I think videos like this (simple explanations and not too much different stuff cramped into one lesson) help a lot with writer's block, even if it's nothing new to you, for some reason.
I agree wholly with this statement. Been away from my guitar for a couple of years as far as writing new stuff and I started writing midway through the video.
Just a quick thought. At 7:15 the riff he plays is not in D Aeolian, or the natural minor scale (which is what most people think of when they 🤔 "minor scale"), but in E Phrygian. To put it simpler, we clearly hear that the riff "revolves" around, or hinges so to say, on the note E, which is the 2nd fret, and not around the open D. This is often a source of confusion when riffs and melodies sometimes just don't seem to fit, even though thy both supposedly utilize the same minor scale. It is true that both use the same exact sequence of notes 0-2-3-5-7-8-10-12-14-15-etc., but they have their "home", also known as root, on different frets: fret 0 /open string for D minor (aka Aeolian), fret 2 for E Phrygian, fret 3 for G major (aka Ionian), and so on and so forth. Drop tunings really help us see such enigmatic concepts as The 7 Modes of Guitar in a different light :)
My theory is 2nd and 3rd notes in a key are minors and the 4th and 5th would be the resolve which is the last chord of the progression. So for a key of D major, i would always start at D then pick any note for 2nd and 3rd chords and end on either G or A. Some examples are D-Em-F#m-A, D-C#-Em-G,D-Em-F#m-G. The combos are endless as long you follow the theory.
I feel like this is what I've been doing subconsciously whenever I've been writing riffs, but I've never really thought about it until this video. Thanks Ray, rad lesson.
This has BY FAR been more enlightening to me than any guitar videos I've watched yet and I owe all my education to UA-cam. So you have defintiley helped me out brother thank you!
Dude, your vibe is so awesome. I rarely see joy and joy from metal/rock players (Eddie was the most joyous rock player I'd seen)...keep doing your thing!
I find my self using the open, first, third, fifth, and sixth frets on the low string for Drop C#. I do some pedal riff octave play, occasionally adding a tritone to the higher octave Do note. IDK what key it's in, but it sounds cool, and I feel compelled to play in it everytime I play in drop C# tuning. And no matter what tuning I play in I add random chromatics to spice it up.
Sometimes I just do some air guitar picking and imagine the riffs on my head. Then plug in the guitar and play it out loud. Doesn’t have to sound good at first but with long hours of playing and improvisation, the tone will get there.
i definitely see what you mean by major epic, minor heavy, thats kinda how i go by it too, i just played by ear before you explained exactly what the scales were though, very helpful!
Thank you for this video Ray. Definitely learned something from it as I typically over think my playing. Going to try to apply the same tactics you use when playing to try and write something of my own. Even if it doesn’t work for me, it was still something new to try and experiment with.
3:38 I'd describe the first riff as a modal riff. It's not focused on D but it is related to the D Major scale. I'd lean towards calling it A Mixolydian as it resolves on Asus2 or Aadd9 if you view it that way. Then it goes into D major riffage in the second section. The moral? you don't need to know about or think modally in order to play them, everything is related to the major scale.
I use chromatic risres and run riffs of open notes. Kind of like Led Zeplins Kashmir. Run the background bass and drums off of the root and use the guitar to rise or fall chromatically with the root notes in between.
Exactly! I was thinking the same, so why we use the power chord with the perfect 5th? I mean I know it sounds “better” but It’s like we are taking a power chord from another key. So the 11th power chord is not in the key of D major
3:37 Can you please link to the song this riff is from? I looked up Fission with your youtube name but I couldn't find a song that sounded like this riff... I wanna learn it so bad.. Thanks in advance if you end up seeing this
Hey man! 😊 🎉 I really like your channel. And I love drop d. It sounds the best on my 6. It’s the tension I suppose. Any who… love hanging out here bro. Turn the bass up more on that 6 !!!!
