How to become a well rounded musician. That is the question I asked myself.
Overtime I realized that you have to find what you like, and expand your point of view. Don't only listen to metal or rock. There are a lot of music genres from blues to jazz to heavy metal. Listening to only one genre makes you a not well rounded musician.
Step 1
What do YOU like? Don't listen to music to just be like someone else. Find at least 8 Artist you freaking love! They don't even have to be artist, they can also be composers or bands. Don't continue unless you've found em. You can only pick 2 songs per 1 genre of music.
Here's my musical inspirations:
Black Sabbath (Metal)
System Of A Down (Metal)
Cream (Blues)
Santana (Freaking Latin Blues)
Immortal Technique (Yes this is RAP, if you actually listen to the whole song you will love it)
Jedi Mind Tricks (Rap is more about lyrics, just listen to the whole song, gives you new perspectives)
Tenacious D (Rock)
Note:you might not like those artists and that's okay. I for an example despise shredding, I just think it sucks.
Step 2
So why did I want you to list out your favorite artists? Now you know what you like and you will mostly build your music around that. Learn everything that your favorite musicians use and do. Maybe some of them have an exotic scale you like, learn it! Do they bend in an interesting way? Learn it! You want your songs to be versatile. By listening to lots of different genres and artists, you will do that. It's 50% what you come up with and 50% what you've listened to in the past that makes your songs.
Step 3
I know it's hard to find what you like, if you really don't find anything you like. You must invent it yourself. You can only come up with the music you like. Just listen to as many genres of music as you can and pick out your favorites.
I wanted this lesson to be more about music than theory. (I hate theory but its important).
Things To Take From This Lesson
It is okay to listen to different music (Most people in my class listen to "You know Who - Baby") Listen to what you like and don't let anyone say otherwise. They don't like it? Not your problem.
Listen to many genres of music.
Take everything you've learned from those musicians and make it your own (may it be the way they bend or do vibrato, you can do it better.)
Only you can write the music you truly love. So stop thinking about writing songs, just get your guitar and do it (although you should get inspired first, it's hard to write out of the blue when not.)
1. The Word Alive - Epiphany (metalcore)
2. Of Mice & Men - Let Live (metalcore
3. A Day To Remember - The Downfall Of Us All(post-hardcore)
4. Dance Gavin Dance - Thug City (post-hardcore)
5. Rise Against - Architects (punk rock)
6. Close Your Eyes - Song For The Broken (punk rock)
7. Foo Fighters - The Pretender (rock)
8. Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun (rock)
Darn, probably my genres would be actually subgenres, since i dont really listen much outside metal, well, my way it would be:
1. Carcass - Corporeal Jigsore Quandary (Death Metal)
2. Suffocation - Infecting the Crypts (Death Metal)
3. Megadeth - Holy Wars... The Punishment Due (Thrash Metal)
4. Slayer - Raining Blood (Thrash Metal)
5. Electric Wizard - Dopethrone (Stoner Doom)
6. Worship - Whispering Gloom (Funeral Doom)
7. Napalm Death - Suffer the Children (Grindcore)
8. Carcass - Reek of Putrefaction (Goregrind)
Also i like shredding but only when done tastefully, no unneeded fretboard wankery, tastefully, i mean like Necrophagist - Fermented Offal Discharge solo.
That wasn't very substantial. For a start, most people who like less than 8 artists probably areen't learning an instrument. Secondly, this lesson could be summarised by simply saying: find an artist you like and copy their techniques.
It's 50% what you come up with and 50% what you've listened to in the past that makes your songs.
If I have ever seen a statistic that was complete bullshit it is this one. I mean seriously, if you are going to write and article and try to sound like you know what you are talking about please don't throw random numbers at it like feces at a wall hoping it sticks.
What Breaks a Heart - Joe Satriani-instrumental
The Riddle - Steve Vai- instrumental
Blackbird - Alter Bridge - Hard Rock
Dance With the Devil - Breaking Benjamin - Hard Rock
Whales -Scale the Summit - Prog Metal
Song of Solomon - Animals as Leaders - Prog Metal
Aerith's Theme - Nubou Uematso
opps-didnt finish before i posted haha
What Breaks a Heart - Joe Satriani-instrumental
The Riddle - Steve Vai- instrumental
Blackbird - Alter Bridge - Hard Rock
Dance With the Devil - Breaking Benjamin - Hard Rock
Whales -Scale the Summit - Prog Metal
Song of Solomon - Animals as Leaders - Prog Metal
Aerith's Theme - Nubou Uematso - orchestral
Flowers for Monday - Tony MacAlpine - orchestral
It's 50% what you come up with and 50% what you've listened to in the past that makes your songs.
If I have ever seen a statistic that was complete bullshit it is this one. I mean seriously, if you are going to write and article and try to sound like you know what you are talking about please don't throw random numbers at it like feces at a wall hoping it sticks.
The sentence just means, everything you have listened to will influence and change your way of writing, it isn't all you.
