The Ray Weiss Style Guide

A practical guide for writing music in the Le Rug style — or critiquing music through Ray’s aesthetic lens.

Who This Is For

This guide codifies the instincts of a self-taught musician who played entirely by ear, had no theory training, and developed a distinctive sound that earned cult status in the NYC indie scene (~2007-2020). The goal is to make these instincts teachable and reproducible.

The Core Principles

1. Ambiguity Over Clarity

Use root+5th voicings (no 3rd) as your default. This keeps the harmony open — neither happy nor sad. Only reveal major or minor at emotional peaks. The listener should always feel slightly uncertain about where they are harmonically.

2. Octave Layering

Double everything in octaves. Play a riff on the low strings, then simultaneously or immediately after play it an octave higher. This is your primary texture-building technique. It makes a solo guitar sound like two guitars without adding harmonic complexity.

3. Open String Resonance

Let open strings ring against fretted notes. Don’t mute the strings you’re “not using.” The sympathetic resonance of open E, A, D, G, B adds chromatic color naturally. This is easier in standard tuning and harder in drop tunings.

4. Zigzag Melodies

Melodies should oscillate around a central note rather than climbing or descending in long arcs. Think of it as vibrating in place. Go up 3-5 semitones, come back down, go up again to a different interval, come back. The melodic center should feel like a magnet that the melody keeps returning to.

5. Fast and Loose

Play fast subdivisions (16th notes) but don’t lock to a click track. Human timing creates the energy. Speed up slightly going into choruses, slow down slightly in verses. The variations should be unconscious.

6. Economy of Structure

Songs should be 1-4 minutes. Say what you need to say and stop. If a section works, don’t repeat it more than twice. If you have a riff, play it 4-8 times maximum before moving on.

The Chord Palette

Tier 1: Root+5th Voicings (your home base)

G5, C5, D5, A5, E5 are the core five. Move between them freely. This is the largest single category in the catalog by a wide margin — these voicings dominate the harmonic vocabulary.

”The Standard” — Root+5th with Built-In 2nd

Ray’s default root+5th shape is not the textbook root-5th-octave. It includes the 2nd/9th, making every root+5th voicing actually a sus2 in disguise:

e|--N----     (5th)
B|--N----     (2nd / 9th)
G|--N+2--     (root, octave)
D|--N+2--     (5th)
A|--N----     (root)
E|--x----

Example at the 5th fret (D):

e|--5--  A   (5th)
B|--5--  E   (2nd / 9th)
G|--7--  D   (root, octave)
D|--7--  A   (5th)
A|--5--  D   (root)
E|--x--

Notes: D - A - D - E - A = root, 5th, root, 2nd, 5th. This is technically a Dsus2 spread across 5 strings, not a bare root+5th. The 2nd (E) on the B string adds the same harmonic ambiguity that the Thumb Sus2 provides, but it’s here in the foundation shape — every time Ray grabs a root+5th voicing, the sus2 color comes along for free.

This matters for the analysis: the data reports 53% harmonic ambiguity and 5.8% explicit sus2 as separate categories, but in practice they overlap heavily — the Standard voicing is detected as ambiguous (no third) even though a 2nd is ringing on the B string. The ambiguity isn’t an occasional choice; it’s the default voicing.

Common progressions:

G5 - C5 - D5 - A5 (the most common full-catalog loop)
E5 - B5 - A5 (descending root+5th)
G5 - C5 - D5 (ascending bright)

Tier 2: Suspended Chords (use 10% of the time)

For movement and tension. Alternate between sus4 and sus2 on the same root:

A → Asus4 → A → Asus2 (the “rocking chair”)
D → Dsus4 → D → Dsus2

”The Thumb Sus2” — Your Signature Voicing

Your most distinctive chord shape, fretted with the thumb wrapping the 6th string (Hendrix-style thumb technique). Moveable anywhere on the neck:

e|--N+2--     (9th / 2nd up the octave)
B|--N----     (5th)
G|--N-1--     (2nd)
D|--N+2--     (root, octave up)
A|--x----     (muted — creates a gap between bass and upper voicing)
E|--N----     (root, thumb)

Example at the 3rd fret (Gsus2):

e|--5--  A
B|--3--  D
G|--2--  A
D|--5--  G
A|--x--
E|--3--  G  ← thumb

This is a sus2 — root, 2nd, 5th, no 3rd. It has the weight of a root+5th voicing with the open, ringing ambiguity of the added 2nd. The muted A string splits the voicing into a bass note and an upper cluster, giving it depth without muddiness. C sus2 is the single most-used non-root+5th shape in the catalog (1,822 instances).

