"THE TYRANT" Official Guitar Playthrough

Hello everyone!

Check out the new pro shot Guitar Playthrough video of the song "THE TYRANT" off of DIVIDED EP.

You can download DIVIDED EP for FREE on THIS link.

Don't forget to LIKE us on Facebook, FOLLOW us on Twitter, and SUBSCRIBE to our channel on YouTube.

P.S: The video was shot with a Canon 600D.

ENJOY!
Hadi

Benevolent Purgatory Polymetrics Video Guitar Lesson

Hello everyone!

First of all, I'd like to wish you a belated Happy New Year. And with this new year we come to you with a cool lesson video covering one of the complex riffs on the album DIVIDED EP, it comes from the song PURGATORY.

This is a riff in 5/8 running over a 4/4 beat, lots of fun playing the riff because it falls under a cool drum beat and the polymeters in there create a pretty interesting groove.

Check out the video on the link below and leave your thoughts in the comments section:

Don't forget to LIKE Benevolent on FACEBOOK, and SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel to keep up with the videos that we're posting.

Hope you enjoy the video.

Hadi

NEW BENEVOLENT LOGO / EMBLEM

Hey guys!

So we got some REALLY exciting things coming from the Benevolent camp in Dubai, we'll be revealing things one at a time as they come to life. The first cool thing to share with you guys is our new band Logo and Emblem.

HAVE A LOOK

The Emblem (circular thingy) has more to it than just being the sexy design that it is. The circles and rectangles that are spread around the main circle basically represent letters in Morse Code. The letters spell out the word "Benevolent", how cool is that?

Check out the breakdown of the letters below:

B: _ . . .
E: .
N: _ .
E: .
V: . . . _
O: _ _ _ 
L: . _ . .
E: .
N: _ . 
T: _

We are toying around with this whole Morse Code thing on a couple of more things which we'll be sharing with the coming of our upcoming album (featuring ANDOLS HERRICK on the drums).

Stay tuned for some more updates on our cool new toys coming in from IGNITE AMPS in Italy and more REALLY awesome things.

ALSO, DON'T FORGET TO GIVE US A LIKE ON FACEBOOK

We are psyched as hell!

Hadi

Line 6 POD Farm / POD X3 Live Rhythm Tone DOWNLOAD

Hey guys!

So if you've checked out the video entry I did for the Kevin Talley Guitar Contest, I was quite happy with the rhythm tone I crafted for that specific song / shindig. So I thought I'd share the settings that I used on POD Farm and upload the tone for you to download off of the official Line 6 Custom Tone website.

DOWNLOAD THE TONE HERE

THE SIGNAL CHAIN

The overall signal chain of the patch is a basic Noise Gate - Drive Pedal - Amp - Compressor - Chorus.

THE NOISE GATE

The settings on the Noise Gate are a bit loose, that's mostly because I like to keep the tone sounding like it's "breathing" rather than being choked out and sliced.

THE DRIVE PEDAL

For the Drive Pedal, I used the Boost + EQ model, which I find that I always resort to for all rhythm tones, and even to drive clean channels too sometimes. It just allows further frequency control with the Bass, Treble, Mids, and Mid Frequency knobs in addition to have a crunchy / liquified character about it. I've also pushed the Gain over the mid point to give things a bit more umph (I like to experiment a lot between increasing / decreasing gain levels between the drive pedals and the amp's gain and compare results).

THE AMP

Next in line is the Cali Diamond Plate amp, which is a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier model. This is hands down one of my favorite models on POD Farm. I've pushed the Mids, Treble, and Presence while rolling off the Bass to below the center. The settings may seem a bit extreme, but I like to craft tones with my ears rather than my eyes.

THE COMPRESSOR

Next I've placed a Compressor unit in the signal chain, this works the attack and spank so the picking really comes out.

THE CHORUS PEDAL

And finally, my favorite part of the signal chain: the Analog Chorus pedal. I really really really dig placing chorus pedals at the end of the signal chain of rhythm patch and roll out the mix so it's almost not noticeable that there's a chorus pedal in there, but the sound just gets richer, precise, and liquified. Something about the sound of a very subtle chorus effect in the chain really gives me the chills!

And there we have it! You can download the tone by click on the below link.