Darn, probably my genres would be actually subgenres, since i dont really listen much outside metal, well, my way it would be:
1. Carcass - Corporeal Jigsore Quandary (Death Metal)
2. Suffocation - Infecting the Crypts (Death Metal)
3. Megadeth - Holy Wars... The Punishment Due (Thrash Metal)
4. Slayer - Raining Blood (Thrash Metal)
5. Electric Wizard - Dopethrone (Stoner Doom)
6. Worship - Whispering Gloom (Funeral Doom)
7. Napalm Death - Suffer the Children (Grindcore)
8. Carcass - Reek of Putrefaction (Goregrind)
Also i like shredding but only when done tastefully, no unneeded fretboard wankery, tastefully, i mean like Necrophagist - Fermented Offal Discharge solo.
This entire article is pretty much 'find what you like and get inspired by this'.
And I don't think he asked anyone to start posting their own inspirations...
Either way,
vanklef92 wrote:
opps-didnt finish before i posted haha
What Breaks a Heart - Joe Satriani-instrumental
The Riddle - Steve Vai- instrumental
Blackbird - Alter Bridge - Hard Rock
Dance With the Devil - Breaking Benjamin - Hard Rock
Whales -Scale the Summit - Prog Metal Song of Solomon - Animals as Leaders - Prog Metal
Aerith's Theme - Nubou Uematso - orchestral
Flowers for Monday - Tony MacAlpine - orchestral
I don't think I can limit my artists to one song, but I guess if I had to try...
Fire Garden Suite- Steve Vai- instrumental prog rock
Ashes in Your Mouth- Megadeth- metal
Hallowed Be Thy Name- Iron Maiden- metal
Burial Applicant- The GazettE- metal
Question!- System of a Down- metal
Goliath- The Mars Volta- prog
God Am- Alice in Chains- grunge
A Song for the Dead- Queens of the Stone Age- rock
I love your taste It's actually good that people post their favorite artists, but they should listen to other genres, not only rock and metal. There's Blues, Jazz, Metal, Rock, Classical, Opera and alot of more genres, why limit yourself to only 1?
Nothing Left- As I Lay Dying (metalcore)
White Walls- BTBAM (prog metal)
The Walk-Periphery (djent)
All Gallant's Oath- Today I Caught The Plague (Prog rock/metal)
Phhyric Victoria- Joe Satriani (instrumental rock)
Stormwind-Tracy Bush (World of Wacraft classical score)
Porcelain Wings- Miss May I (metalcore)
Faust- The Human Abstract (neocalssical metal)
I love your taste It's actually good that people post their favorite artists, but they should listen to other genres, not only rock and metal. There's Blues, Jazz, Metal, Rock, Classical, Opera and alot of more genres, why limit yourself to only 1?
exactly... i like almost all of the bands listed here, but they are all in one genre, basically
I hope you wasnt sarcastic, because, in my opinion, this IS well rounded. I posted wide range of metal subgenres, its the music i like, i listened to pop, jazz, rock, blues, hip hop, dubstep and stuff, and these dont fit my tastes. Basically in blues, its probably only Firebird, because i like Bill Steer. Aside from metal, i like classical music.
Well since everyone else is posting their 8 "well rounded bands" I guess I'll jump on the bandwagon.
1. Queens of the Stone Age - No One Knows (rock)
2. Between the Buried and Me - Ants of the Sky (metalcore/various)
3. Tool - Lateralus (progressive rock/metal)
4. Good Old War - My Own Sinking Ship (folk/alternative)
5. Death Cab For Cutie - Marching Bands of Manhattan (indie/alternative)
6. Mt. Eden - Still Alive (electronic/drum and bass)
7. Flogging Molly - Seven Deadly Sins (celtic rock)
8. Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc. (Rap/Alternative)
You had a really good thing going with this article, but I think you could have done a better job with the presentation. It just feels...I don't know, amateur in a wrong way. Yes, listening to different kinds of music and studying them is very helpful, but it kind of feels like you didn't really dig into anything about it at all, just listed your influences and spoke generally.
You had a really good thing going with this article, but I think you could have done a better job with the presentation. It just feels...I don't know, amateur in a wrong way. Yes, listening to different kinds of music and studying them is very helpful, but it kind of feels like you didn't really dig into anything about it at all, just listed your influences and spoke generally.
I'm really sorry, english is not my national language, so i really don't know how to express myself better
Dinosaur Jr. - Sludgefeast (indie)
Sleep - The Druid (stoner/doom metal)
At the Drive-In - Ebroglio (post-hardcore)
Tom Waits (singer-songwriter)
Iron Lung (powerviolence)
Tycho (electronic/IDM)
Thelonius Monk (jazz)
I hope you wasnt sarcastic, because, in my opinion, this IS well rounded. I posted wide range of metal subgenres, its the music i like, i listened to pop, jazz, rock, blues, hip hop, dubstep and stuff, and these dont fit my tastes. Basically in blues, its probably only Firebird, because i like Bill Steer. Aside from metal, i like classical music.
That's probably the reason for his sarcasm. I could care less if you only listen to metal, but many people would view that as being very naive/close-minded/musically ignorant. The way that most musicians (including metal musicians) find inspiration to build their musical niche is by listening to tons of artists outside their genre. It's what brings about personality and uniqueness in music, and I'm pretty sure that this article would have said that had it been written with more passion for the topic.
