# Any ideas on writing tec death? Heavy metal stuff?



## Saber_777 (Jan 13, 2011)

I have been doing a few runs trying to write a good album, but all I end up wanting to do is run through a big bunch of sweep arpegs, anyone got any good runs I could do to get the brain pumping? I do alot of covers and this helps a little, I just want to put out a good tech prog metal album, just any ideas suggestions and such would be great, I would like to be suggested scales of any sort, I do run through some hungarian scales alot.... So any suggestions? 

Anyone know any good drum writing software? I've been using GP6..


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## Scar Symmetry (Jan 13, 2011)

Listen to lots and lots of Decapitated.


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Jan 13, 2011)

All you need is a diminished seventh chord with the root as whatever your lowest string is tuned to. GO NAO!


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## Stealthdjentstic (Jan 13, 2011)

SchecterWhore said:


> All you need is a diminished seventh chord with the root as whatever your lowest string is tuned to. GO NAO!



Oh shit the truth hurts


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Jan 14, 2011)

Okay, I've remained sarcastic long enough. The more compositionally sophisticated death/tech death writers seem to think more in terms of chord and chord progression than they do of the pitch palette with which they are working. But, ultimately, it's about knowing what will fit the music best.


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## Saber_777 (Jan 14, 2011)

I watched a video of Ron Jarzombeks video on 12ths and thought that was an amazing thing... Anything like that?


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## Saber_777 (Jan 14, 2011)

I have been working with the same methods as Ron Jarzonbeks 12 tone osciallation cycle


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## Stealthdjentstic (Jan 14, 2011)

Diskreet on Myspace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads


Diskreet is a death metal band that also loves their whole tone stuff.


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Jan 14, 2011)

All_Shall_Rot said:


> I watched a video of Ron Jarzombeks video on 12ths and thought that was an amazing thing... Anything like that?





Diminished seventh chords.

In that video, Ron explores a technique called "twelve-tone serialism", in which tones are arranged so that all twelve chromatic notes are played, no tone is more important than the other, and we don't hear any key. You often see this referred to as twelve-tone technique, dodecaphony, serial dodecaphony, or, more broadly, serial atonality (although this last one is not necessarily dodecaphonic).

Serialism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Twelve-tone technique - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Matrix Calculator
(Make your own twelve-tone matrices! Neato!)

Now, as stated, the aim of such composition is to remove all sense of tonality, the so-called "emancipation of dissonance". Ron, however, does not give a good example of Schönberg's atonal technique in Oscillation Cycles, as he uses *three* distinct dissonances. It's more tonally ambiguous than it is atonal. Nothing wrong with that, it's just not atonal. He does, however, accurately portray the idea of the prime row and the retrograde row.

We have a thread on all of this, actually:

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/jazz-acoustic-classical-fingerstyle/102650-12-tone-thread.html


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## Scar Symmetry (Jan 14, 2011)

SchecterWhore said:


> Ron, however, does not give a good example of Schönberg's atonal technique in Oscillation Cycles, as he uses *three* distinct dissonances. It's more tonally ambiguous than it is atonal.



I noticed that, do I get a cookie?


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Jan 14, 2011)

Scar Symmetry said:


> I noticed that, do I get a cookie?



Dude, you get a fucking M&M's cookie cake.


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## failshredder (Jan 15, 2011)

I'd recommend messing around with pitch-class set theory rather than 12-tone technique. It sounds better, for one thing, and I'm pretty sure I can hear ideas like it in a lot of Cannibal corpse and Spawn of Possession (check out the palm-muted riff at 0:10 here):



RAH EARLY SCHOENBERG IS YOUR ATONAL GOD BEFORE HE GOT INTO THAT SERIALISM BULLSHIT



P.S.: Don't use sweeps in your riffs, unless you want to sound "technical" like Brain Drill or some other shit band. I'm pretty sure the most amazing tech-death album ever doesn't have a _single sweep_ in it. Not a one:



In conclusion, don't worry about "scales" either, go drink from the wellspring of music theory and be enlightened.


