James Hetfield used to be an amateur drummer so he said he likes to be very percussive, wanting to play "drums on guitar" and you can tell in Master of Puppets
Evan Hooper When they had two drum kits on stage Lars and James had drum battles. You can even find a little drum battle between Lars and the almighty right foot of metal himself, Nicko, if you search UA-cam.
its not that hard its just draining to play at full speed like any big metal song is,the song is quite easy once you know it,folk wanna lionize it like its hard af to make it feel like more of a achievement cause its a well known song from stranger things but its not even that hard tbh@@steevelapointe1152
No joke this song was the reason I started playing the guitar and when I master master of puppets I’ll feel complete, thanks for all the extra details man :3
True but watching the old riff video he made you can find on YT he does index all the way down til those last two notes and does middle-index real quick
I remember I started playing guitar because of Metallica and I watched countless videos on James Hetfield and his playing styling, that I honestly thought down picking was the way you were supposed to play everything at all times. I later found out about alternate picking was a thing and I had trouble learning it because I was just used to playing everything down picking but all those years of down picking have served me well thanks to Metallica!
And it's settled. I'm getting an SG this week. I have been kicking the idea around for a little while but this video pushed me over the edge. 2018 Gibson SG Standard, here I come.
The-Art-of-Guitar Man thanks for the reply. I have a serious question for you. I have reached a weird point on the guitar. I can't seems to find any songs that I can play but also push me. It seems like the songs I like I can either easily play them or they are way beyond my ability. I will find songs that I can play the rythym sections just fine but can't play the solo at all. So I only learn about half of every song because I get stuck on the solos so I give up on the song. Do you have any advice to push through that wall and fill in that middle gap?
@@dr.psycho5606 @Dr. Psycho Definitely take his advise and play it properly but slower for now. Your brain will naturally go to the patterns you initially taught it, no matter how fast you end up playing it in the future.
You, sir, are a perfectionist. This sort of detail helps hundreds, if not thousands of people learn what quality requires. Not necessarily for playing Master of Puppets. It helps people learn how to inject quality into mediocrity. Makes everybody better for it. Thank you.
Adding the F note you were talking about at 4 1/2 minutes is how I learned to play it from tab. Most of the other details I didn't know about. But if I'm listening through headphones or playing it myself, those little things make all the difference. Great video. Good information.
If you are on the level of being able to play this, most should be on the level of knowledge and listening to know most of the points he mentioned imo. Otherwise, just listen before you play.
People should just fcuking read the tabs/notes before they play lmao It's 21st century, not the 90s, every dog has an internet connection now and all the information is available online.
Im 2.5 months guitar player and i'm able to play the riff , maybe not super clear but fast enough. I think this song is a must if someone want to learn.
@@MrRashef Sounds kinda sus, are you doing all downstrokes? When I'd been playing for 2.5 months I used to say I could play it, but it sounded like shit, despite me playing it at normal speed.
I don't even play electric guitar anymore, but come back to this video just because of your ways of teaching. It's so easy to understand what you're saying that I think even someone that never played guitar would understand.
I think so too. Honorable mentions are David Walliman with his sexy Fractal tone and Tyler Larson from Music am Win, who is almost a session player with a jazz and blues backbone...but for classic heavy music Mike is super solid with a great ear, and really encourages learning ALL the nuances. Uncle Ben Eller too, he is a monster player and a stickler for the details.
The way you speak and make your points is really excellent. You're modest, humble and knowledgeable. I really enjoyed this video in particular and i can't wait to explore your other videos and learn loads.
This video basically shows me the whole lotta benefits that come from learning bass before picking a guitar. All these „missing notes” for example are a necessity to play with bass, and I’m simply used to them and play them on the guitar. I love how learning few instruments let you improve on others
As a starter I adopted the James picking style and the power chord technique, It just came natural to use my pinky for power chords. And I also find with his picking technique you should play often because I went on a few month dry spell not playing and my wrist was pussified
OMG. Watching this video was such a nice surprise. I'm a self-taught guitar player and also pretty meticulous. As a huge Metallica fan, I ought to pay very much attention even to the smallest details in every song I play. I'm glad to see I play EXACTLY like shown in the video. Amazing tutorial! 🤘🏻
ive finally nailed master of puppets and i give half the credit to you for such details on this song and downpicking. thank you man you are a great teacher
That preverse lick that people tab out wrong is a great example of why you should learn to pick things up by ear and through watching others. Online tabs, even those done “professionally” are almost always inaccurate in some way or another. Develop your ear and learn your craft. It’s soooooooo much more rewarding in the long run
5:50 these fifth chords are actually in octave (if that is the correct term) how Kirk plays them. Those slides starting from E-string 3rd fret to 5th and on D-string from 5th to 7th fret skipping that A-string.. Cheers :)
You sure are a sucker for details, eh? Awesome work as always. I'm still a beginner and while I can hear missing or wrong notes in my playing myself, it's a whole different story with correct fingerwork. With these videos you not only help me get a more authentic sound but also show me new techniques to play more efficiently. Thanks!