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) - Ac/Dc (Hard Rock)
Thrills in the Night - KISS (Hard Rock)
For the Greater Good of God - Iron Maiden (Heavy Metal)
The Day That Never Comes - Metallica (Heavy Metal)
Requiem for Dissent - Bad Religion (Punk Rock)
This is Letting Go - Rise Against (Punk Rock)
When It Rains - Paramore (Alternative Rock)
Map of the Problematique - Muse (Alternative Rock)
Some of you guys are really confused as to what genre of music you are listening to. It is understandable considering how convoluted genres of music have become but seriously, Led Zep(hard rock?) Slipknot(death metal?).
I think you mean to say the shredders that you have listen to have a poor choice of notes and you do not care for what you have heard from them so far. Fair?
Megadeth (Metal)
Black Sabbath (Metal)
Pink floyd (Rock)
Hendrix (Rock)
Niccolò Paganini (Classical)
Frederic Mesnier (Classical/fingerstyle guitar)
Pete Donohue (Folk)
Dan Bern (Folk)
I don't mean to sound elitist or anything, but I think what the author means to expand beyond rock, if that's all you listen to. I mean, nothing wrong with that, but I don't think he means "Dude, I love so much different music! I like punk rock, alternative rock, classic rock, and hard rock!" Those are all still ROCK. Just my take on what this author means. Nothing wrong with just liking rock of course, just my take on it
I think you mean to say the shredders that you have listen to have a poor choice of notes and you do not care for what you have heard from them so far. Fair?
I just don't find it melodic. It can sound good when right notes are used.
slipknot is definitely not death metal. and why am i seeing so many people spell it dream theatRE lately?! ive NEVER seen that on amy of their merchandise.
and as for me..
1--dream theater--octavarium
2--protest the hero--turn soonest to the sea
3--billy joel--leningrad
4--american head charge--loyalty
5--bullet for my valentine--just another star
6--mos def--zimzallabim
7--alterbridge--blackbird
8--joe satriani--always with me, always with you
I hope you wasnt sarcastic, because, in my opinion, this IS well rounded. I posted wide range of metal subgenres, its the music i like, i listened to pop, jazz, rock, blues, hip hop, dubstep and stuff, and these dont fit my tastes. Basically in blues, its probably only Firebird, because i like Bill Steer. Aside from metal, i like classical music.
It's ok if metal is all that appeals to you, but you are not a well rounded musician, sorry.
As far as im conserned, this lesson has done it's job, it might have gotten low ratings and some insulting comments. But atleast some people understand that metal and rock are not the only music genres. LISTEN TO BLUES.
B.B King, Santana, Eric Clapton, there's to many to listen, trust me, i though blues was boring, but when i actually listened to it, it had so much feeling and bends and vibratos that i loved it. Just listen to lots of genres, will expand your view as musician. You might be a drummer, bassist or a guitarist. It all helps you.
I love the shredding by Dethklok. Brendon Small is an amazing musician, maybe you should take your own advice and have an open mind about it
This is all good stuff, I just wish it were common sense for musicians. People shouldn't have to be told to listen to different styles, but that's just the way of the road, I guess.
slipknot is definitely not death metal. and why am i seeing so many people spell it dream theatRE lately?! ive NEVER seen that on amy of their merchandise.
It's The British English way of spelling the word, theatER is American
1. Elder Goose - Dance Gavin Dance
2. Radio/Video - System of a Down
3. Bird in the Basement - (canadian) Pezz
4. Sidewinder - Avenged Sevenfold
5. Party Tonight - Sean Szeles
6. Friends and Alibis - Escape the Fate
7. She Makes Dirty Words Sound Pretty - Pierce the Veil
8. all the sogns glee wrote
thay are amasin son riters but old badns ceep steelin there' songs.
I really like what you're saying there, as I read i was thinking that's exactly how I proceed (without knowing it)... you know you're working on your song and then you think hey I could add something like that , kind off like that band does, but you do it you're way just so it suits what you're doing, but sometimes you just do something you never heard of before just because you feel that's good, It's great you wrote it down for people who didn't experience that and for people like me to be more concious of it , to take advantage of it , thanks =)
1. The Faceless
I love their technical work, and Keene has the craziest play-style I've ever seen.
2. Whitechapel
Just the shear brutality of their music gives me goosebumps.
3. The Blues Travelers
John is great singer and harmonica player and I could listen to him all day.
4. Eric Clapton
My favorite blues/rock musician
5. Lynyrd Skynyrd
I think Ronny was a great singer and Steve Gaines was a great guitarist/composer, not a big fan of the new Skynrd though.
6. Eric Johnson
I love his play style and the technical work he does
7. Tenacious D
Their songs may be stupid but they are composed very well.
8. Black Sabbath
I actually like Geezer better than Tony when it comes to their music, his parts are just more fun to play imo, like war pigs or electric funeral.
