Most contemporary music is in 4/4 time and is the basis for nearly every famous song I can think of. Most people couldn't name five songs without at least two or three of them being in strictly in 4/4 time.
For a long time I have wondered what made the music I love particularly unique. Recently, when I have asked my more musically inclined friends why this was, most of them made reference to odd time signatures and unconventional time signatures not typically employed in Western Music. They told me that most of the bands I was really into also made use of these time signatures as naturally as other groups use 4/4 timing. Hearing how all of the numbers that went into time signatures and how they effected the piece of music really blew my mind. I wanted to know more.
*Here Are Some Examples of Simple Time Signatures Found In Western Music:
*During the course of my research I have found that many bands that use Compound Time Signatures are very technical in their playing style and have amazing drummers to keep the beat and continually shift their rhythms and meters. After looking closely at sheet music by bands such as A Perfect Circle, Tool, Meshuggah, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Radiohead, Periphery, Norma Jean, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Mars Volta, and Mastodon I noticed that many of them made use of Compound Time.
Here Are Some Examples of Compound Time Signatures:
*Here Are Some Useful Tools To Help Count Compound Time*
To play Music, good technique is a must. You can know all the notes in the world. You can have the best ideas in the world, but you need good technique to get them out. Your technique can even be unorthorthodox, but if it is inadequate, you will not be able to express yourself freely; you will frustrate yourself instead. Good technique allows you to use all the other elements of Music at will.
Your technique should be at such a high level that you can forget about it. Eventually, you will even forget about your instrument. Only then can you remember how to play Music. Think about talking. When you talk, the words are your notes. Your tongue, diaphragm, mouth, teeth, lips and so on are your instruments. How you use them to push air across your vocal cords and through your lips to form words is your technique, but you rarely think about that...When you were a baby your technique was not adequate enough to allow you to speak like everyone else. You would babble on an on trying to work it out and be understood. Not having the proper control of your instrument caused you to cry.
When learning Music, we think we need to concentrate really hard on something until we achieve success. We also think we should lock ourselves in what we call the 'woodshed' for at least a few hours a day and focus on what we are doing. We practice our scales, modes, and techniques over and over until they become second nature. This, we think, is the only way of attaining the level of master musician. I propose a different path.
The elements of Music are the individual parts that make up Music as a whole. Many musicians like yourself struggle because you are not familiar enough with all the elements. You rely mostly on one or two of them when you play. Doing that is a great recipe for frustration.
The Ten Elements of Music: 1) Groove 2)Notes 3)Articulation/Duration 4)Technique 5)Emotion/Feel 6) Dynamics 7)Tone 8)Phrasing 9)Space/Rest 10) Listening
While continuing to research Tool's style of music I have come across some terminology that is helpful to understand, especially when trying to perform their songs on guitar.
Question 1) What is a "Minor Scale Fragment"? Answer:There are three different kinds of minor scales(natural, harmonic, and melodic). A "fragment" of one of these scales could be playing the notes from the scale in a different pattern other than 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. The fragment could be in an order like 123 234 345 456. Depending on the minor scale (natural, harmonic, and melodic) the notes and their fragments will give a different feel to the scale or song.
*Natural Minor Scales have a pattern of Whole Steps and Half Steps like this:
W-H-W-W-H-W-W
*Here is an example of a D Natural Minor Scale
*Harmonic Minor Scaleshave a pattern of Whole Steps and Half Steps with an augmented second (one and a half steps) that looks like this:
W-H-W-W-H-A2-H
*Here is an example of a D Harmonic Minor Scale
*Melodic Minor Scales are different from the other two minor scales because it has one pattern ascending the scale and another pattern descending the scale.
*The Ascending Pattern in whole steps and half steps looks like this:
W-H-W-W-W-W-H
*The Descending Patter in whole steps and half steps looks like this:
W-H-W-W-H-W-W
*Here is an example of an ascending D Melodic Minor Scale
After looking through Guitar World Magazine, Licensed Transcriptions of several Tool songs and with the help of AxeOfCreation's helpful tutorial on, it is clear that most of Tool's song use "Drop D" in order to make the song more powerful sounding.
Question 1: What is "Drop D" tuning?
Answer: According to the book The Definitive Guitar Handbook "Drop D" tuning on guitar is when the Low E String on the guitar is lowered one whole step until it reaches the pitch of "D". This is an octave lower than the open fourth string. When this pitch is dropped a whole step it allows for an Open D5 power chord. "Drop D" is perfect for playing songs in the key of D major or D minor. Some guitarists will use the low D string as a 'drone' note while moving chord shapes up and down the fingerboard.
Below is an example of "Drop D" look in written form instead of Standard E Tuning.
Below is another example of what "Drop D" looks when power chords go down the fretboard.
Question 2) What do D Minor Pentatonic power chords look like?
