Dude, you definitely had that classic thrash sound dialed in. I feel like it's very garage, hollow, resonating off of beat up aluminum trash cans. Nice job.
This is a great idea for a series, Ben. Kind of like Rick Beato's "What Makes This Song Great" but more of a "What Makes This Band's Guitar Parts Great" vibe.
Then, to top it off - on songs like Beholder, Sandman, Puppets - they repeat the A-B-C (mostly), but up a whole step to add intensity and tension, before finally resolving to the root once again. It’s brilliant simplicity. Thanks, stepdad!! Been watching you for a LONG time my friend. Love, your Metallidad.
11:13 This part of Eye of the Beholder features two distinct guitar parts played differently. It’s a two-part harmony guitar arrangement.The main part is played using E, G, and F#, while the higher part follows a completely different pattern. You can clearly hear it in the live performance of the Justice Medley.
Uncle Ben, this is one of the best lessons I've gotten from anyone in a long time. Thank you! Really helps me with my riff writing. "Putting it all together." Uncle B is the best! Now about fixing my step-dad speed....
Favorite Metallica riff…. Gotta say either Battery or blackened Saw them this summer two nights at Gillette here in Mass, and man it was amazing. I had put off seeing them, but now being 30, I needed to see them before it was too late. Lol
Awesome breakdown. I learned to play guitar on all of those riffs at age 13 and know them inside and out but this was still super fun and entertaining to watch because of YOU, Ben! I remember I saved up all my paper route money and went to our local music store and got these two epic books that were the COMPLETE works of Metallica (at the time) covering every single album from Kill "em All up to the Black album. I have always been a riff guy and so you can imagine I was in heaven! (while my parents were subsequently in hell while I practiced, haha)
Love this, really helpful to have a breakdown of these various structures with actual examples of the songs/ riffs they're used in. I have read about these structures before and worked on them in a couple lessons, but never tried to employ them in writing anything as yet. Will be sure to tag ya when I come up with something. Hope ya hit that 500k Sub count soon my friend! 🙂🤘🏻🔥
Uncle Ben doing a Metallica video again, this is a good day! I think the AAB on the black album was James and Lars just wanting to simplify after Justice. The black album demos that are pre Bob Rock are the exact same as the album riff wise. But kudos to Bob for slowing Sad but true way down! I never noticed that tritone (the c) in the eye of the beholder riff, I gotta go listen to that, I always played the same up until that and just f# and b on that C part.
Getting in the comments to say the other Metallica staple is repeating the tail as a way to transition sections (intro to verse, chorus to solo, etc). Love this kind of writing analysis video, Uncle Ben! Keep up the shred!!
Good examples. Also love when them Metallican boys bring back riffs with a new variation, like adding the chugs on the last appearance of the Fade to Black bridge or the second chorus in Outlaw Torn.
Funny, was watching a riff writing masterclass last night going over various alphabet combos and now I get a perfect walk through of some of my favourite riffages from Metallica. Cheers uncle Ben, heading over to Patreon ASAP
Thing I love about your videos are they are all celebratory. It’s like this joyous haven I can come to away from the elitism this genre often dishes up, where you’re just positive and balanced and most of the people in the comments sections are too.
Ya know. I've always written riffs in either AAAB or ABAC format. I never realized I got that from Metallica. They were the first records I sat down to learn on bass with the tab books all those years ago. Yes I still have the Justice "bass tab" book that is now derided all these years later.
nice video - riff and song architecture is so damn interesting, going through bands like sabbath, metallica, slayer, and a thousand others and dissecting a riff or song structure is always fun as hell
C sections are gnarly! left my mom with a big scar. Also the trooper is an AAAB variation! same sequence moved through the scale 3 times then ending. Just pointing it for those who may not know of the diatonic sequence idea!
What I noticed over the years is that James seems to like a certain riff a lot: he plays 0, 2, 2 (so basically an E power cord) and then plays the 3rd fret on the A and D string. He does that (at least) on Creeping Death, One, Atlas Rise and Through the never. Very effective. And can we please appreciate how our beloved uncle just played metallicas most awesome riffs like it was nothing?