Guns N' Roses (Hard Rock)
Ronnie James Dio (Metal or Rock depending on the era)
Judas Priest (Metal)
Lost Horizon (Power Metal)
The Drifters (Old RnB)
Guthrie Govan (Jazz Rock Fusion)
General Chamber Music (Classical)
Fates Warning (Metal/Prog 1metal)
1. Led Zeppelin
2. Dave Matthews Band
3. Stevie Ray Vaughan
4. Snoop Dogg
5. Guns N Roses
6. John Mayer
7. Iron Maiden
8. Jimi Hendrix Experience
9. Pearl Jam
10. Planet X
1) 3 Libras - A Perfect Circle
2) 46 & 2 - Tool
3) Plug in Baby - Muse
5) Edge and Pearl - Supreme Machinae
6) Satellites and Astronauts - In Flames
7) Bullets with butterfly Wings - Smashing Pumpkins
8) Letters from a thief - Chevelle
9) Pretty noose - Soundgarden
10) Nutshell - Alice in Chains
1) Black Sabbath - Lord of this World
2) Candlemass - Solitude
3) Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe
4) Bathory - Blood on Ice
5) Heaven and Hell - Falling Off the Edge of the World
6) Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird
7) Candlemass - Solitude
8) George Friedric Handel - Prelude to Messiah
9) Metallica - Creeping Death
10) Lady Gaga - Bloody Mary
Heartwork - Carcass (Grindcore/Melodeth)
Grace - Lamb of God (Groove metal)
Bleed - Meshuggah (Killguitaristsdream Metal)
Building the Church - Steve Vai (Steve Vai)
SLaughter of the Soul - At the Gates(Gothenburg melodeath)
One - Metallica (Before they turned country)
Far Beyond Metal - Strapping Young Lad (Important to have fun when you're making music)
Cliffs of Dover - Eric Johnson (Makes me think of sunflowers and daisies....nohomo)
Hendrix - Little Wing(Amazing song, personally my favorite Hendrix)
Ac/Dc - Back in Black/Thunderstruck(Most influence on me as a guitarist)
Guns N Roses - Civil War(Power in the wah, and the roar of the guitar and the vocals in the chorus)
Cat Steven - Lady D'arbanville(Story in the words and how the guitar complements it)
Led Zeppelin - Ramble On(As Page says "the light and the shadow" makes it amazing)
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dont Forget Me (Live)/Wet Sand(The live version in rock whercher is AMAZING and wet sands power in the guitar solo and words)
Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb(Just amazing nuff said)
Santana - Europa(The Santana sustain and phrasing is beautiful)
Ray Charles - Hit The Road Jack(The bass and the piano, and the way the right hand and left hand playing on piano complements each other)
The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army/Hello Operator(Really white man playing black mans blues, as well as the fact theres only two band members)
U.2. - Where The Streets Have No Names(The delay intro is like a symphony)
Reading this has been a truly frustrating experience for me simply because half the people are posting their 8 favorites and almost all of you are listing bands from the same or very similar genres.
Kudos to those who actually have a well-rounded list like Rensa's.
I agree that having a broad range of genres and artists to learn from is important.
I know many people who are very good in one area and never progress to reach their full potential because they are caught up practicing the same techniques and styles repeatedly.
1. System of a Down (alternative metal)
2. Korn (nu metal)
3. Slipknot (nu metal/metalcore)
4. Rage against the Machine (rap metal)
5. Lamb of God (groove metal)
6. Nirvana (Grunge)
7. Black Sabbath (early metal)
8. Marilyn Manson (alternative/industrial metal, shock rock)
Reading this has been a truly frustrating experience for me simply because half the people are posting their 8 favorites and almost all of you are listing bands from the same or very similar genres.
Kudos to those who actually have a well-rounded list like Rensa's.
I agree that having a broad range of genres and artists to learn from is important.
I know many people who are very good in one area and never progress to reach their full potential because they are caught up practicing the same techniques and styles repeatedly.
1. While Heaven Wept - The Furthest Shore (doom/power/prog metal)
2. Joe Bonamassa - Bridge to better days (blues)
3. Benny Goodman - Sing, Sing, Sing (swing)
4. Nick Drake - Time has Told me (folk)
5. A Perfect Circle - Gravity (rock)
6. Robbie Williams - Better man (pop)
7. Jason Becker - End of the Beginning (neo-classical)
8. Faithless - No Roots (electronica/rap)
Made an effort to be varied. Far too many great prog rock and doom metal bands out there!
Darn, probably my genres would be actually subgenres, since i dont really listen much outside metal, well, my way it would be:
1. Carcass - Corporeal Jigsore Quandary (Death Metal)
2. Suffocation - Infecting the Crypts (Death Metal)
3. Megadeth - Holy Wars... The Punishment Due (Thrash Metal)
4. Slayer - Raining Blood (Thrash Metal)
5. Electric Wizard - Dopethrone (Stoner Doom)
6. Worship - Whispering Gloom (Funeral Doom)
7. Napalm Death - Suffer the Children (Grindcore)
8. Carcass - Reek of Putrefaction (Goregrind)
Also i like shredding but only when done tastefully, no unneeded fretboard wankery, tastefully, i mean like Necrophagist - Fermented Offal Discharge solo.
Basically this lesson states a couple of good points, but I would first like to wipe that whole "write like your favourite musicians thing" off the table. That's a bit closed minded and restrictive, and don't chuck in percentages.
I wouldn't quite put it that way; the one that comes across as "____ favours this scale, and structures ____ song with this rhythm structure and chord progression, and solos with the ___ scale so I will too"
The point of it is not to base your writing on them, but to pick up some interesting "tools" for your musical toolbox, and you can also dissect the songs and look at how they use theory; kind of a contextual look and you can borrow some of the ideas and use them in your own unique way. Good for learning licks and applying scales in an interesting manner.
