Using 4ths: The Ultimate 80s Metal Trick
- The American Guitar Academy
- 10 minutes ago
- 4 min read
One of the main things a guitarist could tell you about guitar-centric music from the 1980s is that it was a period of blistering progression, where showcasing one's technique was of utmost importance. If you consider players like Eddie Van Halen, Jason Becker, George Lynch, Michael Angelo Batio and others, all great musicians and songwriters too, then this point becomes clear. Unlike many of the Instagram guitar players of the modern age, whose technique is the only ammo in their quiver, these players were all master songsmiths too.
However, there is a technique, or an application of music theory rather, that is prominent in many of the famous riffs of the era. In this blog post, we will learn how to identify 4th intervals in a riff, applying them with scales you should already know and analysing some examples.
What Is An Interval?
An interval is the name given to the distance between two notes. This could be between any two notes in a scale. Harmonies are often written in thirds. However, today we are focusing on fourths where you would take a note and play a fourth above, sometimes below, that starting note. Usually this would be within a scale, but you can also play a direct 4th interval (this may or may not be in the scale/key you are playing in). Let us look at some examples of both!
In Fig. 1 you will see the G Major scale with the numbers of each degree of the scale underneath. With G as our starting note, we can see that the 4th degree is a C note - it is four notes along. In Fig. 2 we have the G Major pentatonic scale which does not contain a C note, but that does not mean you can’t play it - this would be an example of a direct interval (you may see this described in different terms).
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Using the Interval
As I mentioned earlier in this blog post, the focus here will be on riffs. Using this particular interval by itself, or in quick succession with others, is common and often mixed with a pedal note - this note gives harmonic context and it can then be considered a specific when you put it all together.
Additionally, when combining more than one guitar part, or supporting another instrument, you could really refine your input by playing this interval. Sometimes this aligns with the 3rd and 7th method we have learned about before, but in an 80s rock rather than jazz context, you would move the shape around some more. You have likely also heard a song where the riff stays the same, but the underlying chords change - this can make for a really interesting effect with minimal input.
Check out this example I created below. You can view the tabs in Fig. 3 and also view a playing example.
Fig. 3
Examples
Let us check out some great examples of this concept being used in popular rock songs from the 1980s.
Saxon - Power and the Glory
I recently included this riff in a YouTube short and discussed it in a blog post where the focus was on two guitar parts working together. Within that riff is a great example of this technique that we have been learning about.
Notice how in Fig. 4 the riff changes between playing a G note with a third interval, to a G with a fourth and back again (highlighted in red). This is very common and echoed in another example a bit later.
Fig. 4
Skid Row - Youth Gone Wild
This song came out right at the tail end of the 1980s, and actually happens to be one of my go-to riffs to play at a sound check before a show. Notice the sliding between the third and fifth frets in Fig. 5 - even though the riff is based around a Gm chord, sliding up to the fifth fret still works!
In order to give this song the punchy sound it needs, the guitar part only plays this small section of the chord using an interval of a 4th whilst the bass plays the root note. You can hear a similar thing happening in the older, but still rocking and more successful tune, ‘Smoke on the Water’ by Deep Purple.
Fig. 5
White Coast Rebels - Hanging With the Bad Boys
I must admit, I am using my privilege as author of this blog post to include my previous band ‘White Coast Rebels’ in the mix. Upon joining the band, the sound and most of the songs were already established so I had the chance to get stuck straight into learning the material. In Fig. 6 you will see that the chords change less frequently than the Skid Row example, but many of the movements are the same - just a tone higher. The key part of this riff, in the context we are talking about, is the changing between third and fourth interval sections.
If you want to try and play along to the song, you will need to tune your guitar to Eb.
Fig. 6
Final Thoughts
I should stress that this is one of many ideas that you might pick up on when listening to this style of music, and it is not going to turn all of your riffs into the next big hit. All of the famous examples we looked at today, and the one I wrote specifically for this blog post, contain more than just the 4th interval. Other techniques we have seen today include:
Pedal tones,
Hammer-ons/pull-offs,
Vibrato,
and sliding
As guitarists, we know that there are so many other techniques that we could use and that there really is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. I would suggest learning these riffs, trying to create something that sounds similar and going from there! Think of this concept as an extra bit of spice or seasoning that you could try.
If you are having trouble learning the riffs, perhaps go over them with your guitar teacher or learn some of their suggestions too!
Keep rocking!