DOWNLOAD THE TONE HERE

Cheers!
Hadi

Line 6 POD HD500 Warm Clean Tone

Hey guys!

So I spent the night toying with my Line 6 POD HD500 in pursuit of a warm clean tone (something along the lines of what Opeth were beautifully tormenting our senses with on their album Damnation).

I plugged the POD right into my MacBook Pro via USB, opened up the POD HD500 Edit software (which is a ridiculously simple and comfortable way to craft your tones, it's just fascinating). I tried a few amps looking for the texture I was looking for and the Hiwatt amp model immediately felt like home.

I got a nice clean and round tone with just about everything at flat settings on the Hiwatt amp model, with the default cab/mic settings as well. From there on I basically started toying around with different compressors before the amp to give the roundedness a warm attack and definition. That worked out well! I ended up adding another compressor after the amp in the signal chain to in-turn give stronger definition to the "processed" tone coming out of the amp.

To emphasize depth and give the tone a certain liquidity, I added a chorus pedal (this was placed as the compressor following the amp in the signal chain). When I add those chorus pedals to tones that don't require that extra wobbly tone, I just set the mix down to a very minimum level where the listener may not necessarily hear that the chorus effect is in there BUT it's adding to the tone's richness and liquifying it.

Last but not least, the cherry on the cake: the Ping Pong Delay pedal. I dropped the Mix to about 30% and gave the Feedback a notch up. AND VOILA!

Give it a listen and make sure you DOWNLOAD THE TONE if you own a POD HD500.

Best!
Hadi

Footage of us Performing in Dubai

Hey guys!

Check this montage of our set in Dubai on June 29th.

I used my Line 6 POD HD500 straight into the PA, sounded epic!

Hadi

Benevolent LIVE IN DUBAI - VLOG PART 1

Hey guys,

Check it out! GOOD TIMES!

Best,
Hadi

Benevolent live at Ratsky 3 Gig Experience

Hey guys!

So it's been an awesome few days, my brothers-in-metal came down from Kuwait and Bahrain to slug out a Benevolent gig and boy was it a great experience.

Our new session drummer Prasad Jayaruwan flew in on Tuesday night, Fadi and I drove down to Sharjah pick him up. It was awesome meeting Prasad, we've been buddies through the interwebs for a while and been talking metal for long enough to finally get to not only meet up but also gig it out together. The cool part was that Prasad and ourselves IMMEDIATELY hit it off with great chemistry and the excitement vibes were all over the place for the gig. We were really psyched to be opening for Nervecell and to be playing in Dubai again!

After picking up Prasad and chilling for a bit, Fadi and I made our way to pick up Sarj (from Sarj's Studio) who came down to be here at our gig and hang out with us! It was great seeing Sarj again and was awesome catching up on geek gear talk with him.

Wednesday night cometh, Fadi, Prasad, and myself went to In The Mix studios for our first official rehearsal (Sarj joined us too, he's the band's babysitter when he's not making us sound awesome). It was such a fun experience playing those songs straight up from the get go with Prasad, it's crazy thinking that this is the very first time we get together as a band (well, half the band that night) and the very second day that we hang out as peeps. CRAZY!

The rehearsal was electric, we all vibed right off of each other and had an absolute blast.

Right after rehearsal, we all went out for dinner and hang out right until it was time for Mohammed Gad and Hisham Khalil to arrive in town. The guys arrived safely, it was great seeing the guys once again. I haven't seen Hisham since leaving Kuwait back in March, but I did see Gad when I was in Lebanon last since he came down to visit.

The next day (Thursday) was when it all got pretty crazy, the very first (and only) pre-show full band rehearsal. The entire gang head over to In The Mix studios once again to prepare for show day. The rehearsal was great! We all prepared for those songs individually as per the album and since we're playing those songs live down to the tick it all just came together neatly. Again, it's pretty crazy that with just one rehearsal we all managed to put it all together for the show!

Show day comes, June 29th, no kidding, it's happening! We were up to an early start, had breakfast together as a band and then went out to buy some last minute things (new picks, spare strings, etc). Right after, we immediately made our way to the venue and arrived around 3:00 pm. The drums were still being setup and we just carried our gear inside and made ourselves comfortable with the location.

