mind over metal book

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Edited by Kate Westin.

2008 Scott Von HeldtAll rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-557-02384-4


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In honor of all that have spread truth,

dedicated to all that seek it,

may peace and harmony be with you

along the pathway

of your journey!


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Pac

Welcome riend, to a journey that I hope will last the rest oyour lie, a quest that will drive your inner spirit to command everyessence o your being to work or the purpose o your deepest innerdesires. To give you a place to start, let me tell you how I came toembark upon this quest that has changed my lie and compelled meto write this book.

I guess it all really started when I was about eight years oldand my cousin took me to see Star Wars. I was so intrigued by theconcept o The Force that I reused to let go o the notion that it(or something like it) did, indeed, exist outside o the ctional story.I was, at this age, very intent on becoming a great warrior o somesort, and one that would ght to express this great energy o theUniverse.

Around the same time, I became a young budding musician,starting rst with piano, then trombone and over to the drums, andnally discovered my real git was or the guitara much moresuitable weapon or a young warrior. I immediately immersedmysel headrst -in the instrument and literally spent days perectinga single technique or phrase. I would learn the most impressivetechniques rom each o my avorite players and then try to writemy own material inusing all the various tricks in an eort to know

everything there is to know about the guitar. Well, I think this iswhere I got a little sidetracked.

At this point in my lie, I had decided, with all absolution, thatI was going to dedicate the rest o my lie to playing music andwriting my own original material. The element I was missing wassel control. See, I had the passion o Joe Satriani, the over-the-edgecreativity o Steve Vai, and the speed o Yngwie Malmsteen, but mywork had no true direction. I would write something trying my best towrite like someone else, or I would write about a popular topic that


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I had no real emotional ties to, and what would soon ollow was aeeling o emptiness that crept its way into my heart. I always thoughtto mysel, But I have what it takes to make it big, and my songs areway better than that guys. But, you see, I was looking outwardtond other sources or my inspiration, all the while driting artheraway rom my own innersel-expressive nature.

This, my riend, is the pitall I hope to help you avoid by sharing

my lie experiences and the knowledge to which they have led me.Music is an art and the truest orm o personal sel-expression, butbeore you can truly express yoursel, you must look deep insideto discover who you really are and work as hard as you can tocultivate that person.

Mind Over Metalis a philosophical approach to music that

I began to develop a ew years ago when I discovered that TheForce I believed in really does exist. Although its written romthe perspective o a heavy metal musician, the concepts andspiritual truths that lie within can be applied to anystyle o music orinstrument.

In 1995, I was introduced to the art o Aikido and theconcept o Kior Chienergy. I immediately began to study all the

philosophical avenues o Aikido and every other style o martial artsthat injected the concept o channeling this internal energy. As wouldmost people stepping into the world o the martial arts, I started tostudy the works o the late Bruce Lee and soon began training inhis art o Jeet Kune Do. This art stresses ormlessness in an eort toadapt to all orms, to have no style but learning skills rom severaldierent styles, yielding personal growth and strengthening the willo the human spirit. It also stresses the importance o letting go andallowing your intuitive nature to take control. Because o my trainingexperience, I now look at my approach to music in an entirelydierent light.


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On the spiritual side o my upbringing, I was raised in aChristian home, and was also taught by my grandather many othe great Native American traditions o the Cherokee and ChoctawIndians. Ater many years o studying several dierent spiritualconcepts and belies, including Taoism, Zen, Psychic, and New Agepractices, I was introduced to the Su message o Hazrat InayatKhan, a great mystical teacher who promoted oneness and theidea o nding ones own note within the music o lie. I have since

continued to study and practice the traditions o the Su Path, andrecently have begun my training to become a healer.

The knowledge and wisdom o the great Mystics and Saintsrom ALL cultures and walks o lie have been passed down thegenerations by so many dierent channels o communication. Itis my hope to oer a glimpse into the vast and tremendous world

that awaits you when you start to look within and discover exactlywho you are and what your individual talents can oer this ever-expanding Universe.


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The idea stemmed rom my interest in the study o internalenergy, known as Chi(Chinese) or Ki(Japanese). I had always elt aspiritual connection with music. I elt I was given a specic vision owhat I was to contribute to the world o music and entertainment andbegan to embark on a journey to be a metal master, so to speak.It was then that I began to study a lot o dierent material on sel-discovery and internal power.

A ew years ago, my journey began to unlock a much deeperdimension in my music, and I reached a level where I elt I hadbecome one with my art. As a band (Kurai), we had achieveda oneness in our music that changed our sound and the attitudeo our approach orever. It was then that I really elt a duty to takemy understanding o art as a tool o expression to a much higherlevel. I have dedicated many years since then to exploring my

own limitations by way o studying music, mysticism, meditation,philosophy, and training in the martial arts, and have ound aconnection between the power that music has given me and thepower I have discovered within mysel. It is due to the prooundeeling o enlightenment I received rom these next ew years alongthe path that have compelled me to share with you the ideas inthis book.

There is a primal essence and power in heavy metal music thatis unparalleled by any other style o music today. When you connectthe true essence o your own primal voice with the creative powerso the mind, you become not only a master o your art, but also amaster o your LIFE! This book is meant to explain that connection. Iam, in no way at all, trying to instill in your mind that my methods orconcept o music or spirituality are the way. Everyone has to ndhis or her own path to travel where they can be themselves, and thatis my hope or you. I oer to you Mind Over Metaluse it wisely,and become your own musical master!


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Chapter I

Sii Lit t Da AsThe History and Evolution o Metal

Throughout time, music hasbeen an ever-changing, evolvingart orm. It has embraced andexpressed the cultural and lie

views o many tribes and nations,and the world views and beliesthat make them unique. Fromthe very beginning o creation,music and sound have playedan important role in molding andshaping the voice and expressiono basic human and animalistic

communication.

Sound is one o the rst senses that helped us develop ourconcept o the environment and the world around. We distinguish thedierent vibrational impulses that we perceive rom the very momentwe are born. Sound is vibration and vibration is lie. Sound itselis living, and when we look at how sound reaches us in everyday

surroundings and, urthermore, how it has been implementedinto music, we realize that all lie is music and music is lie itselexpressed!

There are many theories as to how lie was ormed or created,all o which involve sound and vibration. Take, or instance, thebig bang theory o evolution; there was supposedly a spontaneousexplosion o energy, which vibrated throughout the universe, movingparticles o matter into a creative lie-bringing motion. Then there is


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the theory o creation, which is a creative breath o lie breathed intothe dust o the earth, creating man and the rib o man that gave lieto woman. Whatever your personal view or belie o lies humblebeginnings, one truth remains evident throughout: lie is born ovibration.

All vibration carries within it a requency o sound. Somevibrations are inaudible, but many are detectable by the human ear.

I you look at the insect and animal world, you see many exampleso the living vibration o sound.

All people carry their own requency o vibration, andthis requency resonates throughout our bodies and touches ussomewhere deep within. This is why each o us is drawn to aparticular sound and style o music, and why what brings satisactionto one persons ear may be pure racket to anothers.

Here we see a visualrepresentation o soundin the orm o a wave.As changes in pitch

and volume occur, thevibrations increase anddecrease, orming aninvisible wave that wehear as sound.


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It is the state of vibrations to which man is tunedthat accounts for his souls note.

Hazrat Inayat Khan

So, with this in mind, lets think or a moment about what draws

many o us to be moved and uplited by the erocious and soniconslaught o heavy metal. For many, its the release o a ranticenergy that we build up inside o us; or others, its the raw powerand passion behind the music. Metal has oten taken a great deal ocriticism or its dark and largely misunderstood lyrical content, but, inact, metal has long been one o the deepest and most spirituallyupliting orms o art and has touched the hearts and minds omillions worldwide.

Otentimes, metal is credited or having parallel roots toclassical music, because no other subsequent style has displayedas much orm, phrasing, and dynamics the way metal has. Classicmetal masterpieces such as Metallicas Master o Puppets wereeven written with authentic classical arrangement ormats in mind(in the case o Master o Puppets, it was sonata allegro orm), so

its no great mystery why heavy metal music has made such a hugeimpact and continues to be a dominant orce in the music industry.

