Advice on Songwriting needed - Heavy Metal/metalCore

I need some advice

my band plays metal/core (killswitch engage,god forbid ) and tune to Drop B (BF#BEG#c#)

anyways...my other guitarists turns to me and says he is sick of B minor riffing.

im aware that B minor pentatonic is B D E F# A

but with this genre of music im stumped as to write in another way (its just so easy)

also any advice on writing more chromatic riffs????

First of all, I would learn and memorize modes. These can be very helpful in creating unique pieces of music. Also, you should learn how to play jazz or a few other styles as they will greatly improve your chordal possibilities. As far as chromatics are concerned, try coming up with specific patterns to repeat in different intervalic areas. This can really make chromatic scales very interesting. Let me know if you want more or simply have any questions.

Try using the harmonic and melodic scales. Add some minor 7ths and use jazz chords and more complex harmonies as Zack said. I would definetely start using the harmonic scales though if you aren't already.

have you guys got any links to modes,minor 7ths,chromatic patterns etc...

im not too good at theory/talk but i do understand when i can see it/read it....especially since im in drop B (me and my other guitarist refer to notes in standard drop D tuning thou even thou we are several steps down)

much appreciation for the advice

hey, man. www.arnoldjazz.com has got a pretty good scales section.

i have to open up a bit more on what those other guys are saying. as most really effective lead players get better, scales start to become one of the least important pieces of their lead playing "bag of tricks." anyone with a higher-developed musical ear is going to tell you that scales are the {censored}tiest way to learn how to play leads and improvise except for all the other ways there are (kinda like the churchill/democracy comment) john scofield actually said that in a masterclass at my university.

so what else should you concentrate on? ARPEGGIOS. rip those f*ckers open. learn minor, major, dom, half dim, full dim, to start. play them in every form and every place you can find. you'll become a lot more interesting in time if you do.

that being said, to see some immediate improvement, go modal like these other guys are saying. and of all the modes, for metalcore, i would suggest really milking the {censored} out of dorian. the natural six really makes it something to phrase off of. after, try mixolydian, but add the flat3 to the natural 3 on the way up. this is also called the bebop minor scale.

don't know what modes are? simple. learn your major scales. bruce does a really great job with major scale forms on that website. the three-note per string thing is awesome. j ust always know where you are in your scale. (ex. the 1,2,3, etc.) if you start the major scale on the second instead of the first, it's the dorian mode. so, if you take bruce's scales out, the dorian mode is going to be the one that starts on D. (his scales are all in C - D's the second note in C, right?) on the page that you get from this site, the D is going to be the sixth one down.

mixolydian is the mode that start on the fifth note of the major scale. in this case, it's the G (G's the fifth note in C, right? CDEF-and-G) that will be the second one down on the page.

okay, next logical question: what are the other ones?

here's the order:

first down: lydian (starts on the fourth)

second down: already said it, but mixolydian (starts on the fifth)

third down: aeolian (that's the natural minor - starts on the sixth)

fourth down: locrean (starts on the seventh) very dark - 1/2 dim

fifth down: ionian-C MAJOR SCALE (starts on the 1)

sixth down: again, already said it, but dorian (the second)

seventh down: phrygian (on the third)

your more minor-sounding ones will be the ones that have a shorter distance from the first to the third degree (a minor third): dorian, phrygian, aeolian (obviously) and locrean. (phrygian and locrean must be used tastefully due to that one-fret step in the beginning. might ROCK for metalcore, though)

all the other modes are more major-y due to the longer distance from the first to the third (you guessed it - major third) yes, so technically according to what i just said, the mixolydian is a major-y one, but remember you're adding the minor third in there, too. it creates a chromatic movement from the two to the four which give a scale ambiguity between minor and major sonorities which . . . . {censored} it. just do it!

a lot of making these things sound good is getting them embedded deeply in your ear. try singing as you practice. your phrasing will simply follow.

i'm sick of typing! hope i helped. (yes, i'm a college guitar professor) lol

ps - check out the diminished scale. very easy to learn on the whole neck due to its symmetry. min2-maj2-min2-maj2 - and so on. just remember to start it a half step above the minor chord you're soloing over and start with the min2 in the pattern

ps - you drop the E string down an entire fourth or are you referring to the seventh string on a -ahem- seven string? if it's a six string, holy {censored}. what string guage are you using to not make it sound like a rubber band over a cardboard box?

thanks for the explanation...il lhave to have a look at that site and dwelve into the world of modes.

yes unfortunately in my band we play in 6 strings in drop B.

we gradually went from Drop D to C then when the other guitarist bought a baritone...B.

im not the biggest fan of this extreme drop tuning but it really suits our singers voice (clean singing that is) so unfortunately my PRS CE24 is sporting .58-.14s.

but all my the guitars for home playing are standard tuning or D standard and a few other {censored}ed up alternate tunings.

experimenting with this one at the momment (BF#BGBe)

anyways check out my myspace ...one of our songs is on there.

www.myspace.com/john_chuah

i wish i could, bro. i don't get myspace - it's firewalled on my company's server. soundclick? mp3.com?