Essential Heavy Metal Guitar Scales And ModesEssential Heavy Metal Guitar Scales And Modes

Are you thinking about learning how to play heavy metal guitar? If so the first thing that you should know is that there is no specific set of rules involved when it comes to learning how to play heavy metal. Nevertheless, there is an unwritten set of ideas and a musical legacy that metal guitarists normally adhere to. This general idea also applies to scales and modes for heavy metal guitarists as well. You can use whichever scales or mode you want to when playing heavy metal, but the popular trend when it comes to this genre of music is to use minor scales since you ultimately want to produce a sound that is guttural and heavy.

The Minor Pentatonic Scale is the most widely used in heavy metal but there are many other scales that go well with the dark and ominous mood of heavy metal music. A few of the more popular scales and modes are the Natural Minor Scale / Aeolian Mode, Harmonic Minor Scale, Lydian Mode, Spanish Gypsy / Phrygian Dominant, Byzantine / Double Harmonic Scale, Romanian Scale / Dorian #4 Mode, and the Pentatonic scale.

Second to the Minor Pentatonic Scale the most used scale in heavy metal guitar playing is the Natural Minor Scale / Aeolian Mode. The Natural Minor Scale / Aeolian Mode is at times used together with the Minor Pentatonic Scale. A lot of Metallica’s music is performed using this scale. However the Natural Minor Scale / Aeolian Mode is used in a variety of different genres of music and is particularly popular amongst death metal guitarists. The Harmonic Minor Scale is also used when playing heavy metal and is a slight variation of the Natural Minor Scale / Aeolian Mode.

Another scale that is common amongst metal guitarists is the Spanish Gypsy / Phrygian Dominant Scale. This scale has a Spanish flavour to it and was made popular by Yngwie Malmsteen. You can hear the use of the Spanish Gypsy / Phrygian Dominant in a lot of Yngwie Malmsteen music. By playing fast guitar runs you can mix other genres of music with metal guitar playing. A good illustration of this is Yngwie Malmsteen neo-classical guitar playing. For a more offbeat and brooding sound use only the Locrian Scale, mainly death metal bands use this scale.

I have called this lesson “Essential Heavy Metal Guitar Scales And Modes”, but you can use any scale that you want, whether it is the minor or major pentatonic scales, or any thing else. As you can see below there are a lot of other scales besides the pentatonic scale that can be used when playing heavy metal.

The scales below are a few of the more exotic ones used in heavy metal guitar playing. These scales go really well with the power chords that are used in heavy metal. Keep in mind that there are specific riffs and chords that work better in some scales than the others. These scales are fairly easy to master in their simple "boxed" positions, but this lesson won’t teach you how to use these scales instinctively. That is the reason why I strongly recommend the Scale Mastery Course.

When you practice the scales below you should use a metronome in order to build up speed and confidence. Once you have learnt the scale move it up to the next octave. Even though we are looking a scales in their box form, once you have learnt them, try to move around the scale to create your own musical phrases. Have some fun by experimenting.

Essential Heavy Metal Guitar Scales And Modes

Natural Minor Scale / Aeolian Mode

This scale gets a lot of use when it comes to playing heavy metal, but many guitarists get bored with it because of the lack of tension that is found in the more exotic scales. There are those guitarists that use it all the time and can make it fresh sounding with every solo. The diagram below shows the position of the Natural Minor Scale / Aeolian Mode. It is in the key of F# because the root notes of the scale falls on an F#. The F# is on the low E string second fret, and repeats itself on the fourteenth fret one octave higher. All F# root notes are indicated in red.

Harmonic Minor Scale

Notice that the harmonic minor scale is similar to the natural minor scale, but with an added major 7th. The power chords that are used in heavy metal are neither minor nor major; by using this scale you will give your music the flavor of the "minMaj7" chord (e.g. AmM7) that has a tense and unstable sound. This scale has a somewhat exotic feel to our western ears and is a pleasant substitute for the natural minor scale, and if you are looking to spice things up then this a great scale to learn. Key of F#

Lydian Mode

The Lydian Mode is a major scale. Its unique sound is characterized by the #4, which is also know as the tritone in relationship to its root note, which gives it an otherworldly kind of sound. The Lydian Mode is positively one of my all time favorites for slower paced metal guitar playing. Key of C

Spanish Gypsy / Phrygian Dominant

This scale is also the 5th mode of the harmonic minor scale, Phrygian Dominant, and is a main stay when it comes to flamenco guitar playing, but you can make good use of it when playing heavy metal because its dark and tense feel. Although it’s a major scale the flat 2nd interval adds a harsh feel to this scale that is needed for playing heavy metal. Key of D

