Fast
Guitar Picking in Heavy Metal Using tremolo picking as a
rhythm technique
It's worth pointing out that although I've put
fast guitar picking
under the heavy metal category, it is a general lead technique. The
heavy metal genre uses fast
picking techniques to their extremes, so it's a useful genre to work
with for building speed and endurance.
In this lesson, we're first looking
at fast guitar
picking as a rhythm
technique, using the lower tones of the guitar.
This is commonly heard in speed/thrash metal and their derivatives.
As we'll be using a form of alternate picking, I recommend you first take the introductory alternate
picking lesson.
Fast
guitar picking basics
Alternate picking is simply
the repeated down-up motion of your plectrum over the strings. Fast
alternate picking is known as tremolo picking.
Tremolo picking goes back to
the rock and roll of the 50s and 60s, and was popularised in
Dick Dale's surf
rock classic, Misirlou (obviously not a metal song, but the picking
technique is pretty much the same)...
Holding the plectrum
When alternate picking at higher tempos, angle your plectrum so that
it's slightly cutting across
the strings rather than flat against them. The idea is to
reduce as much obstruction as you can, so also make sure only the very
tip of the plectrum is scratching over the string.
Think also about pick gauge.
For fast guitar picking, I prefer to use .60mm as it flexes
over the strings more easily. Again, the less obstruction the better!
Getting up to speed
Let's
start slow and simple on the lowest string. At first, keep the
distortion switched off as we want to be able to hear our progress
clearly.
As we're going to be speeding up, your pick hand stability
is important. I find resting the edge of my pick hand (the same part of
your hand
you use to palm mute strings) on the bridge most comfortable.
Other guitarists prefer to prop their pinky (4th) finger against the
body as a "stabiliser".
See which one works most comfortably for you.
So, now our pick hand is in place, watch the video
below and alternate
pick (down-up-down-up-etc.) the low E string at a constant tempo
(use a metronome
to help). Try
speeding up gradually. There's no hard and fast rule for this, you just
have to use your judgement on whether you're running ahead of yourself.
Notice how I keep my picking "sweep" tight around
the string I'm
playing. This is to ensure you don't accidentally hit the adjacent
strings.
As shown in the video, you
should also practice this
same action on the A
string above. Beginners especially find the
A, D and skinnier strings harder to alternate pick at first as you need
to keep your picking "window" tight to avoid hitting strings above and below.
The example above is the
essence of 80's and 90s speed and thrash metal. The same tremolo
picking technique is also used in shredding solos,
but we'll look more at
the lead application of tremolo picking in another lesson!
Basic
fast guitar picking riffs
Once
you're confident with the core tremolo picking technique and are
satisfied with your speed and endurance, it's time to churn out some
riffage!
Again, don't jump ahead of
yourself. Start just on the
low E string again, but this time, try changing fret in rhythm, like in
the example below...
In
fact, you'll be surprised at just how many thrash riffs solely
use that bottom string of the guitar, mostly because it has the
thickest, bassiest tone (and it's easy to just hammer out - very little
obstruction). Use the entire length of the neck...
As with any lead technique, start slow and speed up gradually using a metronome
or even better use a specialised finger
trainer.
Don't worry, a lot of the inconsistencies will be
ironed out when you add distortion/gain, but practising clean allows
you to scrutinise your speed playing far more.
Tremolo
picking over more than one string
Obviously you'll want to be able to use this technique across more than
one string, for more intricate melody.
The
exercise below makes use of the open A string, but adds in the adjacent
strings as part of the riff. It's important to start slow with this to
get used to changing string in
time. You also have to be very accurate "tapping" those
single picked notes on the A string. Start by playing at the same speed
as the slow
example and speed up gradually using a decent metronome.
Hope
you've enjoyed this lesson - heavy metal and thrash are really good for
building your speed and strength with fast guitar picking whether you
like the genre or not.
