Riff Diary #3: Memories – Can Heavy Music Move You?
It started with a riff. A quick idea that immediately threw me back to my childhood. Not in a specific way – more emotionally. As soon as I played it, I knew it had something powerful in it. I sent it to a friend, he approved it warmly, and that sealed the deal. It would become a whole song! The feeling was positive. Like a win. But once I dove deeper into the track, things started to shift.
Bittersweet Memories
The ballad-like verses are in minor. They feel like those moments when it flashes through your head how great things used to be – not in a "stuck in the past" kind of way, though. It’s not that I want to turn back time. It just sometimes hits me how many awesome and hilarious things happened back then. I must’ve had the best crew; otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many memories – memories that still make me laugh out loud. And then there’s that moment when I wish I could relive just a bit of it… but I can’t. And right after that, I burst out laughing again.
The whole song "Memories" rides between those two poles. Sometimes you drift into a dream, and sometimes you just have to laugh. It’s especially clear in the "winning" chorus. So many funny moments, so many absurd situations – it’s impossible not to smile.
A Musical Memory. Made at Home. No Expectations.
I recorded everything at home. In my home studio, which consists of pretty accessible gear – an audio interface, guitar, cable, Cubase, and the basic plugins that came with the interface. That’s all I needed to create something meaningful. With that setup, I’ve written dozens of riffs and also my first instrumental, "Neural Connections". The key is having an idea – or creating one – and the desire to build on it.
The song is simple in chords but massive in orchestration – not immediately noticeable, but the feeling it creates is thick and immersive. I stuck to a classic pop structure but added one experiment – the bridge with selective picking. Because memories are never completely linear.
Selective Picking: When Memories Sharpen and Rhythm Starts Speaking
In the bridge section of "Memories", I leaned more into selective picking – an extremely percussive technique that sounds truly unique, and I love that tone. But it’s also very dependent on precision. It’s not just about what you play – but what you don’t. Every pick stroke is intentional. Here, I explored not just the technique itself, but also a more chordal approach – selective picking let me think harmonically rather than riff-based. I explored how notes within chords move and flow, so voice leading played a major role.
The bridge gradually develops into a section where I play sextuplets grouped in fours. Sounds mathematical, maybe, but in the end, it creates an interesting, almost "stumbling" groove. It’s a rhythm that knocks you off balance for a second – and that’s what makes it feel alive and unpredictable.
Honestly, I struggled for a bit to play this part rhythmically tight. The kind of music I make lives or dies by how solid the groove is. But I managed to nail a good take that had both precision and natural feel. Just a few small edits – and it was done.
It’s just a small moment in the track, but personally, one of the most interesting ones.
Memories Is Out Now!
"Memories" is about how certain feelings come back unexpectedly. About how we don’t always remember exact events – but the emotions we felt. And when you reflect on it all... you just have to laugh.
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