The Hendrix connection: Jimi used the same thumb-over-neck technique to voice dominant 7#9 chords (“Purple Haze”). Same physical innovation, different harmonic destination — dominant tension vs. suspended ambiguity.

High E string variations: While holding the Thumb Sus2, the high E string can move to add interest — especially useful when sustaining the chord. In the Gsus2 example:

Fret 5 (A) — the written position, the 9th/2nd
Fret 2 (F#) — the major 7th, adds shimmer (turns it toward a maj7sus2 color)
Fret 3 (G) — the root up the octave, grounds the chord

This works across the fretboard at any position — flicking the high E between these intervals while the rest of the shape rings creates movement within a single chord. A way to make a static harmony feel alive without changing the underlying voicing.

”The Rocking Chair” — Sus4 Variation (Slide Up 2 Frets)

Same thumb position as the sus2, but push everything else up 2 frets:

e|--N+4--     (5th, octave up)
B|--N+2--     (4th)
G|--N+1--     (major 3rd... wait, this is the 5th — B in G context)
D|--N+4--     (2nd / 9th)
A|--x----
E|--N----     (root, thumb stays)

Example at the 3rd fret (Gsus4):

e|--7--  B
B|--5--  E
G|--4--  B
D|--7--  A
A|--x--
E|--3--  G  ← thumb stays

Notes: G - A - B - E - B = Gsus4 (root, 4th, 5th). The thumb anchors the root while everything else rocks up. Sliding back down returns to the sus2. This is the “rocking chair” motion — sus2 ↔ sus4 on the same root, ~5% each in the catalog.

Three Shapes, One Thumb Position

The thumb holds the root on the 6th string. Everything else moves:

Position	Chord	Feel
Down	Sus2	Open, ambiguous
Up 2 frets	Sus4	Tension, reaching
Add the 3rd (add9 shape)	Add9	Resolved, bright

This is your entire Tier 2 chord system built from one hand position.

”The Shimmer” — Major 7th Voicing

The shoegaze chord. Thumb on the root, major 7th on the high E string:

e|--N-1--     (major 7th)
B|--N----     (5th)
G|--N+1--     (major 3rd)
D|--0/x--     (open if it doubles an existing note, muted otherwise)
A|--N+2--     (5th, low)
E|--N----     (root, thumb)

Example at the 3rd fret (Gmaj7):

e|--2--  F#  (major 7th)
B|--3--  D
G|--4--  B
D|--0--  D   (doubles the 5th on the A string — let it ring)
A|--5--  D
E|--3--  G  ← thumb

Notes: G - D - B - D - D - F# = Gmaj7 (root, 5th, 3rd, 5th, 5th, major 7th). The open D string drones the same note already on the A string, reinforcing the 5th — no reason to mute it. The major 7th interval creates the dreamy, shimmering quality that the analysis tagged as “shoegaze DNA” (3.1% of all chord usage).

Open string trick: At the 6th fret this becomes Bbmaj7 — and the open D string is Bb’s major 3rd, so it rings naturally instead of being muted. This is the open-string resonance technique in action: move a shape up the neck and let open strings join the chord when they happen to fit. You don’t need to know why the open D works over Bb — your ear tells you it does.

”The Open Bloom” — Moveable Add9 with Open Strings

A full-voiced add9 that lets the open B and E strings ring over a moveable fretted shape. Shoegaze territory — a subtle, shimmering major that doesn’t hit you over the head with its major-ness.

e|--0----     (open — role changes with position)
B|--0----     (open — role changes with position)
G|--N-1--     (9th at A root)
D|--N-3--     (5th at A root)
A|--N-1--     (major 3rd at A root)
E|--N----     (root)

Example at the 5th fret (Aadd9):

e|--0--  E   (5th)
B|--0--  B   (9th)
G|--4--  B   (9th)
D|--2--  E   (5th)
A|--4--  C#  (major 3rd)
E|--5--  A   (root)

Notes: A - C# - E - B - B - E = Aadd9 (root, major 3rd, 5th, 9th). The open B and E double the 9th and 5th, creating a wide, ringing voicing.

The moveable trick: The open strings take on new harmonic roles at each fret position. At the 8th fret (C root), the same shape becomes Cmaj9 — the open B becomes the major 7th and the open E becomes the major 3rd. The chord gains more harmonic complexity as it moves up the neck without changing the fingering. At some positions the open strings will clash — and that’s fine. The chromatic friction is part of the sound.