Step 3 is vague.
Lastly on the article... the point is quite good. The delivery isn't quite there. It's almost a forum post. You can essentially cut it to:
Learn songs, techniques and theory used by musicians you like. Keep an open mind; you can learn as much from jazz or blues as you can from metal or sitar music.
Guthrie Govan has a good article on this in his book; Creative Guitar 1.
This article needed some specific examples maybe of what you've learnt.
e.g.
Metal - 2 handed tapping Van Halen style can also enable you to play 2-handed piano chords borrowing cues from other instruments.
Then there are all the eastern scales that have a distinctive sound.
Michael Lee Firkins uses the whammy to shift pitch in a country slide guitar way.
Jeff Beck on "where were you?" uses harmonics and the whammy bar to emulate Bulgarian choral music.
A number of guitarists have borrowed the slap technique from funk bassists. Tosin Abasi uses that for example on the new album.
Anyway.... my list:
1 Karnivool - Progressive Metal
2 Tosin Abasi - Jazz/Fusion/Metalcore
3 Primus - Primus
4 Carlos Santana - Latin Blues and a sexy lead tone
5 Living Colour - Funk Metal
6 Meshuggah - Apocalyptic
7 Pendulum - Drum and Bass, take away the lyrics and you have a massive sound. First album was revolutionary for the scene.
8 The Prodigy - Breakbeat
9 Evan Brewer - Jazz/Metal; wrote an album using only his bass guitar. Percussion and melody on one instrument.
10 The Mars Volta - Psychedelic Rock/ Fusion
11 Soundgarden - Grunge / Rock
12 Alice in Chains - Grunge
13 Devin Townsend - Everything
14 Above and Beyond - Progressive Trance
15 Cynic - Progressive Fusion Death Metal
16 Tool - Progressive Rock
17 Nine Inch Nails - Industrial
18 Alter Bridge - Hard Rock/Metal
19 Black Sabbath - Heavy Metal
20 Led Zeppelin - Rock and Blues (Even though they're heavily influenced =-P)
You didn't say a maximum, but tried to keep the list unique.
^ I do need to look into some classical, folk and gypsy jazz though, lol.
leohimself wrote:
Watch out! We got a bada$$ over here.
I dont get whats wrong with listening to metal, i like the extreme metal genres, they are fun to play, besides, i DID actually listen to other genres, but i did not like them, they are not something i would listen to everyday. Like i said, outside of metal its probably only Firebird and classical music.
Isnt there a quality control for articles posted on UG?
this article is redundant and stupid, some guy exposing his shitty tastes is supposed to make us well rounded musicians.. :/?
Veil Of Maya - Technical Deathcore
Periphery - Djent
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Post-Rock
Anatomy Of The Bear - Ambient
T.R.A.M. - Jazz Fusion
American Football - Math Rock
Mineral - Emo
Saetia - Screamo
Whitechapel - Deathcore
Stuff thats shaped me the most? Hm. I'll go with albums too.
Dream Theater - Images and Words & Octavarium(Prog Metal)
Yes - Close to the Edge (Prog Rock)
Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians (Minimal)
Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto (Bossa Nova)
Premiata Forneria Marconi - Per Un Amico (Italian Prog)
Voivod - The Outer Limits (Prog Metal)
St. Germain - Tourist (Deep House/Nu Jazz/Fusion)
Pat Martino - Question and Answer (Jazz)
Joe Satriani - Engines of Creation (Instrumental Rock)
These are definitely my most influential albums in my composing.
Darn, probably my genres would be actually subgenres, since i dont really listen much outside metal, well, my way it would be:
1. Carcass - Corporeal Jigsore Quandary (Death Metal)
2. Suffocation - Infecting the Crypts (Death Metal)
3. Megadeth - Holy Wars... The Punishment Due (Thrash Metal)
4. Slayer - Raining Blood (Thrash Metal)
5. Electric Wizard - Dopethrone (Stoner Doom)
6. Worship - Whispering Gloom (Funeral Doom)
7. Napalm Death - Suffer the Children (Grindcore)
8. Carcass - Reek of Putrefaction (Goregrind)
Also i like shredding but only when done tastefully, no unneeded fretboard wankery, tastefully, i mean like Necrophagist - Fermented Offal Discharge solo.
Darn, probably my genres would be actually subgenres, since i dont really listen much outside metal, well, my way it would be:
1. Carcass - Corporeal Jigsore Quandary (Death Metal)
2. Suffocation - Infecting the Crypts (Death Metal)
3. Megadeth - Holy Wars... The Punishment Due (Thrash Metal)
4. Slayer - Raining Blood (Thrash Metal)
5. Electric Wizard - Dopethrone (Stoner Doom)
6. Worship - Whispering Gloom (Funeral Doom)
7. Napalm Death - Suffer the Children (Grindcore)
8. Carcass - Reek of Putrefaction (Goregrind)
Also i like shredding but only when done tastefully, no unneeded fretboard wankery, tastefully, i mean like Necrophagist - Fermented Offal Discharge solo.
jimi hedrix, angel (bluesy rockish awesome)
every time i die, for the record (????)
