Metallica and Megadeth for an intermediate level player?

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LordOxygenLordOxygen Frets: 319
edited June 2018 in Technique
I'd like to learn some Metallica songs and perhaps Megadeth as well. I've never had much success in the past as they're all so fast (I realise speed will come with practice). Recently my playing has improved so I feel ready for the challenge.

Which songs from either band would you recommend an intermediate player to learn that aren't too difficult. 
Together Metallica and Megadeth have so much material I'm unsure where to start.

Any pointers would be very welcome.
Cheers


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Comments

  • CarpeDiemCarpeDiem Frets: 275
    I'd suggest Enter Sandman by Metallica. The rhythm should be manageable at the intermediate level, and the solo isn't all at a fast tempo. For Megadeth, A Tout Le Monde and Symphony of Destruction may be good to learn. Good luck!
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  • LordOxygenLordOxygen Frets: 319
    Thanks. Will check out all 3. I can play the intro riff to sandman. The m'deth ones are new to me.
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  • cpcompanycpcompany Frets: 126
    I learned a few thrash metal songs when I started lessons as a school kid. Most songs from Kill Em All and Ride The Lightening weren’t too challenging as a beginner. I remember being chuffed when I learned Seek and Destroy. 

    Megadeths riffs were way way more intricate and half the time I never bothered to persevere. 
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  • BloodEagleBloodEagle Frets: 5320
    Megadeth (especially earlier stuff) is In general going to be a lot more challenging than Metallica - for easier tracks of theirs maybe try Peace Sells or In My Darkest Hour. For easy Metallica Id try For Whom the Bell Tolls, Whiplash, Sanitarium or as above, Seek and Destroy is a fun one. 
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  • StefBStefB Frets: 2331
    Have a listen to Marty Friedman’s guitar solo in Megadeth’s Tornado of Souls. It makes me wonder why I even bother picking a guitar up. 
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  • @StefB absolutely agreed - 3:07 if anyone needs reminding:


    I agree with @cpcompany that the riffss in Megadeth are much more complicated and there are bloody dozens per song. Lucretia is one of my favorite songs but it's almost a Fugue in the way they torture particular musical ideas through so many permutations.

    I personally learnt Symphony of Destruction, Lucretia and Tornado of Souls.

    For Metallica Master of Puppets is an obvioous choice as it's not very complicated but sounds great. Most of the stuff off Kill Em' All is simple to play (albeit relatively fast) and would recommend Hit the Lights and Four Horseman.
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  • imalrightjackimalrightjack Frets: 3723
    cpcompany said:
    I learned a few thrash metal songs when I started lessons as a school kid. Most songs from Kill Em All and Ride The Lightening weren’t too challenging as a beginner. I remember being chuffed when I learned Seek and Destroy. 

    Megadeths riffs were way way more intricate and half the time I never bothered to persevere. 
    Wisdom for @cpcompany - Kill 'Em All is a brilliant album for learning thrash.  Some of the fast picking might be demanding to begin with but there's little in the way of massively difficult synchronisation between hands, more right-hand chugging (oo-er) than anything.

    Megadeth are indeed a lot more difficult.  Symphony, as stated, is a very easy place to start (I'd also argue it's one of the more do-able Marty solos).  

    Easier songs:

    Sweating Bullets
    Foreclosure of a Dream
    This Was My Life
    Countdown To Extinction
    High Speed Dirt
    Peace Sells

    I'm currently labouring over the Lucretia solo, at little more than 50% speed.  Great piece of playing:


    Trading feedback info here

    My band, Red For Dissent
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  • LordOxygenLordOxygen Frets: 319
    edited June 2018
    Thank you for the replies, plenty there to keep me busy.

    Going to learn for whom the bell tolls first, looks easy and should sound good.
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  • webrthomsonwebrthomson Frets: 1029
    Thank you for the replies, plenty there to keep me busy.

