Toughest riff in the Metallica catalog?

[Nazgul]

Where can I see Darksaga play that?
I can do the MOP at 190-195 max :/. Eventhough I don't listen to Metallica anymore I play it with a GP backing track every other day or so only to (re)gain the speed on downpicking stuff.

Special-K, record yourself (audio or video). I'd like to hear/see that! And no excuses please, your Line6 amp has an output with which you can record to your pc.

[KLNowak]

That riff in Damage Inc is tricky to get that palm muted low "e" after the "E" at the seventh fret of the "a' string. Just keep at it and when you get it right, at least to me it feels kinda like a stutter.

[KLNowak]

yeah... alternate picking, no problem. I want to strangle Darksaga every single time I watch him play it all downstrokes. Pisses me off that I was such a alternate picker, sounds 10 times better when you play it all down. Retraining yourself out of 20 years of playing is a bitch.

-Nate

Retraining yourself after ten years of playing all downstrokes so I can get a better technique for leads has been a real bitch too. Damn James Hetfield and his black heart.

[Chad]

Thanks for the tips, fellas.

Re: playing all 3 of the E notes on the low E....that just wouldn't be the correct way to play it. From a technique standpoint, I want to get this one down properly.

[SlasZ]

For me the most difficult riffs are :
Frayed ends of sanity (middle fast riff):
E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S
------------------------------|------------------------------|
------------------------------|------------------------------|
------------------------------|------------------------------|
------------------------------|------------------------------|
------------7-5-7---------7-5-|--7---------7-5-7-------------|
--0--0-0-0---------0-0-0------|-----0-0-0---------0-0-7--0-0-|


E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S E E
------------------------------|-----------------------------|
------------------------------|-----------------------------|
------------------------------|-----------------------------|
------------------------------|-----------------------------|
------------7-5-7---------7-5-|--7---------7-5-7------6-----|
--6--0-0-0---------0-0-0------|-----0-0-0---------7-7----6--|


S S S S E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S
-------------------------------|------------------------------|
-------------------------------|------------------------------|
-------------------------------|------------------------------|
-------------------------------|------------------------------|
--5-0--------7-5-7---------7-5-|--7---------7-5-7-------------|
------0-0-0---------0-0-0------|-----0-0-0---------0-0-7--0-0-|

And Blackened:

E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
--------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------8-----|
-----7-----7-----7--8--7-----7-----7-----7--|
--0-----0-----0-----------0-----0-----------|


E E E E E E E E E E E E S S E
---------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------|
--------------------------3------------------|
--------------------------3------------------|
-----7-----7-----7--8--0--1--------2--1-1----|
--0-----0-----0--------------2--3---------1--|

I haven't found the right way to play this yet, some play it with a triple on the third fret (both strings), a combination of 3rd on the A and 1st on the E string
Anyway, at high speed its difficult for me to make it sound right.

[jwoods986]

Wow, I never thought about how many Metallica (and Megadeth) tunes had difficult riffs. With some of these songs, the solos would be easier to pull off than the rhythms. Whoever said rhythm guitar was easy?

[nateb]

Here is the riff and how I pick it:

E----------------------------------------------------------------------
B----------------------------------------------------------------------
G----------------------------------------------------------------------
D----------------------------------------------------------------------
A--------------7-7------8------5--------7-7-----8-------7-7------8--
E---0*---0*-------0*-------0*----0*-------0*------0*------0*---6--
____d___d____d_u_d___d___d__d_d_____d_u_d__d__d___ d_u_d___d

E-----------------------------------------------------------------
B-----------------------------------------------------------------
G-----------------------------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------------------------
A--------------7-7------8------5--------7-7----8------7-7------8--
E---0*---0*-------0*-------0*----0*---------0*----0*------0*---6--
____d____d_____d_u_u____d__u___d_u______d_u_u__d__ u___d_u_u___d__

Just to chime in a little bit here. I found it a hell of a lot easier to do kind of a hybrid "Inside picking" inorder to accomidate the triplits. Give this a shot.