beastie boys, do it (hip hop)
led zeppelin, kashmir (rock)
nirvana, in bloom (grundge)
avenged sevenfold, buried alive (metal)
parkway drive, smoke em if you got em (metalcore)
escape the fate, the ransom (post-hardcore)
the very fact he despises shredding means tht his article is pretty much useless on a GUITAR website...
and having a very wide music base isnt really a brilliant thing for a writer, if you listened to the likes of maiden and priest, then you would have more knowledge of 80's metal an be better at writing that kinda stuff, same with gnr and aerosmith for hard rock, gary moore and stevie ray vaughan for electric blues
having a broad but shallow taste is a terrible idea for a writer, a narrow and deep taste will make you an expert in one area, and that will be much better
u can like other stuff but i wouldnt say it helps with writing in a particular style unless you have a deep foundation in all the different genres
personally, i like most stuff from classical through blues an jazz, rock and roll to metal, but i have a good foundation in blues and rock, and therefore i am better at writing for them
I looove how the author used Cream as an example of blues. Cream is NOT blues!!! Even Clapton himself would tell you that. Cream is bluesy psychedelic hard rock, the main focus being rock. You may as well list AC/DC
or Led Zeppelin as an example of your idea of "blues".
Also, another thing is, if you want to become a well-rounded guitarist...listen to well-rounded guitarists! Guys like Carl Verheyen, Guthrie Govan, Danny Gatton, Andy Timmons, etc., that play across a wide range of styles themselves, sometimes even within a single song.
Guthrie Govan
Django Reinhardt
Allan Holdsworth
Frank Zappa
The Kinks, The Beatles, The Who
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Living Colour, Seal, The Clash
Sly & the Family Stone
Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, King Crimson
Elton John, Wings
Santana, ZZ Top
Dizzy Gillespie, Louie Armstrong, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk
Jimi, Stevie, Eric, B.B., Wolf,
Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson,
.38 special, The Police, Tom Petty, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Queen
Michael Lee Firkins, Jason Becker, Steve Vai, Randy Rhoads, Bumblefoot
Opeth, Marty Friedman, Jake E. Lee
I tried to organize them somewhat.
all metal bands have been excluded because their music blows and is juvenile and cheesy.
the very fact he despises shredding means tht his article is pretty much useless on a GUITAR website...
Not really...if you look at the range of guitarists out there, what percentage of them are actually shredders? A very, very tiny percentage (unless you only listen to metal, and then it probably seems like everyone is a shredder LOL)
Awesome article!! My inspirations would certainly be: Pantera - Thrash/Groove, System Of A down - Avant garde, Dream Theater - Progressive, Faith No More - Crossover Rock, Slayer - Thrash Metal, Scars On Broadway - Rock, Type O Negetive - Gothic metal, Alice In Chains - Grunge, Jethro Tull - Progressive, and sooooo many more I could name but am far too lazy today haha
What does it take to be a writer for UG? Talking about Jazz to Metal pshh. More like from Cream to Sabbath with a rap song shoved in there. Gotta give it up for the D though. You can't base a song on a genre or it's catchy melody, you have to feel it. To learn to write with your emotions is harder than learning any song or classifying it into another ****ing sub genre. If you want to connect with your audience you have to connect with yourself.
Mr. Bungle (Avantgarde, Experimental)
Minor Threat (Hardcore Punk)
Primus (Experimental, Funk Metal...)
Muse (Alternative, Neo Prog)
Frank Zappa (Progressive Rock, Jazz, ...)
Napalm Death (Grindcore)
Tom Waits (Blues, Experimental)
Sigur Rós (Ambient, Indie)
Vektor - Tetrastructural Minds
Coheed and Cambria - This Shattered Symphony
The Knife - Kino
Pj Harvey - Grow Grow Grow
John Frusciante - Central
Death - Scavenger of Human Sorrow
Dresden Dolls Half Jack
Kent - Tontarna
Radiohead- My Iron Lung (Alternative Rock)
Radiohead- Exit Music (Alternative Rock)
Radiohead- Climbing up the Walls (Experimental/Psychedelia)
Radiohead- Paranoid Android (Experimental/Psychedelia)
Radiohead- Everything in it's right place (Electronic)
Radiohead- Kid A (Electronic)
Radiohead- Bloom (Post Dubstep)
Radiohead- Lotus Flower (Post Dubstep)
i listen to heavy metal, power metal, progressive metal, some metalcore, prog rock, hard, rock, blues, classical, some opera, indian, thrash/speed metal, some deathmetal. the only thing i don't like is pop. oh yeah and i like neo classical metal.
I looove how the author used Cream as an example of blues. Cream is NOT blues!!! Even Clapton himself would tell you that. Cream is bluesy psychedelic hard rock, the main focus being rock. You may as well list AC/DC
or Led Zeppelin as an example of your idea of "blues".
Now I don't listen to Cream, so don't have any opinion of them, but it's kinda lame to slate someone for calling them Blues, and then saying they're "BLUESY psychedelic hard rock". I mean, can we get any more pretentious than that? Just call it "Hard Rock" next time. ;
Enter Shikari - Some of their stuff is very good, some of it is also pretty poor in my opinion. Stuff like Mothership and We Can Breathe in Space is my favourite.
Iron Maiden - Need I explain?
Breaking Benjamin - Just great
Nirvana - Lyrically legends
Hollywood Undead - I have influences from some of their stuff such as Circles, Bullet and Young etc.