Question 3) What notes are in a D Minor Pentatonic Scale? Answer: D, F,G,A,C,D
Question 4) What chords can I use with Drop D tuning in D Minor?
After watching the Adam Jones Tutorial I was hoping to find additional information about some of the concepts in the video. As I searched the YouTube account of the person who created the video I found contact information. Along with the contact information was a small message that said the guy had transcribed his lesson/tutorial and would be willing to e-mail it to anyone who wanted it. Not knowing if the guy would check his e-mail in a week or a year I sent a request to him. Less than a day later I got an e-mail back from the guy I had found on YouTube. Sometimes I forget these people are real and are not some actor on my little laptop screen. He said that he appreciated my feedback and my interest in his videos.
To further my research I decided include portions of the tutorial he sent me into my blog. I give full credit to this guy and in no way want to give the impressions that I created the transcription.This is for educational purposes only. I am just another wannabe guitarist who happened to stumble upon a YouTube video by AxeOfCreation and was inspired.
*Video Notes: GUITAR TUNING: "Drop D" D A D G B E (Tune Low E string (6) down one full step)
*This makes possible the creation of an Open D5 power chord
STYLE:
*Adam Jones often employs the use of Pentatonic Scales as the harmonic foundation of his music.
*Favors the use of these scales particularly on the lower strings (E and A)to achieve a heavier sound.
*Makes wide use of the D minor Pentatonic Scale.
*This can be performed on the low E string (6) in the following fret positions on the fretboard Open, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12.
*Commonly uses two note power chords made possible by the use of "Drop D" tuning.
*Often he will take these two note chords and turn them into bar chords across the fretboard, giving the chord a fuller and bigger sound.
*Makes use of minor scales fragments or patterns.
*He will use minor scale fragments to change the tonal center of his composition.
*Often moves the root note to the second note. By doing this it adds a half step right next to the root note and this creates a sound similar to tension.
*Use of Phrygian Mode
*Guitar Solos are described as "melodic" and "lyrical".
*Use of fragmented minor scales is the foundation for many of his solos.
*Known to create interesting sounds by "walking" or "picking out" power chords. By mixing and matching chord shapes it allows Jones to create some powerful sounds riffs.
Notes on "Lateralus":
*Central use of two note power chords for verse, taken directly from the pentatonic minor scale.
*Extends these two note powers chords into bar chords to achieve fuller sound
*Meter is central to this song and makes it unique. Over the course of the three measure riff, Jones chops off one note per measure going from 9 beats per measure to 8 and then the 7.
*Chords used in the chorus riff of the song (1:13 to 1:37) taken from minor pentatonic scale on fret positions Open, 3, 5, 10, 12.
Notes on "Triad":
-Example of use of minor scale fragment
-Scale pattern opens with use of Open D pattern (Low E string, frets Open, 2,3)
-Jones will throw in "Dead Notes" or muted notes to add to the punch and power song
Notes on "46 and 2":
*Use of Phrygian Mode/Pattern
*Central riff performed on Low E String, Centered around the note D.
-Single note riff
Tool is a band I have been following for most of my teenage and adult life. I first became aware of them in 1996 when I heard the song "Stinkfist." The music video complimented the lyrically cryptic and hauntingly dark rhythm of the song that never seemed let up once during the song. In addition to listening to their albums for the last fifteen years I have also had the pleasure of seeing Tool perform in concert six times (2001/Portland, 2002/Seattle, 2006/The Gorge, 2007/Everett, 2007/Spokane, 2010/Seattle). In fact, over the past few years I have become as big of a fan of their live music as I am their studio work. My collection of live recordings from their concerts is rather extensive. Listening to their studio work and their live performances has given me the rare ability to understand what the studio allows the band to sound like on an album in relation to what they are able to perform live without pre-recorded tracks. Putting on a good pair of headphones and allowing myself to truly listen to the music has allowed me to decipher what is sonically possible in both a live and professional studio setting. One particular detail I have noticed is that the layering of guitars and the use of panning audio left and right are difficult to re-create live. However, as professional musicians and a life-long touring band, their ability to pull over complex rhythms and dynamics on a arena stage is nothing short of inspiring.
As you may have noticed, Tools' music is also very personal to me on many levels. Musically they can do no wrong in my book and lyrically I find something more profound about their song's meanings the older I get. This is a band I intend to grow old with and seeing that I have already spent fifteen years getting to know them, I have grown old with them already.
As part of my project I would like to discuss the band Tool in the context of the electric guitar played by Adam Jones. In terms of music theory I would like to know more about his style of playing, what chords he uses to construct his powerful songs, what type of rhythms and tempos the band uses that make them sound unlike most bands I have heard and what I can learn from this band that can inspire me to be a better player.
*Tool live in concert at Spokane Arena (December 7th, 2007)*
