How to Play Blackmetal Guitar

Black metal guitar is defined by playing the same or several notes rapidly, in what is known as the tremelo picking method.

Black metal, a subgenre of thrash metal, is a musical style marked by shrieking vocals, distorted guitars and dark lyrics dealing with topics such as death and mysticism. Playing black metal guitar requires a guitarist to play fast and loud, and to have the open-minded attitude needed to play such extreme music.

Things You'll Need

• Guitar
• Amplifier
• Distortion pedal
• 2 guitar cables
• Short cable

Instructions

Playing Black Metal Guitar

1. Play guitar using a tremelo picking technique. Execute tremelo technique by playing the same note rapidly up and down using your wrist. Switch to another note and play it rapidly for as long as desired. Only use the wrist, not the arm. Keep the wrist placed on the guitar strings at all times. When playing notes on the thicker strings, place the wrist on the thinner strings, and vice versa. This technique is essential in playing black metal music.

   Play minor and harmonic minor scales, as most black metal music is written in minor keys. Play power chords, which consist of first and fifth degrees. An example of a power chord would be E natural and B natural, or C natural and G natural. Guitar solos are not played often in black metal, so avoid them, according to ChroniclesOfChaos.com. Also most black metal songs do not follow the typical verse-chorus-verse format, and rely more on long instrumental sections.

2. Use special effects pedals to add distortion to the guitar sound. Distortion is also an important part of black metal music, according to GuitarPlayerWorld.com.Plug the cable from the guitar into the pedal's input jack. Plug another guitar cable into the pedals output jack and attach the pedal to an amplifier. Use the tone settings on the pedal to create a more distorted effect. You can add more pedals by plugging in a short cable into the input jack of another pedal. Distortion pedals should be used at all times while playing. The more distorted the guitar, the more black metal it will sound.

3. Use amplifiers to make a loud guitar sound. Black metal is a loud, aggressive form of music, so the more volume you have, the better.

References

• Basics Of Black Metal
• All About Black Metal Guitar Lessons
• Chronicles Of Chaos

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish