Heavy Metal Guitar Scales Lesson with Backing Tracks

I've specifically called this lesson "metal guitar scales", but of course you can play any damn scale you want, whether it be pentatonic, major, minor, whatever! What I'll do is go through some of the more exotic scales used in heavy metal, scales that really compliment the dark power chord melodies.

They're pretty easy to play in their basic "boxed" positions and I'll give you some backing tracks to try them over.

The great thing about the more extreme forms of metal (thrash, black, death etc.) is that you can be atonal with your lead guitar, because including some off-key notes often adds to the atmosphere of the music.

The following heavy metal guitar scales are the most commonly used - I'm not pigeon holing at all, but it's true that minor, exotic and "ethereal" scales tend to fit the intense nature of this style of music.

Note that more than one scale can be played over each of the backing tracks in this lesson - these are just for example!

Most popular heavy metal guitar scales and modes

We'll start with the most commonly used metal guitar scales first and then move on to some weirder ones. Just before we start though, some things to keep in mind (although they may be obvious to some...)

1) These scales are "boxed" and movable, meaning you can slide the scale patterns up and down the fretboard to change key (we'll look at expanding out of these boxes another time).

2) When 'chords change in a riff, some notes in the more exotic, tense scales will become out-of-key, so when playing you need to use your best judgement on which notes compliment which part of the particular backing riff you're playing over.

Natural minor

/ Aeolian

The natural minor scale also falls as the 6th mode in western music (Aeolian).

Look at the diagram below - we're in the key of F# because the root notes of the scale lie on... F# (for example, that's fret 2 on the fat E string, and also an octave higher at fret 14). This is the key the backing track will be in.

The fingering is only a suggestion - you should play it how you feel comfortable.

The red box indicates the notes that you should be careful of when soloing over the tonic (root) chord/power chord. These are the flat 6th tones of the scale and, like in this example, if we play over an F# power chord, the flat 6th will sound pretty unharmonious if emphasised for more than just a second or two (try it!). Think of it as a passing note in the scale.

The natural minor scale is used a lot in heavy metal - some people get bored of it because it lacks the tension found in more exotic scales. However, others use it religiously and can make it sound fresh every solo.

Before you try accompanying the backing track below, get up to speed and confident with this scale by using a metronome.

Also, don't just play it down at the 2nd fret - get to know it an octave higher, and in this case, for the key of F#, up at fret 14.

Although we're just looking at the boxed scale shapes at the moment, try to skip around the scale and find your own little hooks over the backing tracks. This means holding on some notes for longer (we'll get to bends and vibratos another lesson...) and skipping strings to construct a musical phrasing.

Remember you can also use minor pentatonic over ANY minor key riff, so most of the backing tracks in this lesson will be compatible.

Harmonic minor

The harmonic minor scale is almost the same as natural minor, but with a major/sharp 7th (if you don't know what that means, don't worry - it's all in the theory section). This means its related chord is minor sharp 7. As metal uses power chords which are neither major nor minor, using this scale will give it the flavour of the "min#7" chord type, which has a dark and unsettling sound.

Again, use a metronome to build up speed and confidence with jumping around this scale.

You have to use your best judgement when choosing which notes in the scale to play over which chords/power chords in the backing riff. Some might not "fit" when the 'chord or key changes, so just experiment till you find a hook - that's how I learned. You don't need to be told what to play!

So, using the key from the diagram (starting at fret 5 on the fat E string which is the key of A) try playing harmonic minor over the backing track below...

Remember that more than one scale can be used over the backing tracks in this lesson! I personally think the Spanish scale (further down the page) also sounds good over parts of this backing track (in fact, playing the Spanish scale in the key of E is effectively playing harmonic minor in A! Try it once you've learned the Spanish scale).

Master Guitar Scales...
Don't Just Poke Around!

If you're struggling to really work these scales over the backing tracks in an inventive and dynamic way, or if it all just feels overwhelming, there is an excellent course that will show you how to really use scales musically... in any genre.

Scales are not difficult to master, you just need a proven, guaranteed step-by-step plan to take you there...

Click Here to Learn More >

Phrygian is another of the commonly used metal guitar scales. It's the 3rd mode in western music and as a scale it has a Spanish flavour because of the flattened 2nd tone, red boxed - like the flattened 6th, be careful with this note over the tonic chord, as usual.

Like I said before with the side note; some notes will become dissonant, unharmonious if the 'chord or key changes - you know what sounds good when you play the scale over a progression.

The good thing about metal is that these harsher tensions won't necessarily fuck up the song if used a little too liberally because metal often feeds off atonal melody... in moderation!

This one's a major scale, but also lies as the 4th mode in western music. Its "flavour" is characterised by the sharpened 4th which gives it an ethereal sort of quality. Lydian is definitely one of my favourites for slow paced and down-tuned metal.

Remember, with any of the backing tracks in this lesson, if the riff is compatible with a minor scale, you can also use good old minor pentatonic. Try mixing it with the more complex scale. Also, if the riff is compatible with major scales, you can use major pentatonic.

Spanish Gypsy / Jewish Scale

The Spanish scale is a great alternative to Phrygian in metal because it really emphasises that Spanish flamenco sound. Even though it's major dominant, it compliments heavy metal music in an elaborate way.

TIP: The backing track below starts in the key shown in the diagram (A) but changes to the key of E in the middle. Playing the scale in the key of A will still work if you emphasise the "right" notes, but you could try changing along with the riff into the key of E (playing the scale at the 12th fret)...

Byzantine scale

This is quite a memorable scale pattern to learn in its boxed shape because of the way it steps up towards the high E string.

The Byzantine scale is pretty tense because it includes that flattened 2nd tone again (out come the red boxes again!) but also uses a flattened 6th tone (blue boxes - so also keep your ears on these). Also, keeping the 7th tone in its natural major scale position means there are three tones within the space of a whole step (3 fret spaces).

Romanian scale

I love this one. It's a minor scale and uses a sharpened 4th tension and flattened (dominant) 7th to create a distinctly ominous atmosphere.

When playing over a melody you have to experiment and find which tones of the scale you're playing are best played at certain points of the riff. E.g. You may be able to hold one of the scale's notes over one chord, but when the chord changes, you might find it no longer "fits", so you need to change the note there and then.

So there's just a few of the most commonly used heavy metal guitar scales. If you like, you can go back and experiment with each scale over a different backing track. The main thing is that you spend time writing some of your own solos.

Learn to respect chord changes and how they affect what notes you play from a scale - experiment with different notes in its place to see which one has the desired effect you're after.

Building small phrases within the solo is a good way to trap in those more effective notes.

It's all about time, practice and experimentation. This lesson just got you on your feet :o)

Thanks for your time and effort and I hope you enjoyed using the backing tracks. Happy (or should I say "miserable") soloing!

The Guitar Scale Mastery Course has fast become the most popular resource on the web for learning, and more importantly, mastering guitar scales.