Death metal guitarists really have a way with flying all over the guitar neck during a brutal song. They can give you a lesson in going between chords and riffs effortlessly while putting on a great show too.
Although some death metal techniques about riffs and chord changes can be difficult, they are important to attempt since they transfer to other guitar genres like rock and jazz. Here are 6 fast tips to play guitar chords smoother, faster, and more brutal.
1. Keep your fingers near the lower fret marks on the guitar neck. If there appears to be a lot of twanging and excessive vibration in the strings that doesn’t create strong tones, focus on adjusting your fret fingers to sit closer to the frets when you play. For example, if you play the ‘F’ chord in drop ‘D’ tuning, you would lay your finger across the third fret while keeping it relatively close to the 2nd fret.
2. Accommodate your fingerings for the next approaching riff. Many times when guitarists mess up during a death metal riff, it’s only because they’re not planning for the future of the song. There is more than one way to play any lick on the guitar, so plan wisely as how to play certain parts to be ready for the next one.
3. Keep your chord transitions smoother with some subtle sliding. Songs that sound discontinuous to the audience are less appealing to listen to, so maybe you need to be smoother. Practice going through a song, but keeping your chord transitions smooth for a more fluent and professional sound.
4 With a new style comes new calluses. If you’re not used to the aggression and speed of death metal guitar, you might notice the development of some new calluses. Playing in this genre with the drop tunings of either ‘D’ or ‘C’ means that calluses need to form on the underside of your index finger where it lays across multiple strings.
5. The uglier the chord progressions, the better. A quick lesson to learn in this metal genre is that the chord progressions don’t necessarily have to be pretty or make much sense. Experiment with progressions that only involve four chords exactly adjacent to one another. You might be surprised by the evil things you can come up with.
6. Get dark with partially palm-muted chords that growl. When there are times in a song that needs less than a full chord but more than a palm-mute, you might consider a partial palm mute. Put about half of the normal pressure of your strumming hand on the strings and strike a chord. You should get a strong but eerie effect from the technique.
When playing death metal, really focus on what can make your tone dark, powerful, and aggressive all at the same time. Try out these effective tips and start really thrashing through your metal riffs better.
Kyle Hoffman has performed in a number of successful bands as an experienced guitarist with enthusiasm in the rock and metal genres. To learn his valuable tips on learning fast electric guitar for FREE, visit his well-known guitar blog, How To Guitar Tune!
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