Meet Darth Ear - Music Lesson

Introduction

So that's Meet Darth Ear. That's another tune that I wrote for the syllabus. For this tune, I was thinking of, obviously, Dream Theater as being an influence, as well as bands like Queensr?he and more modern bands like Periphery or Between the Buried and Me. There are some elements from my own band, Hacon, in there as well.

It's a very technical track. There are lots of notes in the riffs to learn, but there are also some lush chords inspired by Alex Lifeson of Rush. So, it's a good mix of technicality and melody ? I think you'll enjoy it.

Section A - E Locrian Mode

The opening section of this song sounds like this:

• It's based on the E Locrian mode, which is a minor mode.
• Think of it as the E minor scale, but you're going to flatten the second and the fifth notes of the scale:
  • Root
  • Flat second
  • Flat third
  • Fourth
  • Flat fifth
  • Flat sixth
  • Flat seventh
  • Back to the root

To practice, I recommend learning to play that scale first in the open position:

• Open 1, 3
• Open 1, 3
• Open 2, 3

Also, learn the scale along the sixth string:

• Frets: Open 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12

This will help you when it comes to these sections where you'll use the open string as a pedal and descend through the scale.

Section B - Time Signatures

Section B contains various time signatures:

• Starts in 7/4
• Second bar: 6/4
• Then goes to 5/4
• Then 3/4
• Finally to 4/4

To help memorize it better, you can think of just the first phrase. We will repeat it four times, and with each repeat, we'll have a different ending:

1. The first ending is just two beats (5/4 bar + 2 beats: 1, 2).
2. The second time: 5/4 bar + 1 beat.
3. The third time: 5/4 bar + 3 beats.

So, altogether that sounds like this:

• 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3

Then the final time we're going to go to two bars of 4/4.

Learning these complicated riffs in smaller chunks and building them together is a solid strategy to help memorize the parts. In these types of tunes, there are often lots of time signature changes to deal with. So, the more simply you can think about it, the easier it will be to learn.

Section C - 7/8 Time and Arpeggios

Moving on to section C, this whole part is in 7/8 time and uses these arpeggio shapes:

• The first bar is an E minor add nine chord:
  • Start with an E minor chord
  • Play to the seventh
  • Stretch your fourth finger up for the nine on the 11th fret.

Instead of playing it as a chord, we will play it as an arpeggio (one note at a time):

• We have four notes now played, adding the open sixth string before it.

After these five notes, we'll come down two notes on the two middle strings:

• Five notes going up, then two notes coming down ? this gives us seven notes in total.

Notice that while going up, I palm mute the notes, and when I come down, I let the notes sustain. This adds dynamics and drama, making it sound more human.

Section D - Big Ringing Chords

The D section consists of big ringing chords. In progressive metal music, you'll often hear suspended chords.

• These chords do not contain a third; instead, they have a second, giving them a neutral sound, similarly richer and prettier than a power chord.

When we reach bar 37, we start to incorporate open strings, which makes chords sound bigger on the guitar:

• Example:
  • C chord + open B and E = Major seven sound
  • D major with an open E on top = D major add nine
  • Regular E minor + another open E = makes it sound bigger.

This technique enhances the richness of your chords, making them more dramatic.

Section E - Bass Solo

Next, we move to the E section, which features a bass solo. We will play four chords to accompany that:

1. E minor add nine in open position:
   • Open E, second fret, fourth fret, open G
2. Again, in 7/8 time. A good way to count:
   • Play the first four notes: 1, 2, 3, 4
   • Sustain the last note: 1, 2, 3

Change the chord with each bar:

• Second chord: Move the B up to C
• Next chord: Seventh fret with the fourth finger, fourth fret with the first finger.
• Last chord: Open, seven, seven, open.

This technique helps the chords blend together more effectively. A touch of delay can also help make transitions between chords smoother.

Section F - Guitar Solo

The F section is the guitar solo, played over the same four chords from the bass solo. A great scale to use is the E natural minor scale, which you can visualize starting from the minor pentatonic scale:

• Root
• Minor third
• Fourth
• Fifth
• Flat seven

To expand your melodic choices, you can add:

• The second (F sharp)
• The flat sixth (C)

This increases your scale from five to seven notes. By treating your pentatonic scale as a framework, you can navigate different parts of the fretboard while still allowing for more melodic options.

Section G - Drum Solo

In the G section, we have a drum solo over the big ringing suspended chords. During this time, it's crucial to maintain your own pulse, as the drummer is improvising around the kit.

• Keep moving to the quarter note with parts of your body (foot tapping, head nodding, etc.) to maintain the rhythm and visually cue your bandmates.

Final Section - DC Alcoda

Lastly, we take the direction DC Alcoda:

• DC means to go back to the beginning of the tune, which is the A section.

Once we finish that section, we move to the B section, and then to the coda, which sounds like this:

• It finishes with a diminished chord sound: E and B flat, followed by E again with an octave.

Feel free to add drama by letting the chord ring and sliding down the neck to enhance the performance.

Conclusion

So that's it! That's Meet Darth Ear. There are lots of different sections and techniques to challenge you and, most importantly, to have fun. Remember to learn it in small sections first, use a metronome, and gradually build up speed, joining the sections together until you're comfortable playing the entire tune.

Good luck, and have fun with it!