We helped the crew setup where we could, hung out, took some videos and photos, looked around the area, warmed up on our instruments, ate again, and what not.

When it was time for us to get onto our soundcheck, we got up on stage and put our pedalboards up (I was using my new POD HD500, which sounded unbelievable! Hands down the best live tone I've ever had...more on this!). Everything was plugged in perfectly and we played The Quantum Paradox at sound check. I was really psyched about how insanely HUGE my tone sounded straight into the mixer, I wasn't plugged into any amp and could hear myself perfectly through the monitors. I only had the new POD for a couple of days before the gig but I've just toyed around with some of the built in presets and downloaded a few tones from the Custom Tone site and with some tweaking I've found the right tone, it just sounded amazing and made me play better!

The guys from Nervecell came into the venue straight from their earlier all ages show while we were going through The Quantum Paradox and hailed us as they walked by. The entire time after getting off stage from sound check we just hung out with these guys (whom if you haven't met, are the nicest most genuine people you could meet), the crew, the band, and just everyone around.

People started coming into the venue and the energy was great! Echoes With Laughter kicked off the show playing a killer set of rock n' roll/metal covers by Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Metallica, some originals, and more! They had a great energy about them on stage and played with great enthusiasm and got everyone going and singing along, awesome band!

We were up next, we got right up on stage and put up all the gear in place and plugged everything in and got our metal faces on. Our setlist for the show was:

1. Haunting Shores
2. Purgatory
3. The Quantum Paradox
4. The Tyrant

Halfway through our first song, Haunting Shores, I realized that the backing tracks weren't playing through the PA and are only playing through Prasad's in-ears (the backing tracks basically have all the atmospheric stuff that sit in the back, which is important to our full sound and basically would be damaging to play the show without). Right after we finished playing through Haunting Shores, I jumped down to the house board to check on what's going wrong and Barry helped out immediately in solving the problem.

From that point onwards, the show went in a great direction. We all got into our muse and had a blast playing the songs. The 4 songs we played felt like we were up there for no longer than one minute, it all flew by really quickly. I definitely cannot wait for our next outing! It was a great pleasure for us to be performing alongside Nervecell and to have met so many great people and made some new friends at the gig.

Huge thanks to Spellbind Records, Thomsun Pure Music, the organizers (Sary, you the man!), the awesome guys at Nervecell and Echoes With Laughter.

And finally, thank you to all for coming out and I can't wait to see you all soon!

Don't forget to check out our page for more updates on dates and news on the new record at HERE

Hadi

NEW TOY DAY: LINE 6 POD HD500

Hey guys!

Another new toy day! I've just picked up the Line 6 POD HD500 and it is KILLER!

I'd like to thank the guys at Thomsun Pure Music for being awesome and helping me get a hold of this new baby! (Do check out their music institutes at Popular Music Institute and Sing and Swing Training Centre)

I'll post a proper full length review of this pretty soon! For now, I will leave you with the usual unboxing photos:

Cheers,
Hadi

Opening for Nervecell: June 29th Show Poster

SWAGGER

Hadi

Benevolent to Open for Nervecell in Dubai

Hey guys!

That's right! Gonna be hitting the stage with Benevolent LIVE on June 29th opening for Nervecell as they stop in Dubai during their Psychogenocide Middle East Tour!

Check below for the event information, come down and slug it out with us.

Official Event Page on Facebook
Event's Official Website

We are all super psyched to be a part of this gig and we can't wait to see you all out there from the stage.

See you there!
Hadi

Settling in Dubai; Exploring the Metal Scene; Writing/Recording Solos for the NEW BENEVOLENT ALBUM

Hey guys!

So I've been busy settling into my new life out here in Dubai, loving it! I've been to a few shows already and I am really enjoying how vibrant the scene here is here. Fadi and I went to the Avenged Sevenfold and Anuryzm show back in early May, and it was phenomenal! Both bands really rocked out and we had a blast. The other show I've been to was the Hate Eternal / Perversion / Creative Waste show done by Spellbind Records and the bands were freaking crazy good!

Besides settling in, snooping around my new home, and getting to know Dubai, we've been hard at work on finishing the Benevolent record. Vocals and solos are underway! We are having a blast putting this thing together!