Yet, there is a great mysterious element to metal music. Therehas always been a deep mystical element present in its sound andpresentation, and some o the greatest philosophical questionsand concepts have been poetically expressed through this art. It isthis mystical element beneath the music that is the realconnection

between the music and the listener, and the driving orce that drawsus to an experience with each listen.


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There is no denying that metal has long been an art orm hell-bent on delivering the purest expressions o the soul, whether itsthe spiritual and mathematical concepts presented in progressivemetal, the incantations and mythic chants o black and gothic metal,or the ever-pervading questions and commentary o lie and deathexpressed in death metal.

Over the past three or our decades, heavy music has seen many

dierent levels o evolution. In the mid 1960s, there was a big infuxo blues-based rock bands hailing rom the U.K., many o whichwere developing stylistic elements like loud distorted guitars, powerchords, and up-tempo rhythms that would later become the hallmarkso heavy metal music. Artists such as The Kinks and The Who startedexperimenting with eedback and created the now inamous wallo amps that paved the way or a new level o intensity in rock and

roll. By the late 60s, songs like Steppenwols Born to Be Wildand Iron Butterfys In-A-Gadda-Da-Vidda introduced rock radio toa beeer sound and lengthier song ormat. In 1969, the world wasintroduced to Led Zeppelin, who have come to be one o the mostinfuential bands o all time, especially among metal artists.

The 70s kicked right in with the emergence o Black Sabbathand Deep Purple, two bands that have long been hailed as the

originators o heavy metal. In the mid-70s, metal was in ull swing,with bands like AC/DC and Judas Priest hitting the scene ollowedby the New Wave o British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) that gaveus bands like Iron Maiden and Motorhead, among many others.By the late 70s, a new crop o rising stars such as KISS and AliceCooper emerged that created a larger-than-lie theatrical element,including stage makeup, that would lead the way or the dramaticmusic o the 1980s.


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The SIgn o The hornS

Also known in Italian as corna or, mano cornuta,the sign o the horns has oten been mistaken asa demonic symbol relating to satanic music. It is,however, identical to the Karana Mudra o Easternreligions used to ward o evil. Ronnie James Diolater popularized it when he was a member o BlackSabbath. It lives on as a symbolic statement o rock

n roll, particularly among heavy metal and hardrock bands.

In the early 1980s, a whole new conglomeration o youngrockers, such as Ratt, Motley Crue, Quiet Riot, and Van Halen,dominated L.A.s amous Sunset Strip, MTV, and radio waveswith their glam-rock imagery, technically procient musical skills,

and anthemic vocal melodies. Also rising in the mid-80s was anunderground insurgence o thrash metala meaner and aster soundthat gave us legendary bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, andAnthrax. By the late 80s, heavy metal was in ull eect and takingthe world by storm!

By 1990, metal was growing, expanding, and branching o intonumerous sub-genres. Floridas Chuck Schuldiner opened the dooror a more grim and morbid musical genre with his band Death,and was later recognized as the ather o death metal. Bands likeQueensryche, Fates Warning, Dream Theater, and Tool led the packin the evolution o progressive metal. Yngwie Malmsteen paved theway or the neo-classical shredder movement, and later bands likePantera (eaturing the late guitarist Dimebag Darrell) would carry thetorch or a whole new generation o shred-heads!


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From the mid-90s to the early 2000s, metal continued totake on new orms and intense progression with bands like WhiteZombie, Marilyn Manson, and Slipknot. They took imagery andshock to new heights alongside a rising crop o nu-metal bands likeKorn, Limp Bizkit, and Linkin Park, which inused hip-hop and DJinfuences with a down-tuned heavy edge.

Moving rom the year 2000 to the present day, metal music

retains a strong presence in emerging bands like Opeth, Gojira,and Lamb o God, and has never lost that underlying mysticalelement that draws in listeners or a truly transormative listeningexperience! Looking at the past progression o this art, we can nowenvision our own evolution and transormation as metal musiciansand draw infuence rom the wealth o talent that has led us to wherewe are today.

In the pages that ollow, you will learn how to attune yourselwith your own vibrational requency, inuse your music with depthand power, and become a TRUE metal master!


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Chapter II

Mid CtlUnlocking the Power o the Mind

Lets start o by exploring the mind. Most o us have a dual

conception o the word mind: rst, we think o the mind as thebrain, and second, we think o the mind as our conscious sel.Looking at the brain, we must look at what the brain consists o.We have two separate hemispheres o independent unction. Oneside is analytical and the other creative, both dwelling within onemass o tissue. Inside this tissue is the presence o energy, which isemitting electrical impulses throughout the bodys nervous system.So the brain essentially consists o energy that vibrates at certain

requencies and connects to every cell o the body.


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The conscious sel is the experiential side o the mind. What weknow in our mind is what we have experienced or been exposed toin some orm or another. The eelings and emotions we experiencein lie trigger the same electrical impulse at the thought o reliving theemotion once more. Whether it is misery or ecstasy, once a eeling

has been experienced, it only takes a thought to bring it back. Themind is the instrument upon which every note o experience has beenplayed. Every vibration o light, sound, and sense that you haveeither experienced or envisioned has been recorded in this space werecognize as the mind.

BrAIn heMISPhereS

Lt

Logic

Sequences

Language

Creativity

Images

Music

rit


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We now have a very brie concept o what the mind is in itscompleteness. Knowing that all the eelings you have experienced,both good and bad, have been recorded in your head and canbe played back automatically, lets look at the main unctions othe brain as it relates to your creativity. Your mind takes in images,sounds, smells, eelings, and deep impressions rom an enormousamount o incoming experience. Music, people, nature, artwhatever the medium or output, your mind receives plentyo input!

And rom this we orm thoughts in our mind. Every thought takes ona lie o its own, because thoughts are something we create, andthis creative energy becomes a powerul vibration that can maniestinto reality. Lets use the example o music: you hear a song and itawakens a eeling, and that eeling makes an impression upon you,and that impression becomes a thought; and as that creative energybuilds, you can either sit on that thought and internalize it or take

action and express it, breathing LIFE into it!

To interject a scientic perspective on how sound vibrationsare refected in the mind, take a look at the diagram on the nextpage, which shows the level o brain activity brought on by bothvisual and auditory stimulation. We see that visual stimulationinduces brain activity in a concentrated area surrounding the eyesand pituitary gland, but auditory stimulation engages many areas

o the entire brain.


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With this in mind (no pun intended), there has to be arealization that your mind can inuse creativity with a thought. Thatthought can be brought to lie by expression. When expressing theuncomortable impressions that lie makes upon us, we have to beaware that the mind houses such a creative orce. The key, then, is tond a way to control ones thoughts and ocus on your TRUE desires.

This is what the masters reer to as mind control. I remember,as a young lad, starting to read ninja magik books and studying theconcepts o hypnotic mind control, and the truth o the matter is thatREAL mastery o the mind always reers to gaining complete control

Visual stimulation

Auditory stimulation


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over your OWN mind and harnessing that creative power to createyour own reality and ulll your purpose in lie. To gain control overyour thoughts, you have to recognize which impressions in lie areo value to you in your quest and determine whether they warrantspending your time and creative energies on giving it a secondthought! By seeing in your mind what you envision as the purestexpression o your true sel and igniting THAT impression, your visionbegins to ocus on the reality you wish to create.

We have been created individually to express our uniquequalities. The mind is fooded with everyday impressions o all kinds,so staying ocused on your individual expression is the challenge. Asan artist, your individuality is a git, and, in popular society, its allabout being able to conorm to the standards. When all we wantto do is express ourselves through our artistic passions, we tend to

take critique and criticism very much to heart.

Mind has a huge power over musical expression, but my goal isto help us separate the over-thinking element o the mind to makeroom or pure creative expression to charge orth.

Over thinking, over analyzing, separates the body from the mind.

Tool (Lateralis)

Although thinking is one o your most valuable tools in lie, it canbecome a barrier that may stunt your personal growth. Its importantthat you dont become lost in thought, because over-thinking canpull you arther away rom your intuition, and this is completelycounter-productive. Learn to control your emotions, surround your

true eelings with positive thinking, and stay ocused on the meansneeded to achieve your higher purpose.


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Let go let action draw rom the power o your positive thoughtsand give lie to your plan. Gloriy these new positive emotionsthat you will experience. Now that you have completed the circle,stand in the center o it, and let it be a staple that holds together themany pages o your personal growth. Lie is the spiral o spiritualachievement toward a level o awareness that will continue to movein either direction rom which it was motivated.