This is more harmonically committed than the sus2/sus4 voicings — it has the full major triad. But the doubled open strings and the 9th keep it from sounding like a barre chord. It reads as “major, but atmospheric” rather than “major, resolved.”

All three open-bloom shapes (Open Bloom, The Haze, The Dark Bloom) can also be played with the open strings muted and the fretted shape moved freely up and down the neck as pure moveable voicings.

”The Haze” — Moveable Maj13 with Open Strings

The fully extended version of The Open Bloom. Same open-string-over-moveable-shape technique but with more harmonic information — major 7th, 9th, and 13th all present. Deep shoegaze territory.

e|--0----     (open — major 3rd at C root)
B|--0----     (open — major 7th at C root)
G|--N-1--     (9th at C root)
D|--N-1--     (6th/13th at C root)
A|--N+2--     (5th at C root)
E|--N----     (root)

Example at the 8th fret (Cmaj13):

e|--0--   E   (major 3rd)
B|--0--   B   (major 7th)
G|--7--   D   (9th)
D|--7--   A   (6th/13th)
A|--10--  G   (5th)
E|--8--   C   (root)

Notes: C - G - A - D - B - E = Cmaj13 (root, major 3rd, 5th, 6th, major 7th, 9th). Six different notes in one voicing — every extension stacked. The open B provides the major 7th and the open E provides the major 3rd, so the two notes that make it shimmer are the ones that ring most freely.

This is about as harmonically dense as a guitar chord gets without dissonance. The Open Bloom (add9) is the restrained version; this is the same technique opened up all the way. Like The Open Bloom, the open strings shift function as the shape moves — at some positions creating jazz voicings, at others creating chromatic friction. The ear decides which positions work.

”The Dark Bloom” — Minor Add9 with Open Strings

The minor counterpart to The Open Bloom. Same open-string-over-moveable-shape technique, but the minor 3rd makes it dark and melancholy. One of the rare minor voicings in the catalog.

e|--0----     (open — 5th at A root)
B|--0----     (open — 9th at A root)
G|--N----     (minor 3rd at A root)
D|--N-3--     (5th at A root)
A|--N-2--     (minor 3rd, low, at A root)
E|--N----     (root)

Example at the 5th fret (Am add9):

e|--0--  E   (5th)
B|--0--  B   (9th)
G|--5--  C   (minor 3rd)
D|--2--  E   (5th)
A|--3--  C   (minor 3rd)
E|--5--  A   (root)

Notes: A - C - E - C - B - E = Am(add9) (root, minor 3rd, 5th, 9th). The open B adds the 9th — the same note that makes The Open Bloom shimmer, but over a minor chord it reads as wistful rather than bright. The minor 3rd is doubled (A and G strings), anchoring the minor quality firmly while the open strings add air above.

Like its major siblings, this shape works with the open strings muted as a pure moveable minor add9, or with them ringing to create position-dependent harmonic color.

”The Wall” — Wide-Voiced Major Triad

The opposite of the Bloom family. No extensions, no ambiguity — a pure major triad spread across the entire neck with the 5th tripled. Harmonically simple, texturally massive.

e|--0/x--     (open E or muted — depends on position)
B|--N----     (5th)
G|--0/x--     (open G or muted — depends on position)
D|--N-3--     (5th)
A|--N-1--     (major 3rd)
E|--N----     (root)

Example at the 8th fret (C major):

e|--0--  E   (major 3rd — let ring)
B|--8--  G   (5th)
G|--0--  G   (5th — let ring)
D|--5--  G   (5th)
A|--7--  E   (major 3rd)
E|--8--  C   (root)

Notes: C - E - G - G - G - E = C major with the 5th tripled across three octaves and the 3rd doubled. Three notes, six strings, wall of sound.

Moveable with selective muting: The open G and E strings work at some positions (C, Am, Em territory) and clash at others. Mute them when they don’t fit, let them ring when they do — the ear decides. With both open strings muted, the four fretted notes still produce a full wide-voiced major triad that moves anywhere on the neck.

This is the rare full-commitment major chord in a catalog dominated by ambiguity. When it shows up, it’s an arrival — no hedging, no suspension, just major. Use sparingly.

The Fret 13 discovery: Move The Wall to fret 13 (F root) and let both open strings ring:

e|--0--  E   (major 7th)
B|--13-- C   (5th)
G|--0--  G   (9th)
D|--10-- C   (5th)
A|--12-- A   (major 3rd)
E|--13-- F   (root)

Notes: F - A - C - G - C - E = Fmaj9. The blunt major triad shape becomes a lush extended chord — the open G adds the 9th and the open E adds the major 7th. A Wall voicing that accidentally becomes a Shimmer.