I am so glad I’ve been following the tabs religiously since I started learning this song! Already do half this stuff, but the rest of the tips were really helpful! Thanks!
Yep many, including Metallica themselves, think they need to to downstrokes but Petrucci proves that you just suck at alternate picking, compared to him anyway. Not to worry though: Petrucci will make you realize you just suck at pretty much any technique you can possibly imagine on the guitar compared to him.
Petrucci's version didn't sound or feel right to me; the alternate picking was obvious to my ears. I probably would not have noticed, however, if I had not spent a long time re-training myself to the downstroke-only style.
I just watched kirk do a teaching session on "Master". On the chromatic walk down of the intro riff you said you switch to your middle finger so that you can hit 2nd then 1st then open. Kirk actually continued all the way down with his ring finger and at the end hit 1 -2 -open. Very subtle change. I know you like to get it right though and thought you might like to know. Thanks.
DUDE! You’re Diving Deep! i taught myself this tune 20 yrs ago on 6-string & it still amazes me how much better/more accurate i “could” be playing it. Thank You for shedding light & Spreading the Gospel, Brother! it obviously takes a village for one to “Master” this “One!” Cheers!
I’ve always used my pinky for those power chords instead of my ring finger. It just feels better imo. I’m surprised other people do it I assumed I was just shit and had small hands
Always love watching these videos, you teach somethings that most online teachers might not have noticed for songs, also noticed you modded the stop bar and bridge with some kind of whammy bar, never seen one like that on a SG before!
Beautifully well done, I originally learned the riff this way but tried to switch when I saw a tab book saying I was doing it wring. Guess I should watch how metallica performs, more closely
porter n I know your comment is a few months old but... I used to swear by official tab books, now I just use them as a guide. Blackened for example is quite bad in the cherry lane tab book.
Just found this video for my favorite song and current project my tab has the 0 1 thing so i got lucky but can definetly see these being makers or breakers, adding to save file to make sure i have them all !
You got a lot of things right but a couple things wrong. @8:06 it's not 9 then 9 hammer-on to 10 but it's actually 10 then 9 hammer-on to 10. also @9:05 there's no pull-off, it's just a regular power chord on the 2nd fret followed by 3 open E palm mutes and then a power chord on the 3rd fret. I've listened to the original guitar tracks at half speed so i'm not just blowin' smoke.
You're Correct on both counts. After watching it I got all worked up for a minute thinking I was playing it wrong all this time. Went back to the song and it was all good again. Even the last point at 10.24 is incorrect actually.
@@apocalypse299 i think his last point about the g on the 6th string is right or close. i think i can see it in live performances and hear it in the recording. but i did not think it was a g power chord, thought it was just a low g. hard to tell i guess
Ahhh thank you my man; really nice to see those attributes and characteristics thought out and broken down. It what makes that song.... well..... that song in definition lol
Good video, good points. A lot of the incorrect notes the vast majority tend to play through learning by ear could easily be solved through a professional sheet music/tablature book. With the internet, why pay for a book? To learn it the right way so it sounds perfect!! That’s how I learned the first 5 albums. Made it insanely easy to play along. The hand and picking techniques are spot on; alternate picking is a must on many songs and solos, as is down stroking for many rhythm riffs. Adds so much meat. As for the alternate fingering thing that James does, that’s just playing personality, not so much “syntax.” So rock on how you feel comfortable! Just my piece on it. Thanks for the video!!
Dude I just wanted to thank you for sharing all the knowledge and the love for this beautiful instrument!!! I have seen many videos and not going to lie learned some all BS aside since I started watching your videos everything seems so much easier... I actually memorize all steps!!! Thanks again!! ~Joe ~
Pumpkin King Kirk plays the E5 with the octave E (the d chord moved up a whole step). Or the Randy Rhoades octave e if you want to call it that. At least he did the last time I saw them live. So there is three octaves going on in that opening E chord.
2:08 when doing that descending pattern on the low E string, I hit the 12th fret with my pinky finger, 11th with the ring, 7th pinky, 6th ring, 5th-2nd middle, and 1st index. Also, I alternate pick most of the intro. I just can’t play it fast enough strictly downpicking. I’ll keep trying though.
Agghh the constant downstrokes are just killing my wrist. Its relentless. Gonna need a ton of practice to develop my wrist to able to do that consistently. Hat tip to James H. Metallica just don't seem to do alternate picking at all. Maybe it just isn't Metal enough for them. So far, everything that I've learnt and practice has been all about developing alternate picking.
Honestly bro, if alt picking sounds good for you, just use that. I get that its not quite as agressive but it not really that noticable, and you wont spend hours working on a technique that you only get to use every once and a while. Also, Dave Mustaine.
Fred J Please tell me they use it for the fast part of one. Please tell me that it's impossible to downstroke that entire thing, because otherwise, I have a lot of work to do.
