Megadeth Music Theory Analysis (Patreon)

Per patron Wrath's request, I'm analyzing the music theory behind songs. 

In this installment, I chose Megadeth's "Symphony Of Destruction"

It's interesting because you can hear the song is centered around "E". However, the notes don't fit a major or minor scale. This is where the modes become very useful. If a song doesn't seem to fit regular scales, you're probably dealing with something modal

SOD sounds minor but it's not the normal E minor scale spelled E-F#-G-A-B-C-D. Dave flattened the second degree F# to F. This gives us an E Phrygian tonality. Now be careful, because this is where most musicians get stuck. They attempt to write a song in a mode by using the scale without harmonic context

Unfortunately, your song won't sound Phrygian unless you use the chords Em-F, or i-bII. This is exactly what Dave is doing during the verse. Make sure these two chords have a solid underlying pedal tone foundation. In other words, have a bass line that reps the note E over both chords. This is what we hear in the song. A flawless example of E Phrygian composition

Get the full tabs below and write me a Phrygian riff to share on Discord!