I have kind of found that I am taking to a more organic way of writing the solos for the new album. I think that I am reaching a deeper and more sincere level of intimacy with recording the solos on my laptop in the room on my own without the studio pressure of having to get the very next take down. I think both recording in a studio with an engineer/producer guiding you through things AND recording on your own have advantages and disadvantages.

I often worry that the solos I am writing may sound good to me because I am engulfed by the wavelength of creativity that I am feeding off of. Although, what I am doing is am keeping Sarj involved in the production process so I keep sending him the takes in scratch tones for some feedback, alongside the rest of the band obviously. My good friend Bader Nana is also one the trustful ears that I turn to for feedback. Those guys say it as it is, and I find myself always seeking their "approval" over bits before they are confirmed as the final ones for the record!

Much to talk about, stay tuned for more updates! And give us a like on Facebook HERE

Take care now.

Hadi

[PRESS RELEASE] Benevolent Lead Guitarist Hadi Sarieddine now on AMT Electronic's Official Artist roster

Hadi Sarieddine, Lead guitarist of extreme experimental metal band Benevolent, has been added to AMT Electronics' lineup of official artists, marking him as the first Lebanese musician to be featured on the Russian comany's roster of artists.

Hadi Sarieddine had this to say about AMT's products, "I've recently picked up the E-1 from AMT Electronics' line of Legend Amps and was shocked by the quality from the get-go"

"The E-1's tone fits perfectly with the tone that I go for with Benevolent and I absolutely cannot wait to take this beast out live, and the best part is it can fit in my guitar gig bag's pocket" 

The Legend Amps series line from AMT Electronics features the emulation of legendary amplifiers in a full analog designed based on JFET technology, all in a stomp box design. The stomp boxes feature 2 output options, one that is a dry signal output and is designed to go directly into the effects return of your amplifier head; while the other output option features an emulated speaker cabinet intended to go directly into the PA or sound card.

Hadi Sarieddine added, "if you were to listen to a clip of how tuneful those little stomp boxes are without being told where all the preamp sounds are coming from, there's no way you'd guess it's coming out of something as small as a cell phone; I've never been so psyched about a tone like this before" 

Benevolent released their debut EP in November 2010, received rave reviews around the region; the band is currently in the recording process of their debut full length record which is due for release with Spellbind Records. You can listen to Benevolent's music on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Benevolent.band

Check out Hadi Sarieddine's profile on AMT Electronics on http://www.amtelectronics.com/artisty/hadi_sarieddine/, and make sure you check the rest of AMT Electronic's products on their website.

- ENDS -

Album Blueprints: How Many Cylinders Are You Firing On?

I remember having a conversation with Sajid ‘Sarj’ Masood, Benevolent’s co-producer, (and one of the main factors that brought our sound to the shape that it came out through); we basically were talking about the upcoming Benevolent album and this was way early on in the writing process, months and months ago, and the idea of having a “blueprint” for the album came about. This would basically be like a rough mission statement of what we would like to achieve from the album as far as what elements are coming into play, and I believe this has truly served the write process well and definitely put things into perspective.

This was a great thing for me to have personally because I’m always anxious and stressing about the very little details going into the album’s writing process and what elements the songs are entertaining; is it too much? Is it too little? Is it just about right?

When we sat down and figured out a rough blueprint for the upcoming record it changed the game plan positively because I felt like I was writing with more purpose, I was writing songs for them to be included on the record instead of writing songs off the fly with little perspective or vision as far as how they serve the big picture of the album’s sound.

I remember us doing something similar unconsciously during the Divided EP sessions where Sarj came up and said “Alright, you’ve got a couple songs that have this specific feel; now you need another song that sounds a bit on that other send of your style and push things in that direction.” The best part of it all is that I find myself getting super inspired by things that those around me are saying about the music I’m writing, so it makes me consider things from a very broad view; although, I think a musician is truly able to get as close as possible to listen to his/her music for what it really is, rather than be stuck in a bubble thinking it sounds a certain way, much kudos go out to that person!

Keep producing!
Hadi

It's happening!

Hey guys!

So we [Benevolent] are getting ready to start tracking the new album, the final collection of songs going into the production is a fine mix of hard-hitting, melancholy, and progressive songs with lots of chugging and shimmering melodies; I CAN’T WAIT!