GuitaristZag it's ALL downstrokes! There's that one after Kirks solo with a gallop in it but even that riff is all downstrokes except for the one gallop. Had to relearn the song and I still haven't got it all up to speed yet.
Fred J even disposable heroes has a lot of downpicking though! Like the intro Is all downpicked and the verse is down picked with gallops. it's just the pre-chorus is alternate picked. Really tough song!
Holy fuck that guitar tine is monsterous. all the bite and less gain than I have to use to get this heavy. what amp/pedals did you use for this sound, please do tell
Hi Mike. Awesome teaching. I've only watched half this video and I was so much liking it I paused it to sub you. I've been playing bass for 30 years but just a couple of years ago started getting into metal power chording on (my son's) electric. Just started teaching myself lead solo (Comfortability Numb to my ultimate goal of learning Highway Star). It's quite a challenge and It's indeed a very different experience going from nice big comfy bass strings to those tiny razor wire G, B and Es on the electric I must say. Cheers Bernard Melbourne, Australia
Who cares? As long as it doesn’t sound like shit, it doesn’t matter. Like, Agent Orange covered Seek and Destroy and they made it a punk-sounding song and not thrash. They played it “wrong”, yet it still kicks ass.
Great guitar tone man. Really informative video too. James is a grinder of a guitar player man he is hacking at the strings when he plays. Incredible to see and hear. One of the best riff and rhythm players ever.
I think the only one I don’t do is the 1st fret on the intro riff. I just pick the open E twice after the second fret. On the chorus riff I’ve always used my index and middle finger on the F#-G hammer on, using the little finger just feels wrong
William Love my little finger isn’t particularly weak, it’s just that I’m used to playing it with my middle finger :) I meant that it feels wrong because I’ve played it differently for 10 years
You got everything spot on, man! You even bested me on the G "in-between" notes in the chorus. I didn't know that was actually a power chord - I always played it as a palm muted single note. There are a couple of things that some layered guitars do on the album mix in the intro that are probably the cause of some of the misconceptions about the riff. Such as an E6 power chord at the beginning, and two E5 power chords following Cliff's bass. Cliff's playing on that recording is also very surprising. The first time I heard the song's multi-tracks I was extremely surprised by all of these details. For instance, in the chorus where you play the G power chord "in-between" notes, Cliff actually plays open A notes for those. As well as plenty of other little (and big) details that are not easily heard in the album mix.
No offence, but these are no details imo. These are 2 different versions... Years ago (after MoP was released) someone taught me the 1st version but I could tell that there is something wrong. It took a few listenings of the original and I figured out what was wrong. If it didn't sound like the original , there had to be an error which I fixed by ear.
I’ve spent some time decoding tallica songs... this song is something else when it comes to translating lyrics (song meaning) into music. Mike’s key words explain it all: descending pattern, walk down, start over, contrary direction... these are all addiction terms and that’s what the song is all about. So in few: the first opening E is the first hit/shot/puff and the story goes on with the descending pattern. The lyrics and music syncing shows clearly in most of Metallica songs. In “One” for example, the song of war, when you reach the “Darkness imprisoning me” part thats when you hear the speedy muted E with the double pedals, well that’s the sound of a machine gun. Try it yourself, pick any Metallica song and ask yourself: why this riff and how it sounds and how it’s played and why these lyrics, you’ll get a full understanding of what Metallica does. It’s not only badass music, it’s storytelling through words and sounds.
Such a feeling of relief when you already play with all of these. The only issue currently is stamina when strumming. I think I’m holding my pick incorrectly and strumming with the wrong parts of my arm/wrist. Has anyone got any tips?
Economy pickings a big part of my own playing but I actually actively try to learn downpicking for playing metallica solely because it adds to the percussiveness of the sound. Specially played closer to the neck pickup like James does
and this proves the big sound of that album is in the tone of the way they play all those little fine things they do to EVERTYTHING, iknow ilove making songs also and playing them through exactly every detail how it was. when you make the riff you shape it out the way you want it to sound creatively. that's what they did. to make the sound shape and sculpt and style it.
I can’t play master of puppets as is so I couldn’t even do this! Edit: knew the first two, thought those were obvious Edit: also knew the hit the f note pne
Nice Lesson! This is definately one of those songs that every guitarist thinks he can play, but the reality is that very few of us can actually play it correctly (myself included) I’ve played for 25 years and I still can’t match the pace of this song. I usually feel like my right arm is going to fall off by about the 4 minute mark lol
In the intro riff there's also a slight bend on the 1st fret. Not much, possibly not noticeable, but enough to get that feeling that the 2-1-0 transition is soft enough. Give it a try
This was one of the first songs I learned front to back w/solo. The right hand is all that matters. The riffs are very easy compared to Megadeth that’s ferocious on the left hand. The speed is what makes it difficult, that’s it.
