This entry comes from Dimebag Darrell's classic Guitar World column, "Riffer Madness"
Hey, Dad! What's shaking? This month we're gonna rap about a few ways you can pump maximum heaviness into a riff.
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This entry comes from Dimebag Darrell's classic Guitar World column, "Riffer Madness"
Hey, Dad! What's shaking? This month we're gonna rap about a few ways you can pump maximum heaviness into a riff.
DROP 'EM!
One of the simplest ways to get some extra low-end grind happening is to use what a lot of guys call dropped-D tuning. It can definitely inspire you to jam out some bad-assed riffs. Just drop your low-E string down to D and leave the rest of your strings where they are. Your axe'll by tuned, from low to high, D, A, D, G, B and E.
Check it out: hitting the three low strings open gives you a nasty D5 chord (Figure 1), and you can play any power chord you want just using one left-hand finger (Figure 2)! Pantera uses this tuning on the likes of "Primal Concrete Sledge" (Cowboys From Hell) and "No Good (Attack The Radical)" (Vulgar Display Of Power).
If the dropped-D tuning ain't heavy enough for ya, you can always tune you whole guitar down a tone-so your strings go, from low to high, D, G, C, F, A, D.
Doing this can make a riff sound heavier than shit, which is why we used it for "Walk" (Vulgar Display Of Power). I'll tell ya, if Phil (Anselmo, Pantera singer) had his way, I would play all our shit in this tuning! To me, though, it's much more effective when used once in a while-if we did it on every song, it'd get old real quick! So, whenever Phil gets on me about it, I just go, "Hey, Dad! Cut it!"
BAD-ASSED BENDS
Using string bends instead of just playing regular, unbent notes can definitely help give certain riffs a cooler, heavier edge. Take the