When you approach art with positive thinking and a strongpassion to be your best, you can develop your own levels o E.S.P.Now, the textbook denition o E.S.P. is extra sensory perception,but, in the artistic sense, I am reerring to it as extended senseperception. The dierence is that extended sense perceptionrecognizes that the ability to expand the senses already exists withinus; it is not ound, but ne-tuned. Thereore, when the senses are

ne-tuned and working or your greater good, your sense perceptionbecomes extended or rather expanded. Through dedication,practice, and the realization that the mind, body, and spirit all workin conjunction, you can see and eel abilities within yoursel that youwould never have dreamed possible.

Dont think... FEEL, This is what is known as emotional content.

Bruce Lee

The way to really master music is by letting go. Music is thevoice o your emotions; thereore, asking yoursel What do I wantto say? and answering by trying to pull that emotion out o yourinstrument is a hal hearted attempt to capture the true emotion youare trying to convey. Rather, one should answer the question What

am I trying to say? with the purest sense o honest emotion, whichcomes rom a non-thinking mind. I you keep rom mentally attachingyoursel to the thought o your message, you leave yoursel ree toeel the song, and that is what you are trying to say.


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In martial arts, the concept known as wu weior no mindis theidea o training your action to ollow thought, which then reachesa level o prociency in which the action happens all by itsel andthe thinking element is no longer needed to achieve the desiredoutcome.

There is an age-old story of two monks, a student and teacher, walking

towards their destination and discussing the vows they must adhere to on

the journey. One of these vows was that there be no contact with women.

As the men came to a shallow ravine, there was a woman there struggling

to make her way across it. The teacher set down his things, picked up the

woman, and carried her across to the other side of the ravine.The two men continued on their journey, and the young apprentice could

not stop thinking about how his teacher had betrayed his sacred vow by

carrying the woman through the water. Finally, the question burned so deep

in him that he asked his teacher to explain himself. The teacher replied to

him, saying, I left that woman by the side of the river an hour ago. Why

are you still carrying her? The teacher knew the appropriate thing to do, sohe lent a helping hand, and then did not dwell on it.


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Such is the case in any action where one desires to make achoice. When aced with an issue, most people dive deep intocontemplation, and sometimes worry or stress out. All that thinkingwill provide you with several options, but we are looking or theright option. By attempting to approach the situation with no mind,

youre let to eelyour truest eelings, and all your answers lietherein.

Learn to control your emotions, and they will become a greatasset to your lie. There is a amous quote rom Master Yoda in The

Empire Strikes Backthat has become a well-known mantra in manyschools o music, martial arts, and other processes o learning thatrequire practice: Do, or do notthere is no try.

For us as musicians, that means letting go o your thoughts andallowing the music to carry your action. Action ollows thought, andthought ollows emotion; thereore, be in control o your emotions.In other words, do not cling to emotions that do not have a positive

place in the achievement o your goals.

To visualize this more clearly, we can reer to the principle othe yin and yang, in which all individual paths are contained inone constant whole. From this idea we realize the need to detachourselves rom emotions that do not serve our higher purpose orallow us to express our vision in song. Out o emotion is bornthought, and out o thought is born action; that action, in turn,creates yet another emotion, continuing the cycle.

Do, or do notthere is no try.Master Yoda (The Empire Strikes Back)


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Through this, we can see that by entertaining a negative thought,or by continually vocalizing the lack o aith in ourselves and theworld about, we are actually breathing lie into that negative thoughtor simply making an issue out o something that is not reallyan issue.From this, we set the wheel o action in motion. That means no moresaying I suck when you make a mistake or nd yoursel in a slump!The more you knock yoursel down, the lower youll go, and all theprogress youve made so ar to raise yoursel up will be reversed!

Out o this action, a new emotion is experienced. The newemotion urther engraves those eelings o negativity into yourthoughts, and the cycle continues until negativity rapidly overcomes

your lie. Do you now see the monster you can create with negativethoughts or eelings? Follow what you eel, but only that which isimportant to the realyou and your purpose in lie. This will put you in

control o your art, and youll be well on your way to becoming themaster o your mind!


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Chapter III

Cji t SpiitAwakening the Spirit Within

There is a spirit ointensity in heavy metalmusic that most peopleequate with attitude oraggression, and althoughthe music is aggressive andmuch attitude is present, Ilike to think o it more ashaving spirit. You haveheard people talk about a

song as really embracingthe spirit o rock n roll, soequate that to awakening or (to sound a bit more dark andbrooding) conjuring the spirit o metal.

To awaken this musical beast within us, there are three basiccomponents to make up the one all-pervading spirit o metal. For thesake o creating a visual concept o three ideas that make up one

connective musical orce, I think o the Holy Trinity in which youhave the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost that, when combined,create the essence o God (or universal consciousness). So, letsthink o this as the Not-So-Holy Trinity o Metal. In our metaltrinity, we have Rhythm, Coordination, and Sel-expression. Thesethree combined musical components conjure the spirit o metal andawaken the Metal Gods to unleash the power o your musical beast.


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rtm

Rhythm is the basis of life, not steady forward progress.The forces of creation, destruction, and preservation have a whirling,

dynamic interaction.Kabbalah

Lets start with rhythm. One must establish ones own rhythm andattune that rhythm with the music o lie. Technically, we are speakingabout rhythm in terms o speed and time structure. More importantly,rhythm, in the purest sense, means the fow o the piece, or evenmore so the way YOU fow with the music and or musicians in anygiven situation. The rhythm o a song can change a thousand times,

but i your own personal rhythm is set and established, youll alwaysfow with the music.

Lets look deeper inside the concept o rhythm. It basically startswith a pulse or a heartbeat. And what is a pulse or heartbeat, but avibration? Everything starts with a vibration, and all living things areborn rom a vibration. The simplest example, to better understandthe concept o lie beginning with a vibration and establishing onesown rhythm, is the breath. Each breath gives o a vibration thatinuses LIFE into your body. That, in turn, pumps a beat through yourheart that sets the body in rhythm and harmonizes the senses. Byidentiying the pulse or vibration o our breath, we can connect withthe internal rhythm o the soul, and by disciplining ourselves urtherby controlling the breath, we can reach past the limits o our mindand nd a place o stillness where the music will fow eortlessly.


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There are all types o rhythm that have dierent eects ondierent people by way o the speed o the vibrations they produce.Its like someone passionate about opera who suddenly hears somePantera at ull volume; the eect would be beyond just a thought odistaste and more o a FEELING that transorms the vibrations into aeeling o discord.

Cdiati

Music is given to us with the sole purpose of establishingan order in things, including, and particularly, the coordination

between man and time.Igor Stravinsky

Coordination is the next component o our trinity. Coordination,as we see it here, has several open-ended meanings. Obviously, wehave coordination o the hands (or guitarists), the lungs anddiaphragm (or singers), and the overall coordination o ourtechnique, phrasing, and all other expressive tools. When playing ina group or even with just one other person, coordination is vitalbetween you and your musical counterpart. Most importantly, wehave to coordinate our musical ideas with our truest eort o sel-expression.

Lets examine this point or a minute rom another perspective.

When you look at your instrument, think o it as a tool o expressionand be mindul o the process. You learn a song, and then youcoordinate your memory with the movement o your hands and play


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that thought, eeling, or memory on your instrument. It is the tool thatconverts that thought, eeling, or memory into an audible essenceo your own inner being and your true expressive sel. Now think o

your whole body as the instrument, and tap into all o that energy,and all the vibrations o your attunement to your inner rhythm,and all o the oneness o your being, and imagine that resonatingthrough every pore o your body! YOU are the instrument!

From a modern perspective, i you were, in essence, a computer,then youd be the computer, the hardware, the sotware, theprogrammer, the network, the Bluetooth, and all that jazz wrappedinto ONE! To just simply view yoursel as just the player o theinstrument is severely selling yoursel short. So, the idea is to nd

your own rhythm and become attuned with that inner naturethencoordinate all your aculties to GIVE EVERY BIT YOUVE GOT! Ater

allits about expressing you and nding that place within whereyou no longer sing the song, but the song sings YOU!