Yeah, from my experience Megadeth kills your left hand while Metallica kills your right hand. Now, if you play Megadeth songs with all downpicking you're kinda fucked.
im surprise everything you thought i was doing it all correctly, maybe the tab i followed was so accurate. im having trouble also with all downward stroke, yeah need to practice it slow until can do it right (fast), all downstroke produce nice sound and more heavy on palm muting. thanks for sharing your thoughts
It's crazy how old this song is and people are still examining it to this day
ChillorbeChilled 6 it's just that good
It’s a timeless masterpiece
It's possibly the best metal song ever written.
How music has no age.
ChillorbeChilled 6 that shows the geniuses that these guys really are. Yeahahahaa Metallifknca 🤘
James Hetfield used to be an amateur drummer so he said he likes to be very percussive, wanting to play "drums on guitar" and you can tell in Master of Puppets
Evan Hooper When they had two drum kits on stage Lars and James had drum battles. You can even find a little drum battle between Lars and the almighty right foot of metal himself, Nicko, if you search UA-cam.
I'll bet james could out drum Larson, especially some of their newer songs.
@@jasonn9222 True, i'm not even joking
There's even video with James playing double roll "One" part or even during one show that "f*ck you" thing by Lars
When metallica switched instruments that one time James was actually a pretty good drummer
“Because James has that crazy wrist of steel...” 😎
DANG
Innit
1:39 yes, I will work all the way up to "the D" master
Oh god no no nooooooooo!!!!
Hol' up
Hold up, wait a minute
I don't understand.
Many guitarists have no idea how hard this song actually is to play properly, and at that speed.
worng ....... many no guitarist, bhave mo idea how hard this song actually is...
eery guitarist know this song is hard to master.
@@steevelapointe1152 bro what?
Guy has his keys in the wrong place on his keyboard.
Sorry, I'm a bit of a jerk but I can admit it.
lmao most of the song is EZ,hardest bits are 2 parts in the 2nd solo and the fiddly acoustic bit,rest is a piece of piss
its not that hard its just draining to play at full speed like any big metal song is,the song is quite easy once you know it,folk wanna lionize it like its hard af to make it feel like more of a achievement cause its a well known song from stranger things but its not even that hard tbh@@steevelapointe1152
No joke this song was the reason I started playing the guitar and when I master master of puppets I’ll feel complete, thanks for all the extra details man :3
Lennon Moorhouse Same
Lennon Moorhouse Yeah, i'll feel complete when I master this song and Tornado Of Souls
Lennon Moorhouse And Cemetery Gates aswell
You shall never feel complete on an instument. There's always something new and addicting to learn
Have you mastered it already? How's your progress at it 9 months later?
interesting fact about the switching fingers technique, only James does that, Kirk stays with the index
Very insignificant...no sustained notes...not even worth mentioning as a "detail"
Kirk sometimes throws a pinch harmonic instead of the F#-F bit. I don't like it.
Depends on the guitarist.I can play with the index and still manage to do the 2-1 part in the end
True but watching the old riff video he made you can find on YT he does index all the way down til those last two notes and does middle-index real quick
Kirk don't know how to rhythm
I remember I started playing guitar because of Metallica and I watched countless videos on James Hetfield and his playing styling, that I honestly thought down picking was the way you were supposed to play everything at all times. I later found out about alternate picking was a thing and I had trouble learning it because I was just used to playing everything down picking but all those years of down picking have served me well thanks to Metallica!
The way I hold my pick is the same way James does
I play using all UP strokes
@@camerong.6144 WHAT? HOW?
Same here. I still struggle with alternate picking. It makes playing ska very difficult
yeah alternate picking is harder for me I literally use only down picks
My life has been a lie.
Mee too
@@devrimzidanimine*
I waited 11:50 minutes just to hear him playing the entire song perfectly and he just ended up the video brutally without sentiments!
Arrrrrrrrrr
u r not alone
well it’s not a cover channel so
I'm in awe of how well Hetfield got these details right writing this. They really do add that extra oomph to this song.
And it's settled. I'm getting an SG this week. I have been kicking the idea around for a little while but this video pushed me over the edge. 2018 Gibson SG Standard, here I come.
I'm a man of my word. I ordered the 2018 SG Standard today🤘👍🤘👍
Pitdog360 Awesome!!
The-Art-of-Guitar Man thanks for the reply. I have a serious question for you. I have reached a weird point on the guitar. I can't seems to find any songs that I can play but also push me. It seems like the songs I like I can either easily play them or they are way beyond my ability. I will find songs that I can play the rythym sections just fine but can't play the solo at all. So I only learn about half of every song because I get stuck on the solos so I give up on the song. Do you have any advice to push through that wall and fill in that middle gap?
Find someone to jam with or join a band.
enjoy the neck dive my dude
How could anyone miss adding the F note in the intro part? It's the greatest riff of this album ffs.
