Guitar Techniques

Guitar Techniques

Scales and other Guitar Techniques for Deathcore?

I understand some people like this genre and others hate it. I just like the music just as much as any other genre. I just wanted to know, what are some guitar scales that I really need to be working on? I got a lot of techniques down, but I really don't know how to sweep pick really good. I want to so bad because I have heard regular metal bands sweep pick and it sounds so beautiful. Are there any other guitar techniques close to that that I need to know by heart if I want to stand out from the Deathcore scenario?

I just want to know because I'm having writer's block and I want to make a demo very soon. Plus, I am wanting to learn a lot of classical(Beethoven, Johann, Mozart) influenced scales. Please list the names for them if you would please. Thank you!

So there are a few things you will need to know.

My understanding of "deathcore" is that its somewhere between melodic and dissonant crunchy stuff, right?

So for the melodic stuff you'll need to have a pretty good grasp of the major scale and its modes. I suggest the CAGED system (google it) as one way to learn the fretboard - for tapping, sweep picking, and even the "string skipping" the other answerer was trying to describe (ie playing scalar leads that incorporate frequent large interval jumps) fretboard mastery is key.

You may not end up using the major scale in a major way so much, but you'll need to understand how it all locks together to really master it.

Minor scales and modes will be where its at for the "metal" sound.

So sure, start with the minor pentatonic. The blues scale won't be very appropriate for this particular genre, but it is the minor pentatonic + 1 note, so that's not bad. You'll want to learn the three main minor scales, though - natural minor, harmonic minor, and melodic minor. The harmonic minor and melodic minor can be used in different ways to get different sounds - my buddy uses the harmonic minor to play his dissonant thrash riffs, while other guitarists will use it to get more of a "neoclassical" sound.

To get a classical sound, you will need to understand everything I've just mentioned.... the major scale, all of its modes, the natural, harmonic, and melodic minor scales as well. These are all used by classical composers... learning when and how to use the natural vs harmonic vs melodic is very important, it can give your compositions a very polished sound.

A lot of the modern metal bands use chromatic alterations and additions to the minor scale, and especially the diminished scales. Sometimes a few of the more exotic or jazzy scales are used, ie the whole tone scale for instance.

A word on sweep-picking... take it slow. If you try to go too fast too soon you won't develop good technique and will end up sounding like crap..... an amateur hack, in other words.

If you want to stand out, you need to practice your fundamentals and be a good musician - too many guitarists just play fast and spew notes out, trying to substitute quantity for quality. Play it precisely - play it correctly - play it with some thought... even if its not as fast as the next guy, by playing precisely you will show yourself as the better musician.

Look up Chuck Schuldiner (guitarist/lead vocalist for Death) for an example of a metal guitarist who Knew His Stuff. He could play the dissonant stuff, but he could also play pretty melodically in a technically precise way.

Set your standards high - Jeff Loomis (of Nevermore) is an example of a very accomplished guitarist, one who can play appropriately to the song, but also play some extremely good technical riffs/leads.

There are many great guitar players out there - look to them, not the fashionably dressed hacks (ie Avenged Sevenfold) for your inspiration and it'll be hard to go wrong.

Saul