Meshuggah Lesson

This axe hero edition is just that folks, a heroic look into the styling of the notorious, Meshuggah. These crazy Scandinavians are metal giants, and for good reason. They write bone-crushing riffs and bring rhythm ambiguity to a new level. Mind you, this lesson isn't geared so much towards teaching how to play along to specific songs; as it is an (insightful) insight into why their music sounds so "off time". First things last, there is a lot of confusion out there about what exactly they are doing; and yes, this lesson will help clear some of that up. Generally, every Meshuggah song is in 4/4 time, but thrives in a fancy musical realm called Metric Dissonance. Just as Harmonic Dissonance breaks down tonality, Metric Dissonance breaks down your sense of time. Meshuggah writes their riffs in what you could consider a pattern, or group based style; but they are grouped based on some odd number of notes. So instead of landing on every four beats (4 groups of 4 1/16th notes), their riffs will last say 23 1/16th notes. Then they'll repeat this pattern for say 8 measures until it eventually falls on the downbeat. This will clearly throw off any sense of time, AWESOME. These riffs are tricky and you really have to "feel" them not just count them. If you listen carefully to the drums, there is usually always a cymbal smashing away in 4/4. The real genius in their composition is that these "patterns" hardly ever land on a downbeat, which only enhances or in this case, disintegrates your sense of time even more. While polyrhythms come into play now and again, this Metric Dissonance is the main driving force of their writing. In closing, at Axe we dig this band, we dig that you dig this band, and as always let me know if you need help diggin' deeper...

Verbal Corrections-The main pattern in Rational Gaze is played 4x not 5 as I said. Also the low string on a 8 string guitar is F# not E as I mention, Freudian slip, been playing to much Animals as Leaders (Tosin plays in drop E)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Meshuggah
• Metal
• Riff
• Dissonance
• Meter
• Odd
• Time
• Polyrhythm
• Axe
• Creation
• String

[expressyourselfist]

Cool concept,but please improve you sound!

[axeofcreation]

@expressyourselfist I since have thank you. I used to use a flip camera for everything. New lessons are much improved.

[godsizedhole]

You are pretty much right, except that they ARE polyrhythms, and one of them is always 4/4. Just because the foundation is always 4/4 doesn't mean that they aren't polyrhythms. By you logic, polyrhythms don't exist at all, because you could always say 1 time sig from any polyrhythm, and say that's the timing. And you would be right.

[axeofcreation]

@godsizedhole Yes. I should've worded it better. I wanted to stay away from the polyrhythm discussion which is why the examples I showed were all group or pattern based. I understand that 23/16 would be polymeter but I don't feel it that way. It's different than playing a riff in 6/8 over four which would clearly be a polyrhythm. I discuss the polyrhythms in part 2 :) Thanks!!

[nightsystem]

So what tuning where you using in this video so that I don't detune my 7- string.

[axeofcreation]

@nightsystem standard

[axeofcreation]

@drummin4InTheShadows Nice! Don't get lost in all that low end, it's a trap

[metallon]

"VERY COOL STUFF"

[BenJohan6]

No is no way to play Meshuggah without moving around in a weird way...

[HomageofReason]

That's where you're wrong, Axe of Creation. Because I DO have an eight string guitar. MUHAHAHAHA!

[xDrummingPiex]

Dude. I'd love to buy the TOOL poster behind you....ha

[vikykarthik]

axe!can you do a video on tonal dissonance styles?i cants seem to find help,and maybe a key as in how to switch modes

[njszoke]

very cool stuff.

[kennethsantanaguitar]

4:00 That's not right...lol

I have a video of this song as well.

[WarmothGuitarist]

@NoaOno Periphery should change there name to Splenda. It's not 'shuggah, but it sure tries to be.

[iTakeViTaMins]

@axeofcreation You messed up "Rational Gaze" and your timing on "NMCC" was way off. Everything else was alright...I guess.