When you say the placements, patterns, and shapes for scales don’t change, would that mean if I have a scales/modes chart that pertains to standard E and I’m in Drop G or something on a 7, would they be on the same frets still? Sorry if that’s a complicated or dumb question, genuinely trying to learn theory here.
If you’re just using power chords to make a song then don’t worry about theory so much as power chords are only roots and 5ths so they are all neutral.
I just start with 0000000000000 then add a few others lol. I dig your riff man.
I think videos like this (simple explanations and not too much different stuff cramped into one lesson) help a lot with writer's block, even if it's nothing new to you, for some reason.
I agree wholly with this statement. Been away from my guitar for a couple of years as far as writing new stuff and I started writing midway through the video.
Great lesson to get young guitarists to stop overthinking.
I'm 52 and actually usually a drummer. He's helping unpredictable demographics too!
Just a quick thought. At 7:15 the riff he plays is not in D Aeolian, or the natural minor scale (which is what most people think of when they 🤔 "minor scale"), but in E Phrygian. To put it simpler, we clearly hear that the riff "revolves" around, or hinges so to say, on the note E, which is the 2nd fret, and not around the open D. This is often a source of confusion when riffs and melodies sometimes just don't seem to fit, even though thy both supposedly utilize the same minor scale. It is true that both use the same exact sequence of notes 0-2-3-5-7-8-10-12-14-15-etc., but they have their "home", also known as root, on different frets: fret 0 /open string for D minor (aka Aeolian), fret 2 for E Phrygian, fret 3 for G major (aka Ionian), and so on and so forth. Drop tunings really help us see such enigmatic concepts as The 7 Modes of Guitar in a different light :)
My theory is 2nd and 3rd notes in a key are minors and the 4th and 5th would be the resolve which is the last chord of the progression. So for a key of D major, i would always start at D then pick any note for 2nd and 3rd chords and end on either G or A. Some examples are D-Em-F#m-A, D-C#-Em-G,D-Em-F#m-G. The combos are endless as long you follow the theory.
I am legit stealing your relation of major as epic rather than happy. I love that and its so true man.
I feel like this is what I've been doing subconsciously whenever I've been writing riffs, but I've never really thought about it until this video. Thanks Ray, rad lesson.
This has BY FAR been more enlightening to me than any guitar videos I've watched yet and I owe all my education to UA-cam. So you have defintiley helped me out brother thank you!
Dude, your vibe is so awesome. I rarely see joy and joy from metal/rock players (Eddie was the most joyous rock player I'd seen)...keep doing your thing!
I been following Ray for a minute but I never realized he was such a riff giant.
it is always cool to see how other musicians write and create there songs and riffs.
I find my self using the open, first, third, fifth, and sixth frets on the low string for Drop C#. I do some pedal riff octave play, occasionally adding a tritone to the higher octave Do note. IDK what key it's in, but it sounds cool, and I feel compelled to play in it everytime I play in drop C# tuning. And no matter what tuning I play in I add random chromatics to spice it up.
Sometimes I just do some air guitar picking and imagine the riffs on my head. Then plug in the guitar and play it out loud. Doesn’t have to sound good at first but with long hours of playing and improvisation, the tone will get there.
i definitely see what you mean by major epic, minor heavy, thats kinda how i go by it too, i just played by ear before you explained exactly what the scales were though, very helpful!
Definitely my favourite my guitarist on youtube make my days way better💯👍
this is the exact video i was looking for, thank you
great approach to think out new ideas and rifffs! Many thanks for that! I learned something new!
Thank you for this video Ray. Definitely learned something from it as I typically over think my playing. Going to try to apply the same tactics you use when playing to try and write something of my own. Even if it doesn’t work for me, it was still something new to try and experiment with.
Great lesson.
Sick helpful tutorial. The riff you played around the 9 minute mark sounded like lamb of god
Thanks for the breakdown. As a guitarist of arouind 2 years, theory scares me
Very nice!!! 🤘🔥🔥🤘 love how sometimes things are heavy and yet simple
This overload is neat, uffffffffffff
3:38 I'd describe the first riff as a modal riff. It's not focused on D but it is related to the D Major scale. I'd lean towards calling it A Mixolydian as it resolves on Asus2 or Aadd9 if you view it that way. Then it goes into D major riffage in the second section.