Basically, what’s going to happen is we’re going to get on with tracking down the bass to scratch MIDI drums. I really can’t wait to get down to designing the bass tone and getting on with tracking things up, I think the guys are gonna rip through this album and it’s going to be a very fun experience.

I am pretty sure we’re going to be experimenting with some of the song structure when need be, in addition to adding up some more enticing layers than there already is. It’s a whole lot like cooking, you’ve gotta have the right ingredients in there, but even with the right ingredients there has to be a control as to not have that stuff on there with an overload.

We’re going to start with the song with the working title of PODISBACK, which actually is probably my favorite song on the record right now. It’s as heavy as Chuck Norris’s beard and has a very cool overall drive with lots of textures and an interesting dreamy selection of sounds.

So yea, we start with tracking the bass, and then get on with doing guitars; while simultaneously working on the preproduction work for the vocal bits. It’s exciting, we’re nervous and excited!

STAY TUNED!!!!

Hadi

[PRESS RELEASE] Benevolent: "We are wrapping up the writing process for our debut full length"

Benevolent’s co-founder (guitarist/co-vocalist) Hadi Sarieddine has confirmed that the band is nearing the end of the writing and preproduction process for the debut full length album, which is the follow up to the highly toutedDivided EP (2010) which saw the band take the Middle East metal scene by storm, leading the Lebanese-founded metal band into the signing with Spellbind Records alongside Middle East metal icons Nervecell.

Hadi describes the material as “dramatic, technical, uneasy, and progressive” stating that the album is a step up from the bands’ previous work and pushes the band’s limits and boundaries ahead.

“This album’s definitely a fine blend of lots of dramatic moments, the songs are heavier than before and I think it’s an honest attempt at pushing our artistic limits further”

In talk about the songs in the album, Hadi had this to say

“The songs are longer, the soundscapes and textural backgrounds are there and there’s a whole new tuning on the album…I think there’s only one or two songs that share the tunings used on Divided EP and I’ve taken that as a conscious decision, I wanted to explore writing riffs in different tunings…it felt like uncharted territory for me and that definitely got the creative juices flowing!”

The band will record the debut untitled full-length with Sajid ‘Sarj’ Masood who worked with the band on Divided EP and has been repeatedly cited as one of the main factors that allowed the band’s sound to be experienced in the manner that it did. Though the band has not set a date as to when the recording of the album will start, the album is expected to be out in stores through the spring of 2012.

Benevolent had previously announced the release of a single in 2011 prior to the end of the year, however, this had been changed and confirmed by Fadi (band’s co-founder and lead vocalist) that the song intended as a single will indeed be featured on the full length instead.

“We had a song planned for release as a single through Q4 of 2011 and though we haven’t released that song yet it will SURELY be featured on the debut full-length, it’s one of our favorite songs!”

On a final note, Hadi has been blogging on the progress with regards to the Benevolent album in addition to other things such as songwriting and production methodologies, do check out the blog at hadibenevolent.blogspot.com to keep up with all the updates!

Interview on Metal Music Production - Talking Divided EP's production

Hey guys!

Here's a really extensive interview talking about the production process of Divided EP with lots of info on gear and what not! It's pretty cool!

http://metalmusicproduction.com/?p=162

Cheers,
Hadi

Enjoyable Music & Inspirational Music: Are they the same?

I’ve been analyzing the patterns in which I listen to music and how different genres/styles make me feel during and after. My self-analysis of listening patterns has made me realize that I tend to categorize music into two main sections:

1. Enjoyable: Music that I listen to just for what it is, enjoy it, sing along, unwind to!

2. Inspirational: Music that acts as the catalyst to a complex chemical reaction eventually leading to anxiousness and self-inflicted violence if I don’t grab a Guitar, plug into Logic, load up Superior Drummer, and get to work!

So, what sets apart the two categories?

I guess that there are certain genres and styles that I listen to that don’t start a fire on the creative side of my brain, just for the sake of unwinding and to really capture the absolute listening experience that the song was intended to disperse (for example: acoustic rock, radio hits, etc). With such genres I find myself just at ease while listening, good music for driving, walking, post-work hours unwinding time; you know? Just music for the fun of it!