Sl-expssi

If you copy, then it is not self-expression.Michael Schenker

The nal step in conjuring your metal spirit is sel-expression.Sel-expression means simply identiying who you really areand what you live your lie or, and then using all your talents,

knowledge, and intuitive eelings to convey allyour thoughts andeelings to others in the purest and honest sense. In most cases, byexpressing ourselves to others, we better ourselves and learn moreabout the people we are.


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Have you ever had a great show that you later listened to ontape or watched on video that blew you away because you had puton such a stellar perormance and then walked away eeling like

you really showed the audience this is me, and this is what I REALLYDO? This is what we live or: to identiy with who we are and ndsome way to be that person all the time regardless o other peoplesthoughts or opinions o us or our work. Or, perhaps, youve neverhad that killer gig, and you always eel you all short o your and

other peoples expectations o your abilities. I this is the case, youmay have lost sight o your purpose or reasoning or playing theinstrument.

Sel-expression has many aces and many names, and yet knowsno boundaries or limits. I you eel it, express itbut express it soothers experience the same eelings and emotions that brought the

song to you when you wrote it. Sel-expression is truly knowing thesel and expressing it.

When my riends and students ask me how long I practice eachday, I say, all day, everyday, meaning that everything in my liewill eventually be brought out through my music. Or, rather, myknowledge o lies experiences will, at some point, be expressed inmy music. I also tell people that, when I was 17 to 19, I practiced

6 to 8 hours a day, and sometimes would play rom morning to lateevening only stopping to eat and take care o all necessary bodilywaste disposal.


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These days, with all o lies responsibilities, its not so easy tot in a solid six to eight hours o physical practice; but now, with aclearer understanding o the power o sel-expression, I practice withthe concept o practicing like a warrior preparing or battle. This ismy training, and your dedication to training leads to an even morepowerul level o understanding o yoursel and what your musicreally means to you.

Two hours o pure, honest, sel-expressive practice is really muchmore valuable to your growth as a musician and artist than spendingeight hours hal-heartedly practicing the same scale patterns overand over at ten dierent speeds. This is not to say that the mechanicso music mean nothing; it just means that being expressive is moreimportant than mechanical. Playing expressively will only urtherenhance your mechanical abilities.

Now that you have explored the three components o the MetalTrinity, you have awakened the Gods o Metal and have been giventhe power to unleash the beast within. Go orth and conquer!


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Chapter IV

T Wai WitiEmbracing Your Individuality

What is sel-discovery? The nameimplies a journey or aquest that will end in thending o a personaltreasure buried deepwithin onesel. This isesoterically correct, assel-discovery becomesa journey and the jewels

we unearth do comerom within. So otenthough, our tendencyis to get stuck on theconcept o the journey,always seeking anothermap leading to thetreasure, ready to cast

o or shores beyondthe arthest horizonsin search o it. But sel-

discovery really simply means sel-realization, and to nd it, youneed look no urther than yoursel. It is the realization o who youare and or what reason you were given this talent and desire toexpress that which you are.

A Sioux Warrior


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We have all been uniquely created and each embody our ownessences, strengths, and weaknesses. The realization o the natureo our own uniqueness leads us to a uller understanding o sel.In the realization that we are all created so that we may expressour individual uniqueness, we come to appreciate the uniquequalities o others, thereby creating more harmony in our lives. Itis by each individuals expression o his or her own being that thewhole creative orce o lie maniests itsel in this world. Without the

expression o your own individual spark, the re o your desires willnever burn and our world would become cold and stagnate.

He who knows others is learned; He who knows himself is wise.Lao-Tsu (Tao te Ching)

Lie is blessed with variety, and each o us is moved to actionby a dierent means than is someone else. This is how the greatsymphony o lie is composed. Each o us carries our one pitch, orour own note, and we are strung together in a harmonious balance,

our note becoming an integral part o the music o lie. We wouldnot be graced with so many wonderully unique genres o musichad it not been or someone taking a chance to express an idea byputting his or her own spin on that which had brought inspirationto them. So, it is by this expression o individuality that the creativeenergy o our world expands.


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Sl ralizati

After Self-Realization, one does not regard any other gainsuperior to Self-Realization.

Bhagavad Gita

Another point o view to consider when examining the idea osel-realization is to pick apart the words and dissect their meaning.Sel is a word used to describe our own individualism or whatwe recognize as our own being. Generally, our view consists onlyo that which we can experience, such as the legs we stand on,the hands we write with, and the eyes with which we see. So we

recognize these individual parts as one whole SELF. As you begin toexplore this notion o sel urther, you take note o your connection toa greater oneness, or a higher sel, as it is oten reerred to. Thiseeling o connection leads to a realization and a broadening o

your conception o the real meaning o sel.

Realization is the awakening o a certain level ounderstanding in which something that had been unclear hasrevealed its secret, and the mystery behind it has been exposed.It is the act o knowing what is real and aligning ones vision witheach new truth as it is unveiled. So, in essence, one could say SELF-realization is looking at lie through the REAL EYES o the sel! Bynding that deeper connectivity to the creative essence that makesyou a unique individual, you will give your lie and your art a newpurpose and a desire to express it by simply living up to the highest

conception you have o yoursel.


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So, how do you go about realizing your own sel? It beginsby studying your own nature, such as your habits, your ideas, yourdreams, and desires, by clearly understanding what you wish toachieve, and identiying the habits you have adopted that keep yourom reaching that goal. With this understanding, we can re-sculptour lives to express who we really are.

Dont compromise yourself. You are all youve got.Janis Joplin

To ully express yoursel, you have to know yoursel.Unortunately, most people identiy themselves as how they areperceived by others. We have become so consumed with ourappearance to others that we take drastic measures to appear as weassume others wish us to appear. By viewing yoursel through theeyes o others, you become detached rom your intuitive voice that iscalling out or you to ully express the majesty o your being.

This is an art orm by which we cultivate our individuality, so topunish yoursel or not living up to someone elses expectations orraising your own expectations to please someone else is completely

counter-productive. You may as well put down the guitar and walk inthe other direction, because thats literally what you would be doingto yourselwalking in a completely dierent direction than the real

you wants to go. By learning to control your thoughts and ocusonly on that which will aid in the ulllment o your purpose, you willtune your mind, body, and spirit to the requency o your divine sel.


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The really valuable thing in the pageant of human life seems tome not the state but the creative, sentient individual, the personality;

it alone creates the noble and the sublime.Albert Einstein

Sel-discovery is also a process o cultivation, which is the samething we are doing as musicians every time we practice. We arecultivating our creative expression and perecting the techniquesto perorm them in a way that will project that creative expressionthrough our art. This is the ultimate aim o a martial artist as well, solets take a moment to compare these two orms o artistry.

In martial arts, there is a warrior mentality present. Thatmentality is to be aware o your opponent and to be prepared tointercept the energy o their attack and counteract it in a way that

you use its orce against them. It is the same with music; you canlearn to graceully use the energy o each musical technique tocreate your perect masterpiece.

Through your experience as an artist, expressing yoursel beginswith knowing yoursel. Through this process o sel-discovery, you willunlock hidden potential within you that will be transmitted through

your art, inusing it with a great power and presence.


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Chapter V

T Alcm AtistTransorming Your Rock into Metal

These are some o the manyalchemical symbols associatedwith the base metals and mineralsthat were used in combination tocreate a ormula or transormation.

Alchemy has been described as many things throughout theages. It has been associated mostly with the transormation o baseminerals and metals into gold. But alchemy has also been viewed asa philosophy, mapping out the ability or one to transorm ones lieby connecting to the transormative elements o the Universe.

Alchemy is the art of manipulating life and consciousness in

matter, to help it evolve, or to solve problems of inner disharmonies.Jean Dubuis


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Much can be written about alchemy in relation to music, or ithas long been a part o philosophies like Shamanism, Healing,Spirituality, Eastern Philosophies, and others. There are so manystudies about the chakras, elements, soleggio requencies, andmusic and sound therapy that the resources are limitless. Myintention is to give you a slight glimpse o how sound, vibrations,and energy all carry a power within them. When amplied by ourmusical expression, this power can transormour livesand have a

deep and meaningul impact on all who listen.

Music has a proound physical eect on the mind and body othe listener. We oten eel moved and emotionally stirred or chargedby a particular sound or melody. Whether its the hard-edge rhythmwe bang our heads to, the aggressive tempos we stir up mosh pitswith, or the searing melodies that put us in a trance-like state, heavy

metal has many prime examples o how music moves the listener.