James likes the minor 2nd interval. You can apply it to the root, or the fifth, of any chord but E5 is as low as you can go. So he’s going to do F or C. James only has a couple chords he likes. Gmaj7 is another. Find your own chords, and squeeze them. ❤
It's crazy how young they were back then when they wrote so many masterpieces like it was nothing lol in their 20s and they wrote albums like Master of Puppets , Kill em All, Ride the Lightning , ...And Justice for All etc, insane . They pretty much made me start guitar bout year and a half ago and my god I can't believe how simple some of their riffs were, lol , yet, SO DAMN EFFECTIVE . AND..satisfying ASF . Metallica are masters of Metal for a reason. Can't imagine what metal music would be without them 🤘🔥awesome vid as usual Uncle Ben, so close to 500k as well. Congrats 🤘🙏❤️
Love metallica of course, BUT for me Iron Maiden just hits home more. Those guys are better at doing guitar harmonies. I can tell immediately when Adrian Smith and Dave Murry are playing. They are so locked into each other, its just ridiculous lol. Great video, as usual sir. You are the ultimate Shredi Master.
Metallica is like getting clubbed in the face. Maiden is more... elegant? I think it comes down to the Steve Harris gallop vs the James Heftield jackhammer. Look at powerslave or flight of Icarus against any Metallica song. Both bone crushing and heavy as hell, just different. Also, I agree 100%.
Lars is known to arrange riffs, the main riff of enter sandman being a prime example, kirk had orginally had it being ABAB but lars suggested it to what we know now as AAAB.
Very cool video. I wish riffs post St Anger would get the appreciation they deserve. Those first 5 albums are classic for a reason but Death Magnetic, Hardwired and 72 have some great riffs as well. Just was thinking about That was Just Your Life and Moth into Flame, both verse riffs are AAAB.
Writing riffs is not writing songs. It’s why they needed Fleming and Lars AND CLIFF to guide James AND Kirk. It’s really easy to write riffs, it’s very hard to turn them into music.
@ not much of it at all. Try to remember that Dave didn’t produce the most iconic material they wrote. Not at all. If Dave was that good, he would have done far better later in his career. He wasn’t, and he didn’t. Look at Newsted for an Excellent example of former members achieving very little.
No other band made an impact on me like Metallica did. Maybe Suffocation when I was digging into Death Metal but Metallica kicked the doors down for me to become a life long Metalhead.
This concept is really similar to lyric writing - using the rhyme scheme to match up lines. But one key thing that a lot of beginner lyric writers neglect is that you need to change up your rhyme scheme between sections - verses ABAB and choruses AAAB for example. You could also apply this to riffs, keep the AAAA riffs in the intro but make the verses an ABAC riff.
I’m ABSOLUTELY going to call my amp Rectumfire from now on. Edit: dammit Uncle Ben, you’re once again the only one playing a riff correctly, in this instance Eye of the Beholder. Can we have a lesson on the whole song?
@ Megadeth was a way better band as far as lead guitar playing and their drummers through the years, but Mustaine’s vocals just makes my soul cringe. I would rather listen to Load and reload before any Megadeth album.
OmfG, I was rolling my eyes at the 6 string waiting to hear which custom exotic guitar Ben will be using today however; he said it's an Ibanez, and I haven't seen my real Mom since .
I know it isn’t your usual thing guitar wise, but are you good at finger picking and would you ever do lesson vids about that? Everybody teaches it differently, I think your talent for communication might prove useful for many guitar players.
If you grew up listening to this stuff religiously in the 80's, it comes naturally to your playing and writing later on. Shit only gets weird if you were also listening to Mercyful Fate and Fates Warning and Rush just as much.
I've got four superstrats with Fishman's and the exact same Ibanez. The Ibanez got me into Fishman's but the other guitars just don't sound nearly as bad as the Ibanez. Maybe it's just placebo, I don't know, but I compare all my other guitars to the Ibanez...
