Heavy Metal Guitar Lessons

Learn the techniques that make heavy metal fast, brutal and even... melodic. No spikey guitar necessary.

If you're into thrash metal, death metal, or any other form of heavy metal and want to learn the essential guitar techniques used in all the metal sub-genres, this is the place.

Need a head start? Not sure where to begin? For those who want the complete learning package (without shelling out for expensive private lessons), see my review of the Burning Metal Course.

Heavy Metal Guitar Basics

Power Chords

Power chords are...not chords! They are diads (two notes played together) used religiously in rock and heavy metal. They work well under high gain/distortion, so turn your amp's settings up and learn how to improve your riff accuracy and speed with these power chord exercises.

Metal Strumming

Learn the basics of strumming in heavy metal, with drum tracks to try out your own riffs over. We start with basic downstrumming patterns before moving on to more complex down-up strumming in part 2. An essential primer in metal rhythm guitar.

Palm Mute Guitar

Palm mute guitar is a technique used in all forms of heavy metal, providing a more percussive edge to distorted/high gain guitar. Use this lesson series for the basics, moving onto some more advanced tips and techniques in the 2nd and 3rd parts.

Part 1: Palm Mute Guitar Basics
Part 2: More Advanced Palm Muting
Part 3: Fast Palm Muting

Fast Guitar Picking

This lesson covers tremolo picking - an alternate picking technique used most commonly in thrash metal. Machine gun picking methods. Great excercise... for your hand anyway.

Metal Lead Technique

Watch the video below for a great introduction to metal lead techniques, including hammer-ons, pull-offs, trills, bends, pinch harmonics and more...

Metal Guitar Scales

A bit of focus on lead guitar and the scales commonly used in heavy metal to support its harsh, aggressive style. We look at the modes and more exotic scales used in metal, and there are backing tracks for you to try them out over... don't say I never give you anything.

How to Play Death Metal Guitar

The basics of playing death metal guitar.

Part 1 introduces the "death scale" and some alternate picking, palm muting techniques to use with the slower, lumbering side of death metal.

Part 2 looks at complementing blast beats using tremolo picking and riffing at speed. Plus, we finish by fusing together the elements we've learned to create progressive riffs.

Thrash Metal Guitar Lesson

Know what the secret is to that satisfying rhythmic chaos in thrash metal? Pick groupings - This lesson gives you some more technical picking exercises to make your thrash playing more dynamic, working with the percussion. Plus, we look at general tremolo picking and some other essential thrash metal styles. Enjoy!

Metal Rhythm Guitar

This lesson focuses on working with the percussion, with drum tracks to try your own stuff over. We also get introduced to the groove element of heavy metal, which is covered in depth in the Burning Metal Course.

Take your heavy metal guitar playing to advanced level - click here >