On a deeper level, music has a metaphysical eect on the body.This eect is carried to us and through us by the requencies andvibrations o sound. They are then transmitted throughout our bodiesby the electrical impulses that aect various areas o our nervoussystem, and a chemical reaction to these impulses then drives themomentum o our physical reaction to the sound.

Through pride, we are ever deceiving ourselves. But deep downbelow the surface of the average conscience a still, small voice says to

us, something is out of tune.Carl Jung


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Whether its due to a harsh sound, something that sounds oto us, or just a vibe we get, sometimes it is very apparent that we areout o tune with our current surroundings or situation. This is easilyexplained by understanding how certain requencies o sound andvibration aect dierent areas o the body and build either a tensionor create a release in our minds.

Ti t S e Cts

The metaphysical body, or our underlying spiritual essence,is comprised o seven energy centers that are oten reerred to aschakras. These seven chakras are located at dierent points romthe top o the head and moving down the spine to the base. Eachchakra aects a dierent physical or emotional aspect o the body.Each chakra is also aected by a dierent note in the musical scale.Also, as the chakras connect through their respective vibrations,a channel o creative energy is created. This channel o creativeenergy houses the particular physical regions o the body thatexperience the eects o harmony, melody, and rhythm.

The rst area o the creative energy channel eels the eects oharmony. It begins with the crown chakra at the top o the head,which resonates with the note B. This is ollowed by the brow chakra,which resonates with A, and the throat chakra, which resonates withG. Metaphysically speaking, these three notes have an eect on thespiritual aspect o the individual. The last note along the harmonychannel o creative energy is the heart chakra, which resonates withthe note F and aects both mental and spiritual aspects.


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MeTAPhySICAL eLeMenTS o MuSIC

Msicl elmCi ec

C acd Mpsiclec


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ChAkrAS & TonAL PoInTS o The SPInAL CorD

Cs &tl Cc Pis

ts tac Pis


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T i elmts

The law o the ve elements has long been a huge parto martial arts, philosophy, mystical and alchemical practices,and many areas o the healing arts and Eastern medicine. Byunderstanding the properties o each element we can unlock thenature o its power. We can then explore the idea o this power and

use it as a strategy, or we can conceptualize an expression o itsenergy.

There are many dierent interpretations o the ve elementsand their meanings, and they vary rom culture to culture and byapplication. In my studies, I have ound that the Japanese names othe ve elements and the path o their natural and destructive cyclesto be the most in tune with how they apply to music. These elements

are Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. Many times you will seeEtheror Airas one o the ve elements, usually in place o Wood,but I like to think o Airas the invisible sixth element that binds themain ve together.


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Each element has its place in a natural and destructive cycle olie. For example, in a natural cycle, Fireburns Woodand createsash that becomes part o the Earth. The ash gives nutrients to theEarth, which produces Metalin the orm o minerals and ore. TheWaterthat is present in the Earth and acquired rom rainall mixeswith these minerals to give nutrients to plants, and the cycle beginsanew. In a destructive cycle, you see how one element overpowersanother. For instance, Firecan melt Metal, and Metalcan pierce

through Wood, and Woodcan grow up rom and break through theEarth, and the Earth can absorb Water, and Watercan put out Fire.We can see how understanding the nature o these elements cangive us insight into other areas o lie.

Aside rom the cycles o these elements as they intertwine, eachindividual element has its own unique energy characteristic. In the

Ninja arts, there are evasive and attack maneuvers all based onthe elements. For example, an Earth evasion technique would besomething like hiding in a tree trunk or a ditch, using the Earth asa means o hiding; a Watertechnique would be like remainingunderwater in a river using a small shoot o bamboo as an airsource. By understanding the nature o the elements, the Ninja isable to apply the concepts o each to blend into his surroundingsand use their energy or his next attack.

In this same manner, the ve elements can play a huge role inthe Alchemy o music. Understanding the ideas behind the energiesand how they work can open our minds to see new ways o writingand expressing ourselves through music.


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Lets take a look at a song structure and see how it may relateto the elements. We start with the Woodenergy, which is a growingenergy (very much like a growing intro or beginning o a song).Then we move into Earth energy, which is a stable energy (or themain verse or body o your song). From there we add some Fire,which is our expanding and explosive energy (your hook or theme).Ater repeating this cycle we ade into Waterenergy, which is adissolving or sinking energy (much like an outro or ade out).

This is a very basic song ormat that I translated into elementalenergies, but look at the possibilities that await us i we can use theenergies to create a unique song structure or to highlight particularmoods. Outlining techniques based on the energy they portray canopen our minds and add a magical presence to our expression olie through music.

The ollowing two charts urther explain the elements and createa visual concept o how they work and relate to music.


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The LAW o The Ive eLeMenTS

T natal CclWATER WOOD FIRE EARTH METAL

T Dstcti CclWATER FIRE METAL WOOD EARTH

Keep in mind that the beginning and ending o either cycle is essentially one andthe same. Each phase o the cycle leads into the next, and the cycle continues as

the end gives way to the beginning.

Wat: rpsts dissli sii Wd: rpsts isi wi

i: rpsts xpasi -fwi

eat: rpsts ati stabalizi Mtal: rpsts ad-dd baabl


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Since we are on a mission to explore the limits o our ownsel-expression, we can translate certain techniques in our musicalarsenal into a sonic representation o any o the ve elements.Furthermore, the natural and destructive cycles represent basic songstructure o both sot and hard styles o writing.

WATerDescending single-note patterns, bends, pull-os; slow, descendingchord patterns or slow, fowing held-out notes. Resembles the mood o asongs closing.

WooDIncreased tempo, building arpeggios, ull-chord voicings. Resembles a buildor the songs bridge.

IreAll two-handed techniques, big chords, whammy techniques, palm mutes,

harmonics. This is basically your trick bag section o a piece, mostly thecolor added to a song.

eArThUse your most rm oundations with your note and chord choices. This is avery cental point in a song, the main body. Resembles the verse or chorussections.

MeTALThis is your songs meat, hard-edged, highly controlled palm mutes, and myavorite demon chords. When I rst started, we called this the mosh part,but I would now call it the heavy part or most intense moment o the song.

natal Ccl

WaterWoodFireEarthMetal

Dstcti Ccl

WaterFireMetalWoodEarth


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Chapter VI

expli t DsThe Art o Drop Tunings

Metal has long been hailed or its deep and dark sound, and noother single genre has explored the depths o tuning down like metalhas. During the days o metals inception, standard A440 tuning (E,A, D, G, B, E) was beeed up with heavy overdrive and increased

low-end equalization to achieve that low, heavy sound, but as timepassed and music evolved, a desire or a deeper and more richbottom-end guitar sound was building.

This vision or a deeper musical tonality had musicians lookingat alternative tunings derived rom other cultures and musical styles,such as country musics inamous DADGAD tuning. Simplicity alsoplayed a big role in lower tunings as open chords and open tunings

began to expose a uller richness in tone, as made popular bygrunge music with its use o drop D tuning (D, A, D, G, B, E).


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If you want to play something that you hear, you need to listenwith your minds eye. Youve heard of the minds eye, right? Yourmind has an ear too. Its a kind of listening, but its not using yourears to listen. Its listening with your inner ear, and thats what you

want to translate onto the guitar.Steve Vai

In the early nineties, guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, always lookingto push the boundaries o creativity, teamed up with Ibanez to createa 7-string guitar with a low B string much like that o a 5-stringbass. This low B allowed guitarists to dig down deeper and havea massive low-end sound while keeping the standard tuning o the

remaining six strings intact. The call or lower tunings without thecomplications o adding an extra string was answered in the orm owhat we know as a baritone guitar, which is a 6-string outtted witha longer neck that is set up or lower tunings.

Whether you ancy six or seven strings, standard or baritone,one thing remains clear: opening your mind to tunings that resonatewith you, as a player and a songwriter, will carry more presence to

the world that is listening. Some o us really eel the power o lowertunings, and those requencies really give a song extra power andweight when we hear it. Having learned a bit about how certainnotes and overtones produce eects on the chakras and energycenters o the body, we can use this knowledge to write songs intunings that will increase the weight o their resonance with ouraudience.


