| When picking up and learning the guitar, the most | | | | guitar player on up and coming guitar players |
| important thing to aspiring guitar wizards is playing | | | | interested in heavy metal. His unique and unrelenting |
| their favorite bands music. If heavy metal/hard rock | | | | approach to picking and songwriting has influenced |
| is your music genre, I would suggest starting with | | | | me and many others to do the same. |
| Metallica as the band to emulate. Their music may | | | | "Downpicking" as opposed to alternate picking |
| sound complicated to the beginning guitar wizard but | | | | (up-down, up-down) when done quickly can and will |
| in actuality it is well transcribed throughout the | | | | allow you to manipulate passages more easily as |
| internet and slower songs such as "Fade to Black" or | | | | string skipping (one string to the next) becomes |
| "The Thing that Should Not Be" can be practiced and | | | | easier with this approach. |
| learned fairly quickly. These songs along with | | | | 2) Metallica focuses on the phrygian mode within their |
| tablature (and practice of course!) will open up and | | | | music. This mode will help build your song-building skills |
| familiarize a budding guitar players mind to the world | | | | as it is a primary focus in the world of heavy metal. |
| of heavy metal guitar. | | | | Their song structure is not normally overly |
| There are a few key elements that make them | | | | complicated (there are exceptions) and mastering |
| excellent as the band to start with. | | | | their technique will allow you to progress to more |
| 1) They will increase your picking hand dexterity | | | | complicated forms of music within the genre. |
| mobility. Metallica has a way with down-picking and | | | | Long story short, becoming familiar with Metallica's |
| this will come in handy as you progress to more | | | | music arrangements and song structures will pay |
| complex forms of music. James Hetfield is revered | | | | future dividends as a guitar player learns the ropes. |
| within the genre as probably the most influential | | | | |