If the link above does not work, paste this into your browser:
https://hackmusictheory.com/album/2568001/octatonic-riff

Almost all popular music (in every genre and subgenre) is made using the major scale or the natural minor scale. That’s a vast ocean of music from only two scales! And yes, some of the more creative producers will use the modes. That’s great. But, the modes are also 7-note scales (just like the major and natural minor scales).

And, like those two scales, they also contain a major 3rd or a minor 3rd. In other words, each one of the five rarer modes sound either like a variation of the major scale, or a variation of the natural minor scale. So yes, the Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian and Locian modes open a lot more doors, however, they all lead into the same 7-note house.

For the record, Mozart had no problems writing genius-level music using only the major and minor scales, so there’s obviously nothing wrong with using those scales. But, as a counter argument, there was significantly less music when Mozart was alive. Nowadays, it can easily feel like all the possibilities that those two scales offer have been thoroughly explored already. I don’t believe that’s true, though it’s undeniable that it is significantly harder to create something new with those scales.

So, if you’re looking to explore some new musical territory, one of the best ways to get there is with 8-note scales. These are called octatonic scales. They were relatively common in the “modern” classical music of the early 20th century, but you hardly ever hear them in popular music. One of our favourite examples of an octatonic scale in popular music is in the song “I Am That Thirst” by Meshuggah. And another song we recently heard that features an octatonic scale is “Goddamn White Trash” by Ministry. They use it in a heavy breakdown riff (starts at 2:03).

So, if you’re ready to try the exciting world of 8-note scales, then in this tutorial you’re gonna learn our 5-step method for writing octatonic riffs. But first… Tea!

When it comes to unorthodox scales, there isn’t a tradition of hundreds of years of theory and practice. Most of these outside-the-box scales only came into use just over a hundred years ago. So, compared to the major and minor scales, they’re still infants. As a result, there isn’t a consensus around their theory and terminology.

Here at Hack Music Theory, we’re all about the creative and practical application of theory, so we don’t care too much about what terms are used to explain it. The scale we’re using in this tutorial has been called the half-whole diminished scale, the half-whole step scale, the dominant diminished scale, or sometimes it’s simply referred to as the octatonic scale. As you can see, it’s got many names. So, you could even call it the Uncle Bob Scale if you prefer. The name is not important, the notes are! And in terms of its spelling, that’s also a mess. We believe the spelling below is the one that makes the most sense (for numerous reasons, but they aren’t relevant here), so in this PDF we’ll be referring to the notes in this way:

Half-Whole Diminished Scale

1

♭2

♯2

3

♯4

5

6

♭7

C

D♭

D♯

E

F♯

G

A

B♭

Repeating the pattern of a semitone followed by a tone, produces the half-whole diminished scale

You’ll notice that the scale spelling above has two 2s: the ♭2 and the ♯2. The ♯2 is the enharmonic* equivalent of the ♭3. But, if we spelled the ♯2 as ♭3, then the scale would have both the minor 3rd (♭3) and the major 3rd (3). That’s confusing! Despite this being an 8-note scale, it’s still good theory to only have one 3rd note. This is helpful in categorising the scale, and it’s also helpful with building chords.

As you can see in the MIDI screenshot above, this scale is created by repeating the pattern of a semitone followed by a tone. So, you may now be wondering: What if we reverse that pattern and start with a tone instead, then follow with a semitone?

Great question! And the answer is: you get the Aunt Betty Scale. Well, once again you can pretty much call it whatever you want, because everyone else seems to. But, one of the most “official” names it goes by, is the whole-half diminished scale. However, it’s also sometimes called the diminished scale. Or simply the octatonic scale, though that’s rather offensive to the Uncle Bob Scale, who’s also octatonic. Or, it’s also sometimes referred to as the whole-half step scale, or apparently even the auxiliary diminished scale, though I’ve never heard it being called that. And regarding the spelling. Same thing. There’s many different ways that people spell this scale, but here’s the version we believe makes the most sense:

Whole-Half Diminished Scale

1

2

♭3

4

♭5

♭6

♭♭7

7

C

D

E♭

F

G♭

A♭

B♭♭

B

Don’t be scared by that B♭♭. The double-flat just means that the note is two semitones below B (i.e. each flat is the symbol for “one semitone down”). And yes, B♭♭ is the enharmonic equivalent of A. Same note, different name.

We encourage you to play around with this scale too, as it’s surprising how different it sounds to its spouse scale. And the chords are very different too. The most obvious being the root triad, which is diminished here, but in the half-whole diminished scale it’s major.

*To learn all about enharmonics, read Hack 7 in our book: Hack Music Theory, Part 1.

Repeating the pattern of a tone followed by a semitone, produces the whole-half diminished scale

Okay that’s enough theory, let’s get to the practical! Where shall we begin? What better place than beat 1, right? A punchy beat 1 is gonna make your riff heavy!

So, create a two-bar loop on your guitar (or synth) track, with the time signature set to 4|4 and the grid on 1/16 notes. The tempo in this example is 95 BPM, but feel free to make that faster or slower depending on how energetic you’re feeling.

