Metallica Guitar Guide: Easy Songs & Techniques
Since the 1980s, Metallica has served as an inspiration to many new guitarists who have taken up the instrument. This classic band rose to prominence and is now one of the most popular metal bands in the world. It is also regarded as one of the “big four” thrash metal bands, with Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth. Their music has evolved and taken diverse courses since the release of their debut album. Although their music has evolved, they remain one of the thrash metal legends, adding more heavy, complex rock influences as time has passed. Metallica is one of the world’s most influential bands. The music business and its history would be very different without them. It’s no surprise that many guitarists wish to rehearse Metallica songs.
So far, the band has published ten albums, which means there are hundreds of potential songs to play! Naturally, some songs are more challenging than others. But don’t worry if you’re a beginner who knows a few chords – there are plenty of simple tunes you can learn on your own.
How to Play Easy Metallica Songs on Guitar | Before you begin!
Some songs are easy to start learning for beginner guitarists. For instance, if you’re a beginner, you can quickly work your way through the majority of its songs of Metallica. Advanced guitarists will enjoy some of their more technical songs. There are plenty of styles and variety in the pieces of the band. The riffs and the solos are fun to play, and there’s a lot of learning from the writing. The good news is that there are a variety of ways that you can learn how to play the songs of the band by taking advantage of the various shortcuts that are available. This guide will give you a good idea of what to expect when learning to play the band’s songs. While a song tutorial might help you get started, this article will also cover the skills you need to improve.
In this article, We’ll talk about the various skills and concepts that you need to improve to play the songs of the band. These techniques and ideas will help you quickly learn the songs of the band.
How to Play Easy Metallica Songs on Guitar | Metallica Songs’ Guitar Techniques to Learn
Some guitar approaches often recur throughout Metallica’s songs. The more you practice and develop these approaches, the easier learning their tunes will be. When you know a new Metallica song, you’ll recognize these approaches and find it much simpler to practice.
Palm Muting
When playing metal or rock, palm-muting is a crucial skill to acquire. Attempting to play Metallica riffs without correct palm-muting will result in a jarring sound and sensation. Because palm-muting is used in almost every Metallica song, it’s simple to discover samples of it in action. Palm-muting helps you tighten up rhythm portions to make them chunky or percussive.
When you hear an open string in a Metallica riff, it’s almost always performed with palm-muting. Instead of being evenly distributed, the fretted notes stand out. The open string sounds have a powerful tone, making the fretted notes seem louder and more precise.
It is known as dynamics, and palm-muting is an excellent method to include dynamics into your playing. Palm-muting is a superb technique to vary the feel of any instrument and emphasize particular sounds.
It’s pointless to include songs that employ palm-muting because practically all of them will come at some point. Try listening to any Metallica song and determining which notes use palm-muting and which do not.
How to Play Easy Metallica Songs on Guitar | Down Picking
Down-picking is a method used by James Hetfield. While other guitarists may use alternate picking to perform rhythm parts, James nearly exclusively uses down-picking.
James Hetfield employs down-picking because of the loud tone it produces. When you choose a note up or down, the tone changes somewhat. It generates a steady tone that works well with metal riffs by plucking every note with a down-stroke.
You may experiment with this to hear how your picking method affects the sound of a rhythm section.
There should be a distinction between the two picking styles. All-down picking produces a consistent tone across all notes. There is a little difference between a down-picked note and an up-picked note while alternate-picking.
While all-down picking sounds excellent while playing Metallica riffs, it might not be easy to increase your picking speed and stamina if you’re not used to it. Some Metallica songs are fast, so practice your down-picking until you can play at high speed consistently.
Master of Puppets, Creeping Death, and Blackened are the Metallica songs you can use down-picking practices.
Clean Arpeggios
If you’re tired of practicing fast down-picking and palm muting, try something a little simpler. Many Metallica songs have clean guitar passages that employ arpeggios.
An arpeggio is a fancy term for playing a chord by selecting the notes separately rather than strumming them.
You may choose between alternating picking and all-down picking. Even James Hetfield employs alternate picking when performing clean guitar sections.
One, Fade to Black, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), The Day That Never Comes, Nothing Else Matters, and The Unforgiven(s) are Metallica songs that have clean arpeggio parts.
Many of these clean sections are relatively similar to each other, so you’ll get the hang of this style of playing after a few songs. Be patient with each song and ensure that the notes are clear.
How to Play Easy Metallica Songs on Guitar | Gallop Rhythms
While James Hetfield mainly uses down-picking, he does employ up-picking on occasion. An excellent example of this is what is known as ‘gallop’ rhythms.
A gallop rhythm is made up of three quick notes that are played again and over. When played quickly enough, it sounds like a gallop. The method is common in metal and can be heard in several Metallica songs.
