How To Play Deathcore

e the Horizon, Dead Man in Reno and Job for a Cowboy etc. (The bands Nile and Brain Drill also use derivatives of this scale sometimes, but they're Technical Death Metal as opposed to Deathcore).

The main tuning that deathcore bands use is Drop B: B F# B E G# C#, or Drop C, but D A D G B E will do fine as well.

Now, Deathcore mainly uses the following scale, which is known as a Spanish Gypsy scale, which is basically, without overdrive, a Hebrew scale, and is used traditionally in Jewish music; TRUST ME: the afformentioned bands all use this scale, or, more often, a chromatic derivative of this scale.

A A# C# D E F G

e|-----------------------------5-6-8--------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------5-6-8--------------------------------------------|
G|-------------------6-7--------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------5-7-8------------------------------------------------------|
A|-----4-5-7-8------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-5-6--------------------------------------------------------------------|

Now, when played right, this will sound very Jewish or Egyptian, but even with overdrive, this still may now sound quite right, so, now tune to Drop D (or whatever drop tuning you have).

II. The Style.

Deathcore often, among other things, uses chromatic elements, particularly in heavy breakdowns, and it also implements pinch harmonics, and a heavy use of triplets in playing, so this is an example of a chromatisized (is that even a word?) scale derived from the Spanish Gypsy scale, only in a Drop tuning.

e|-----------------------------------------5-6-8-6-5------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------5-6-8-----------8-6-5------------------------|
G|-----------------------------6-7-9-----------------------9-7-6------------------|
D|-----------------------5-7-8-----------------------------------8-7-5------------|
A|---------------4-5-7-8-----------------------------------------------8-7-5-4----|
D|-0-1-3-4-5-7-8--------------------------------------------------------------etc.|

Now, lets look at some riffs using this.

Example 1: Tell Slater Not To Wash His D**k - Bring Me The Horizon

Verse 1

C#|-------------------------------------------------------|
G#|-------------------------------------------------------|
 E|-------------------------------------------------------|
 B|------------------8-7-5-----------------------5h7------|
F#|-5------5h8-4-----------8p5---------------5h8-----5h8--|
 B|---0000-------00------------00-5h8-00-5h8--------------|
      ****       **            **     ** 

Example 2: Entombment Of A Machine

D|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
F|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
C|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
G|---------------------3-3-4-4-----|---------------------3-3-4-4-----|
C|-1-1-4-4-1-1-3-3-0-0---------0-0-|-1-1-4-4-1-1-3-3-0-0---------0-0-|

As you can see, both of these use this scale, and I could use other examples, but you get the idea.

Now, for "the finale" here is a riff I have written myself to give you an idea.

a riff based on the scale: 4/4 time, played fast.

e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------|
B|----------------------------------6*--|-----------------------------|
G|----------------------------6h7h9-----|-----------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------|
A|----5---4---8p7------8p7p5------------|-----------------------------|
D|-00---0---0------55-------------------|-----------------------------|
   **   *   *      **