Thrash metal riff generator
A thrash metal riff generator creates fast, palm-muted guitar riffs built on gallop rhythms, usually in a minor or phrygian key. This page uses E phrygian, standard tuning and 180 BPM as the starting point.
Example riff
This riff was made with the settings below and the seed thrash-metal3. The same settings and seed always give the same riff.
- Key
- E
- Scale
- Phrygian
- Tuning
- E Standard
- Tempo
- 180 BPM
- Difficulty
- 4
- Technique
- Gallop
- Bars
- 4
PM PM-------- PM PM PM PM-------- PM PM
e|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------|------------------------0-------|
A|--------------------------------|----------------------2---0-----|
E|0-0---0-1-0---0-0-0---0-0-0---0-|0-0---0-1-0---0-0-0-----------0-|
PM PM-------- PM PM PM-- PM------ PM
e|--------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------|-------------------------2---------|
A|--------------------------------|--------7------------------7---7---|
E|0-0---0-1-0---0-0-0---0-0-0---0-|0---0-0-----13-10-12---0---------0-|
Open this riff in the generator Make a new riff in this style
What makes a riff sound like thrash?
Thrash riffs are driven by rhythm more than by melody. Fast palm-muted notes on the low strings, often on the root, are broken up by short jumps to a neighbouring note. The gallop, one eighth note followed by two sixteenth notes, gives the typical forward drive.
The phrygian scale has a flat second above the root, which gives the dark, tense colour many thrash riffs use. At 180 BPM the picking hand does most of the work, so keep the fretting hand close to the first frets.
How the settings are chosen
The generator is set to the technique Gallop, difficulty 4 and 4 bars. Raise the difficulty for wider jumps and more sixteenth notes, and lower it if the picking runs ahead of you. Start below 180 BPM and add 5 BPM at a time.
Frequently asked questions
Which tuning is best for thrash riffs?
Standard tuning (E) is the classic choice and gives the example above. Lower tunings such as D standard or Drop D give a heavier sound with the same fingering. Change the tuning in the generator to hear the difference.
How do I practise a fast gallop?
Start at a tempo where every note is clean, often 100 to 120 BPM, and use the metronome or drums in the generator. Raise the tempo in small steps and keep the picking hand relaxed.