Metal scales for guitar: what metal guitarists actually use
Most metal lives in minor pentatonic and natural minor. Harmonic minor adds the raised 7th behind neoclassical runs and a lot of dark cadences. Phrygian adds the flat 2 that people hear as evil or Spanish, and Phrygian dominant adds a major 3rd on top of that. Learn each one as a sound over a power chord, not as another box to memorize.
All five at a glance (in E)
| Scale | Formula | Notes in E | What it sounds like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor pentatonic | 1 b3 4 5 b7 | E G A B D | Raw, bluesy, classic metal and hard rock |
| Natural minor (Aeolian) | 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 | E F# G A B C D | Dark and melodic, the default "minor key" sound |
| Harmonic minor | 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7 | E F# G A B C D# | Tense and classical, that pull back to the root |
| Phrygian | 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 | E F G A B C D | Heavy, menacing, that half-step grind above the root |
| Phrygian dominant | 1 b2 3 4 5 b6 b7 | E F G# A B C D | Exotic and dramatic, big in neoclassical and some death metal |
E is the natural key for metal in standard tuning because the open low string is E. Every tab below loops over an E5 power chord. If you play in Drop D or Drop C, the same shapes work with the root on your open low string.
1. Minor pentatonic
Five notes: 1 b3 4 5 b7. It isn't "just for beginners". It's the backbone of countless classic metal leads and a lot of riffs. Play it over a static power-chord vamp until you can end a phrase on the root without thinking. Add the 2 and the b6 later and you've got natural minor without learning a new shape.
One bar over E5. 8th notes. The last note is the root (open E). That's your target.
e|--------------| B|--------------| G|--------------| D|--------------| A|----0-2-------| E|0-3-----3-0---| E G A B G E
2. Natural minor (Aeolian)
The default minor-key sound for a huge amount of traditional and modern metal. Compared with pentatonic, the new color is the b6 (C in E minor). It's the note that makes a riff sound sad and heavy instead of bluesy.
Same E5 vamp. The C (b6) is the new color. You still land on E.
e|--------------| B|--------------| G|--------------| D|--------------| A|--3-2-0-------| E|0-------3-0---| E C B A G E
3. Harmonic minor
Natural minor with the 7th raised by a half step. In E, D becomes D#, and that half step up into E is why harmonic minor runs sound classical and tense. It's the sound of a lot of neoclassical shred and melodic death metal. More in the harmonic minor glossary entry.
The D# to E at the end is the whole point of this bar. If that half step is sloppy, you haven't got the sound yet.
e|----------------| B|----------------| G|----------------| D|--------1-2-----| A|----2-0---------| E|0-0-------------| E E B A D# E
4. Phrygian
Natural minor with a flat 2. In E, that's an F sitting a half step above the root, and it's the grinding, sinister sound behind a lot of thrash and death metal riffs. Play it as a riff, not a scale run. More in the Phrygian glossary entry.
F against E5. Hear how the half step rubs against the open string.
e|----------------| B|----------------| G|----------------| D|----------------| A|--------3-2-----| E|0-1-0-0-----0---| E F E E C B E
5. Phrygian dominant
Phrygian with a major 3rd instead of a minor one. It's the fifth mode of harmonic minor (E Phrygian dominant has the same notes as A harmonic minor). The flat 2 plus the major 3rd, F and G# over E, gives that exotic, dramatic sound you hear in neoclassical and some death and folk metal.
E, F, G#, A and back. That gap between F and G# is the sound of this scale.
e|----------------| B|----------------| G|----------------| D|----------------| A|------0---------| E|0-1-4---4-1-0---| E F G# A G# F E
What about chromatic and diminished?
Lots of death metal and technical metal riffs use chromatic movement (every fret in a row) and diminished shapes (stacked minor 3rds) to sound unstable and aggressive. You don't need them to start. Get comfortable with the five above first, and you'll hear chromatic and diminished ideas as deliberate choices instead of wrong notes.
Which scales show up in which styles?
These are broad tendencies, not rules. Every band breaks them.
- Classic heavy metal and hard rock: minor pentatonic and natural minor.
- Thrash: natural minor and Phrygian riffs, chromatic passing notes, pentatonic solos.
- Neoclassical and power metal: harmonic minor and Phrygian dominant.
- Melodic death metal and metalcore: natural minor and harmonic minor melodies over low, chuggy riffs.
- Death and technical metal: Phrygian, chromatic lines, diminished shapes.
How to practice them
Loop an E5 power chord, from a recording or a looper. Improvise with only minor pentatonic for two minutes. Then allow the b6. Then allow the raised 7th. Then allow the flat 2. Add one new note at a time, so your ear links each note to its sound.
Common mistakes
- Memorizing seven mode names with nothing to play them over.
- Running the same box in every key without landing on chord tones.
- Changing scales when the real problem is where your phrases end. See targeting chord tones.
Common questions
What scales do metal guitarists use?
Mostly minor pentatonic and natural minor (Aeolian), plus harmonic minor for a tense, neoclassical sound and Phrygian or Phrygian dominant for the dark flat-2 sound. Death and technical metal add chromatic lines and diminished shapes.
What is the best scale for metal?
Start with E minor pentatonic and E natural minor over an E5 riff. Together they cover most metal riffs and solos. Add harmonic minor and Phrygian once you can hear what each new note changes.
Do I need music theory to use these?
Not much. Knowing that the flat 2 is what makes Phrygian sound evil is enough to use it. See do I need music theory for metal?