Is there a "chug" book?
- Thread starter Artie
- Start date
CaptainWhizz
New member
I’m sure there’s an Andertons video where Ola teaches Lee and Pete how to chug.
Artie
Peaveyologist
Artie
Peaveyologist
So, I drop the "E" to "D"? And the other strings just follow the suit? Do I want heavier strings for this? Or lighter?
JB_From_Hell
Jomo's Nimions
Maybe drop D, but open tunings are not the norm in metal.
Start off with root-5th power chords, dial in less distortion than you’d think, boost the bass and treble a little, cut the mids a little, and use one of your guitars with a hot bridge pickup. Ola uses a lot of mids, but the tone I described above will exaggerate the chugs.
When you pick, make sure your hitting the string at an angle, with the edge of the pick. The meat of your palm should be slightly muting the string really close to the bridge, and use all 4 fingers of your left hand to mute between chugs.
Start off with root-5th power chords, dial in less distortion than you’d think, boost the bass and treble a little, cut the mids a little, and use one of your guitars with a hot bridge pickup. Ola uses a lot of mids, but the tone I described above will exaggerate the chugs.
When you pick, make sure your hitting the string at an angle, with the edge of the pick. The meat of your palm should be slightly muting the string really close to the bridge, and use all 4 fingers of your left hand to mute between chugs.
JB_From_Hell
Jomo's Nimions
Also, you can alternate pick for really fast stuff, but try to use all down picking as much as possible.
Artie
Peaveyologist
Cool. I think I understand the right-hand stuff. I'm trying to understand the left-hand stuff. What chords are Ola doing?
Is doing?
Artie
Peaveyologist
You are talking SO over my head. I'm a tech. Not a musician. But I want to chug.
Artie
Peaveyologist
Yeah. I'm watching YouTube vids of guys doing metal. It almost looks like they're only hitting the bottom two strings. I'm sure there's more to it than that.
Demanic
PenultimateTone Member
solspirit
Ultimate Post Liker
What JB posted is pretty much my recipe, granted I'm no Olaf. . .
https://www.fender.com/articles/play/what-is-a-power-chord
Artie
Peaveyologist
Sweet! But which two notes? :headbang:
Artie
Peaveyologist
Nice link. Thanks man. I will be chugging soon.
JB_From_Hell
Jomo's Nimions
In standard tuning, play an open low E, and a B (2nd fret on the A string). That’s a root-fifth. 3rd fret low E, 5th fret A, etc... that’s a standard power chord shape.
You can also add the D string, same fret as the A. That’ll be the octave of the note on the E string.
The big advantage of drop D tuning (tuning your low E down to D, leaving the rest in standard), is it lets you make that chord shape with one finger. Those shapes I described above would be played with one finger barring the second fret on the bottom three strings, etc...
Start there, and then we can get into more cool easy chord shapes that sound good for what you’re trying to do.
On the Gallop type (chug) type thing you are only hitting the low string(s) but the chords hit along with the trem picking, open string rings and scrapes, behind the nut bends can take things all over the place. In a "riff" itself there can be all kinds of techniques and things going on with all strings within that part. Other parts can simply be right hand mute requiring no left hand involvement at all technically. Another interesting aspect is using your fret hand fingers to mute some strings and allow others to ring or muting the string above what you are fretting with the fingertip(s) of the chord/notes being played.
It requires skill, anyone thinking all of this stuff is easy is fooling themselves.
JB_From_Hell
Jomo's Nimions
There are other extended versions of what I described above, but start with the root-fifth shape. If you want, give me a call sometime if you need more description of the more subtle stuff like pick angle.
