Finnish Power Metal III: Nightwish

Hi GMC!

Welcome to the third lesson based on Finnish Power Metal!
This time I will cover maybe one of the most popular Finland metal bands ever: Nightwish. This band was formed in 1996 and cached the attention of metal fans around the world since they edited “Oceanborn” in 1998. Their album “Once” (2004) becomes very popular in US and has sold more than 1 million copies. They had some line-up changes through the years.

Remember to check out my previous Finnish Metal lessons: Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica.

Music Style:
Nightwish is considered to be a mix of Symphonic Metal and Power Metal. In their latest albums they started to create more powerful riffs with some industrial influences, which are simple and very characteristic. Songs like “I Wish I Had An Angel”, “Amaranth” and “Bye Bye Beautiful” opened a whole new world in their music. These are the songs on which I based the composition of this lesson, so if you like this one, go to youtube and check those amazing songs!

Tonality, Chord Progression & Scales:
This lesson is in E minor & E Phrygian tonalities. The scales used for riffing are also minor and Phrygian. You will find all the chords and progressions on screen and over the tabs. We will use mostly power chords and riffs.

Techniques:
This is a rhythm lesson so it’s perfect for beginner/intermediate players that want to adjust their timing abilities.
We will use alternate picking, only downstrokes and palm muting.

Sound:
I used my POD hd500 to build a sound based on Bogner amps and 4x12 cabinets. I used Cubase to record audio and midi and many Reason refills to get the Symphonic arrangements sound. I used EZdrummer for drums and Hallion for bass.

Click HERE to download the patch.

Tuning:
I used standard 440.

Tempo:
160 BPM

Ok guys – time for metal!