Byzantine / Double Harmonic Scale

This scale is similar to the Spanish Gypsy / Phrygian Dominant scale, and is thought of as being its wicked twin brother. The only variation between the two scales is that the Byzantine / Double Harmonic Scale has a major 7th rather than a flat 7th. This scale has an uncharacteristic chromatic interval between the 7th, root note and the flat 2nd that has a harsh quality to it. It can take some time to learn how to navigate this one correctly, but take the time to learn this scale, you will glad that you added this one to your repertoire. Key of F#

Romanian Scale / Dorian #4

The Romanian Scale / Dorian #4 is a minor scale that uses a sharp 4th that adds tension which creates a distinctly ominous mood to your guitar playing. Think of this scale as a Dorian mode with a #4. This one is great for playing heavy metal. When using this scale you will have to experiment in order to find which notes sound good over certain chords.

So there you have it, several of the more frequently used scales for playing heavy metal guitar. The most important thing is that you spend some time creating your own solos out of these scales.

Learn to pay attention to chord changes and which notes from the scale sounds best with a particular cords.

Create small melodic phrases within the solo this is the best way to lead in to those more effectual tones (e.g. the #4).

Always use a metronome when you practice in order to build up speed and confidence.

It's all about practice, experimentation, and the time you put in.

Hope you enjoyed it!

Harmonic Minor and Beyond: Great Scales for Heavy Metal Guitar PlayingPosted 03/17/2012 at 8:03am | by Dave Reffett

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For this column, I have a great reader question from Zachary in Houston, Texas.

Question: "Hey Dave, what is your favorite scale to use when playing metal?"

Thanks for the question, Zachary. Harmonic minor is always a very cool choice and a favorite of mine. It’s great to use when you’re improvising or coming up with song ideas and lead parts. So many awesome players have made great use of it in their songs -- guys like Uli Jon Roth, Yngwie Malmsteen, Ritchie Blackmore, Steve Vai and many others. Mozart was also a big fan of it.

If you want to hear how I use it, check out my song “Devils Roadmap.”

Listen to my solo from 3:22 to 3:40 to hear the scale in action. It’s a fun scale you can map out crazy three note per string runs with all across the fretboard.

I also like the pentatonic scale a lot. Pentatonic is a huge scale used in metal for a reason. It just sounds good in so many situations. Zakk Wylde, Frank Marino, Dave Mustaine and Ted Nugent are all amazing players that have used it to great effect over the years.

- Pentatonic Scale (1, b3, 4, 5, b7). For example, in the key of E that would be E, G, A, B, D -- for those of you who may not know already.

My solo on “I Just Don’t Want To Say Goodbye” is a favorite of mine and my fans, and I basically just stick to straight-up minor pentatonic on that one. The solo is from 3:26 to 4:37:

Even though I am a trained musician and graduated from the Berklee College of Music, I am still very much a self-taught player in my heart and in my mind and in the way I think and approach things. I use the approach of just going for it and seeing what happens when I play leads and

improvise over a track. I feel like knowledge is great as a guide, but when I’m writing I just go for it, and usually my best stuff happens when I am not over thinking it.

I come from the Marty Friedman school of thought when it comes to scales. Marty had a great instructional DVD out where he talked about how players can get caught up thinking they need to know tons of scales, and Marty goes on to say that you can just make up your own scales.

I teach my students to think in this freethinking style. For example, take the simple pentatonic scale and improvise over a riff or chord progression and throw in any chromatic passing tones that you like.

Practice this approach and just see what sounds cool to your ears.

The so-called “wrong notes” people might tell you to not play are sometimes the ones that sound amazing against the riff and really make your playing stand out. Like Marty on the Megadeth album Rust In Peace, that’s what makes his lead playing so cool on that one is he is throwing in all kinds of exotic scales and interesting note choices all over the place.

I hope this helps!

Also, here are some great scales to add into your arsenal when you are trying to write some new ideas.

I’ll put these in the key of E for you just to keep it easy, but you can move these around to any key you’d like.

- Harmonic Minor (1, 2, b3, 4, 5 b6, 7) or (E, F#, G, A, B, C, D#). Like I said before, Yngwie Malmsteen and Uli Jon Roth love this scale, but you can also hear it from Michael Shenker, Ritchie Blackmore and many others.

- Phrygian Dominant (1, b2, 3, 4, 5, b6, b7) or (E, F, G#, A, B, C, D). This scale is simply the 5th mode of the Harmonic minor scale. If you listen to Iron Maiden’s song “Powerslave” you can hear this scale in action in a cool way.

Heavy Metal Guitar ScalesTweet

I've specifically named this lesson "metal guitar scales", but of course you can play any damn scale you want, whether it be pentatonic, major, minor, whatever! What I'll do is go through some of the more exotic scales used in heavy metal, scales that really complement the dark power chord melodies.

