In the previous column we looked at the basic tonal structure of the opening riffs to Mute Requiem. We also looked at the  reasons why the harmonic minor scale is often used in metal today.

In this lesson we will look at three additional aspects of the intro to "Point of No Return: Mute Requiem" 

To Triplet or Not to Triplet

An interesting point about the opening riffs to Mute Requiem is that the three note groupings that appear throughout RIFF ONE (example: the open E string notes starting in bar 1) could be interpreted as triplets.

Actually, they are NOT.

They are groups of  two 16^th notes followed by an 8^th. This grouping is seen throughout the partition. Why is this significant? Well first of all, even though they sound close to the way a triplet sounds, they divide the beat equally - as opposed to triplets where the divisions are asymmetrical [beat/4 vs. beat/3]. 

Here is an audio example that illustrates the difference.

This way of playing the three note groupings gives the riff it's rolling feeling, which would not be possible to achieve by using triplets.

Fingering:

In order to switch smoothly between certain phrases in RIFF TWO, use fingers 1-3-4-3-1 to do the stretch in bars 18 through 20. Use fingers 1-3-3 in bars 27 through 29 as indicated on the tab. If you try a different fingering say 1-3-1 for example you will not be able to play the transitions smoothly at higher speeds.

Notation Symbols

I'd like you to pay attention to the notation symbols used in the score below:

The Repeat Bars:

begin repeat (ex. bar 1)

end of repeat (ex. bar 5)

Every time you see the above repeat signs it means the passage between the bars is to be repeated two times [or more if indicated].

The Segno and Coda signs:

The Segno sign marks the beginning of the passage with an alternate ending

The Coda sign marks the beginning of the alternate ending it-self

The combination of these signs instruct you to play the part twice but with a different ending.

The "To Coda" means that when you play the passage for the second time, you jump to the coda sign at the point where you reach the "To Coda" instruction.

I hope you found this interesting, I'll speak to you all soon.

If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me at bart at quovadis dot  qc dot ca.