”The Ghost” — Moveable Maj9 (No 3rd)

A compact 4-string voicing that applies the root+5th philosophy (withhold the 3rd) to an extended chord. Ambiguous shimmer — the major 7th and 9th create a dreamy quality without committing to major or minor. Works well arpeggiated with open strings mixed in.

e|--N----     (9th)
B|--N+2--     (major 7th)
G|--N+2--     (5th)
D|--N----     (root)
A|--x----
E|--x----

Example at the 3rd fret (Fmaj9 no 3rd):

e|--3--  G   (9th)
B|--5--  E   (major 7th)
G|--5--  C   (5th)
D|--3--  F   (root)
A|--x--
E|--x--

Notes: F - C - E - G = Fmaj9 (no 3rd) (root, 5th, major 7th, 9th). No bass, no 3rd — all shimmer and suspension. The major 7th says “this is beautiful” while the missing 3rd says “but I won’t tell you if it’s happy or sad.”

Moveable on the D-string root. When arpeggiated, open strings (especially E, B, G) can be woven in between the fretted notes — the open strings add color that shifts depending on where the shape sits on the neck. At some positions you get consonance, at others chromatic tension. Pick what sounds right.

”The Gloom” — Minor 7th (No 5th)

A lean minor 7th voicing on the A-string root with the minor 7th doubled. Dark, melancholy, jazz-adjacent. The alternating fret pattern (N, N-2, N, N-2) makes it easy to grab.

e|--0/x--     (open E = minor 7th at F# root, or muted)
B|--N----     (root, octave)
G|--N+2--     (minor 7th)
D|--N----     (minor 3rd)
A|--N+2--     (root)
E|--x----

Example at the 9th fret (F#m7):

e|--0--  E   (minor 7th — let ring)
B|--7--  F#  (root, octave)
G|--9--  E   (minor 7th)
D|--7--  A   (minor 3rd)
A|--9--  F#  (root)
E|--x--

Notes: F# - A - E - F# - E = F#m7 (no 5th) (root, minor 3rd, minor 7th). The minor 7th is doubled across the G string and the open high E, giving the 7th extra weight. No 5th — the voicing commits fully to minor with the 7th adding depth rather than the 5th adding power.

Moveable with the open E muted. At different positions the open E shifts role — at the 5th fret (Dm7 root), the open E becomes the 9th, turning it into Dm9. The open string decides what color it adds.

The 4.1% minor 7th usage in the catalog data — this is one of the shapes generating it. One of the rare committed-minor voicings in a catalog dominated by harmonic ambiguity.

”The Compact Add9” — A-String Root Version

A focused, mid-range add9 with both E strings muted. No thumb needed:

e|--x----
B|--N----     (9th)
G|--N-3--     (5th)
D|--N-1--     (major 3rd)
A|--N----     (root)
E|--x----

Example at the 5th fret (Dadd9):

e|--x--
B|--5--  E   (9th)
G|--2--  A   (5th)
D|--4--  F#  (major 3rd)
A|--5--  D   (root)
E|--x--

Notes: D - F# - A - E = Dadd9. Same chord type as the Resolved Add9 (thumb version) but a completely different voicing — compact, punchy, no bass rumble. The thumb version is wide and booming across 5 strings; this one is tight and focused on the inner four. Having both shapes means you can play add9 in two registers without moving your harmonic center.

”The Resolved Add9” — The Sus2’s Major Sibling

Same DNA as the Thumb Sus2 but with the major 3rd added. Moveable barre shape:

e|--N----     (root, octave up)      ← index barre
B|--N----     (5th)                  ← index barre
G|--N+1--     (major 3rd)
D|--N+4--     (2nd / 9th)
A|--N+2--     (5th, low)
E|--N----     (root)                 ← index barre

Example at the 3rd fret (Gadd9):

e|--3--  G  ← index barre
B|--3--  D  ← index barre
G|--4--  B
D|--7--  A
A|--5--  D
E|--3--  G  ← index barre

This is an add9 — root, 2nd, major 3rd, 5th. The index finger barres the entire starting fret (not thumb — unlike the sus2 voicings). The sus2 withholds the 3rd and stays ambiguous; this one commits to major. Moving between the two shapes is a core technique: ambiguity → resolution using one finger change. Add9 accounts for 2.7% of all chord usage in the catalog.

The stretch from the barre at N to N+4 on the D string requires large hands — this voicing is physically demanding for most guitarists, making it a genuinely personal sound.

