Heavy Metal Guitar Scales
Metal 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 complement 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. However, this lesson won't show you how to really use these scales intuitively. For that, I highly recommend the Guitar Scale Mastery course.

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 best 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 before moving on to some more "exotic" ones.

These scale patterns are "boxed" and movable, meaning you can slide the scale patterns up and down the fretboard to change key (you can learn to expand out of these boxes in the individual scale's lesson).

OK!

Natural Minor Scale / Aeolian

The natural minor scale also falls as the 6th mode of the major scale (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 low 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. 

                 Fret 2
                 Fret 14

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 musical phrases.

When you're ready, Right click to download the backing track

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

Harmonic Minor Scale

The harmonic minor scale is almost the same as natural minor, but with a major 7th (if you don't know what that means, don't worry - it's all in the lesson linked to above). As metal commonly uses power chords which are neither major nor minor, using this scale will give it the flavour of the "minMaj7" chord (e.g. AmM7), which has a naturally tense, unstable sound.

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

Lydian

This one's a major scale, but also lies as the 4th mode of the major scale. Its "flavour" is characterised by the sharp 4th (#4), also known as the tritone in relation to its root note, which gives it an ethereal sort of quality. Lydian is definitely one of my favourites for slow paced and down-tuned metal. 

                              Fret 8
                              Fret 20

Right click to download the backing track

If you like this track, please give it a thumbs up on YouTube. Thanks!

OK, let's move on to some more exotic heavy metal guitar scales...

Spanish Gypsy / Phrygian Dominant

The Spanish scale (also the 5th mode of harmonic minor, Phrygian Dominant) is a staple scale in flamenco music, but metal has made use of it for its tense and dark quality. It's a major scale, but the flat 2nd interval gives it the harshness we need for heavy metal.

                 Fret 10

Right click to download the backing track

Byzantine / Double Harmonic Scale

The Byzantine scale is like the Spanish scale's evil twin brother. The only difference between the two is Byzantine uses a major 7th instead of a flat 7th. This creates an unusual chromatic interval sequence between the 7th, root and flat 2nd that sounds pretty harsh.

It takes a while to learn how to negotiate this one properly, but give it the time and attention it deserves and you'll be glad you added it to your repetoire. 

Romanian Scale / Dorian #4

This is a minor scale that uses a sharp 4th tension to create a distinctly ominous atmosphere. It can be seen as the Dorian mode with a #4, basically. Great for metal. 

                 Fret 12

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.

Right click to download the backing track

Hope you enjoyed it!

So there are 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.

Building small phrases within the solo is a good way to lead in to those more effective tones (e.g. the #4).

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

For a more in depth process for mastering scales, check out the Guitar Scale Mastery course.