On the other end of the spectrum are genres and bands that, when I am listening to, give me a sensation of being injected with some sort of a substance that leaves me in a state where I just need to get a hold of a guitar right that second and start working on new song ideas. It’s an instantaneous sensation; actually, I don’t really go through an entire discography of a band to have to get the creative goggles on.

To be fair, there always is as cross-over period of time where the Enjoyable songs spark an inspiration and other times (lots of times) where the Inspirational songs are just being tuned to strictly for the fun of listening to them. I guess it also depends on what time of the year it is, am I working on new material at the time when I’m tuning in to the Inspirational songs? Am I opening doors for inspirational ideas to be absorbed?

The truth is, if you’re ever inspired about and toward something, you can never turn that inspiration on and even if you’re unaware that an absorption is taking place your senses may very well be soaking up a little of all the things that you are exposed to, be it music, art, movies, something you read, or whatever it may that triggers your senses.

Finally, here’s a list of bands that to me belong to each of the afore-mentioned categories. (Note that INSPIRATIONAL bands are REALLY ENJOYABLE too!)

ENJOYABLE	INSPIRATIONAL
Spock’s Beard Transatlantic Neal Morse Evanescence Adele Coldplay Woods of Ypres A Perfect Circle Muse Metallica Maroon 5 Katatonia* Kamelot Creed Alter Bridge* Linkin Park* Breaking Benjamin* Guns N Roses …LIST GOES ON…	Meshuggah Dream Theater Scar Symmetry Opeth Symphony X Lamb of God Stealing Axion Linkin Park* Killswitch Engage Katatonia* Metallica Fear Factory Deftones Alter Bridge* Breaking Benjamin* Porcupine Tree …LIST GOES ON…

*indicates bands that are on both sides 

Talk soon!

Hadi

My Method and Approach to Polyrhythms

Explaining Benevolent’s songs ‘Purgatory’ & ‘The Quantum Paradox’ 

So I wanted to write his one up for a while, the songs ‘Purgatory’ and ‘The Quantum Paradox’ off of Benevolent’s debut EP ‘Divided’ have a few of my favorite moments to play live, and those are the polyrhythmic bits where there’s an oscillation of two beats on top of each other (which is what a polyrhythmic beat is) and resolving together towards the end of the overall pattern. 

So let’s start with the basics, what does the term polyrhythm mean? 


A polyrhythm is when you have more than one rhythm on top of each other being played simultaneously. Though lots of instruments can contribute to a polyrhythm, the drums are what really set it apart and put it to the groove. Commonly in metal, you’d find drummers following the guitar pattern with the kick drum, that oscillating around straightforward cymbal work and with the snares sitting on regular 4/4 patterns. 

Let’s get into how those this was utilized in the songs PURGATORY and THE QUANTUM PARADOX; 

Purgatory 


The song Purgatory’s polyrhythm section takes place at 00:27, and is based on a very simple pattern in 10/16 (or 5/8) looping (or oscillating) over a 4/4 measure. The pattern is as follows: 

Notes explanation:

TWO 16th – ONE 16th REST – TWO 16th – ONE 16th REST – THREE 16th – ONE 16th REST

In simple, 2/2/3 (add a rest in between each note)

TIP:

How did I know it is a 10/16?

SIMPLE: We’re playing 16th notes over bpm 160. SO let’s count the number of notes based on that little breakdown I added up:

2 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 3 + 1 = 10

As you can see, the pattern on takes up 10/16 of a 4/4 beat.

So, what creates that cool groovy poly sound?

It’s pretty simple, in a complicated way; basically if the drums were playing a 5/8 beat over the 5/8 pattern then the entire band would be doing the same exact rhythm and that is no longer considered a polyrhythm. The simple fact that the drummer is entertaining a 4/4 feel to the rhythm is exactly what is creating this cool groove, is the rotation of the pattern around the simple 4/4 feel that’s giving it that really interesting mathematical sound.

Note that the pattern is broken up and both drums and guitars are in a synchronized rhythm at the 3rd beat of the 8th bar.

