Can you believe it? After 13 years, there’s finally new music from Tool. So in this lesson
you’ll learn a music theory hack from their title track “Fear Inoculum”, and you’ll
learn how to use it to write your own epic odd-time riffs, like this...
Hello revolutionary music makers, I’m Kate Harmony, this is Ray Harmony, and welcome
to Hack Music Theory, where we help you make great music that stands out. If it’s your
first time here, please help yourself to our free book “12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn
Scales & Chords”, which you can download from HackMusicTheory.com Also, if you download
our free book in the next few days, you’ll get the multitrack MIDI file from this lesson
in our newsletter next week. Alright, it’s time to open your DAW to hack music theory.
But first… Tea!
In Tool’s epic ten-minute title track “Fear Inoculum”, there’s a standout section
that starts at 5:49. Its foundation is a super tasty 11|8 drum groove (which we’ll hack
next time, so stay tuned). The bass line in this section is also in 11|8 and locks in
with the drums, creating a tight and energetic rhythm section. Above that, Adam Jones plays
some classic Tool-style guitar, centred around the open A string. But the coolest thing about
his riff, is that it’s not in 11|8, it alternates between 12|8 and 5|4. This makes the riff
feel like it’s speeding up and slowing down, because 12|8 has a pulse of dotted 1/4 notes,
while 5|4 has a faster pulse of 1/4 notes. And all this is happening in that polymeter
of the guitar playing 12|8 and 5|4 against the rhythm section playing 11/8, which creates
crazy syncopation!
Alright, now you’re gonna learn how to use this theory to make your own version. And
for the example in this lesson, we’ll be using our version that we made earlier. So,
start by setting up four bars that alternate between 12|8 and 5|4, with your grid set to
1|8 notes, and your tempo set to 150 BPM. Tool uses A Phrygian for this section, so
we’ll use it too.
STEP 1. THE 12|8
The magic of this riff is as much in the rhythm as it is in the pitches, so you’ll write
the rhythm first, then add the pitches afterwards. We’ll start with the bar of 12|8, which
consists of four dotted 1/4 notes. And if you’re new to dotted notes, a dotted 1/4
note equals three 1/8 notes. Now that you’ve got the rhythm for your 12|8, it’s time
to assign pitches. Adam used the Phrygian mode here, cos it has a dark vibe. And if
you’re new to modes, A Phrygian is: A B♭ C D E F G. So choose any of those notes, but
be sure to start on the open A string, and include the ♭2.
And by the way, if you wanna learn everything you need to know about modes in three simple
hacks, then check out our Songwriting & Producing PDF. It also contains hacks on how to write
guitar riffs, bass lines, chord progressions, melodies, counterpoint and more, and it comes
with MIDI examples too! So if that sounds useful to you, then you can download it from
HackMusicTheory.com
STEP 2. THE 5|4
Now, here’s the bit where your riff is gonna sound like it’s speeding up, cos the pulse
changes to 1/4 notes in this bar. So, for your rhythm, you can play a combination of
1/4 notes and 1/8 notes. And the more 1/8 notes you play, the more energy you’ll inject.
Then after you’ve written your rhythm, it’s time to assign pitches, and once again, you
can play any notes from A Phrygian, but be sure to include A and B♭. And here’s a
couple bonus hacks. To get that classic Tool sound, you can create some harmonic dissonance
by lengthening the low A in your 12|8 bars, so the other notes are played over the top
of it. When you hit that high B♭ over that low A, it’s so Tool! But if you want even
more Tool, then bend into that high B♭ from the high A.
Alright, now let’s have a listen to our Tool-inspired riff. But just before the playthrough,
we’d like to know if you’d like more Tool hacks? And if so, for what instrument? Thanks
for watching (or listening, if you’re on the podcast), and we’ll see you next week!