Bob Dylan - Folk
John Coltrane - Jazz
Led Zeppelin - Hard Rock
Sly and the Family Stone - Funk
Pink Floyd - prog and psychedelic
Kayo Dot - Experimental
King Crimson - prog and Psych
Herbie Hancock - Jazz and Funk
1. The Word Alive - Epiphany (metalcore)
2. Of Mice & Men - Let Live (metalcore
3. A Day To Remember - The Downfall Of Us All(post-hardcore)
4. Dance Gavin Dance - Thug City (post-hardcore)
5. Rise Against - Architects (punk rock)
6. Close Your Eyes - Song For The Broken (punk rock)
7. Foo Fighters - The Pretender (rock)
8. Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun (rock)
You have awesome taste in music. The only ones I haven't heard of are Architects by Rise Against and Song For The Broken by Close Your Eyes, but I just listened to them and they sound awesome! Thanks for giving me two new bands to listen to(:
Iron Maiden - Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Metal)
Dream Theater - Octavarium (Progressive Metal)
Trivium - A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation (Metalcore/Progressive Metal)
Megadeth - Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? (Thrash Metal)
Joe Bonamassa - Happier Times(Blues Rock)
Black Label Society - Counterfeit God (Metal)
Dire Straits - Romeo & Juliet (Classic Rock)
Tool - Aenema (Progressive Metal)
Fernando Sor - Op35 No13 (Classical)
Saxon - Dallas 1PM (NWoBHM)
The Ramones - Daylight Dilemmas (Punk Rock)
ZZ Top - Tube Snake Boogie (Blues Rock)
Isaac Albeniz - Grenada (Classical)
Iron Maiden - Caught Somewhere In Time (NWoBHM)
Nino Tempo and April Stevens - Deep Purple (Pop/Easy Listening)
Bill Haily And His Comets - See You Later Alligator (Rock And Roll)
Sonatina 1st Movement - Torroba (Classical)
Nine Inch Nails (Industrial)
Radiohead (Art)
The White Stripes (Blues Rock)
A Perfect Circle (Hard Rock)
Marilyn Manson (Rock)
Tool (Progressive Metal)
Jimi Hendrix (Blues)
Rage Against the Machine (Metal Rap Awesomeness)
Metallica - Orion (Trash Metal)
Megadeth - Hangar 18 (Trash Metal)
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody (Rock/Progressive Rock/Opera)
Aerosmith - I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing (Rock/Power Ballad)
Trivium - Dying In Your Arms (Melodic Metalcore)
Bullet For My Valentine - Tears Don't Fall (Melodic Metalcore)
Nobuo Uematsu - One Winged Angel (Can't really tell about this one but it's f***ing awesome)
Iron Maiden - Hallowed Be Thy Name (Metal but also it's f***ing awesome)
Rise Against - Architects (Melodic Hardcore/Punk Rock)
Anti Flag - Turncoat (Punk Rock)
BMTH - Chelsea Smile (Deathcore)
Callejon - Porn from Spain 2 (Deathcore)
Attack Attack - Stick Stickly (Trance core)
Asking Alexandria - Closure (Trance Core)
Cypress Hill - Whats your name (Hip Hop)
Eminem - The way i am (Hip Hop)
Darn, probably my genres would be actually subgenres, since i dont really listen much outside metal, well, my way it would be:
1. Carcass - Corporeal Jigsore Quandary (Death Metal)
2. Suffocation - Infecting the Crypts (Death Metal)
3. Megadeth - Holy Wars... The Punishment Due (Thrash Metal)
4. Slayer - Raining Blood (Thrash Metal)
5. Electric Wizard - Dopethrone (Stoner Doom)
6. Worship - Whispering Gloom (Funeral Doom)
7. Napalm Death - Suffer the Children (Grindcore)
8. Carcass - Reek of Putrefaction (Goregrind)
Also i like shredding but only when done tastefully, no unneeded fretboard wankery, tastefully, i mean like Necrophagist - Fermented Offal Discharge solo.
I think you've missed the point, son. Being well rounded involves listening to more than metal. That selection could make you a well rounded metal guitarist, but not a well rounded musician.
1. Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine (Hard Rock)
2. Judas Prist - Living After Midnight (Hard Rock)
3. Slash - Back From Cali (Rock)
4. Joan Jett - I Hate Myself For Loving You (Punk)
5. Luke Bryan - I'm Hungover (Country)
6. John Tams - Gentleman Soldier (From Sharpe) (Unclassifiable)
7. Reckless Love - One More Time (Hair Metal)
8. Skid Row - 18 and Life (Rock)
Obviously Slash and Hair Metal make up most of it, but there are a few other things thrown in
blues: gary moore, peter frampton, john mayer
rockabilly: living end
grunge: soundgarden, temple of the dog, pearl jam, silverchair
classic rock: led zepp, the who, jimi hendrix, pink floyd
metal: sabbath, trivium, machinehead
metalcore: as i lay dying, asking alexandria, parkway drive
southern rock: counting crowes, skynyrd
acoustic: john butler trio, chris cornell, zakk wylde (book of shadows)
alt metal: decortica, karnivool
alternative: RHCP, tool, radiohead
dub/drum&bass: shapeshifter, dub fx, mt eden
Thats pretty closed minded, thats not branching out to different genres at all.
vppark2 wrote:
but honestly, my top 8 would go like this:
1. The Word Alive - Epiphany (metalcore)
2. Of Mice & Men - Let Live (metalcore
3. A Day To Remember - The Downfall Of Us All(post-hardcore)
4. Dance Gavin Dance - Thug City (post-hardcore)
5. Rise Against - Architects (punk rock)
6. Close Your Eyes - Song For The Broken (punk rock)
7. Foo Fighters - The Pretender (rock)
8. Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun (rock)
UG is shit now, who the hell is this writer? he likes rap but he hates shredding? IN A GUITAR WEBSITE? C'mon people this isn't serious.
