Gothenburg Compliance Test
The test checks five things: twin guitar harmony, minor tonality, pedal tone, melodic sequence and the absence of a random blues lick. The result is a percentage. If it is too low there is the ADD MORE THIRDS button, which puts a third or a sixth on every note that can take one, and then the test runs again.
How to use it
- Generate a random riff, choose a saved riff or paste a tab or note names.
- Read the percentage and the five criteria. Each criterion has both a symbol and a word: pass or fail.
- Press ADD MORE THIRDS. The riff gets third harmonies and the test runs again at once. You can go back to the original.
- Play the riff and hear the difference. Copy the result if you want to show the band.
What is the Gothenburg style?
The Gothenburg style is a melodic death metal that grew out of Gothenburg in the 1990s, with bands such as In Flames, Dark Tranquillity and At the Gates. The sound mixes hard riffs with minor-key melodies, often played by two guitars in harmony.
The test makes that style measurable with five criteria and a percentage. It is a joke that does real arithmetic: the result says how close the riff is to the style, not whether the riff is good.
The five criteria and their weight
The percentage is a weighted sum of five sub-scores. A criterion passes when its sub-score is at least 0.6.
- Twin guitars, 30 percent: the share of melody notes that have a third or sixth in a second voice.
- Minor tonality, 20 percent: a minor third is present and a major third is absent.
- Pedal tone, 15 percent: the root returns between other notes, at least three times.
- Melodic sequence, 20 percent: a three-note motif repeats at a different pitch. Plain exact repetition gives only 0.4.
- No blues lick, 15 percent: a blue note (b5) next to the fourth or fifth, or both minor and major third, counts as blues and gives zero.
Thirds, sixths, pedal tone and sequence explained
A pedal tone is a note, usually the root, that returns between the other notes of the melody and gives the riff a fixed point. A sequence is a short motif repeated higher or lower with the same intervals. Harmonised guitars play the same melody in thirds or sixths, which makes the sound fuller.
The ADD MORE THIRDS button places a diatonic third on a higher string for every melody note that lacks a third or sixth, within the scale and within reach of the hand. Then the test is recalculated. You can go back to the original and compare.
If you play the riff yourself, learn each voice on its own and then play both against a metronome. Clean shifts matter more than tempo.
Frequently asked questions
What does the test check?
Five criteria: twin harmony (a third or sixth against the melody), minor tonality, pedal tone (the tonic keeps returning), melodic sequence (a motif repeated at another pitch) and the absence of a blues lick. Each criterion has a weight in the percentage.
What does ADD MORE THIRDS do?
Every melody note without a third or sixth gets a diatonic third on a higher string, inside the scale and within reach of the hand. Fifth harmonies that are not thirds are replaced where possible.
Is the test meant seriously?
It is a joke that does real arithmetic. The result says nothing about whether the riff is good, only how close it sits to one style.
Which bands play the Gothenburg style?
The style is mainly linked to In Flames, Dark Tranquillity and At the Gates, all from Gothenburg. The test is based on stylistic traits and is not tied to any specific band.
Related tools
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- Riff Lab: Shape a riff with sliders for pedal tones, melody, chugs, tremolo and chromatic notes, then build on it.
- Daily Riff: A new riff every day, the same for everyone, with tab, playback and a streak for the days you practised.
- Riff Weather: Tonight's riff forecast: key, weather and the chance of harmonised guitars, with a playable forecast riff.
- Breakdown Generator: Big button, heavy chug riff: an emergency breakdown on the lowest string with tab, drums and shareable text.
- Riff Hero: A rhythm game for guitarists. Falling notes, drum backing, score, combo and stars on charts that train gallops, tremolo and blast beats.