I don't add it because i'm still kind of a beginner and it makes my life harder LOL
@@dr.psycho5606 my advice is play slower but get ur left hand used to fretting the right way
@@dr.psycho5606 @Dr. Psycho Definitely take his advise and play it properly but slower for now. Your brain will naturally go to the patterns you initially taught it, no matter how fast you end up playing it in the future.
yes exactly
jeccf you should always play slower but stay in rythm ;)
You, sir, are a perfectionist. This sort of detail helps hundreds, if not thousands of people learn what quality requires. Not necessarily for playing Master of Puppets. It helps people learn how to inject quality into mediocrity. Makes everybody better for it. Thank you.
Adding the F note you were talking about at 4 1/2 minutes is how I learned to play it from tab. Most of the other details I didn't know about. But if I'm listening through headphones or playing it myself, those little things make all the difference. Great video. Good information.
If you are on the level of being able to play this, most should be on the level of knowledge and listening to know most of the points he mentioned imo. Otherwise, just listen before you play.
I mean, im pretty new to guitar and the beginning of Master of Puppets was one of the first things i tried to learn
People should just fcuking read the tabs/notes before they play lmao
It's 21st century, not the 90s, every dog has an internet connection now and all the information is available online.
Im 2.5 months guitar player and i'm able to play the riff , maybe not super clear but fast enough. I think this song is a must if someone want to learn.
@@MrRashef Sounds kinda sus, are you doing all downstrokes? When I'd been playing for 2.5 months I used to say I could play it, but it sounded like shit, despite me playing it at normal speed.
3:29 For All His Haters
Nice, but you really aren't making him look any better than how his "haters" seen him
For anyone who uses the word hater*
I don't even play electric guitar anymore, but come back to this video just because of your ways of teaching. It's so easy to understand what you're saying that I think even someone that never played guitar would understand.
Can confirm, never played guitar but I’m so interested by the small nuances of this song 😂
Seriously thank you, you put so much into your videos and it really does help. Imo you're the best guitar teacher on youtube.
I think so too. Honorable mentions are David Walliman with his sexy Fractal tone and Tyler Larson from Music am Win, who is almost a session player with a jazz and blues backbone...but for classic heavy music Mike is super solid with a great ear, and really encourages learning ALL the nuances. Uncle Ben Eller too, he is a monster player and a stickler for the details.
*R I G H T H A N D 1 0 0*
That tone is really accurate to the album version
I don't even play guitar and I still know all about every single one of those extra E notes
The way you speak and make your points is really excellent. You're modest, humble and knowledgeable. I really enjoyed this video in particular and i can't wait to explore your other videos and learn loads.
This video basically shows me the whole lotta benefits that come from learning bass before picking a guitar. All these „missing notes” for example are a necessity to play with bass, and I’m simply used to them and play them on the guitar. I love how learning few instruments let you improve on others
As a starter I adopted the James picking style and the power chord technique, It just came natural to use my pinky for power chords. And I also find with his picking technique you should play often because I went on a few month dry spell not playing and my wrist was pussified
4:36 Doom soundtrack
4:44 Master of Puppets
Doom soundtrack sucks ass
OMG. Watching this video was such a nice surprise. I'm a self-taught guitar player and also pretty meticulous. As a huge Metallica fan, I ought to pay very much attention even to the smallest details in every song I play. I'm glad to see I play EXACTLY like shown in the video. Amazing tutorial! 🤘🏻
On the Cliff 'em All recording of this, even Kirk plays the intro alternate picking! That's how brutal it is!! He eventually got up to speed though.
9:45
Yeah I got that, it’s the… notes in between that are fucking with me
My morning coffee is best enjoyed viewing The-Art-of-Guitar. Thanks again man :D
ive finally nailed master of puppets and i give half the credit to you for such details on this song and downpicking. thank you man you are a great teacher
How to make Master of Puppets harder than sh*t: the tutorial.
Man if your sh*t is that hard you might wanna see a doctor about it.
Goes to show Metallica knows their shit
@@joelcastro-reyes1667nope
That preverse lick that people tab out wrong is a great example of why you should learn to pick things up by ear and through watching others.
Online tabs, even those done “professionally” are almost always inaccurate in some way or another. Develop your ear and learn your craft. It’s soooooooo much more rewarding in the long run
6:35 including Metallica themselves in nearly all of their live performances. It drives me nuts.
Great vid - the tip on the main rhythm section really helped me tighten that up. Thanks very much.
5:50 these fifth chords are actually in octave (if that is the correct term) how Kirk plays them. Those slides starting from E-string 3rd fret to 5th and on D-string from 5th to 7th fret skipping that A-string.. Cheers :)
You sure are a sucker for details, eh? Awesome work as always. I'm still a beginner and while I can hear missing or wrong notes in my playing myself, it's a whole different story with correct fingerwork. With these videos you not only help me get a more authentic sound but also show me new techniques to play more efficiently. Thanks!
A master teaching master of Puppets 🖤🤘🎸
I am so glad I’ve been following the tabs religiously since I started learning this song! Already do half this stuff, but the rest of the tips were really helpful! Thanks!