After you’ve mastered down-picking, it’s simple to build a good gallop technique. If you’re having problems playing the riff at full speed, that’s an indication you need to focus on your down-picking technique before your gallop technique. Gallop rhythms are simple to play for a guitarist with a strong down-picking technique.
Here are several Metallica songs with gallop rhythms that are worth practicing: Hardwired, The Four Horsemen, Battery, and All Nightmare Long.
The method is simple to master, so spend some time practicing with a metronome and increasing your gallop stamina. When you see your picking hand becoming fatigued, take a little rest and return later. You’ll rapidly gain selecting endurance.
Other times, James Hetfield will employ alternate picking. The quick riff in One is an excellent illustration of when all-down picking should be avoided. While Hetfield loves all-down playing, many riffs can only be adequately performed with alternate picking.
Pentatonic Scales
Kirk Hammett is a big fan of the Pentatonic scale. He enjoys it about as much as he enjoys using a wah pedal.
While he does not employ the Pentatonic scale for all of his solos, it is an essential aspect of his approach. Once you’ve mastered the basic Pentatonic ‘box’ form, you’ll notice it in all of his solos.
So great news that the Pentatonic scale is quite simple to master. Metallica solos will be much easier to learn and memorize once you’ve got a few primary scale forms. Some of Metallica’s more straightforward solos are contained inside the fundamental Pentatonic box shapes.
The key aspect to understand here is that Kirk begins most of his solos with the Pentatonic scale. You may create your solos similarly by knowing how well the Pentatonic scale functions and when to utilize it.
If you want to learn to perform Metallica solos on guitar, I suggest starting with the solo from Nothing Else Matters. It’s a reasonably simple solo to master and a lot of fun to perform as a novice just starting with lead guitar.
How to Play Easy Metallica Songs on Guitar | Easy Metallica Songs to Learn on Guitar
Several Metallica songs are quite simple to learn if you want to start learning them. Beginning with these songs will allow you to become acquainted with the concepts discussed above before progressing to more complicated tunes.
Nothing Else Matters
Probably one of the most popular songs by the heavy metal band Metallica is Nothing But Matters. Even if you’re not a massive fan of the band, this track will likely have you familiar with it. The slower tempo of the song makes it an ideal choice for our list.
The song was originally released in 1991 as part of the band’s fifth album, The Black Album. It was co-written by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich and was produced by Bob Rock. Before starting the song, it’s important to note that the beginning chord sequence is elementary, but the power chords get more complex as the song continues.
Enter Sandman
We started with the easy songs from the Nothing Else Matters album, and Enter Sandman was the lead single. The song’s main theme was about a child’s nightmare, and Hetfield wrote the lyrics. It became a platinum record in the US and has sold over a million copies.
Hetfield was joined by Kirk Hammet and Lars Ulrich for the creation of entering Sandman. The band noted that the main power chord and other elements of the song were taken from Soundgarden. It’s easily one of the most popular songs of all time, and the album was also a huge hit.
Seek & Destroy
The first tune Metallica ever recorded was Kill ‘Em All, Seek & Destroy off their first album. It is also the band’s third most-played song when they perform live, with 1,525 plays. The track’s significance is the desire to kill someone but failing to follow through and do so.
The song reflects the band’s early years and remains one of the greatest songs they’ve ever done. Because of the quick speed, it might be difficult for beginner guitarists to learn, yet it is still enjoyable to perform. Practice at a slower tempo, then gradually increase the speed as you gain confidence.
Creeping Death
Creeping Death is another song many guitarists choose to learn as a novice Metallica tune. It was first heard on the album Ride the Lightning in 1984. The song was initially written from the perspective of the Angel of Death since it is set in ancient Egypt. There’s a lot of Bible influence here, especially from the Book of Exodus.
Kirk Hammett is credited for the guitar sections and the primary riff in this song about Egypt’s plagues. It was composed while Hammett was just sixteen years old. Creeping Death ranks high on many of Metallica’s top ten songs, and the band enjoys performing it live.
Fade to Black
Metallica’s first power ballad, Fade to Black, was released in 1984 as part of the album Ride the Lightning. Cliff Burton, the late bassist, was among those who contributed to the song’s composition. Lars and James were preoccupied with Death; the song’s central theme was suicide.
A guitar solo at the song’s end is one of the most delicate solos of all time. It appears in practically every live performance and is a significant crowd favorite.
The Unforgiven
The Unforgiven song from the Black Album is a power ballad by Ulrich, Hammett, and Hetfield. The horn at the start of the track was inverted from the original film of same name so the source could be obscured. The lyrics are about internal battles and struggles against those who strive to control and dominate others.
This Metallica song begins with an acoustic guitar so that you may learn it on your starter instrument. The verses are stronger, so switch to your electric guitar during these sections. It’s a fun Metallica tune to play and is suitable for beginners.
How to Play Easy Metallica Songs on Guitar | Conclusion
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