Thanks for learning what makes Metallica’s riffs GREAT! Watch the extended ad-free cut plus get the TABs here: www.patreon.com/posts/116571589?
Aren't these A, B, C riffs just "call and response" riffs that you see a lot in Blues guitar?
Dude, you definitely had that classic thrash sound dialed in. I feel like it's very garage, hollow, resonating off of beat up aluminum trash cans. Nice job.
This is a great idea for a series, Ben. Kind of like Rick Beato's "What Makes This Song Great" but more of a "What Makes This Band's Guitar Parts Great" vibe.
Glad you dig it!
Should be called : "What makes your aunt sick" or something
My stepmom can’t stop talkin about your down stroke speed and power!
😂
@@lyricbread uncle ben s'bout to get lucky
Speed and power is the name of the game
The sheer possibilities of punchlines for this statement are beyond my comprehension
Random Fact: The song “Dancing Queen” uses the ABBA formula.
😂
Lol
The Ikari Warriors code.
Congratulations on your soon to be 500k subs! You deserve it.
Thank you very much!
He deserves more. Not only musically fascinating and helpful, but also charismatic and funny.
What, no "With THIS C-section, a RIFF was born" joke?
Lolllll
Then, to top it off - on songs like Beholder, Sandman, Puppets - they repeat the A-B-C (mostly), but up a whole step to add intensity and tension, before finally resolving to the root once again. It’s brilliant simplicity. Thanks, stepdad!! Been watching you for a LONG time my friend. Love, your Metallidad.
This was awesome!!! I've never thought about this
That Struggle Within riff is the is the best riff on the black album
That’s definitely a good one!
The song has always felt off to me. I can’t explain it, maybe it’s the vocals trying to keep up with the riff?
11:13 This part of Eye of the Beholder features two distinct guitar parts played differently. It’s a two-part harmony guitar arrangement.The main part is played using E, G, and F#, while the higher part follows a completely different pattern. You can clearly hear it in the live performance of the Justice Medley.
Again; I love how you make sense of everything! 👍🤘
Uncle Ben, this is one of the best lessons I've gotten from anyone in a long time. Thank you! Really helps me with my riff writing. "Putting it all together." Uncle B is the best! Now about fixing my step-dad speed....
Ben has probably taught me more about guitar than anybody. Ty, man!
Uncle Ben is my favorite metal uncle 🤘
Favorite Metallica riff…. Gotta say either Battery or blackened
Saw them this summer two nights at Gillette here in Mass, and man it was amazing. I had put off seeing them, but now being 30, I needed to see them before it was too late. Lol
That's my exact mentality in buying floor tickets for their show in Atlanta this July!
I thought the same thing, but it's been too late since death magnetic came out when I was 17. Am I lost now entirely?
remember Uncle Ben, you and your brain are appreciated. I'm thankful for your creations and the knowledge you share. You rock:)
I appreciate that!
Dude! Your down picking is ON POINT!
Thank you!
Love that guitar tone man. Very Capt Crunchy 😁🔥👍
You are playing my favorite guitar of all time. I have the blue one you are playing and the Burgundy one also.
Got the blue one too, such a nice guitar to play on
Awesome breakdown. I learned to play guitar on all of those riffs at age 13 and know them inside and out but this was still super fun and entertaining to watch because of YOU, Ben! I remember I saved up all my paper route money and went to our local music store and got these two epic books that were the COMPLETE works of Metallica (at the time) covering every single album from Kill "em All up to the Black album. I have always been a riff guy and so you can imagine I was in heaven! (while my parents were subsequently in hell while I practiced, haha)
Love this, really helpful to have a breakdown of these various structures with actual examples of the songs/ riffs they're used in.
I have read about these structures before and worked on them in a couple lessons, but never tried to employ them in writing anything as yet. Will be sure to tag ya when I come up with something.
Hope ya hit that 500k Sub count soon my friend! 🙂🤘🏻🔥
If had to pick ONE Metallica song as all time favorite, got to go with Blackend 🤘
Blackend? Is that like a black backend?
