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Stoner/Doom Bassists Thread, Part 90: Maxed Out
- Thread starter Korladis
- Start date
I have never been in a band who played music like this so I have no practical experience with this genre’. I’ve been listening to some of the bands on this infinite thread and have been getting into it.
I’ve been messing around Garageband and the built in drummer and I’d like to try to assemble my own stoner/doom song.
Questions for you Stoner/Doom players and song writers.
If you reduce this genre to its most common song structures:
What some the common keys to play in?
What some the common chord progressions?
What BPM is normal?
Don't beat me up too much for this, but is the entire genre built off of early Black Sabbath or am I totally missing what is going on?
I'm sure I'll just screw around with it and have some fun. I’m just trying to get started in the right direction.
I’ve been messing around Garageband and the built in drummer and I’d like to try to assemble my own stoner/doom song.
Questions for you Stoner/Doom players and song writers.
If you reduce this genre to its most common song structures:
What some the common keys to play in?
What some the common chord progressions?
What BPM is normal?
Don't beat me up too much for this, but is the entire genre built off of early Black Sabbath or am I totally missing what is going on?
I'm sure I'll just screw around with it and have some fun. I’m just trying to get started in the right direction.
Skipping the discussion about subtlety and writing outside of genre cliches, it still totally depends on what particular style/sub-genre you're shooting for. There's really something like half a dozen different kinds of styles under the "stoner/doom" umbrella. It's really covering doom metal, stoner rock, stoner metal, sludge and some peripherally related/hybrid styles. Some of those even have their own variations and sub-genres. So what kind of sound are you talking about?
Regardles, you can bet it's probably going to variations of minor and diminished keys mostly. Minor pentatonic is really prevalent for stoner rock and some traditional doom metal, retro rock and similar styles. Natural, harmonic and melodic minor keys are really common for doom metal and stoner metal stuff, as well as whole-half/half-whole diminished scales. Tempo just depends, lots of variation. Though 120 bpm and slower is really common in a lot of the heavier styles, there's no aversion to very slow tempos in a lot of these styles, but there are certainly plenty of bands that bust out faster tunes in all styles.
60-foot maple?Someone get in there and talk to Joe, before he makes the jump to the next page on his own.
In other news, this is the fall out of saturday, and it continues to suck.
Invalid Link Removed
Well had an interesting day at work...definitely need some frequency therapy after a day like today.
What key you ask? The key of DOOM.
What progressions you ask? Things with the flatted fifth of DOOM.
What BPM? Slow.
And yes we all just rip off sabbath.
What key you ask? The key of DOOM.
What progressions you ask? Things with the flatted fifth of DOOM.
What BPM? Slow.
And yes we all just rip off sabbath.
This thread/group isn't one genre, there's at least two in the title alone.
Get your heavy fuzz on, and play something slow in 3's (3/4 or 6/8). Start with blues-based everything, and experiment from there. Stomp your foot.
My $0.02:
Pick up your axe of choice. Tune down if you want, down to A if it feels right and string gauge allows. Or stay in E. Doesn't really matter. Play the open E string along with the octave above on the A string (7th fret, or 5th fret if you're in a drop tuning). Not a power chord, just the octave. Do this plugged in and turned up as loud as your circumstances allow. Do this with massive mega fuzz from 15+ pedals or do it with just a slight edge of natural power tube overdrive. Again, it doesn't really matter as long as it feels good. Enjoy the feedback blooming. Play it again. And again. Do it with a little bit of a hammer-on to hit the octave. Enjoy the volume. Let it demolish all of your stress and anxiety. Do it some more. Establish a pleasing rhythm. Incorporate one other note, either a single note or a power chord, to construct a basic riff. MAYBE two other notes. Go from there.
If the above feels good, you are in the right place doing the right thing.
One could argue details, but I'd say the comment about being built off early Black Sabbath is about 90% accurate.
Actually I was kinda looking for the cliches, although to be less derogatory I would say I was looking for a stock template to build from.
I deliberately didn't link a song because I know everyone would just tell me about THAT song and that really isn't my question.