I dare you to show number 1 to Petrucci
yeah, i think this is his only weakness.
Weakness? Petrucci can play downstroke riffs faster than Master of Puppets. Just check Pull Me Under live performances.
Yep many, including Metallica themselves, think they need to to downstrokes but Petrucci proves that you just suck at alternate picking, compared to him anyway. Not to worry though: Petrucci will make you realize you just suck at pretty much any technique you can possibly imagine on the guitar compared to him.
Petrucci's version didn't sound or feel right to me; the alternate picking was obvious to my ears. I probably would not have noticed, however, if I had not spent a long time re-training myself to the downstroke-only style.
He'd probably cop it if he's an adult.
I just watched kirk do a teaching session on "Master". On the chromatic walk down of the intro riff you said you switch to your middle finger so that you can hit 2nd then 1st then open. Kirk actually continued all the way down with his ring finger and at the end hit 1 -2 -open. Very subtle change. I know you like to get it right though and thought you might like to know. Thanks.
DUDE! You’re Diving Deep! i taught myself this tune 20 yrs ago on 6-string & it still amazes me how much better/more accurate i “could” be playing it. Thank You for shedding light & Spreading the Gospel, Brother! it obviously takes a village for one to “Master” this “One!” Cheers!
I’ve always used my pinky for those power chords instead of my ring finger. It just feels better imo. I’m surprised other people do it I assumed I was just shit and had small hands
Always love watching these videos, you teach somethings that most online teachers might not have noticed for songs, also noticed you modded the stop bar and bridge with some kind of whammy bar, never seen one like that on a SG before!
Best guitar channel out there. Such a chill guy
All the time I thought I am the lame one, because I can only down stroke this song :D
Lol same 😂
It can ONLY be played with down strokes! You're not lame at all.
saem HAHAHAHA
I thought i was a shitty guitarist because i play this downstrokes and tornado of souls also
Nah opposite! Lol
8:00 I always hit the E with my index the F# with my ring barred across I hit the B then back to F# then hammered on to G
Beautifully well done, I originally learned the riff this way but tried to switch when I saw a tab book saying I was doing it wring. Guess I should watch how metallica performs, more closely
porter n I know your comment is a few months old but... I used to swear by official tab books, now I just use them as a guide. Blackened for example is quite bad in the cherry lane tab book.
Just found this video for my favorite song and current project my tab has the 0 1 thing so i got lucky but can definetly see these being makers or breakers, adding to save file to make sure i have them all !
Almost 200k subs! Congratulations!
Lots of details i’ve missed you’ve shared! Thanks
You got a lot of things right but a couple things wrong. @8:06 it's not 9 then 9 hammer-on to 10 but it's actually 10 then 9 hammer-on to 10. also @9:05 there's no pull-off, it's just a regular power chord on the 2nd fret followed by 3 open E palm mutes and then a power chord on the 3rd fret. I've listened to the original guitar tracks at half speed so i'm not just blowin' smoke.
"it's not 9 then 9 hammer-on to 10 but it's actually 10 then 9 hammer-on to 10." THAT'S CORRECT, i noticed the mistake as well
You're Correct on both counts. After watching it I got all worked up for a minute thinking I was playing it wrong all this time. Went back to the song and it was all good again. Even the last point at 10.24 is incorrect actually.
@@apocalypse299 i think his last point about the g on the 6th string is right or close. i think i can see it in live performances and hear it in the recording. but i did not think it was a g power chord, thought it was just a low g. hard to tell i guess
This is fantastic. Love the intricate details that really make a difference. I'm now addicted to your 'levels' of songs. Great tutorials
Ahhh thank you my man; really nice to see those attributes and characteristics thought out and broken down. It what makes that song.... well..... that song in definition lol
RC32 sllloop to
Yo this has changed the way I play this song completely! Thank you King ❤️
I’m glad to see that what I learned originally was right! Still haven’t ever gotten to full speed on this one.... Great video, dude!
Good video, good points. A lot of the incorrect notes the vast majority tend to play through learning by ear could easily be solved through a professional sheet music/tablature book. With the internet, why pay for a book? To learn it the right way so it sounds perfect!! That’s how I learned the first 5 albums. Made it insanely easy to play along. The hand and picking techniques are spot on; alternate picking is a must on many songs and solos, as is down stroking for many rhythm riffs. Adds so much meat. As for the alternate fingering thing that James does, that’s just playing personality, not so much “syntax.” So rock on how you feel comfortable! Just my piece on it. Thanks for the video!!
The thing with tab books and internet tabs is that they aren't usually 100% correct.
Great advice. I’ll try it that way.
