Fast Palm Mute Guitar in Metal

Palm muting as a technique is more versatile than a lot of guitarists give it credit for. Speed palm muting has given genres like thrash metal its trademark rhythmic aggression. This lesson will show you the techniques used bya whole generation of speed/thrash metal bands that used fast palm mute guitar as the driving force behind their music. I mean, when you chug out a fast palm muted riff, even without drums, it's immensely satisfying!

First, make sure you know beginner palm mute guitar here!

Also, take a lesson in fast guitar picking in metal for some good primer stuff.

This lesson is about executing pin-point accuracy and fast, technical rhythms using the palm mute guitar technique, so take your time, as it's a playing technique that requires reasonable levels of concentration and physical endurance. There'll be drum tracks and practical exercises to help you. So let's take a look!

The foundations of fast palm mute guitar

Assuming you already know the basics of palm mute guitar (so you'll know it's not actually your "palm" which does the work here!) we need to look at picking techniques to build up that driving rhythm and speed.

First, there's the basic down stroke which gets you that percussive, muted sound:

Click the diagrams in this lesson to hear!

Now, a lot of guitarists make the big mistake of listening to, say, a fast thrash track and assuming all the palm muting is done using down picks only - well, you might be able to on the faster riffs for about 3 seconds, then your wrist will seize up and start to ache, slow down and become sloppy. It won't be able to handle the endurance at some of the higher speeds.

To get around this, we can simply add an upstroke to the pattern, so the motion needed in your picking hand is reduced and you'll be able to execute fast palm mute guitar for longer (and eventually as long as you need).

I find if I hold the pick too close to the "nib" my thumb can get in the way when coming back up for the upstroke, so play around and find which pick position is best for you! Also think about the plectrum thickness - some people prefer hard picks (e.g. .8mm and above), I prefer softer picks (around .6mm) for less obstruction.

Click diagram to hear an example

This is a form of alternate picking used with palm muting. Keep playing around until you get the sound you want.

When we add the upstroke in, it's a lot cleaner to just hit one string - preferably the bass note of its relative chord/powerchord - it's this bass note that really gives the driving rhythm some harmonic definition (the bassist will help with this too).

TIP: Some guitarists like to put in as much physical energy as they can, meaning wider and more aggressive pick sweeps, and this does add a sharper and more percussive attack to palm muted riffs. I personally try to keep the pick sweeps as small as possible (without sacrificing the firm pick strokes) because it's generally good practice to be as conservative as possible with the physical side of things. This will improve your endurance.

OK, I think we've covered the foundations of fast palm mute guitar here, so when you're ready, let's move onto building accuracy, a crucial element of speed rhythm guitar in metal.

Fast palm muting - building accuracy!

The more extreme sub-genres of heavy metal can use very technical drum rhythms, so the guitarist has to be prepared to chop 'n' change at the crash of a symbol. This most commonly involves mixing fast palm muted phrases with regular bursts of non-muted strumming to give your riffs texture to compliment the drums.

It's all in the wrist - the key to accurate palm mute rhythm guitar is discipline with your picking wrist! You need to apply and release tension appropriately - but try to relax overall and let the natural flow of the rhythm dictate your picking movements. Practise and time will get you there. It's as much mental as it is physical.

Also, make sure you listen to a variety of metal that uses this technique (I assume you like this style of music anyway), and listen with headphones for more clarity - when you listen, picture yourself playing along, even move your wrist in sync. This is when air guitar actually becomes useful (although you'll still look like an idiot. It won't change that).

Using the alternate picking, palm mute technique from above, try the exercises below - first listen to the slow example, then the quicker example.

As always... build up speed with a metronome!

Alternate picking fast palm mute exercise

Follow the upstroke/downstroke arrows!

At first, some guitarists find alternate picking more difficult on the higher strings (e.g. powerchords with the root on the A string) because you have a string below and above you to avoid accidentally picking - the space for your pick sweep has been reduced, and therefore requires more accuracy. You can do two things:

1) Try to narrow down your picking sweeps to make your down-up movements as small as possible - this is what I do :o)

2) Just block out the string below by touching it (effectively muting it) with one of your fretting hand's fingers (e.g. overlapping them onto the string slightly). This, you have to admit, is the lazier option, but whether you actually hear any sloppiness if it's done right is another story.

OK, now let's try an exercise over a simple drum track. The double bass technique is used a lot in heavy metal drumming, and as a guitarist, you can compliment this by timing the attack of your palm muting with the rhythm of the bass drum - this sounds awesome if done accurately...

Now, sometimes, especially when playing a riff around more than 1 string, it makes sense to just use downstroke palm muting, otherwise we will lose the direction we need in our picking to help execute the riff accurately and cleanly - example...

So all down picks in that riff.

TIP: when using only down picks I find, unlike with alternate picking, it helps to hold the pick as far towards the "nib" as possible so you get the full support of your thumb behind the pick. This will help keep the picking firm, adding to the percussive effect of the muted sound.

The reason I mentioned not to hold the pick at the nib for alternate picking is because your thumb might obstruct the upstrokes if it's too far down.

Maybe now we should move onto more technical fast palm mute guitar rhythms... you are still awake aren't you?

As mentioned before, it's the mix of fast palm muted riffs and rhythmic bursts of chord/powerchord that gives heavy metal guitar its unique and energetic dynamics (that, along with high gain/distortion of course). We can, of course, be as technical as we like with this (it's all down to what you think sounds good).

Try the exercises below, first listening to the slow version, then the quicker version, and finally the drum track which you can play over if you like. With both exercises, try and think about your pick position from the diagrams earlier on, and also when to release your "palm" from the strings to allow those non-muted bursts. You have to be quick with this, because as soon as the palm muting starts again, your hand needs to be back on the strings, ready in place.

Don't forget the metronome to start with!

Below is a little something inspired by Fear Factory who use pinpoint rhythmic palm muting in a "machine-like" way...

I hope this lesson has helped you build up your speed to execute fast palm mute guitar. If you head back to the main metal guitar lessons page (link below) you'll find more palm mute related lessons such as death metal and thrash guitar lessons.

Until then, happy thrashing.