We’re gonna start by writing the first 1/4 note. That doesn’t sound like much, but it’s actually four notes. Ministry only plays the first three 1/16 notes of beat 1, but we’re playing all four. You can do either, or you can even play only the first two 1/16 notes. As always, do whatever you want, because it’s your music, but we have four suggestions for this example. Firstly, be sure to play the first 1/16 note, otherwise your riff will lack impact. Secondly, play at least two 1/16 notes, otherwise your riff won’t make a very big first impression. Thirdly, whether you play two, three or four 1/16 notes here, play them all in a row, otherwise your riff won’t have that Ministry momentum. And lastly, keep the range small, as you don’t want to give too much away. Our range is a mere 3 semitones, from C up to D♯.

The first note of your riff doesn’t need to be the root. We start on the root, but the Ministry riff starts on the ♭2, followed by the 1 (which they play twice). The first 1/4 note of our riff goes like this: 1 → ♯2 → ♭2 → 1.

The first 1/4 note creates the riff’s “punch”

Next, copy and paste your notes into the first 1/4 note of your second bar.

First 1/4 note of first bar copied and pasted into first 1/4 note of second bar (highlighted)

This step is a bonus, as Ministry doesn’t actually do this in their riff, but we added it just for fun. So, if you want some extra groove, extend the last note in your second bar. You can also play that note another time, or even twice (like we did).

The only caveat in this step is that you need to stop around beat 3, or just after beat 3. This is because you’ll be writing a 1/16 note run (in the next step) to end your riff, so you need to leave space for that.

Last note in second bar extended and repeated (highlighted)

Making music is a creative process, and creative processes are usually not linear. For example, sometimes we’ll begin the writing process by making the end. Or sometimes we’ll end the writing process by making the beginning. Yet other times we’ll make the end somewhere in the middle of the writing process, which is what this method calls for.

So, just like you began your riff with a “punch”, you’re gonna end it the same way. The only difference is that you want your 1/16 note run at the end to be longer.

Also, you want your ending to have a much larger range. That will create an expansive feeling at the end, which will loop back into that tight opening punch. We reached all the way up to the scale’s highest note, the ♭7 (B♭), but you obviously don’t need to have such a big range in the run at the end of your riff.

Ministry exclusively uses 1/16 notes in their riff, and as a result, it sounds super punchy and energetic. So, other than the note you extended for more groove in Step 3, we definitely recommend sticking with 1/16 notes for your whole riff.

Ending 1/16 note run (highlighted)

And now we come to the end of the writing process, which means it’s time to make the middle of your riff. This is gonna be the climax, so we’ve saved the best till last! What makes a melodic climax is usually twofold: height, and duration.

And seeing as you can’t take advantage of the duration element (i.e. holding the note for a long time), it’s all up to the height element. This means you gotta reach way up, as far as your riff will allow you! What do we mean by “allow”? Well, you don’t wanna lose your riff’s flow by randomly jumping up to a high note. You need to write a captivating contour that lifts it up. But, you don’t have much space to do this. That’s why your riff will only allow you to go to a certain height.

You can think of it like an airplane taking off. It needs a long runway to pick up speed. But, your riff only has a short runway to reach its climax, so don’t overdo it. Having said that, though, you can get plenty high with the space you have. We wrote a smooth contour that peaked at the D♭ just over an octave above our root.

Also, as you’ll notice in the MIDI screenshot below, the second 1/4 note in our first bar is empty. That space is vital, because the contrast between “running” and “resting” is one of the main features that make Ministry’s riff so heavy. And on that note, it’s time to sit back… No wait, forget that! Get up, make some space in your studio for a circle pit of one, put your tea safely out of the way, and hit play!

Final riff, with the climax run highlighted

PS: For the theory nerds, Ministry doesn’t use all 8 notes of the half-whole diminished scale. Therefore, it could be argued that their riff is actually in the altered scale. That’s also a 7-note scale, though, and we felt that a tutorial on an 8-note scale would be far more interesting :)

I know you want to be a confident producer who finishes songs, and loves the results. In order to become a confident producer, though, you need decades of knowledge and experience. To gain that knowledge, you need a good teacher. To gain that experience, you need decades of practice. That’s overwhelming!

I understand that searching for a good teacher is frustrating. Most courses are taught by YouTubers who are not qualified in music, and are not qualified teachers either. The few who are qualified in both, have no industry experience. I feel your pain. Truly. Most of my music teachers were bad. That’s why I studied music and education in order to become a lecturer, and why I created Hack Music Theory.

Also, over my 30+ years of composing, I developed a unique method called Song-Whispering, which I’ve used to make music with multiplatinum Grammy winners. In my one-of-a-kind online apprenticeship, you’ll learn my method and turbocharge your music with my decades of knowledge and experience.

Enroll Now and stop wasting years of your life learning from bad teachers and trying to get better through trial-and-error. Transform into the confident producer you would be in 10+ years now, and start loving your music!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer


 

“Song-Whispering may be the single greatest concept ever!”
–Glynne Owen (Japan)

“I followed their YouTube for a while before taking their course. I wish I’d taken it sooner!” –Sagar Saluja (India)

“I wrote the first song in my life that I actually like!”
–Anastasia Lucas (USA)

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

If the FREE BOOK link doesn't work, just visit our BOOKS page:
https://hackmusictheory.com/books