Everybody to their own dude.
But it is a pretty dire 'lesson'.
It's 50% what you come up with and 50% what you've listened to in the past that makes your songs.
I agree that part of what you listen to is reflected in the songs you write but to make a random statistic and pass it off as fact just makes you look stupid. Would have been better to just say it without a random percentage.
Remember, 98% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
John Frusciante - Look On
Santana - Oye Como Va
Led Zeppelin - Heartbreaker
The Strokes - Reptillia
RHCP - Mellowship Slinky in B Major
Jimi Hendrix - All along the watchtower
Eric Clapton - Layla
The Beatles - Day Tripper
just one thing, to theshadow180, tool ain't prog metal but math metal, that's a sub-branching of the prog metal
Technically speaking you could argue the same for Dream Theater I wasn't trying to be too specific. Trivium being progressive metal is debatable too apparently but albums like Shogun and In Waves are fairly progressive in what they use hence why I used them.
When an article is titled "How to become a well rounded musician" you expect to be directed towards techniques and schools of thoughts behind theory etc. not a forum-esque post describing your eclectic taste in music, causing people to just comment their top 8. This article should be titled "Have an eclectic taste in music, damn you!!"
Now I don't listen to Cream, so don't have any opinion of them, but it's kinda lame to slate someone for calling them Blues, and then saying they're "BLUESY psychedelic hard rock". I mean, can we get any more pretentious than that? Just call it "Hard Rock" next time.
I didn't mean to come off as pretentious, but considering that the blues gave birth to rock n' roll, you'll find a billion bands that are "bluesy" (Aerosmith, AC/DC, GnR, etc.) but are by no means blues bands. That's like trying to pass off Yngwie Malmsteen as classical music, or Extreme as funk.
1. Blue Album weezer (power pop)
2. Faith No More (alternative metal)
3. Dog Fashion Disco (alternative metal)
4. Mr. Bungle (experimental)
5. Fall of Troy (math rock)
6. Gorillaz (alternative hip hop)
7. Linkin Park (Nu Metal)
8. Porcupine Tree (prog rock)
9. The Prodigy (breakbeat/drum and bass/big beat/)
10. The Wombats ( indie rock/pop )
SLipknot are a heavy metal band that sing about death all the time as well as heavy vocals...pretty sure that's close to death metal if not spot on.
To me though, every kind of metal is just metal or heavy metal, i dont bother with all this: metalcore/death/black metal...it's just metal ffs
Smokinjoerules1 wrote:
SLipknot are a heavy metal band that sing about death all the time as well as heavy vocals...pretty sure that's close to death metal if not spot on.
To me though, every kind of metal is just metal or heavy metal, i dont bother with all this: metalcore/death/black metal...it's just metal ffs
I Wont See You Tonight Pt. 1 - Avenged Sevenfold (Metalcore/Balladry)
Jasey Rae (Live, Straight to DVD) - All Time Low (Pop Punk)
The Great I Am - Agraceful (Metalcore)
My Apocalypse - Escape the Fate (Post-Hardcore)
Scissors - Emery (Christian Post-Hardcore)
Pushing Me Away - Linkin Park (Nu Metal)
Enchanted - Taylor Swift (Pop)
King for A Day - Pierce the Veil (Mexi-core)
Between the Buried and Me (prog metal)
Dir En Grey (prog metal)
Tool (prog metal)
Rammstein (industrial metal)
Mars Volta (experimental prog)
Anti Flag (punk)
Bring Me the Horizon (fagcore haha)
Thee Michelle Gun Elephants (Japanese rock)
Nirvana (grunge)
Frank Zappa (can't put a genre on it.)
Here's an example of how I'm well rounded with my musical tastes.
1. Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull (progressive rock)
2. The Lemon Song - Led Zeppelin (blues rock)
3. Bach Partita in Dm - Paul Gilbert (neo-classical)
4. Son of Mr. Green Genes - Frank Zappa (jazz)
5. Flight Over Rio - Al di Meola (jazz fusion)
6. Symptom of the Universe - Black Sabbath (doom metal)
7. Rock Forever - Judas Priest (heavy metal)
8. Von Unaussprechlichen Kulten - Nile (death metal)
1. Led Zeppelin
2. Nirvana
3. Rise Against
4. Guns 'n' Roses
5. Metallica
6. Bob Marley
7. A Day To Remember
8. Oasis
9. Misfits
10. The Clash
11. Bullet For My Valentine
Alt/Rock Country).
Far too many great prog rock and doom metal bands out there!