Musical process and the structuring of riffs in Metallica.

Abstract

This study focuses on the 1980s thrash metal music of Metallica. It analyzes the harmonic and melodic nature of Metallica's riffs and examines how musical processes help shape the formal structures of these riffs. Drawing upon Robert Hopkins's and Wallace Berry's ideas of progression, recession, and stasis as fundamental musical processes, this study explores how certain musical elements define these processes both individually and in combination within this repertoire. The study culminates in the analysis of riff structure in comparison with classical phrase models including the sentence and period.