    Going to learn for whom the bell tolls first, looks easy and should sound good.
    Excellent song that one - Leper Messiah from Master of Puppets is pretty straight forward too - plus as mentioned Seek and Destroy - great for getting the right hand working too.
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  • LordOxygenLordOxygen Frets: 319
    edited June 2018
    Guys, I could do with some, For Whom the Bell Tolls, advice please...

    I've nailed the chords and heavier riffs. but I'm struggling to get the repetitive ones around the 9-12th frets up to speed and I'm convinced it's due to picking technique. I can play them at 80 to 90% speed using up down, but 100% is too fast, despite practicing I can't get it right, I lose coordination between my 2 hands after 2 or 3 bars.
    How should this be picked, regular up down, all down, or do I need to learn some sort of economy picking?

    This is the part i'm struggling with, 

    https://i.imgur.com/tiMlFna.png

    Cheers

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  • RedRabbitRedRabbit Frets: 483
    Assuming it's all picked (I've no idea - never learnt the song) I'd suggest trying starting it on an upstroke and then alternate pick. For me, the single note on the D string is much easier if I'm switching to it after an upstroke. 

    I also tried following the downstroke on the D string with another downstroke on the G string (essentially economy picking) but this means that the picking direction on the first note changes for each repetition. For this approach to work I'd need to hammer on from the E to the F# to allow me to start on an upstroke again.


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  • LordOxygenLordOxygen Frets: 319
    Thanks. Ive no idea if i should be hammering any notes. Will give what you've suggested a try
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  • CarpeDiemCarpeDiem Frets: 275
    I agree with @RedRabbit regarding trying starting with an upstroke. It may be that you've hit your current limit in terms of playing it cleanly. I'd suggest setting a metronome at 80-90 per cent of tempo, and raise it in 5bpm increments as you improve. It may also be worth doing doing some specific exercises to increase your speed and accuracy.
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  • digitalkettledigitalkettle Frets: 3124
    Judging by a bit of live footage I saw, James plays it *all* downstrokes whereas Kirk plays it alternate starting with a downstroke...that lends the first note of each six note group a bit more snap.

    For alternate, no matter what stroke you start on, you need a strategy to keep things working smoothly: look into upward/downward pick slanting (Troy Grady).

    Moving beyond the lick, this sounds like an opportunity to practice some string crossing! Start on an up, start on a down, play all ups, play all downs, use economy (if you can get around the problem @RedRabbit mentioned), reorganise it across different strings, etc.


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  • flying_pieflying_pie Frets: 1806
    Guys, I could do with some, For Whom the Bell Tolls, advice please...

    I've nailed the chords and heavier riffs. but I'm struggling to get the repetitive ones around the 9-12th frets up to speed and I'm convinced it's due to picking technique. I can play them at 80 to 90% speed using up down, but 100% is too fast, despite practicing I can't get it right, I lose coordination between my 2 hands after 2 or 3 bars.
    How should this be picked, regular up down, all down, or do I need to learn some sort of economy picking?

    This is the part i'm struggling with, 

    https://i.imgur.com/tiMlFna.png

    I'm pretty sure I play that lick across the E B and G strings using alternate picking. It's a lot easier that way. 
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  • LordOxygenLordOxygen Frets: 319
    Starting with an up pick seems to have done the trick. I played all the way through last night for the first time at full speed. :+1: 
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  • BloodEagleBloodEagle Frets: 5320
    edited July 2018
    It’s an easy bit to overthink and get out of whack when you’re actually playing along - as with a lot of the trickier metal stuff, just keep playing it whichever way works best for you and eventually muscle memory will kick in and you’ll be able to increase the speed 
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  • PolarityManPolarityMan Frets: 7273
    I play that bit as all downstrokes.
    ဈǝᴉʇsɐoʇǝsǝǝɥɔဪቌ
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  • PolarityManPolarityMan Frets: 7273
    I think alternate picking gives the wrong accent pattern, it's accetned as 2 groups of 3.
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  • Matt_McGMatt_McG Frets: 321
    There's no reason why alternate picking should stop you playing it as groups of 3. 

    Whether you start on an up (u - d - u / d - u - d) or a down you can still emphasise the 3 note groups.
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