piece of SHIT. I will be getting a new one once I get more money. This is a Great Video.
This guy has quite some intelligens I can tell
E standard sounds as heavy as you wanna make it. I've heard standard tuning songs that sounded detuned, but they were just well executed (and they generally respected their bass)
Haven't seen this mentioned yet: The perfect 4th/inverted 5th will also create an audio illusion. Your brain assumes that it is hearing a power chord, and fills in the missing root for you. In other words, use lots of distortion, play F# & B, on the 6th and 5th string, and you will also hear a low B on the 7th string you don't have/aren't actually playing.
Note that what you hear is not a resultant tone, it is an illusion. If YOU don't hear it when you try it, play it for someone else and ask if they hear it. 80%+ chance they will say yes.
@dadahlberg3 Perfectly described! That's partly why I haven't invested in a guitar that has anything more than 6 strings. Thanks for watching and for the thoughtful comment! 🎸
Nice thumbnail lmao 😂
Keep up the work
😂 I appreciate it! Thanks for watching!
(Commented before watching) I’m gonna be honest, as an aspiring audio engineer (I’ve had a few gigs) seeing people tune their guitars super low for a “heavy tone” just hurts me to my core bc…that’s the bass’s job
It would be better to say that a Floyd works best when one tuning is decided on and stuck with upon completion of the set up.
I also wish you could've driven your point home about lower tunings losing tonal definition with an example. Of course the right string guage and correct scale length will offset the flubby sound that lower tunings bring. But I agree, leave room for the bass player.
Every other point you've made I fully agree with.
Fair points. I appreciate the feedback. Thanks for watching! 🤘
The best advice I can give a metal player to stand out is to learn some old acoustic blues techniques. Before there was distortion - or even amps - people had to be very creative to give their music a chunky sound.
I cant do without a lowB after understanding how awesome it is. All the same principals here can be exploited with BStandard to then make that even heavier too
what's going on with the background
Look at the likes!! Great job buddy! (Don't know how I missed this one)
@@czh2432 thank you!!
HM2 PEDAL IS HOW TO MAKE E HEAVY
That's the REAL secret 😉 the Swedish chainsaw!
Run a quality harmonizer with the lower octave just below audible with 10 tons of over muting. You're welcome.
I think 96 Quite Bitter Beings by CKY has an effect similar to what you're describing. Thanks for watching!
Not lighter palm mute pressure. PICK HARDER.
And a great video sir.
A different approach, but I could see that having a sharp attack 🎸
Thank ya! 🤘
@@ZakCharGuitar Thats how the old 80s thrash guys did it, ala James Hetfield.
I can get a CHUNKY, percussive chug in e standard with my palm pretty much full force on the strings.
@djtripnosys right on. I can totally see James being a guy who palm mutes as you described. The force of his right hand is insane
if you want a great new death metal band check out summoning the lich. all in E standard :)
I'll have to check em out. Thanks for watching and for the band recommendation! 🤘
I want a Torero PRS so bad 😭
Haddadd,, I can not play a guitar to safe my life, but this is good stuff.
That is the best representation of gravity I have even seen that is right
I strive for accuracy. Thanks for watching! 🤘
why use E standard instead use Drop A ,then you have both AEADGBE with these i dont have limits
Yeah, but what if you want to drop G?
why not B or A standard? drop tunings are stupid
E Standard with a behringer super fuzz sounds like nails on a chalkboard and I'm all about it
Funny thumbnail.
Nice considerations.
@@rafadacunha9453 glad you think so. Thanks for watching! 🎸
I don't mean to alarm you sir but your door is flexing
😱😱😱
Just play something crazy like The Dillinger Escape Plan. Heaviest E standard ever sounded 😂
@@ondzin living proof that it can be done! Thanks for watching! 🎸
I am pico bass player and palm muting on guitar is painful😂