This is a good one. Songwriting strategies are underrepresented in guitar instruction. That's good lookin' out, Stepson!
Very helpful lesson. Prefer these type of concepts over learning licks or riffs. So helpful and inspiring.
Yes I love this! This is what I’m constantly explaining to my chat when I’m writing during live streams!
Thank you so much for this amazing lesson , on structure, and arrangements for song writing! Please more like this !
Thank you! Will do!
Thanks Uncle Ben! 😊 love metallica riffs!
very informative yet entertaining at the same time! subscribed. hope to see more videos like this some time soon.
Uncle Ben doing a Metallica video again, this is a good day! I think the AAB on the black album was James and Lars just wanting to simplify after Justice. The black album demos that are pre Bob Rock are the exact same as the album riff wise. But kudos to Bob for slowing Sad but true way down!
I never noticed that tritone (the c) in the eye of the beholder riff, I gotta go listen to that, I always played the same up until that and just f# and b on that C part.
Yay! It's my dang good old buddy Uncle Ben! Golly gee, that's swell!
Getting in the comments to say the other Metallica staple is repeating the tail as a way to transition sections (intro to verse, chorus to solo, etc).
Love this kind of writing analysis video, Uncle Ben! Keep up the shred!!
Great lesson and beautiful guitar.
Thank you kindly!
Good examples. Also love when them Metallican boys bring back riffs with a new variation, like adding the chugs on the last appearance of the Fade to Black bridge or the second chorus in Outlaw Torn.
I have that guitar Uncle Ben! She’s my number 1.
Funny, was watching a riff writing masterclass last night going over various alphabet combos and now I get a perfect walk through of some of my favourite riffages from Metallica. Cheers uncle Ben, heading over to Patreon ASAP
That's awesome! See you there!
The tone on this vid is sick
You’re my favorite uncle
Only one i have left ,its weird when your uncle is younger than you though 🤷🏼♂️😜✌️👍🏼🤟🏼
Thing I love about your videos are they are all celebratory. It’s like this joyous haven I can come to away from the elitism this genre often dishes up, where you’re just positive and balanced and most of the people in the comments sections are too.
Lovely to hear that, thank you!
Ya know. I've always written riffs in either AAAB or ABAC format. I never realized I got that from Metallica. They were the first records I sat down to learn on bass with the tab books all those years ago.
Yes I still have the Justice "bass tab" book that is now derided all these years later.
Those tab books are so inaccurate especially the Cliff era ones cherry lanes owes me so much money
nice video - riff and song architecture is so damn interesting, going through bands like sabbath, metallica, slayer, and a thousand others and dissecting a riff or song structure is always fun as hell
Cheers Ben, love the Fishmans 👍
This blue Ibanez Prestige is 🤌 *chefs kiss* just gorgeous
Another great video that provides insight into song structures, writing ideas etc. Thanks Uncle Ben!
Glad you enjoyed it!
C sections are gnarly! left my mom with a big scar. Also the trooper is an AAAB variation! same sequence moved through the scale 3 times then ending. Just pointing it for those who may not know of the diatonic sequence idea!
Thanks Uncle Ben !
Uncle Ben your step dad thrash skills freakin Shine, plz you sound great
What I noticed over the years is that James seems to like a certain riff a lot: he plays 0, 2, 2 (so basically an E power cord) and then plays the 3rd fret on the A and D string. He does that (at least) on Creeping Death, One, Atlas Rise and Through the never. Very effective.
And can we please appreciate how our beloved uncle just played metallicas most awesome riffs like it was nothing?
James likes the minor 2nd interval. You can apply it to the root, or the fifth, of any chord but E5 is as low as you can go. So he’s going to do F or C.
James only has a couple chords he likes. Gmaj7 is another. Find your own chords, and squeeze them. ❤
I still love playing Harvester and Frayed Ends. Learned those... 25 years ago? Idk. Those riffs still hold up all these years later.