The entire pattern:

The Quantum Paradox

The polyrhythm in the song The Quantum Paradox takes place at 01:26, this one’s based on a little more complicated pattern (And a longer one); pattern is:


Notes Explanation:

THREE 16TH NOTES + ONE 16TH REST + TWO 16TH NOTES + ONE 16TH REST + TWO 16TH NOTES + ONE 16TH REST + FIVE 16TH NOTES + ONE 16TH REST + TWO 16TH NOTES + ONE 16TH REST + TWO 16TH NOTES + ONE 16TH REST

In simple, 3/2/2/5/2/2 (add a rest in between each note)

As you can see, this pattern is in 11/8 (or 22/16).

TIP:

How did I know it is a 22/16?

SIMPLE: We’re playing 16th notes over bpm 160. SO let’s count the number of notes based on that little breakdown I added up:

3 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 5 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 1 = 22

The pattern of 22/16 is, just as in Purgatory, looping and revolving around a 4/4 beat with the cymbals and snares falling exactly where an average-Joe beat would be like!

As explained in the Purgatory example, the oscillation of the two rhythms over each other is resulting in a very interesting mathematical groove.

Note that the pattern is broken and a “resolving” riff is introduced at the 8th bar as to give an indication of the end of this section and the beginning of the next in a more audible sense. (This is good news for us live as well since it allows us to be able to feel when to switch to the next bit together without the need of an accountant on stage) 

The entire pattern:

So, yea

Finally, I hope that this was a helpful little lesson! Hit me up if you’ve got any questions or comments!

I’ll do another piece in the near future on where you can draw inspiration for interesting polyrhythm ideas without overdoing the same feel or repeating your good old ideas.

Hadi

What Inspires You?

Hey guys,

I think one of the most important things about being an artist/musician is knowing what triggers your creative juices and makes you want to unleash some awesome wrath (In case of metal heads) to the universe (Also known as the internet!).

It really is all about being inspired and getting that urge to create something new. This NEW something could be picking up certain vibes that a song reverberates, a feel that a movie gives, or a story that you come across. The very interesting thing about inspiration and using that drive to create new ideas is that the perception in which we enjoy music/other forms of art and the way they move us is different from one person to the other. When two different people look at the same painting, they both may admire it and even get inspired by it BUT that doesn’t mean that they are looking at the very same parts of the paintings, or that they have been moved in the same direction by the art.

I met a jazz musician back in 2006, I was talking scales, modes, and jazz movements with him trying to get some questions answered from a true pro, and he said something that has changed my view towards the concept of inspiration up until this very day; he said “I’ve created my original style of playing and composing by trying to copy my favorite musicians”. Once I’ve placed that sentence in terms of technique, playing style, compositional style, production, and overall sound, it all just made sense because when you’re feeding off the inspiration of your favorite musicians/artists/authors/etc is when the true genius in you comes out.

So what inspires ME personally?

Here’s what gets my creative juices flowing (with specific examples):

1.       Live concert videos

I wrote the song “Haunting Shores” immediately after watching Arch Enemy’s “Tyrant of the Rising Sun” concert DVD. I just couldn’t not write music after watching such an intense, intricate, and raw live performance.

2.       Performing live / Going to live shows

Watching Zygnema’s live set at Metal Asylum Festival 2011, and performing up on stage just got me so inspired. I remember going to bed at 5 am after the show and waking up at 8 am, starting up my laptop and getting right to writing a new song! Hats off to all the other bands from the show!

3.       Behind the scenes footage of bands (preparing for shows / on the road / etc)

I guess this just boils down to seeing the vibe and psych that bands are in once on the road and with their game faces on.

4.       Drums playthroughs

Watching videos of really technical and groovy drummers on YouTube really just sets me into the groove to riff up some ideas! A lot of the times when I write music it all just starts with the drum beat, whether it is a fast beat, a triplet gallop one, or a polyrhythm, the drums are usually the first to be placed into the DAW

5.       Horror movies

Due to the fact that I enjoy working with so much background textures and haunting sound effects, horror movies really do set me in the right direction for that!

6.       Guitar playthroughs

This one is pretty basic since I’m a guitarist mainly. Though I find myself uninspired by virtuoso playing (Though I truly appreciate virtuoso players and have been driven by them through my years of playing), due to several reasons, I am more into watching videos of songs with very interesting structures and rhythmic phrases, that stuff is unreal!

Alright folks, I’m off for now! More yapping soon!

Hadi