Melodic death metal riff generator
A melodic death metal riff generator creates riffs that move through the notes of a scale like a melody, with a heavy rhythm underneath. This page uses D harmonic minor in D standard tuning at 160 BPM.
Example riff
This riff was made with the settings below and the seed melodic-death-metal3. The same settings and seed always give the same riff.
- Key
- D
- Scale
- Harmonic minor
- Tuning
- D Standard
- Tempo
- 160 BPM
- Difficulty
- 4
- Technique
- Melodic
- Bars
- 4
d|--------------------------------|----------------------------------| A|--------------------------------|----------------------------------| F|--------------------------------|----------------------------------| C|------------2-----------------2-|------------2---------------------| G|----3-----------6---3-----------|----3-----------6---3--------9----| D|0-----0-8-------------0-3---0---|0-----0-8-------------0-11-----12-| d|--------------------------------|--------------------------------| A|--------------------------------|--------------------------------| F|--------------------------------|--------------------------------| C|------------2-----------------2-|------------2---------------2---| G|----3-----------6---3-----------|------------------------0-------| D|0-----0-8-------------0-3---0---|0-------3-------3---------------|
Open this riff in the generator Make a new riff in this style
What makes a riff sound like melodic death metal?
These riffs mix a heavy rhythm with melodic lines that follow a scale. Harmonic minor is common because the raised seventh note gives a dramatic colour. The notes are often picked on two or three neighbouring strings.
How the settings are chosen
The technique is Melodic, so the generator moves between several notes instead of repeating one. Add drums in the generator and choose the groove Eighths or Thrash to hear how the riff sits over a beat.
Frequently asked questions
What is harmonic minor?
Harmonic minor is the natural minor scale with the seventh note raised a semitone. In D it has C# instead of C, which makes a larger step between the sixth and seventh note.
Which tuning should I choose?
D standard is used here. Standard E tuning is easier to start with, since the notes lie closer to the first frets. Pick any tuning in the generator and the riff is rebuilt for it.