Dude I just wanted to thank you for sharing all the knowledge and the love for this beautiful instrument!!! I have seen many videos and not going to lie learned some all BS aside since I started watching your videos everything seems so much easier... I actually memorize all steps!!! Thanks again!! ~Joe ~
Jokes on you, im a bassist and already use my pinky for all powerchords
When I started out I used to play 13 but then I saw James and it seemed so much cooler to play power chords with 14 and I made the switch 😂
Straight to the point. Accurate techniques used by the actual artist. No BS fillers. Great job.
For the very beginning Kirk plays the E5 but James plays the higher octave E power chord
Pumpkin King Kirk plays the E5 with the octave E (the d chord moved up a whole step). Or the Randy Rhoades octave e if you want to call it that. At least he did the last time I saw them live. So there is three octaves going on in that opening E chord.
2:08 when doing that descending pattern on the low E string, I hit the 12th fret with my pinky finger, 11th with the ring, 7th pinky, 6th ring, 5th-2nd middle, and 1st index. Also, I alternate pick most of the intro. I just can’t play it fast enough strictly downpicking. I’ll keep trying though.
Played this song wrong for so long thank you so much
Fantastic video! Details that changed the way I play music for the better.
Please, make more videos like this
damn, this guitar is gorgeous
Thanks for this, I just covered this with my band but I wasn't playing three open e's at the pre chorus or chorus, but now I am so thanks
Agghh the constant downstrokes are just killing my wrist. Its relentless. Gonna need a ton of practice to develop my wrist to able to do that consistently.
Hat tip to James H. Metallica just don't seem to do alternate picking at all. Maybe it just isn't Metal enough for them. So far, everything that I've learnt and practice has been all about developing alternate picking.
They have to do alternate in certain songs. There's no way they can ''play disposable heroes'' or ''fight fire with fire'' with only downstrokes.
Honestly bro, if alt picking sounds good for you, just use that. I get that its not quite as agressive but it not really that noticable, and you wont spend hours working on a technique that you only get to use every once and a while. Also, Dave Mustaine.
Fred J Please tell me they use it for the fast part of one. Please tell me that it's impossible to downstroke that entire thing, because otherwise, I have a lot of work to do.
GuitaristZag it's ALL downstrokes! There's that one after Kirks solo with a gallop in it but even that riff is all downstrokes except for the one gallop. Had to relearn the song and I still haven't got it all up to speed yet.
Fred J even disposable heroes has a lot of downpicking though! Like the intro Is all downpicked and the verse is down picked with gallops. it's just the pre-chorus is alternate picked. Really tough song!
I feel so good that I already did some of these...this video is awesome! Thanks man.
Holy fuck that guitar tine is monsterous. all the bite and less gain than I have to use to get this heavy. what amp/pedals did you use for this sound, please do tell
Sadly just a Johnson J-Station amp simulator. :o
3:28 right back achya pal!
(Joking! Love you)
3:29 to all the haters out there
To anyone who non ironically uses the word hater***
Hi Mike. Awesome teaching. I've only watched half this video and I was so much liking it I paused it to sub you. I've been playing bass for 30 years but just a couple of years ago started getting into metal power chording on (my son's) electric. Just started teaching myself lead solo (Comfortability Numb to my ultimate goal of learning Highway Star). It's quite a challenge and It's indeed a very different experience going from nice big comfy bass strings to those tiny razor wire G, B and Es on the electric I must say.
Cheers
Bernard
Melbourne, Australia
I really hate people who do alternate picking at the beginning and also not the e open power chord.
So basically 80% of the guitarrist in this world.
Borredinho You hate people for not playing it the correct way. Get a life !
Glib The intro is actually all downstrokes
That’s cause most guitarists are lazy
Who cares? As long as it doesn’t sound like shit, it doesn’t matter. Like, Agent Orange covered Seek and Destroy and they made it a punk-sounding song and not thrash. They played it “wrong”, yet it still kicks ass.
Great guitar tone man. Really informative video too. James is a grinder of a guitar player man he is hacking at the strings when he plays. Incredible to see and hear. One of the best riff and rhythm players ever.
I think the only one I don’t do is the 1st fret on the intro riff. I just pick the open E twice after the second fret. On the chorus riff I’ve always used my index and middle finger on the F#-G hammer on, using the little finger just feels wrong
Callum Jay Abbott You play the F rather than the E now......Are you sleeping better.
William Love my little finger isn’t particularly weak, it’s just that I’m used to playing it with my middle finger :) I meant that it feels wrong because I’ve played it differently for 10 years
Please don’t
I am Ben Eller, and I can tell you that the F note is indeed in the riff. Good day to you.
Ben Eller Hey Uncle Ben! I learned the MOP intro riff correctly thanks to you. The F note always confuses my friends.
You got everything spot on, man! You even bested me on the G "in-between" notes in the chorus. I didn't know that was actually a power chord - I always played it as a palm muted single note.
There are a couple of things that some layered guitars do on the album mix in the intro that are probably the cause of some of the misconceptions about the riff. Such as an E6 power chord at the beginning, and two E5 power chords following Cliff's bass.
