Heavy Metal

In this lesson I will try to explain how to plaay some metal riffs and explain the techniques.

Content:
1. Tunings
2. Plam muting
3. Harmonics
4. Simple Solo Techniques

Tuning

It dosent really matter what tuning you are in the play metal music but some band use drop tunings to get more lows in there music some examples of bands are slayer pantera motley crue. some examples of drop tunings are

Slack or flat tuning every string down one half step

     high e-- eb or d#
          B-- Bb or A#
          G-- Gb or F#
          D-- Db or C#
          A-- Ab or G#
          E-- Eb or D#

Most people will need a chromatic tuner to tune to these tunings b or # depends on the tuner.

Drop D. Drop D is when you t ake the top string and tune down one whole step to play power chords with one finger.

     e
     B
     G
     D
     A
     E-- D

One whole step. Every string down one whole step.

      e-- d
      B-- A 
      G-- F
      D-- C
      A-- G
      E-- D

Other drop tunings are Drop D down one step low to high C G C F A d one one half step Db Gb Cb Fb Ab eb and drop C# low to high C# G# C# F# A# d#.

Palm Muting

Now that your tuned up or down in this case your ready to play some riffs. Palm muting is when you lay the meat of your hand agianst the bottom of the strings by the bridge almost like your karate choping it this gives you a choked heavy sound. Shout at the Devil-Motley Crue one whole step down PM and dots are the notes palm muted.

     d-------------------------------------------------------------
     A-------------------------------------------------------------
     F----------5-----------------7------------------5----------7-5*
     C----------5-----------------7------------------5------5h7----
     G--0--0--0----------0--0--0-----------0--0--0------5h7--------
     D-------------------------------------------------------------
PM      .  .  .          .  .  .           .  .  . h= hammer on * Pnch harm

For Whom the Bell Tolls-Metallica Standerd or Flat tuning.

     e-------------------
     B-------------------
     G-------------------
     D-2-5-4-3-2-5-4-3-2-
     A-2-5-4-3-2-5-4-3-2-
     E-0-3-2-1-0-3-2-1-0-

Harmonics

Im going to focus mostly on pinch hamronics or artifical harmonics. To get a pinch harmonis you need to let about 3mm of the pick stick out below your thumb and as soon as you pick a note touch the string with your thumb all on the down stroke when first starting yout play under high gain and on your bridge pickup and start one A or D strings when first playing pinch harmonics.

LAID TO REST- LAMB OF GOD- DROP D

  e----------
  G----------
  B----------* = Pinch Harmonic
  D-2-2-2----
  A-2-2-2----
  D-2-2-2-2*-

Zakk Wylde we all die young drop d down one step

  d----------------------------
  A----------------------------
  F--7-6-----------------------
  C--7-6----3-0-3-0-3-0-3-0-3-0
  G--5-4-3*-3-0-3-0-3-0-3-0-3-0
  C---------3-0-3-0-3-0-3-0-3-0

Solo

Solos are heavy metal trade marks. Hammer on is when you pick a note and hammer down on another fret on the same string ex:

   e---5h7--5h7--5h7--5h7

Pull Off is when you hit a note and pull down on the string off to another allready fretted not ex:

   e---7p5--7p5--7p5--7p5

Combine ther and you get:

   e----5h7p5h7p5h7p5h7p5

Tapping is when you take your pointer or ring finger most people use ring so the can hold the pick and you basicly tap down on a fret and pull of the another not ex: T== Tap

       T         T         T         T
   e---12p7p5T---12p7p5T---12p7p5T---12p7p5T

now to combine these in to a solo you get this:

Crazy Train

    T    T
e|---------------------------------------------------
e|---------------------------------------------------
b|-14p10-14p10p7h10-14p10-14p10p7h10-14p10-14p10p7h10
g|---------------------------------------------------
d|---------------------------------------------------
a|---------------------------------------------------
e|---------------------------------------------------

   T     T          T     T          T      T
e|------------------------------------------------------
b|-15p10-15p10p7h10-15p10-15p10p7h10-15p10-15p10p7h10---
g|------------------------------------------------------
d|------------------------------------------------------
a|------------------------------------------------------
e|------------------------------------------------------

e|-----------------------------------------|
b|-9h12p9h12p9h12p8h11p8h11p7h10p7h10p8h11-|
g|-----------------------------------------|
d|-----------------------------------------|
a|-----------------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------------|

End the Tapping with a nice little lick:

e|----------|
b|----10----|
g|-9b----9b-|
d|----------|
a|----------|
e|----------|

b= Bend When you hit a not and bend it up or down make the note higher.