The moral? you don't need to know about or think modally in order to play them, everything is related to the major scale.
The riff got that everlong vibe going on there 🤘🤘🤘🇿🇦
I use chromatic risres and run riffs of open notes. Kind of like Led Zeplins Kashmir.
Run the background bass and drums off of the root and use the guitar to rise or fall chromatically with the root notes in between.
Great video. Thanks for sharing
I honestly think it’d kill me to write anything outside of the minor scale in drop c 😂
Great Video, couldn't hit the subscribe button fast enough.
Bought 2 of your lessons. Good shit man
You helpt me for sure !
Ok! After watching you… That is a great tone and you have skittles. I subscribe. Thank you sir
Bro ray congrats on 53k subs dude
Quick Tip: On the major scale in drop tuning the 5th of the 11th fret power chord is never in key.
Well said!
Exactly! I was thinking the same, so why we use the power chord with the perfect 5th? I mean I know it sounds “better” but It’s like we are taking a power chord from another key. So the 11th power chord is not in the key of D major
We are very similar guitar players. Great video man loved it
Genius 😮
3:37 Can you please link to the song this riff is from? I looked up Fission with your youtube name but I couldn't find a song that sounded like this riff... I wanna learn it so bad.. Thanks in advance if you end up seeing this
Hey man! 😊 🎉 I really like your channel. And I love drop d. It sounds the best on my 6. It’s the tension I suppose. Any who… love hanging out here bro. Turn the bass up more on that 6 !!!!
Remmber the Open One (0) The (1) (5) (6) and you good to go mate
Can you do a tutorial for what you play exactly?
true
Alrightttttty then!
Step 1: 00000000001000000
If it sounds cool it is cool🤘
Great lesson. Your song has a little bit of Foo Fighters Everlong influence eh? :)
That riff was soo EasyCore!!!
Kool vid can you do how you write riffs with blast beats
Noodle around and figure out what you did later. Noice. ☝️😬
3:38 Seems like Foo Fighters influenced that riff
I get more of a deftones vibe!
definitely got the everlong vibe going on there
I'm willing to bet it's just the sus2 chord making you say that, which is featured heavily in Everlong lol
Are you using your kraken pedal? Or your revv g3?
Hey im 14 and I want to start recording some things, what software do you reccomend?
When you say the placements, patterns, and shapes for scales don’t change, would that mean if I have a scales/modes chart that pertains to standard E and I’m in Drop G or something on a 7, would they be on the same frets still? Sorry if that’s a complicated or dumb question, genuinely trying to learn theory here.
Dude the fission riff is killer. I’m so glad I know the name of the song now. Killer riff man.
Pick up wise, do you think this guitar is better for metal than the ultra pickups?
Absolutely
@@xanderraymondcharles what pick ups are these??
Wow!! Duude
Your second example wasn’t even D minor. It was E Phrygian. Though your next riff was Dm.
I just realized I have the exact same guitar in blue.
Very useful tips brother!
To help simplify things, I will grab the bass instead.
Rays crappy off the cuff minor riff is better than anything I’ve written. Fml
Sh1t now I gotta get a silverburst guitar
🤘💪⚡️
is there anywhere I can listen to fission as a full song?
Some of his videos in guitar stores
It’s on Apple Music under Luna Muerta. It’s probably on Spotify too
It sounds like foo fighters' my hero
If it sounds cool it is cool is my motto, never learned theory
If you’re just using power chords to make a song then don’t worry about theory so much as power chords are only roots and 5ths so they are all neutral.
Whats that growing on your face btw??
Jesus loves y’all
Love song make me cry relationship friendship faction falling in love
Down tuning > Drop tuning.
For me at least.
jak
this made me realize im terrible at guitar and just need to quit
Don't quit my man, just keep practicing and you'll get better