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When experimenting with alternate tunings, its important tothink about the needs o your instrument. For guitarists and bassists,

you will need to keep the same amount o tension on the neck asit had in a standard tuning. So this means you will have to use aheavier gauge o strings and adjust your bridge or tremolo systemand your neck. Most standard tuned guitars use 9 or 10 gaugestrings. You can even get sets now that have a standard set with aheavy bottom string or drop D style tuning. Dropping a whole step

down rom standard to D, G, C, F, A, D is a common metal tuning,and or this, 11- to 12-gauge strings are the best, and they soundHUGE. My avorite tuning as o late is drop C, so thats the wholeguitar tuned down one whole step and the low string tuned to C. Sothats C, G, C, F, A, D and or this I recommend 12- or 13-gaugestrings. And i you REALLY want to thicken up the sound and getsome really rich overtones, try fat-wound strings, a little-known secret

weapon or creating a thick sound as the purity o notes and thetones resonate longer and with more clarity.

Once you have selected a tuning, bought a set o strings tomatch your tuning, and tuned up your axe, its time to make surethe neck is straight and the action eels smooth. The rst thing to dois make sure your bridge is level, so i you have a xed bridge youmay have to raise or lower it once you have made sure the neck is

straightened. For a guitar equipped with a tremolo system, its moreinvolved. In many cases you have to remove the back plate thatcovers the tremolo springs to tighten or loosen them according tohow much play you need to level the tremolo. Tune the guitar witheach adjustment, as this will also alter the amount o tension acrossthe neck. Once you are relatively in tune with the tremolo bridgelevel on the body o the guitar we can check the neck.


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Checking the neck o a guitar always looks like some sort oold-man eyeballing science that we think well never be taught todo correctly, but its really just a matter o looking straight downthe top o your neck and seeing how straight or curved the neck is.Sometimes it curves orward, sometimes backward, and it can allbe adjusted with the truss rod, a small thin curved rod that sets inthe middle o the neck and will draw the neck out or in dependingon which direction it is turned. Unscrew the truss rod cover on the

headstock, insert the correct allen or truss rod wrench that is usuallyprovided with your guitar, and slowly turn it in one direction or theother until the neck appears straight.

Alternate tunings are just one more way o utilizing the power ovibrations in all ranges o requency. Ater a ew adjustments and agood re-tuning, you should be all set up to explore the dungeons o

lower tuning and rolic in its depths!


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Chapter VII

T Pimal ScamHearing Your Inner Voice

Deep inside each one o us is a primal voice, and rom theday we are born, this primal voice is longing to be expressed.Throughout our lives we are conditioned mentally and physicallyto t into certain molds or conned patterns o thought thatunortunately pull us arther away rom the inner primal or instinctualvoice that is unique to us. By reconnecting to the primal voice o our

own individuality we can expand our artistry and express it witherce intensity.

Once you can get in touch with your individual voice, you willopen up to a whole new perception o sound and vibration that willbecome evident in your speech, the words you use, and even thenote choices and tonality o your music, right down to the sound andtone o your instrument. By reconnecting with the inner essence o

your individuality, your creativity will expand and your artistry willexpress this endless thread o creative energy


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T Tps vic

The voice is not only indicative of a mans character, but is theexpression of his spirit. The voice is not only audible, but also visible

to those who can see it.Hazrat Inayat Khan

So how do we reconnect with this primal voice? First, byunderstanding that there are a ew dierent types o voices andthat each voice also contains many dierent qualities that all havea unique eect on others. Then, we must eliminate the mental andphysical blocks that have separated us rom recognizing thesequalities and driven us arther away rom our individual creativespirit. In martial arts, we oten say that one must unlearn that whichhas been learned, and in this, we can separate ourselves rom suchpreconceived ideas that become roadblocks on our way to pureexpression, and open our minds to the qualities present in ourprimal voice.


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Lets rst take a deeper look at the spiritual and metaphysicalaspects o the voice. In the ancient Hindustani tradition, it was seenthat the voice was made up o three principle types: there is thejelalvoice, which was indicative o power, the jemalvoice, whichrepresents beauty, and the kemalvoice, which indicates wisdom.Oten, we just hear the sound o a voice and do not recognize it asany particular type, but i one were to listen closely and tune in tothe subtle qualities o the voice, a distinction between these aspects

can be made and words become illuminated in a whole new light.

A word delivered with a particular emotional intent will carrywithin it the power to heal or the ability to poison. We can see thisin so many examples. A military commander will speak with a greatattitude o authority and this authoritative presence in the voiceempowers the troops and calls them to action. With a great intensity,

the commander calls out ATTENTION, and with the utterance othat one word, every soldier is indeed at attention and at his or hercommand.

Now lets look at this rom another perspective. I a doctor wereto approach a patient with some unortunate news about their health,clearly, he or she would not speak with the same aggressivenesso the militant leader, or that quality would instill earulness in the

patient in a moment o already heightened concern. On the contrary,the doctor would approach the patient with a sense o calm and anattitude o hopeulness. You have all most likely experienced yourdoctor uttering an encouraging remark such as, The test results didpresent an issue, but with the right treatment we may be able toprevent urther complications, which is much more suitable to thegiven situation. So, in this we can get an idea o how the types ovoice or the emotions expressed in them can have a specic eecton the listener. This is true with music as well as with spoken word.


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Qalitis t vic

Music is the voice that tells us that the human raceis greater than it knows.

Napoleon Bonaparte

In addition to these voice types, there are certain qualities o thevoice. By studying these qualities in a persons voice, we can learnmuch about the individuals character and the stage o his or herevolution in lie. These qualities can be seen in many examples othe ve elements, which we have touched upon previously rom thealchemical view o Japanese ninjitsu. Here we look at them rom theperspective o Eastern Mysticism, which incorporates Airand Etherin

place o Metaland Wood.

The Earth quality o the voice gives hope and encouragement,and is tempting. The Waterquality is intoxicating, soothing, andhealing, and is upliting. The Firequality is impressive, arousing,exciting, and at times horriying. The Airquality o the voice isupliting, otentimes raising or liting a person rom the plane o theEarth. Finally, the Etherquality o the voice is inspiring, appealingand convincing, oten bringing orth peace, harmony, and healing.

With a better understanding o these types o voices and thequalities they possess, it is evident that we can learn to use thesequalitative elements to expand the art o expression. As we grow toharness our individual strengths, we can present our words, music,and art with a deeper sense o meaning and a presence that will

have a much more proound impact on all who listen.


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Idiidal Talit

These qualities are not limited to just the human voice. Thesame goes or creating a unique sound with your instrument or

your equipment. We all have heard particular instruments thatcarry a distinctive tonality o sound or perormance quality, and weimmediately recognize the artist behind itlike the unique sound

o Alex Van Halens drums or the searing scream o DimebagDarrells guitar tone. Once you hear the rst beat or the rst lick, youunmistakably know whos behind it. So no matter what medium yourmusical expression is transmitted through, keep in mind the qualityo sound used to create it and listen or the distinctive emotionalessence it creates.

Like with the voice, an individual plays each instrument, and the

dierent tonality and intent o the player just needs to be adaptedto that instrument. Lets look at some ways we might create a tonethat can embrace certain qualities o our creative expression as tobreath more lie into our sound. There are a million ways nowadaysthat we can create a vast and endless array o guitar sounds, tones,and eects. Each o these can help expand the audible qualitieso our instrument and create moods and vibes that will give yourmusic a much deeper impact. Again, rom the perspective o theelemental qualities we can see how a pristine clean or acoustictone could easily bring orth the soothing or calming eect o Waterenergy. Use o echo, chorus, or delay could emulate the expansiveand upliting qualities o Airenergy. Thick, heavy distortion, highgain, and overdrive can take on a Firequality and add intensityand arousal to your sound. Working with EQs and compression inconjunction with the power and preamp sections o your amplier

can create a solid stable tonality that is indicative o the stabilizingenergy o the Earth.


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So we see now the potential o simply having, in our minds, adeeper perspective o the voice, the many types o voices, and thequalities o sound they possess. These are only a ew examples othe many variations and combinations o sound energies that onecan work with, but coupled with what we have learned so ar aboutthe development o our creative expression, seeing the existence o

energies in sound, working with dierent requencies through theadvent o various alternate tunings, and channeling all that throughour voices, instruments and equipment, we can consciously inuseour music with more depth, meaning, and transormative power.


