How to Play Hardcore Guitar

Okay, to get into "hardcore" guitar, you don't have to know a whole lot about music theory, but you will have to know something about electric guitar setup and sound technology. The heavier genres of electric guitar, including "hardcore" rely more on sound effects and machine-driven sound than what a guitar player does on the fretboard. However, you also do have to know how to make basic note progressions. Here are some rules to playing good hardcore and any associated sub-genres like grindcore, overgrind, studcore, modcore, or over-the-%$#-top core.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Find cheap stuff. Buy your guitar, amp and cables at bargain basement cost. You're not going to be wowing the crowd at Starbucks with exquisite flamenco picking, so you don't need fancy equipment. You will probably be into some theatrical mix when playing gigs, so make sure your gear can stand the heat.
2. Obtain light, light, light gauge strings. Electric guitar strings come in various styles. The best style for loud genres should be light gauge strings because they are more flexible. When you "thrash" on guitar, you want the strings to accommodate that tension, and light gauge strings are more likely to bend without breaking. They also help produce that jangling, rattling sound that you will want.
3. Turn your effects on. Get all of the fuzz, distortion, or gain you can get your hands on, through amp knobs or pedals. Your guitar play will need to sound harsh, and running it through effects gets it that way. When you play through a lot of distortion, you can play more powerfully without more actual physical work.
4. Get you rhythm guitar going. This is one thing you'll want to do in hardcore guitar play. You'll rely on simple "bar chords" to produce rabbit-quick rhythmic chord progressions. You can tune your low E string down to D so that all you have to do on the fretboard is throw your finger on and off of any one fret to make a chord. Then figure out your melodic chord progressions (like 1,4,5) and play them with one finger.
5. Control your chord progression sounds. A lot of the art of hardcore chord play is in starting and stopping that barrage of sound that's screaming out of your amplifier. You can do this with a combination of fast up and down picking and quick muting of the strings with your right hand.
6. Follow the band. A heavy guitar band works best when its in synchronicity. You'll want to adapt your rhythms to whatever the drum and bass is doing, and pretty soon, you'll be sounding good enough to rile crowds at your local club.