Cliff's playing on that recording is also very surprising. The first time I heard the song's multi-tracks I was extremely surprised by all of these details. For instance, in the chorus where you play the G power chord "in-between" notes, Cliff actually plays open A notes for those. As well as plenty of other little (and big) details that are not easily heard in the album mix.
Hetfield plays it wrong.
Mark Picente - Never seen someone get those lyrics so wrong.
I don’t think Hetfield can play it wrong, it’s his riff after call?
Fiachra Casey r/wooosh
@@fiachracasey2209 Yikes.
@@fiachracasey2209 it was a joke bro
that was fantastic! How long did that take to figure out? Right on man!
So far a lifetime.
The-Art-of-Guitar so 25 years
No offence, but these are no details imo. These are 2 different versions...
Years ago (after MoP was released) someone taught me the 1st version but I could tell that there is something wrong. It took a few listenings of the original and I figured out what was wrong. If it didn't sound like the original , there had to be an error which I fixed by ear.
Or 1 look at the Master of Puppets tab book
That was one song I learned right out of the book. Thanks for these few different techniques, I would've never thought to change in my playing.
4:09 Jaws
I’ve spent some time decoding tallica songs... this song is something else when it comes to translating lyrics (song meaning) into music. Mike’s key words explain it all: descending pattern, walk down, start over, contrary direction... these are all addiction terms and that’s what the song is all about. So in few: the first opening E is the first hit/shot/puff and the story goes on with the descending pattern.
The lyrics and music syncing shows clearly in most of Metallica songs. In “One” for example, the song of war, when you reach the “Darkness imprisoning me” part thats when you hear the speedy muted E with the double pedals, well that’s the sound of a machine gun.
Try it yourself, pick any Metallica song and ask yourself: why this riff and how it sounds and how it’s played and why these lyrics, you’ll get a full understanding of what Metallica does. It’s not only badass music, it’s storytelling through words and sounds.
Such a feeling of relief when you already play with all of these.
The only issue currently is stamina when strumming. I think I’m holding my pick incorrectly and strumming with the wrong parts of my arm/wrist. Has anyone got any tips?
Love the details! They make all the difference for me.
Has anyone else played it down-down-up? Not sure what that technique is called, economy picking?
ุ yeah i used to but once you realise it's all downpicked it just never feels right playing it alternate picked 😕
thought i was the only one..it is very good because u can go faster and much more "cleaner" than alternate pickin
Economy pickings a big part of my own playing but I actually actively try to learn downpicking for playing metallica solely because it adds to the percussiveness of the sound. Specially played closer to the neck pickup like James does
Alternate
Thanks for the tips. I'm currently working on this. No where near the speed , but it'll get there. Cheers from Saskatchewan
The intro riff was the first riff I ever learned and it helped my downpicking so damn much, it's always come very easily to me.
and this proves the big sound of that album is in the tone of the way they play all those little fine things they do to EVERTYTHING, iknow ilove making songs also and playing them through exactly every detail how it was. when you make the riff you shape it out the way you want it to sound creatively. that's what they did. to make the sound shape and sculpt and style it.
The details at 3:08 and 5:01 were taught to youtube by uncle ben
livestrong296 howdy and thanks for watching ;)
Ben Eller omfg, it's uncle ben who has replied to my comment. Damm!!!!!! Love your videos sir
Thank you! Great video! need to watch this about 2000 times
I can’t play master of puppets as is so I couldn’t even do this!
Edit: knew the first two, thought those were obvious
Edit: also knew the hit the f note pne
That actually helped me out quite a bit... thanks for sharing that technique and info
Nice Lesson! This is definately one of those songs that every guitarist thinks he can play, but the reality is that very few of us can actually play it correctly (myself included) I’ve played for 25 years and I still can’t match the pace of this song. I usually feel like my right arm is going to fall off by about the 4 minute mark lol
same. I used to "be able to play it" back in the 90's. But it was alternate picked. I still can't do it right all downpicks. ugh
In the intro riff there's also a slight bend on the 1st fret. Not much, possibly not noticeable, but enough to get that feeling that the 2-1-0 transition is soft enough. Give it a try
YES!
I remember when I wrote this song, James was having such a hard time but i made him practice and practice till he got it right.
You're awesome! I love these videos you do!
This was one of the first songs I learned front to back w/solo. The right hand is all that matters. The riffs are very easy compared to Megadeth that’s ferocious on the left hand. The speed is what makes it difficult, that’s it.
Yeah, from my experience Megadeth kills your left hand while Metallica kills your right hand.
Now, if you play Megadeth songs with all downpicking you're kinda fucked.
I actually play the song with upstrokes. I don't know why, but my hand can repetitively go up longer than down.
Never clicked a vid this fast
im surprise everything you thought i was doing it all correctly, maybe the tab i followed was so accurate. im having trouble also with all downward stroke, yeah need to practice it slow until can do it right (fast), all downstroke produce nice sound and more heavy on palm muting.
thanks for sharing your thoughts