It's crazy how young they were back then when they wrote so many masterpieces like it was nothing lol in their 20s and they wrote albums like Master of Puppets , Kill em All, Ride the Lightning , ...And Justice for All etc, insane . They pretty much made me start guitar bout year and a half ago and my god I can't believe how simple some of their riffs were, lol , yet, SO DAMN EFFECTIVE . AND..satisfying ASF . Metallica are masters of Metal for a reason.
Can't imagine what metal music would be without them 🤘🔥awesome vid as usual Uncle Ben, so close to 500k as well. Congrats 🤘🙏❤️
I loved hearing that Shortest Straw riff. Metallica is the band that got me into music. Funny enough I don't play metal lol. Thanks for for video
Perfect tone and playing👌
Love metallica of course, BUT for me Iron Maiden just hits home more. Those guys are better at doing guitar harmonies. I can tell immediately when Adrian Smith and Dave Murry are playing. They are so locked into each other, its just ridiculous lol. Great video, as usual sir. You are the ultimate Shredi Master.
I should do one on them too!
Metallica is like getting clubbed in the face. Maiden is more... elegant? I think it comes down to the Steve Harris gallop vs the James Heftield jackhammer. Look at powerslave or flight of Icarus against any Metallica song. Both bone crushing and heavy as hell, just different.
Also, I agree 100%.
@@BenEller yes pretty please with 666 cherries on top 🍒🤘😈
so well explained. legend
i thank god for ibanez everyday! such great guitars!
Eye of the beholder is tabbed like that, i believe, and i've always played it that way. it sounds right
Recently got a schecter evil twin with fishmans, LOVE THEM!!!!!🤘🔥🤘🔥🤘🔥
Lars is known to arrange riffs, the main riff of enter sandman being a prime example, kirk had orginally had it being ABAB but lars suggested it to what we know now as AAAB.
Very cool video. I wish riffs post St Anger would get the appreciation they deserve. Those first 5 albums are classic for a reason but Death Magnetic, Hardwired and 72 have some great riffs as well.
Just was thinking about That was Just Your Life and Moth into Flame, both verse riffs are AAAB.
What not to suck. Love your channel.
You explain this well.
It's the pick hand that gives me trouble. Metallica's so easy on the tabs. Guess I'll try those ab stimulators on my arm.⚡
The crazy thing is that James was in his early 20's when he wrote his best riffs. I had barely learned to wipe my ass at 20
Writing riffs is not writing songs. It’s why they needed Fleming and Lars AND CLIFF to guide James AND Kirk.
It’s really easy to write riffs, it’s very hard to turn them into music.
@Xplora213 And much of its was also Dave Mustaines music which was stolen.
@@redbloodedamerican2346 I think Metallica's best riffs came after Mustaine. MoP is peak Metallica for me.
@@IndieGameDeveloper I'll agree.
@ not much of it at all. Try to remember that Dave didn’t produce the most iconic material they wrote. Not at all.
If Dave was that good, he would have done far better later in his career. He wasn’t, and he didn’t. Look at Newsted for an
Excellent example of former members achieving very little.
First 5 or 6 riffs I ever learned were Metallica. And that also explains why my own stuff is a-a-b structured.
I always played that part of Eye of the Beholder as F# and B the entire C section, that's what it sounds like to my ears at least.
I like this guy Ben.
No other band made an impact on me like Metallica did. Maybe Suffocation when I was digging into Death Metal but Metallica kicked the doors down for me to become a life long Metalhead.
Try the album “Kingdom of Downfall” by Parricide. The most creative deathgrind out there. Rifflords.
@KrwiomoczBogurodzicy will do. 🤘
This concept is really similar to lyric writing - using the rhyme scheme to match up lines. But one key thing that a lot of beginner lyric writers neglect is that you need to change up your rhyme scheme between sections - verses ABAB and choruses AAAB for example. You could also apply this to riffs, keep the AAAA riffs in the intro but make the verses an ABAC riff.
They call the end of the riff the tail
No Lars calls it that because he’s dumb lol
There's also AACA pattern in Jump in the Fire.
