One-Notey vs. Chordy Metal

I've talked to a lot of people who don't like metal, many of them having a formal music background.  Often they like "classy" music like jazz or classical.  Not that I don't enjoy jazz or classical---I do--but more so than metal, these types of music are known for their musicianship.  I'm sure that much of the criticism I hear from these people about metal is just "genre warfare," but I have come across a thought-provoking argument:

 A lot of metal doesn't use chords.

Or perhaps more accurately, their seems to be a division within metal, such that it is rather easy to classify bands as "one-notey" or "chordy."

For example, bands like Lamb of God, Children of Bodom, and Metallica make very little use of chords beyond power chords, which don't really change the sound of the root note like say, an A7(b9).

I understand that often times chords and distortion don't mix, but there are some metal bands that make regular use of chords, such as Opeth, Dream theater, and Tool.  But these bands seem to be less known of than the "one-notey" bands that people tend to think of when they think of metal as a genre.

Personally, I don't prefer one style over the other, but I do think it is important for a guitarist to understand both styles. If you look on Youtube, you'll be sure to find a plethora of young guitarists playing "one-notey" metal music.  There's nothing wrong with that--it's fun music to play.  But at the same time, it's been done many times before.  For a guitarist in a band playing only that style of riffs, its going to be tough to make a name for yourself. Even if you don't want to incorporate more types of chords into your metals songs, you can at least add the techniques used in building these chords to your musical arsenal.

Right now, I see two main functions of chords in "one-notey" metal songs: to add tension and for a big open sound.

Tension chords would be anything using more dissonant intervals--say augmented fourths or minor seconds.  Especially with distortion, these chords can sound really evil.  As a matter of fact, the augmented fourth or tritone is also known as the "devil's interval" by vocalists (it is also rumored that singers were punished by the Catholic church during the middle ages for singing this interval, but Wikipedia says that's debatable).  An example of a "tension" chord would be in the middle of 11th Hour by Lamb of God:


E|-----------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------6-------------------|-------------6-------------------6-----|
G|---------------------------9-------------------|-------------9-------------------9-----|
D|---------------------------0-------------------|-------------0-------------------0-----|
A|-----------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
D|-0---0--0--0---0---0---0---------0---0--0--0---|-0---0---0---------0---0--0--0---------|




E|-----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------6-------------------|-------------6--------------------------|
G|---------------------------10------------------|-------------10----14--13--10--13b--10--|
D|---------------------------0-------------------|-------------0--------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
D|-8---8--8--8---8---8---8---------8---8--8--8---|-8---8---8------------------------------|

The chord I'm talking about is the first one you see there: a Dmadd9 without the fifth. It adds a lot of tension because its voiced with the 9 next to the b3, such that you have two consecutive chromatic notes. Since they are so close together, the interference pattern between the two notes results in an odd wavering noise known as "beating."

Lamb of God also has a great example of what I described as a "big open" chord in their song Contractor:

E|-----------------------------------------------|

B|-----------------------------------------------|

G|7----------------------------------------------|

D|0----------------------------------------------|

A|0----------------------------------------------|

D|0----------------------------------------------|

Its essentially just a D5 (power chord), but with the octave repeated twice on top.  It's nothing too special, but it still sounds cool.

In terms of "chordy" metal, the possibilities are limitless.  If you're looking for some guidelines:

• Diminished and Augmented Chords sound very harsh, so use sparingly, but do well to add interest and can sound spectacular when arpeggiated in solos.
• Simple minor chords with some extensions (for example, Dm7) can sound very sad and do well in calmer sections.
• Keep chords simple when playing with distortion. Something like a B13 loses definition very quickly.
• If you add extensions, keep the chord as open as possible to retain definition (unless, of course, you want odd beating noises and such).

If you've never worked with chords before, these should at least provide a starting point to your experimentation.  Hopefully you will go on and learn about the many other types of chords and incorporate them into your music as well.

And Happy Mother's Day!