ilovefuzz.com

So recently I've been trying to venture out of my music playing and I've always like the felling of getting heavy but I started to realize although listen to a lot of doom, prog, and sludge metal I can't seem to create heavy sounding riffs. I'm pretty good with jammy jazz, math rock, psych, and things of that nature. Gear is not the issue because even when I crank my amp and all that I seem to make stuff in my comfort zone except with gain.

More minor scales? Jam with people that play heavy music? Tune my guitar lower than E standard? Weur Da brootz? Also what inspires you guys?

Try using more minor seconds and minor sixths.
Tuning down too, even a half step will give you a different feeling.

down strokes down strokes down strokes

More downstroke minor 6ths and more fuzz. I think I'm starting to sound more Mr. Bungle or sleepy time gorilla musem... Hmm good stuff.

sergiomunoz74 wrote: Weur Da brootz? Also what inspires you guys?

ok this will seem nonsensical

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzGsZnzR9bo[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viLn0VOIo30[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5yR5XhCIeg[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8l37utZxMQ[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaP3XF0rx7A[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJRKDg6huGg[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWeiZ-Mxusc[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM3PuXDpKiA[/youtube]

I think that a big part of what is the basis of brutal music is know how to play pentatonic blues and very southern blues/bluegrass seems to be a key maybe I should learn classic blues instead of the jazzy modes and styles I came from.

sergiomunoz74 wrote:More downstroke minor 6ths and more fuzz. I think I'm starting to sound more Mr. Bungle or sleepy time gorilla museum... Hmm good stuff.

Heavy is as much about mood and timing as loudness or pitch, also space, you need to really get a feel for space between the notes. Such as ^ Black Sabbath, play the notes to the riff straight then play it in the timing used in the actual song. This is stuff that has been around longer then guitars have. Sponge up all kinds of stuff that is what you call heavy, then look at what influenced that, then listen to the influences and the influence's influences.

Blackened Soul wrote:

sergiomunoz74 wrote:More downstroke minor 6ths and more fuzz. I think I'm starting to sound more Mr. Bungle or sleepy time gorilla museum... Hmm good stuff.

Heavy is as much about mood and timing as loudness or pitch, also space, you need to really get a feel for space between the notes. Such as ^ Black Sabbath, play the notes to the riff straight then play it in the timing used in the actual song. This is stuff that has been around longer then guitars have. Sponge up all kinds of stuff that is what you call heavy, then look at what influenced that, then listen to the influences and the influence's influences.

I didntreally think about the space betwen notes, I really need start looking down the rabbit hole and learn more about music history. I think if I'm able to understand it, I might be able to feel it better when I'm playing it. I feel like its always interesting since one forgets a big part of music's history.

sergiomunoz74 wrote:

Blackened Soul wrote:

sergiomunoz74 wrote:More downstroke minor 6ths and more fuzz. I think I'm starting to sound more Mr. Bungle or sleepy time gorilla museum... Hmm good stuff.

Heavy is as much about mood and timing as loudness or pitch, also space, you need to really get a feel for space between the notes. Such as ^ Black Sabbath, play the notes to the riff straight then play it in the timing used in the actual song. This is stuff that has been around longer then guitars have. Sponge up all kinds of stuff that is what you call heavy, then look at what influenced that, then listen to the influences and the influence's influences.

I didntreally think about the space betwen notes, I really need start looking down the rabbit hole and learn more about music history. I think if I'm able to understand it, I might be able to feel it better when I'm playing it. I feel like its always interesting since one forgets a big part of music's history.

AND! it's lots of fun! take this
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtFMxFQrKc4[/youtube]
1708-1712ish... This was the sunnO))) of it's day... hell it was the sunnO))) of it's day for a very long time.

I'd love to hear something like that played with a little more feeling. No disrespect intended but I feel most classically trained musicians are to robotic and literal with how they play a piece. It becomes sterile and lacks the passion. This is a beautiful work, but it just seems like it could be so much better.

To the OP, maybe you shouldn't try to play heavy? I cant play happy music, it ends up heavy and angry sounding. It's just what I put out. For me its therapy and helps me expel the anger and hate that life crams down my throat on the daily. Take Bob Dillon and Hendrix. Hendrix covered a lot of Dillon's stuff but it has an entirely different vibe. Find what makes you happy musically and pursue that.
Unless it's disco. never disco.

a) always play with a heavy right hand
b) get out of what you SHOULD do... don't think normal get weird
c) get in touch with your inner self, try to translate all the negative emotions and complexes and disappointment into your music. either in a manner of feeling OR in the content itself... get emotional, let it all out, be fucking fierce
d) don't think you can't do it...
e) my experience - i can't do metal, but it's really because i hate metal... i mean the "pure", "typical" metal, something you hear and you're immediatelly like "wow, that's some metal right here!" i can do other stuff though... find what makes you hard and use it channel yourself in your most natural heavy way

f) always think about Boris... they play a lot of stuff i'd mark as "heavy psychedelic" music

also g) i feel super-comfortable in drop D... check it out

All of the above is great advice, and it doesn't matter what you play, its how you play it that makes it heavy. As Axel just mentioned, if that's the heavy your hearts trying to get out, LET IT THE FUCK OUT! All good punk (I would add by extension, all good music) is just feeling, conveyed musically. All doom, sludge and metal owes a lot to its punk roots.
I'd say you're on the right track, just up your intensity.
Drop tunings are awesome.
Personally:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCEkuo94X6I[/youtube]
Heavy reggae

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHHEBpTZlAc[/youtube]
Just plain heavy

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrxmrS9FIzc[/youtube]
Devy gets hevy....with feelings, sexy man feelings. And slowness. And a strat. And a skullet.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79dD9iaFQHc[/youtube]
More awesome Dev cheese (sorry bout the vid).

And (hero worship alert):
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2I2mK_3_ns[/youtube]
What would Pepper do?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUeOTOGUimM[/youtube]
What would Pike do?

Only questions you need to ask.
(None of that shit is overly complicated either)

Learn a bunch of metal you like the sound of and then deconstruct what they're doing.

There are different kinds of heavy, so there isn't a single all encompassing method. I've seen Kevin Hufnagel play really heavy sounding music and he has a really light touch on his guitar compared to other guys in different styles (and he was playing a Strat with stock single coils in standard tuning).

Don't have anything to contribute but...I love finding heavy where is "shouldn't" be. There was some older funk kind of song on the radio at the skatepark last night that got heavy as hell. Wish I couldn't remember what it was.

Thanks for all the responses guys. I'm trying to play heavier music basically for the simple reason that it allows me to get out of my comfort zone which tends to be on the dreary, happy, or odd disjointed art rock feel.

So I wanted to be play a bit heavier so I can maybe let me hate and anger and disappointment into my playing. I can play jazzy psych stuff so I guess if I crank the gain I might be able to sound heavy.

All this is really good advice, I should ask more on what would some of my heavy music heroes would do.

It might be possible that I guess my angry feelings actually get conveyed in my playing more than I realize haha