Nice guitar! Have the same one and it's my absolute favourite! No need to buy another one
More hard tail RG’s!!!
My favorite band
Sounds so good!
Wow Uncle Benny Bob. Awesome lesson, Cool and enlightening, The alphabet has never ben so fun. Thanks Boss. You're the Bomb.
I love the breakdown 🎉
Ben's channel is so good it makes me want to rage delete mine.
Hahaha nooooo dooooon’t!!!
4:13 you should use a string noise dampener Ben, the behind-the-nut ringing is killing the toan!!1!
Yeeeah it’s got a little ring-a-ding, don’t it???
jokes aside, great video. Metallica’s got some cool shit. 👍
Good lord, music doesn’t have to always be perfect
Amateur hour 🙄
Could you please do Matt Pike / High on Fire? 🙏🤘🐐
I’m ABSOLUTELY going to call my amp Rectumfire from now on.
Edit: dammit Uncle Ben, you’re once again the only one playing a riff correctly, in this instance Eye of the Beholder. Can we have a lesson on the whole song?
In the making of the Black Album Lars refers the B riff as the tail of the riff.
Great analysis, UB! If I want to get a decent amp under $2k, would you suggest a used Mesa Rectal-plier or something else?
Well, it all depends on what you’re going for tonally!!! I looooooove my Rec.
@BenEller thanks my man! I'm going to go work on some rapid downstrokes!
Metlica is the goat and will ALWAYS be the goat. Kill Em All to the Black album. 5 perfect records. No other band comes close.
First three for sure, Justice was decent, then they aimed for radio. Rust In Peace still the peak of all thrash metal albums ever imo.
@ Megadeth was a way better band as far as lead guitar playing and their drummers through the years, but Mustaine’s vocals just makes my soul cringe. I would rather listen to Load and reload before any Megadeth album.
I got the same pickups and they are amazing mine is gun metal black thow
i guess you could say accuracy of the song lies in the… ears of the beholder (get it??) *slaps knee*
Good lord that palm muted low e is filthy
Metallica: The reason rock and metal bands everywhere are going "ok guys we'll do that 3 times and then on the 4th time it's like THIS!"
The guitar, amp, boost combination makes it sound sooo Lorna Shore-y
Great vid!
OmfG, I was rolling my eyes at the 6 string waiting to hear which custom exotic guitar Ben will be using today however; he said it's an Ibanez, and I haven't seen my real Mom since .
That Ibanez is on my dream list for sure!
I have the same guitar. You wont regret it man, its by far one of the best guitars that I´ve ever played.
@ hell yeah dude
I might need to pick up some of them pick em ups
I know it isn’t your usual thing guitar wise, but are you good at finger picking and would you ever do lesson vids about that?
Everybody teaches it differently, I think your talent for communication might prove useful for many guitar players.
Yeah! I was heavily into classical guitar for a long time. Good idea.
EMG81 is king
That’s a classic!
Fishman fluence
Best pick 'em up!
EMG 81 is king EMG 81 is life
81 only does one trick. These new amps and pickups have changed the game. And yes, new means “AFTER 1995”.
great tone🤘
Damage Inc's bridge riff is a dam fine AAAB riff
I believe that's how Eye is played, yes.
If you grew up listening to this stuff religiously in the 80's, it comes naturally to your playing and writing later on. Shit only gets weird if you were also listening to Mercyful Fate and Fates Warning and Rush just as much.
I've got four superstrats with Fishman's and the exact same Ibanez. The Ibanez got me into Fishman's but the other guitars just don't sound nearly as bad as the Ibanez. Maybe it's just placebo, I don't know, but I compare all my other guitars to the Ibanez...
UB and Metallica. Cant get nicier than this. And I like things that are nice.
Oh, and I wonder how this would sound with your Jacksons and your beloved black Suhr
Uncle Ben I think it would be awesome if you went through some of cave ins stuff. Amazing band but not a lot of tabs or covers.
Ben really throwing the Metallica Hail Mary to reach 500k lol
Hahaha