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Chapter VIII

vics i t DaIlluminating the Color o Sound

Music has oten been reerred to as colorul, which implies thatsound embodies a particular visible shade o color. In many waysthis is true, as all color is the refection o light and shade, and musicis the refection o the light that shines rom within the human spirit. Inthis way, seeing music as colorul is much more than a metaphoricalconcept o sound but a realization that the light o the soul refectsthrough art and is projected into the minds o others, producing thevisual concept o its sonic illumination.

A painter paints pictures on canvas.But musicians paint their pictures on silence.

Leopold Stokowski


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Just as we can recognize the presence o energies and thedierent qualities they represent in musical orm, so can color andtexture embody sound in a manner that adds additional experientialelements to the vibrations o sound. Like a great painting or sculpturethat speaks to us through the voice o its shade and texture, a melodyor song speaks to us in the same way. By creating a particulartexture or color o sound, the mind is given an enhanced visualconnection to the music and is drawn into the emotional experience

o the artist who created it.

T Cl Sd

A prime and simple example o the connection between colorand sound is represented in the blues. This music was primarilyrooted in the expression o pain and sorrow, which, in the era o itsorigin was oten reerred to as eeling blue or having the blues.When this eeling was expressed in musical orm, no other namecould justly suit it but the blues. The mellow and somber vibes othe stories the songs told were directly translated in the textures osound and the mood o the music that accompanied them.

This is also very apparent in a modern orm o metal known asblack metal. The word black reers to the evil nature o the musicsmessage, or its black heart, and as it is a dark and ominous orm omusic, it can be said that black metal is appropriately named due toits lack o light.


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Earlier originso the Circle oFiths includeda list o colorsand astrologicalconstellations thatcorrelated toeach note in the

musical scale.

We learned earlier in the chapter on the alchemy o music andthe metaphysics o sound that various notes in the musical scale havea physical and emotional eect upon the energy centers known aschakras. Each chakra also contains a corresponding color: Crown =violet, Third Eye= indigo, Throat= blue, Heart= green, Solar Plexus= yellow, Sacral= orange, Base= red. This color illuminates when

its vibratory requencies are raised. So the vibrations o sound thataect each energy center also quicken the speed o each mental andemotional vibration to invoke its color equivalent, inusing it with theadded vibrations o light and shade. Put that all together and NOWwere working with some seriously HEAVY vibes!


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For this chart, I substituted the words Third Eye or Brow

and Sacral or Spleen. Although both names are corrector each chakra, they illicit dierent mental images, and Iound the names used here to be more colorul with regards tothe topic.


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T Txt Sd

Texture is the other component that, when mixed with light andshade, will add dimension to any orm o art. Oten the role o aproducer is to nd ways to conceptualize textures o sound andpresent the ino back to the artist in a way that will expand the sonicvision. It is oten dicult or every person to see, or hear, an idea in

the same way, and that is why it becomes important to be open tothe textural visualization o sound.

It needs more masking tape!


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Ill give you a personal example o how I came to understandthis concept. My ellow band mate and I were trying to describesomething that we elt was lacking in our guitar tone, and hedescribed it to me as masking tape. He said, When you peel abig strip o masking tape o o the roll it has a very distinct sound othickness, but not like a weight, more o a thickness that is held upby the ullness o the sound. Well, needless to say I took a minute toget it, but as soon as I got my hands on a roll o masking tape and

peeled a big piece o, I GOT IT! With this picture in my mind oadding more masking tape to my tone, I was quickly able to pinpointwhat was missing in the way o EQ and tone settings and dial it in!

The idea behind adding texture is being creative and havingan open mind. What will add depth to your sound? What can addanother layer or dimension to it that will raise it up rom the speakers

and reach out and grab your ears? The possibilities are trulylimitless. I you can imagine it, you can recreate it!

So the addition o color and texture to sound is MUCH morethan just a clever descriptive tool that a producer or songwriter usesto express an idea, but it is a living inusion o light and dimensionwith the vibratory requencies o sound. Most o us listen to music oreven write music and never give a moment o thought to the concepts

o light and color, but again these vibrations are ALWAYS present.By acknowledging their presence and learning how to use them toserve you in your creative process, your music will be heard andseen in a whole new light!


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vicis

Lets explore some concepts that will help us unleash the voicesthat have been silenced in the dark and add color and texture toour sound. There are many dierent chord variations, appropriatelyknow as voicings. These voicings are achieved by changing theintervals between some o the original notes o the chord, or by

choosing a select ew notes within the chord, giving it a dierentvoice. Each chord variation will sound unique in its color andtexture while retaining the overall note value o the original. Thereare many chords such as diminished, augmented, and suspendedchords that all have a unique voice and mood that they convey.Depending on what you are trying to convey, the use o even one othese many chord variations can make a drastic impact on the mood

you create in a piece o music.

This chart shows nine variations or voicing a chord around the note C.


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Itals

An intervalis the variation in pitch between two notes. Intervalsare described as vertical (or harmonic) i the two notes aresounded simultaneously, and linear (or melodic) i the notes aresounded successively. Intervals may be labeled according to theratio o the requencies o the two pitches. Important intervals have

the lowest integers, such as 1:1 (unison or prime), 2:1 (octave), 3:2(perect th), 4:3 (perect ourth), and so on. The name o an intervalis determined by counting the number o degrees between the twonotes, beginning with one or the lower note. For example, thenumber o degrees between F and B is our, thereore, the intervalis a ourth. An interval is urther qualied with a term describingits quality, which is either perect, major, minor, augmented, ordiminished. This system is requently used to describe intervals in

both Western and non-Western music.

Some intervallic variations can sound downright dissonant,discordant, and demonic, and I LOVE IT! Much o the early pioneerso death metal, such as Suocation, oten used discordant intervalsthat many aspiring metal guitarists amply dubbed demon chords.These intervals oten would be played slowly and broodingly withlightning-ast double bass drumming underneath, and the physicaleect on the listener was indeed enchanting. Try them out, and thenexplore and seek out your own variations o intervals and voicingsthat stir your soul.

Now that we have expanded our visual capacities to include thecolor and texture o sound, we have combined our senses in a waythat will open a new dimension o sonic velocity in our music. By

inusing these mental ideas into the process o our musical creation,we empower it with the many colorul voices that have beenslumbering deep in the darkest depths o our inner sel, waiting or

your creative refection to shine upon them and bring them to light.


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Chapter IX

T Spd DmThe Science o Shredding

One o the main elements that has made heavy metal so intenseand extreme is the speed o its delivery. Whether its lightning astguitar ris or thundering double bass drumming, the aster it is, the

more power it represents. What is it about the speed o the musicsexecution that gives it such a presence o power? Its the law ovibration.


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T Law vibatis

If you sing alone in your shrine, the vibrations returnto you as a reaction. But in community singing, what you have is nota reaction but a wave of vibrations. They enter into the atmosphere

and purify the polluted air.Sri Sathya Sai Baba

As we have learned, all lie is born o vibration and vibratoryrequencies are carried through the Universe at various rates ospeed. As a vibrational requency is sped up it gains increasedmomentum to carry out its maniestation into reality.

To visualize this musically, we can reer to the piano, guitar,or any other string-oriented instrument. Lower notes are producedbecause o the increased distance between each end o the stringin conjunction with the strings tension. This increased distance andlowered tension creates a slow vibration, and the sound it producesis lower in pitch. On the contrary, a higher note is produced whenthere is less distance and a higher tension applied between eachend o the string thereore creating a aster rate o vibration, which

in the end creates a higher sonic requency.

This is why thoughts are so powerul and all o the sciencebehind the law o attraction begins with the quantum physics behindthe law o vibrations. Thoughts are generated at a very high rateo requency so they move ast. This is another example o howeach thought we create, whether good or bad, is propelled into theconsciousness o the Universe and takes on a lie o its own. This


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lie into music and give it its power to stir the soul. Its important toacknowledge the presence o these vibrations and use them to ouradvantage in the creation o our art.

T Psil Sddi

Applying these scientic laws to the art o shredding involvessome physiological actors as well. Although a higher tension withregards to tonality raises a requency, tension inside the physicalbody while attempting to play with speed and accuracy has anopposing eect and slows down the muscles. To perorm with speedand agility one must be calm and relaxed so that the muscles andtendons used to physically play out the music are not held back romachieving their peak level o perormance. We will go over some

ways in which to relax the body and alleviate tension in the muscleslater in the book.