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## Scar Symmetry (Jan 15, 2011)

failshredder said:


> P.S.: Don't use sweeps in your riffs, unless you want to sound "technical" like Brain Drill or some other shit band. I'm pretty sure the most amazing tech-death album ever doesn't have a _single sweep_ in it. Not a one:




1:38 I HEAR SWEEPS.


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## failshredder (Jan 15, 2011)

Scar Symmetry said:


> 1:38 I HEAR SWEEPS.



1. I'm not sure it is, but their tone is so bad I can't tell.

If that doesn't satisfy you,

2. Doesn't matter, it's a solo. I didn't mean solos.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Jan 15, 2011)

Their tone is bad at all. IMO its awesome for the kind of stuff their doing, very organic sounding.


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Jan 15, 2011)

Guise, every technique has its place. A sweep in a riff can sound awesome, or it can sound boring. Likewise, there are times when playing a maelstrom of notage is good, and times when one ballsy note is even better.


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## failshredder (Jan 15, 2011)

> Their tone is bad at all. IMO its awesome for the kind of stuff their doing, very organic sounding.


Their tone is bad for hearing wtf is going on. Yeah, the lack of bass is a good idea -- just because it's on a 7 doesn't mean it has to be CHUGGA CHUGGA. But tighter mids and less upper fuzz would be nice. 




SchecterWhore said:


> Guise, every technique has its place. A sweep in a riff can sound awesome, or it can sound boring. Likewise, there are times when playing a maelstrom of notage is good, and times when one ballsy note is even better.



QFT. But still... don't try to write like Brain Drill. Please.


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## Adam Of Angels (Jan 15, 2011)

Scar Symmetry said:


> Listen to lots and lots of Decapitated.



I couldn't have said this better myself


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## necrobassist (Jan 15, 2011)

one band that hasnt been mentioned here is dying fetus, they have a very diverse writing style and can incorparate sweeping into heavy riffs at the same time, check out pissing in the mainstream or homicidal retribution


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## LamaSabachthani (Jan 17, 2011)

SchecterWhore said:


> Okay, I've remained sarcastic long enough. The more compositionally sophisticated death/tech death writers seem to think more in terms of chord and chord progression than they do of the pitch palette with which they are working. But, ultimately, it's about knowing what will fit the music best.



Your sarcasm is well founded. There is only so much m2 intervals played harmonically and pedalled off an open low strong one can bear...

Although I admit, my knowledge of theory is so crap that I may have just made a total tool of myself by being condescending to that genre without knowing what I'm on about haha


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## CrushingAnvil (Jan 17, 2011)

Listen to Attack Attack, Get mad, write music about killing them.

Edit: and yes, Sweeping during a riff makes you look like a colossal faggot.

Edit II: Technical death metal isn't about dissonant riffs. Leave that to the hoarde of emo/wigger slammers.

Edit III: Don't just wank out tricky single note shit, it's about the perfect 5th's too - but don't use them like Maiden do


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Jan 18, 2011)

LamaSabachthani said:


> Your sarcasm is well founded. There is only so much m2 intervals played harmonically and pedalled off an open low strong one can bear...
> 
> Although I admit, my knowledge of theory is so crap that I may have just made a total tool of myself by being condescending to that genre without knowing what I'm on about haha



Sounded pretty convincing to me.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Jan 18, 2011)

LamaSabachthani said:


> Your sarcasm is well founded. There is only so much m2 intervals played harmonically and pedalled off an open low strong one can bear...
> 
> Although I admit, my knowledge of theory is so crap that I may have just made a total tool of myself by being condescending to that genre without knowing what I'm on about haha



Minor 3rds dude!


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## NaYoN (Jan 19, 2011)

Harmonic minor and dominant scales bro. That's what The Faceless does.