Tier 3: Full Triads (use 12% of the time)

Deploy at emotional moments:

C major, G major for brightness/resolution
A minor, B minor for darkness/descent
F major for weight/gravity

Tier 4: Color Chords (use 8% of the time)

For shimmer and sophistication:

Major 7ths for shoegaze moments
Minor 7ths for melancholy
Add9 for openness
6th chords for an unusual, personal flavor

Almost Never Use:

Diminished chords (too “classical”)
Dominant 7ths (too “blues”)
Augmented chords (too “Broadway”)

Drone Melody Technique — “One Voice Over Two”

The voicings above describe static chord shapes. But the real technique is how those shapes become riffs: one moving voice over two drone strings, using open strings and pedal tones as a harmonic foundation that the melody plays against.

Example: Robyn Byrd chorus (Butter the Children — True Crime)

Three strings, one moving finger drives a complete harmonic arc:

e|--7-7-7-7--9-9-9-9--11-11-11-11--7-7-7-7--|
B|--0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0---0--0--0--0-11-11-11-11|
G|-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11|

Beat	High E	B string	G string	Result
1	B (fret 7)	B (open)	F# (fret 11)	B5 — root+5th, home base
2	C# (fret 9)	B (open)	F# (fret 11)	Bsus2 — the 2nd enters, ambiguity
3	D# (fret 11)	B (open)	F# (fret 11)	B major — the 3rd arrives, resolution
4	B (fret 7)	A# (fret 11)	F# (fret 11)	B7 (no 3rd) — minor 7th, tension for the repeat

The F# on the G string never moves — it’s a pure pedal tone. The open B drones for three beats then shifts to A# on beat 4. The melody on the high E (B → C# → D# → B) does all the harmonic work: root+5th → sus2 → major → dominant 7th, just from one finger climbing two frets at a time.

The Principle

This is the open-string technique applied to melody writing, not just chord voicing:

Pick a pedal tone — one fretted note that doesn’t move (usually the 5th or root on the G or D string)
Let an open string drone — the open B or E provides a constant harmonic reference
Move one voice — the melody happens on a single string, with each fret position creating a different chord against the drones
The harmony writes itself — you don’t need to think in chords. Moving one finger against the drones naturally traces through root+5th, sus2, major, minor, 7th territory

This is why the zigzag melodic pattern shows up so strongly in the data — melodies oscillate around a central pitch because they’re playing against a drone that anchors them. The drone is the gravity; the melody orbits it.

Register Map

Where to play:

AVOID:     |                              [above E5 — only for rare screaming harmonics]
SOMETIMES: |████████████████              [E4-E5 — melodic peaks, leads]
OFTEN:     |██████████████████████████    [E3-E4 — your main melodic/rhythmic zone]
ALWAYS:    |██████████████████████████████████████ [E2-E3 — bass, riffs, foundation]
OFTEN:     |█████████████████████         [below E2 — low bass anchoring]

Your melodies live where most people’s rhythm parts live. Your “leads” are in the low-mid register. This creates a dense, bass-heavy sound that doesn’t need a separate bass guitar to feel full.

Rhythmic Framework

Default note length: ~0.25 seconds (16th notes at ~120 effective BPM, or 8th notes at ~200 BPM)
Default tempo: 190-210 BPM
Timing feel: Loose — don’t quantize, don’t play to a click
Most common rhythm: Steady 16th-note strumming/picking with accents on beats 1 and 3
Variation: Pull back to quarter notes in quiet sections, push to 32nds for intensity

Song Structure Template

A typical Le Rug song follows:

[Intro riff — 4-8 bars, establishes the main motif]
[Verse — same chords, vocals enter, 8-16 bars]
[Pre-chorus — tension chord (sus4 or minor), 4 bars]
[Chorus — either louder version of verse riff or new riff, 8 bars]
[Verse 2 — shorter than verse 1]
[Chorus]
[Bridge or breakdown — different chords, lower density]
[Final chorus — intensified, extra octave doubling]
[End — abrupt or brief outro riff, no fade]

Key rule: No section should overstay its welcome. If you’re bored playing it, cut it.

Production Aesthetic

Guitars should be slightly overdriven, not heavily distorted
Let open strings create natural chorus/flange effects
Drums should be punchy but not polished — room sound over close-miking
Bass (when separate) should follow the guitar root notes with slight variations
Vocals sit IN the mix, not on top of it — another instrument, not a featured soloist
Brief, the total runtime should be economical

Critique Checklist

When evaluating whether a song fits the Le Rug aesthetic:

Le Rug — Musical DNA

Explorer

The Ray Weiss Style Guide — How to Play Like Le Rug