James Hetfield And Kirk Hammett

The first thing you need to learn is the technique Metallica made famous, the palmmutted open e. If is a great fill in your riff if they are somewhat too short or don't have that certain something in them. The first two examples are from one of the fan favorites, Seek and Destroy.

EX 1.

P.M.--------|            P.M.--------|
|------------------------|------------------------|
|------------------------|------------------------|
|------------------------|------------------------|
|-------------5--7--5--7-|------------------------|
|-------------5--7--5--7-|-------------7--5-------|
|-0--0--0--0-------------|-0--0--0--0--------7--6-|

Ex 2.

P.M.---------------------------------------|
|------------------------|------------------------||
|------------------------|------------------------||o
|------------------------|------------------------||
|------------------------|-------------------5----||
|------------------------|----------------------7-||o
|-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0--7--6-------||

Another great riff is from Am I Evil?

Ex 3.

||------------------|-----------------||
||o-----------------|----------------o||
||------------------|-----------------||
||------------------|-----------------||
||o---------5-----7-|-------8-(8)--7-o||
||--0-0-0-0-3-0-0-5-|-0-0-0-6-(6)--5--||

Next, if you wanna play like Kirk, you'll need to learn three maain techniques.

Tapping

The next riff is also from the song Am I Evil?

Ex 4.

|-t12p8p5-t12p8p5-t12p8p5-t12p8p5-||-t12p8p5-t12p8p5-t12p8p5-t12p8p5-|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|

|-t13p8p5-t13p8p5-t13p8p5-t13p8p5-||-t13p8p5-t13p8p5-t13p8p5-t13p8p5-|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|

|-t13p9p6-t13p9p6-t13p9p6-t13p9p6-||-t13p9p6-t13p9p6-t13p9p6-t13p9p6-|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|

|-t14p9p6-t14p9p6-t14p9p6-t14p9p6-||-t14p9p6-t14p9p6-t14p9p6-t14p9p6-|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------||---------------------------------|

|-t14p10p7-t14p10p7-t14p10p7-t14p10p7-||-t14p10p7-t14p10p7-t14p10p7-t14p7-|
|-------------------------------------||----------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------||----------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------||----------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------||----------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------||----------------------------------|

The next technique is the improve with the wah wah pedal. Play this without the wah first. Then, bring in the wah and go with the beat of the song. FYI this from the Sandman solo.

Ex. 5

 Eb|------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Bb|--15--15--15--12-------12----------12--12---------15b--15b---(15\)------
 Gb|------------------14b--------14b------------14--------------------------
 Db|------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Ab|------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Eb|------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Eb|------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Bb|------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Gb|--12\14--14--14/12--12--12\14--14--14/12--12--12---14p12----------------
 Db|----------------------------------------------------------14--14p12-----
 Ab|--------------------------------------------------------------------14--
 Eb|------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Eb|-------------------------12-12-12----12-12-12---12-12-12---12-12-12-----
 Bb|----------------------15b---------15b--------15b--------15b-------------
 Gb|------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Db|------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Ab|--14p12/10--------------------------------------------------------------
 Eb|------------12--(12\)---------------------------------------------------

 Eb|-----12-12-12h15p12--12h15p12--12h15p12-12-15-12-12-14-14---------------
 Bb|--15b-------------------------------------------------------------------
 Gb|------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Db|------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Ab|------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Eb|------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Eb|--17p14----17p14-----17p14--19p15----19p15-----19p15---21p17----21p17---
 Bb|--------15-------15---------------17-------17----------------17-------17
 Gb|------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Db|------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Ab|------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Eb|------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Eb|--21p17----22b----------------------------------------------------------
 Bb|--------17-----9b---9b---9b--9b--9b-----------------10---10--8--7-------
 Gb|---------------9b---9b---9b--9b--9b---7--9-------7----------------9-----
 Db|--------------------------------------------7h9-------------------------
 Ab|------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Eb|------------------------------------------------------------------------

The last technique is the whammy bar. Learn how to do natural harmonics and hit these harmonics and shake them with the bar.

E|---(12)------------------------(4)-- 
B|-------(12)----------------(4)------
G|--------------(7)-----(5)-----------
D|------------------(7)---------------
A|------------------------------------
E|------------------------------------

Thanx for looking and hope this helped.

Comments

[GabeWang]

This just shows some tabs, nothing more. Am I Evil isn't even a Metallica song

[Silver_PHo3nix]

explain the tabs!!!!!

if someone looks at these they wont understand wat your trying to say nor anything

[Silas S Thompso]

None of the song solos or songs they mention besides sandman were written by kirk. Dave Mustaine wrote the whole Kill em all leads and leper messiah, ride the lightning, call of ctulu

[Mr_Rawr_Rawr II]

Am I Evil? is a Metallica song. It doesn't mater if they covered it or not. They have their version so it is a Metallica song.

[BodaciousBob]

Poor at best, this doesn't give any insight to the techniques, methods or styles of Kirk or James it's just some exerpts from a couple of Metallica songs.

[Thrasher_09]

The tuning of Enter Sandman is not Eb but standard tuning down by 1/8 tone

[b-rabbit-1]

I dont know who GabeWang is but whoever it is needs to stop fronting. ill bet he doesnt even know Metallica or any other songs than their singles. Am I Evil is too a song it is from the seccond disk of their Garage inc. album. idiot.

[zawk]

garage inc. is just a cover cd. so that means that none of those songs are actually theirs...

[jujien]

Am i evil? is a Diamond Head song !!!
=> b-rabbit-1 : You thought it was a metallica song, perhaps because you were not even born yet when they played it.

[pettah93]

dude are u serious? how to play like kirk hammet, play with the whammy bar and tap? haha