Here's the best I can give Ya. I want to use this trance Blues album as as an inspiration: R.L Burnside - Ass Pocket of Whiskey (If you guys haven't heard this CD, man, it's super cool!)
This is R.L. Burnside and Jon Spencer. There is NO way I can even get in that ball park and I don't necessarily want to in the blues genre'. Seems like I could lay down some fat fuzzy trance stoner medal psychedelic stuff.
I used the BB last night at practice and thought "damn, that's nice."
bluebeard every day all day
i only use it for low end now, but i've never heard a better pedal for it
edit i have however been gassing for a megalith recently..
I'd say that could border very closely on stoner/doom were it all fuzzed out and less reliant on structure.
When you get right down to it Black Sabbath started like allot of English bands: trying to play delta-Blues. Some bands in the genre have come very close to full circle. Bands like Down or Corrosion of Conformity. Lots of southern blues sprinkled on their music. Then other bands go largely the other, more Gothic direction. You can pretty well find great riffs at the heart of all of it. Its a heavy groove that's most commonplace. And the essence of that heavy groove is for the most part simplistic music theory with a strong dose of embellishment.
Mostly the songs are deviations of the same couple of riffs just ground out in vaguely recognizable fashion.
Use that. That record lit a fire for me too. I saw RL before he passed and also JSBE. Russell Simmins is a monster drummer.
Joking aside, don't force it. Play the music you want to play. Make it up, copy it, whatever.
Wrote a new song tonight. Really diggin the new direction were going since this first album. So much riffier, if you can believe it.
Also my guitarist dropped a 212 from his rig. So now its just the 5150 combo loaded with wizards and the Superova/Peavey into the Supernova 212 loaded with swamp thanks and a fender 212 loaded with some WGS speakers. the 5150 delivers modern high gain metal rock tone, whilst the supernova has that wooly low gain old school tone, perfect mix between the two. This also has made me dial it back a bit so I'm not running full boar, with that extra 212 he could walk all over me volume wise, now I can pummel him if need be, all is right with the world. We're learning that volume isn't everything, good tone mean much more.
I repeat all is right with the world.
Also my guitarist dropped a 212 from his rig. So now its just the 5150 combo loaded with wizards and the Superova/Peavey into the Supernova 212 loaded with swamp thanks and a fender 212 loaded with some WGS speakers. the 5150 delivers modern high gain metal rock tone, whilst the supernova has that wooly low gain old school tone, perfect mix between the two. This also has made me dial it back a bit so I'm not running full boar, with that extra 212 he could walk all over me volume wise, now I can pummel him if need be, all is right with the world. We're learning that volume isn't everything, good tone mean much more.
I repeat all is right with the world.
Tone? Volume isn't everything? Dafuq you do with Max?
Well, the Kadavar show yesterday was pretty cool.
The drummer was a beast.
Bass player played a sweet rig of HiWatts, Ampegs and Peavey cabs with a Rick. I sling my guitar low as I've got pretty long hands, but if I took this guy's Rick, I'd have it somewhere around my knees
. He was like 7' tall, but it was very low slung anyway.
Here's a pic of the rig I took after the concert. I have a feeling that it wasn't all plugged in because the club wasn't so big and I can still hear.
The drummer was a beast.
Bass player played a sweet rig of HiWatts, Ampegs and Peavey cabs with a Rick. I sling my guitar low as I've got pretty long hands, but if I took this guy's Rick, I'd have it somewhere around my knees
. He was like 7' tall, but it was very low slung anyway.Here's a pic of the rig I took after the concert. I have a feeling that it wasn't all plugged in because the club wasn't so big and I can still hear.
Geesh Tough crowd when i get around to fixing a few things I'll be back up too 518s and 1010s over 4 fridges, run by 3 heads.
The neck off the Forever bass sold in a day in the classifieds so now this is really tempting me, love the 2 tuners on a side Roadstars and looks to have the Dimarzio pj pups and they are in crème too and no pickguard is a big plus for me.