Don't forget to grab your free scale pattern cheat sheetEssential scale patterns that every guitarist must know...Click here to start now

They're pretty easy to play in their basic "boxed" positions and I'll provide some backing tracks to try them over.

The heavy metal guitar scales featured in this lesson are the most commonly used - I'm not pigeon holing at all, but it's true that minor, exotic and "ethereal" scales tend to best fit the intense nature of this style of music.

Note that more than one scale can be played over each of the backing tracks in this lesson - these are just for example!

Most popular heavy metal guitar scales

We'll start with the most commonly used metal guitar scales.

These scale patterns are "boxed" and movable, meaning you can slide the scale patterns up and down the fretboard to change key (you can learn to expand out of these boxes in the individual

scale's lesson).

Natural Minor Scale / Aeolian

The natural minor scale also falls as the 6th mode of the major scale (Aeolian).

Look at the diagram below - we're in the key of F# because the root notes of the scale lie on... F# (for example, that's fret 2 on the low E string, and also an octave higher at fret 14). This is the key the backing track will be in.

The fingering is only a suggestion - you should play it how you feel comfortable. 

                 Fret 2                 Fret 14The natural minor scale is used a lot in heavy metal. Some people get bored of it because it lacks the tension found in more "exotic" scales. However, others use it religiously and can make it sound fresh every solo.

Before you try accompanying the backing track below, get up to speed and confident with this scale by using a metronome.

Also, don't just play it down at the 2nd fret - get to know it an octave higher, and in this case, for the key of F#, up at fret 14.

Although we're just looking at the boxed scale shapes at the moment, try to skip around the scale and find your own little hooks over the backing tracks. This means holding on some notes for longer (we'll get to bends and vibratos another lesson...) and skipping strings to construct musical phrases.

When you're ready, Right click to download the backing track

Remember you can also use minor pentatonic over ANY minor key riff, so any of the minor scale backing tracks in this lesson will be compatible.

Harmonic Minor ScaleThe harmonic minor scale is almost the same as natural minor, but with a major 7th (if you don't know what that means, don't worry - it's all in the lesson linked to above). As metal commonly uses power chords which are neither major nor minor, using this scale will give it the flavour of the "minMaj7" chord (e.g. AmM7), which has a naturally tense, unsettling sound.

It's a nice alternative to natural minor as a metal guitar scale, when you want to spice things up a little.

Again, use a metronome to build up speed and confidence with jumping around this scale.

To learn how to really use these scales in a fluid and musical way, take a look at the Guitar Scale Mastery course.

Lydian Scale

This one's a major scale, but also lies as the 4th mode of the major scale. Its "flavour" is characterised by the sharp 4th (#4), also known as the tritone in relation to its root note, which gives it an ethereal sort of quality. Lydian is definitely one of my favourites for slow paced and down-tuned metal. 

                              Fret 8                              Fret 20We're in the key of C for this one. Try also flattening that major 3rd to a minor 3rd when that drop C powerchord is held for added effect.

Right click to download the backing track

Spanish Gypsy / Phrygian Dominant Scale

The Spanish scale (also the 5th mode of harmonic minor, Phrygian Dominant) is a staple scale of flamenco music, but metal has made use of it for its powerful, aggressive sound. It's a major scale, but the flat 2nd gives it a dissonant, jarring quality making it a perfect metal guitar scale.

                 Fret 10The below backing track is in the key of D, as indicated on the fret diagram above.

Right click to download the backing track

Byzantine / Double Harmonic Scale

The Byzantine scale is like the Spanish scale's evil twin brother. The only difference between the two is Byzantine uses a major 7th instead of a flat 7th. This creates an unusual chromatic interval sequence between the 7th, root and flat 2nd that gives it a very unique sound.

It takes a while to learn how to negotiate this one properly, but give it the time and attention it deserves and you'll be glad you added it to your repetoire. 

Tense, dark, and definitely fun to play.

Romanian Scale / Dorian #4

This is a minor scale that uses a sharp 4th tension to create a distinctly ominous atmosphere. It can be seen as the Dorian mode with a #4, basically. Great for metal. 

                 Fret 12When playing over a melody you have to experiment and find which tones of the scale you're playing are best played at certain points of the riff. E.g. You may be able to hold one of the scale's notes over one chord, but when the chord changes, you might find it no longer "fits", so you need to change the note there and then.

Keep experimenting with guitar scales

So there are just a few of the most commonly used heavy metal guitar scales. If you like, you can go back and experiment with each scale over a different backing track. The main thing is that you spend time writing some of your own solos.

Learn to respect chord changes and how they affect what notes you play from a scale.

Building small phrases within the solo is a good way to lead in to those more effective tones (e.g. the #4).

It's all about time, practice and experimentation. This lesson just got you on your feet.

Was this lesson helpful? Please let others know, cheers...

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