How to Write Better Djent Riffs

Learn how to write a djent guitar riff using a music theory hack from Periphery "Garden in the Bones". Subtitles/CC available.
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0:00 - Intro
0:48 - Theory
1:49 - Setup
2:10 - Step 1
4:20 - Step 2
6:44 - Example

Prog metal legends Periphery just dropped their new single “Garden in the Bones”, and it’s brilliant! This song is overflowing with stunning melodies, mesmerizing riffs, captivating polymeters, epic grooves, and the most massive chorus! “Garden in the Bones” launches directly into the first verse, which contains a slower polymetric riff with lots of rests. But, instead of playing it on one note (like so many djent riffs), or using super dissonant intervals (like so many other djent riffs), Periphery play a refreshingly consonant group of notes, which would be right at home in any popular music genre. Then, as if that’s not enough, when the second verse comes around, it’s not just a copy and paste of the first verse. No, it’s a continuation; the next chapter of an unfolding story. They achieve this by adding notes to the original riff, in place of the rests. This creates a 2-in-1 riff consisting of the original riff as the bass voice, and the new notes as a melody on top.


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Hack Music Theory is the fast, easy and fun way to make music. Taught by multi-award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé wife Kate. Ray started teaching music theory in 1995, and has made music with Serj Tankian (System Of A Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), and more!

CREDITS
© 2019 Revolution Harmony
Revolution Harmony is Ray Harmony & Kate Harmony
Script & all music in video by Revolution Harmony