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Another important physiological actor o shredding is thecreation o muscle memory. We have all learned rom the beginningo our musical training that practice makes perect, and this isespecially true when it comes to any type o perormance that isphysically challenging. Practicing scale patterns or cadences at aslow steady pace and then slowly increasing the speed ater severalrepetitions o correct execution not only helps to build your strengthto play aster, but also creates a memory o the physical motion in

your muscles.

Much in the way a martial artist would do a kata or particularattack or deense pattern repeatedly until perection is achievedbeore trying to do it with great speed, a musician can perect aperormance. When I rst started learning to wield the nunchaka, notonly did I have to start slow enough as to not knock mysel out with

each swing, I also learned the importance o getting it right beorespeeding it up. Starting with basic hand-over-hand movements,I would do 100 or so repetitions, and regardless o whether Idmade it to 9 or 95 reps, i I made a mistake I would start rom thebeginning. By taking the time to correct a alse move or wrong notesin a pattern o music, you urther ingrain in your mind and body theright way to perorm with intensity. Speed then becomes the nextnatural progression and is much easier to achieve.

It is also always important to practice with intensity. Althoughintensity and attitude usually are associated with the mind, byadding that conscious intent into your repetitive action, your practiceis just as powerul as your perormance and this needs to be instilledin that muscle memory as well. We will touch upon this more in thenext chapter pertaining to technique.


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There are a lot o great materials out there that oer tips onshredding techniques, scale patterns, and much more, but the rstpart o really understanding the power o speed and how to achieveit comes with understanding how it works and why. Now that youhave gained insight into the science o shredding and the eects ospeed in the world o vibrations, you can apply it to music. So putthe pedal to the metal and rip it up!


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Chapter X

TnTUnleashing the Explosive Technicality o Technique

There are many ways that an artist can progress and improve

upon their skill level, no matter what instrument or style o musicthey play. One thing that has proven to be a valuable asset to anymusician is the perection o technique.


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No matter how much raw talent or ability one innatelypossesses, the one thing that always makes particular artists standout is their individual technique. What set Bruce Lee apart rom allother martial artists was his explosive and precise technique. Menlike Tiger Woods and Michael Phelps are great athletic exampleso technical perectionism and stand among the elite due to theirpersonal dedication to the mastery o winning technique.

So what exactly is technique? Websters dictionary denes it asthe manner in which technical details are treated (as by a writer) orbasic physical movements are used (as by a dancer); also: ability totreat such details or use such movements (good piano technique). Abody o technical methods (as in a crat or in scientic research) or amethod o accomplishing a desired aim. In a nutshell, it is the abilityto use all o the subtleties within your art to transorm your musicrom being impressive to becoming explosive!

So what does it take to really become a master o technique?Well it takes a keen attention to detail, a clear acknowledgemento your strengths and weaknesses, and a willing attitude to practicetill its perect! Once we can visualize all the little details o ourmusic, recognize our strong points and weak points in perorming

them, and then dedicate the time and patience to strengthen theweaknesses and perect the strengths, we can build an explosivetechnique that will become an inspiration to anyone who sees orhears us perorm our music.


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By dissecting each little nuance o playing or singing we can tapinto its essence and make a deeper connection to our own creativity.This deeper connectivity will help us hone in on weaknesses andstrengths, and we will be better suited to build harmony and balancebetween the two. The outcome will be a fawless perormance withunrivaled intensity.

Attti t Dtail

Sometimes when you start losing detail, whether its inmusic or in life, something as small as failing to be polite,

you start to lose substance.Benny Goodman

My grandather was a great man and probably the mostinfuential teacher in my lie. He was a kind and patient man who

taught me many valuable lie lessons that to this day still mold meinto a better man. One o the things I learned rom him at a veryyoung age was that i youre gonna do something, do it right the rsttime. His lie long passion was to restore old classic cars. As one othe ounders o the Car Coddlers o Ohio auto club, he had plentyo opportunities to work on some amazing cars. Many o these carsdated back rom the 1920s through the 40s.


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One day, I went into his garage and watched him work, as I often did, but this

time I was quickly confused by what he was doing. He was working with the

door on an old Model T Ford and it seemed like he was just taking the door off

and then putting it back on over and over again. Being probably around. 10 or 11

I had no clue why he would keep moving that door on and off again. Finally

my curiosity got the best of me and I asked him why he kept doing this. He

walked me over to the car and reattached the door, and as he closed it he said,

Look here son, you see this pinstripe here on the door is a little lower than the

one on the body where the two meet. If I hold this dime up to the two you can

see that this door is about a half of a dimes thickness lower where they meet and

if Im gonna do this, Im gonna do it right the first time. It seemed a little petty

to me and I would have never in a million years seen the difference with my

own eye had he not pointed it out to me, but later in life I would come to realizethat it was his meticulous attention to detail that made him the best damn car

restoration expert in the Midwest! It was his understanding of the subtleties that

could take a car from just being restored to being a true classic that kept the cars

rolling in and out of his garage until long after he retired. To this day this lesson

continues to make me a better musician as I look at each subtle detail of my art to

make sure if Im gonna do it that Im doing it right!

We can see how really paying attention to the simplest o detailscan really have a huge impact on the nal outcome o our timeand eorts. The dierence between being good at something andbeing great at something begins with this. Another great element oembracing minute details it that we discover our unique approach toperorming any particular technique.


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You can give a group o musicians the same piece o music andeach person will play it in a way that is unique to their own style.They may all try to copy one another, yet they are still gited withan individual voice. The intensity or lack thereo with which theyperorm it is all in the details!

Stt ad Wass

Our strength grows out of our weaknesses.Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is very true that sometimes our greatest strengths rise out oour biggest weaknesses. When we can identiy with anything thatis holding us back in any way rom achieving success, be it a small

thing or our lies purpose, we have already begun the process obecoming stronger. As musicians it is quite oten that we are acedwith the challenge o overcoming a weakness, and persistence is thekey to making it happen.


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How many times have you been given the task o learning aparticularly dicult piece o music or wanted to learn a particularsong, and upon seeing the challenge in ront o you, decided topass on it? Or how oten have you seen a riend or neighbor whois ecstatic about taking up guitar or piano lessons only to see thema month later and nd out that they quit their lessons? This is acommon occurrence in the world o ne arts as people are oten notwilling to overcome the challenges to ulll their hearts desires.

I everyone who has come beore us were to have bowed downbeore a challenge, our world would have not developed and wewould all still be living out our short existence in caves and huntingor ood with our bare hands. But there have been those who havestared into the ace o adversity and viewed each challenge as astepping-stone leading to a uture o greatness.

And so it is with music. The way to excel is to pinpoint theareas o our talents that are the weakest, and with a strong willand perseverance, work to overcome them and transorm them intostrengths. A singer expands his or her range by building strength inthe lungs and by slowly but surely breaking through the boundariesthat limit their expansion. No one is just born with the power oPavarotti or the beauty o Beethoven. But with a meticulous attention

to the weak spots in our abilities, we can consciously overcomethe ear o being trapped behind their limitations. Likewise, as weovercome even the smallest limitation, we add an extreme sense oempowerment to our whole being. This empowerment ignites thestrengths we do possess and makes them explosive!

A great ghter works on the weakest side o his or her bodytwice as much as the strong side. Doing so creates a balance o totalstrength. This harmonious balance is the very thing every musicianseeks to achieve, and by seeing through a weakness to recognize itsinner strength is the rst step!


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Pactic Mas Pct

I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fearthe man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.

Bruce Lee

There are many great quotes and mantras dedicated to thetopic o practice and or good reason. It is the process o practicingones crat that creates personal growth and builds the strength toovercome all o lies limitations. Although all o us are born withinnate abilities, it is through the disciplined action o practice thatthese abilities are rened and empowered.

There are many ways to approach practice and many dierenttheories as to what practice regimens are most eective in onesquest to become a highly skilled musician. Whether you work ina mechanized ashion by working on individual scales and chordprogressions repeatedly, a physiological manner by ocusing yourattention on physical actors such as breath and muscle control, ora systematic approach that intertwines many dierent aspects otraining, the one thing that needs to be present rom the beginning ismental ocus.

Mental ocu

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