e|-17-16-14------14-16-17-17b-|
b|----------17b---------------|
g|----------------------------|
d|----------------------------|
a|----------------------------|
e|----------------------------|

e|-14h17p14----14------------------------------------------|
b|----------17----17-15p14-15p14----14-----------17--------|
g|-------------------------------16----16p14-16b----16rp14-|
d|---------------------------------------------------------|
a|---------------------------------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------------------------------|

Some Legato= fast hammer ons and pull offs.

e|------------14h17p14h17p14h17p14h17p14h17p14h17-16h19p16h19|
b|------14h17------------------------------------------------|
g|14h16------------------------------------------------------|
d|-----------------------------------------------------------|
a|-----------------------------------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------------------------------|

e|-17h21p17h21p17h21p17h21p17h21p-16h17p16h17p-|
b|---------------------------------------------|
g|---------------------------------------------|
d|---------------------------------------------|
a|---------------------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------------------|

e|-16h19p16h19p16h19p16h19p16h19p16h19p-|
b|--------------------------------------|
g|--------------------------------------|
d|--------------------------------------|
a|--------------------------------------|
e|--------------------------------------|

e|-14h17p14-----17-----|
b|----------17b----17b-|
g|---------------------|
d|---------------------|
a|---------------------|
e|---------------------|

e|----------------------------------------------------------|
b|-15-14----------------------------------------------------|
g|-------16-14----------14----------14----------14----------|
d|-------------16p14h16----16p14h16----16p14h16----16p14h16-|
a|----------------------------------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------------------------|

e|------------------------------------------------------|
b|------------------------------------------------------|
g|-13h14p13h14p13h14p13h14p13h14p13h14p13h14p13h14p-16b-|
d|------------------------------------------------------|
a|------------------------------------------------------|
e|------------------------------------------------------|

This is a very hard lick only the tappin and hammer on parts where ment for this lesson but use the lick and legato practice start out slow and work your way up good luck.

e|-------------------------------------------------------------17h19b-|
b|-------------------------------------------------------17h19--------|
g|----------------------------------------------14h15/18--------------|
d|----------------------------12h14h16-12h14h16-----------------------|
a|----------12h14h16-12h14h16-----------------------------------------|
e|-12h14h16-----------------------------------------------------------|

That was my way to fast not enough stuff metal lesson here are some licks to preactice.

  e-------------------------
  b-------------------------
  g----------------5---5s7s5
  d----------------5---5s7s5
  a--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-3-0-3s5s3
  d--0-0-0-0-0-0-0---0------

  e------------------------------------------------------
  b------------------------------------------------------
  g------------------------5-4---------------------------
  d------7-----5-----7-----5-4------------------------5-4
  a--0-0---0-0---0-0---0-0-3-2------7-----5-----7-----5-4
  e-----------------------------0-0---0-0---0-0---0-0-3-2
PM   . .   . .   . .   . .      . .   . .   . .   . .

Comments

[pogo_punkr]

sorry, but i think there is WAY more to metal than that

[ScarletStingers]

more metal PLEASE

[learninclutch]

Many errors all over the place. Very difficult to read. Why don't you proofread? I'm amazed UG even posted this. I may sound like your teacher at school, I know. Tabs were written all right, though

[srvkicks@$$]

good lesson but most people who play or want to play metal no hammer ons and pull offs spelling was kind of off but overall i liked the tabs u picked and your licks are great but try to be more in depth next time yuo make a lesson

[!,,! (-.-) !,,!]

i was expecting more dude

[Death Hamster]

its an alright lesson but you talk like this you can barely understand what you are saying. You need to make it better people would like you better

[shredding_soon2]

well at least you were honest about it being a way to fast not enough stuff metal lesson i just wish you would have gone more in depth.

[guitar_god_1993]

i really liked this lesson thanks

[Dr_Train]

i like how that last part you did sounds just like Steal Away(The Night) good job.....

[Jack Bevan]

An easy way to tune it to drop d without a tuner is put you finger on the 10th fret of the low E string and lossen it untill it sounds like an open a string.
To tune it a whole step you (after its in drop d) put your finger on the 5th fret and loosen the a string untill the sound the same.then do the same to the D string then,then the G but on the B string put your finger on the 4th fret and tune it to an open E as normal.
hope that helped anyone stuck on that and didnt have a tuner.

[a55a551n1191]

That was my way to fast not enough stuff metal lesson here are some licks to preactice.

What the hell does this mean?

But apart from that, OK lesson man.

[a55a551n1191]

Scratch that last comment

I understand it now

Sorry

[ZeGuitarist]

I'm sorry, but this article really wasn't good. I couldn't even get past the first paragraph, the sheer amount of grammar and spelling errors hurt my eyes. Please, PLEASE use proper grammar when posting articles, and proofread before posting.

Oh, and comments checked.