[Special-K]

Toughest Metallica riff is MoP imo. Down strokes at 220bpm.

Where can I see Darksaga play that?
I can do the MOP at 190-195 max :/. Eventhough I don't listen to Metallica anymore I play it with a GP backing track every other day or so only to (re)gain the speed on downpicking stuff.

Special-K, record yourself (audio or video). I'd like to hear/see that! And no excuses please, your Line6 amp has an output with which you can record to your pc.

@ambiitotpuphang: It`s 215bpm ... At least that`s what the Guitar Mag said...

@Nazgul: I will do it, tommorow when I will play guitar again...cause I just came from the shower when I saw your message...


What is with Creeping Death? (That one tought motherf...r) and
Battery isn`t also that easy

[FSU_Seminoles]

I don't consider it tough but Through the Never is tricky when you start playing it

[Burn]

I'd say they aren't too tough to learn, but think about what level you'd have to be at to come up with riffs like that. Great stuff.

[Guitardude86]

Learning the riffs is one thing, pulling them off as flawlessly live as Hetfield does is an entirely different matter.. The guy is just a riff-monster.

[KLNowak]

For me the most difficult riffs are :
Frayed ends of sanity (middle fast riff):
E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S
------------------------------|------------------------------|
------------------------------|------------------------------|
------------------------------|------------------------------|
------------------------------|------------------------------|
------------7-5-7---------7-5-|--7---------7-5-7-------------|
--0--0-0-0---------0-0-0------|-----0-0-0---------0-0-7--0-0-|


E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S E E
------------------------------|-----------------------------|
------------------------------|-----------------------------|
------------------------------|-----------------------------|
------------------------------|-----------------------------|
------------7-5-7---------7-5-|--7---------7-5-7------6-----|
--6--0-0-0---------0-0-0------|-----0-0-0---------7-7----6--|


S S S S E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S E S S
-------------------------------|------------------------------|
-------------------------------|------------------------------|
-------------------------------|------------------------------|
-------------------------------|------------------------------|
--5-0--------7-5-7---------7-5-|--7---------7-5-7-------------|
------0-0-0---------0-0-0------|-----0-0-0---------0-0-7--0-0-|

And Blackened:

E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
--------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------8-----|
-----7-----7-----7--8--7-----7-----7-----7--|
--0-----0-----0-----------0-----0-----------|


E E E E E E E E E E E E S S E
---------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------|
--------------------------3------------------|
--------------------------3------------------|
-----7-----7-----7--8--0--1--------2--1-1----|
--0-----0-----0--------------2--3---------1--|

I haven't found the right way to play this yet, some play it with a triple on the third fret (both strings), a combination of 3rd on the A and 1st on the E string
Anyway, at high speed its difficult for me to make it sound right.

I think Justice is the hardest stuff they ever did and from a technical standpoint their best...I just wish Cliff was alive to see what it would have become, or Jason was turned up in the mix.

[RR05xx]

THat Damage Inc riff is probably hardest, with the Battary main riff and Blacken main (chorus) riff coming in a close second, assuming that u arre looking to play them correctly and at speed - most people I have heard play them do not though.

You just have to build up both the ability to alternate pick and down pick fast and be able to swap them interchangbly depending on the riff. Its only practive after that (just like anything else).

[AdRock]

As difficult as the riffs are, now try to sing the song at the same time. Since I've only been a rythm player I found it helpful to learn the lyrics and the inflections to help me get the timing of the riffs down correctly.

[SlasZ]

As difficult as the riffs are, now try to sing the song at the same time. Since I've only been a rythm player I found it helpful to learn the lyrics and the inflections to help me get the timing of the riffs down correctly.

Man even if i try to say something like 'gimme a beer' while playing i make mistakes... I just can't talk/sing and play at the same time. I guess this can be trained?