You can go neoclassical like Necrophagist too, just look up some classical music, write two completely unrelated riffs in the same key, then play them simultaneously. That's what Necrophagist does basically 

For me, I mostly use Phrygian dominant/double harmonic minor with key and tempo changes. Don't be afraid to use notes out of the scale though, follow your heart. I'll have an EP up in a few weeks.


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## WickedSymphony (Jan 20, 2011)

SchecterWhore said:


> Guise, every technique has its place. A sweep in a riff can sound awesome, or it can sound boring. Likewise, there are times when playing a maelstrom of notage is good, and times when one ballsy note is even better.



How about a ballsy maelstrom of notes? Best of both worlds!


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Jan 20, 2011)

WickedSymphony said:


> How about a ballsy maelstrom of notes? Best of both worlds!



We need this...



with this guy in place of the dude with the crown:


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## NaYoN (Jan 20, 2011)

WickedSymphony said:


> How about a ballsy maelstrom of notes? Best of both worlds!



Track every note of the solo separately with an extremely accented downpick


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## Saber_777 (Feb 8, 2011)

NaYoN said:


> Harmonic minor and dominant scales bro. That's what The Faceless does.
> 
> You can go neoclassical like Necrophagist too, just look up some classical music, write two completely unrelated riffs in the same key, then play them simultaneously. That's what Necrophagist does basically
> 
> For me, I mostly use Phrygian dominant/double harmonic minor with key and tempo changes. Don't be afraid to use notes out of the scale though, follow your heart. I'll have an EP up in a few weeks.


 
I have been working on Phrygian licks as well, I have also been trying to get everything following the rules of pathagoras circle of fifths. So, its a little weird for me actually thinking a riff out. But the Faceless is a huge influence and of course Phagist too.


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## Aerospace274 (Feb 8, 2011)

Hah, play with your heart and you won't have to worry about trying to sound good!  Are you trying to express any sort of emotion with your playing or are you just going with "Whatever sounds good"? In the first case you just have to nail exactly what you want to express, but if you just want to play something that sounds decent, try the half whole or whole half diminished scale. There's a lot of notes and a lot of dissonance possible but not many power chords to choose from. Of course staying tonal doesn't stop a lot of us death metal artists, lol. I'd say both ways of writing music take a good scale choice anyway.
Try not to let artists 'influence' you too much. From my experience it's a lot better to get inspired by artists, so you always end up with your own sounds, instead of listening to your song some time later and thinking "Wait, that sounds like the intro on Cloud Connected...  Fuck!" That's all i've got for you at the moment but if this doesn't help i'll try to get back to ya!
Also, don't judge your own music too much. A lot of the songs that I write that I think are like 'meh' make my friends go "OMGWTFBBQ?!?!?"


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## zeppelinrock34 (Feb 10, 2011)

failshredder said:


> P.S.: Don't use sweeps in your riffs, unless you want to sound "technical" like Brain Drill or some other shit band. I'm pretty sure the most amazing tech-death album ever doesn't have a _single sweep_ in it. Not a one:



Idk if you guys would call it tech death, but All Shall Perish uses sweeps and they don't sound too overused and generic like other bands. It's all about using them to create a unique song and get the effect you want rather than just to  furiously.


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## Soubi7string (Feb 10, 2011)

I hear these scales help with the correct modes for metal:
Diminished
Arpeggio's
Augmented
Minor
Harmonic Minor

Idk the modes


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## Saber_777 (Feb 12, 2011)

zeppelinrock34 said:


> Idk if you guys would call it tech death, but All Shall Perish uses sweeps and they don't sound too overused and generic like other bands. It's all about using them to create a unique song and get the effect you want rather than just to  furiously.


My favourite band and most inspirational as well. I am extremely anticiting hearing Francesco Artusatos work on the new album, from the clips I hear, it is SUPREME!


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