A pedal tone or pedal point is static note—usually in the bass register—against which higher notes and/or chords are sounded. Ex. 1 is reminiscent of a rhythm guitar lick favored by early metal pioneers like Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads, or Glenn Tipton and K.K Downing of Judas Priest. It features two-note dyads (also called double-stops) articulated against a pedal tone on the open 5th string in a jagged syncopated rhythm. Palm mute the open string and articulate the chord stabs with a short aggressive picking-hand motion.

Western music is based on a division of the octave into 12 equal half-steps, and on guitar a half-step is simply one fret’s distance. One of the most sinister-sounding intervals is the tritone, which is named because you have three whole-steps between the notes. In fact, it has often been called “The Devil’s Interval.” Guitarists like Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi and Metallica’s James Hetfield have both used its jarring edge to great effect, often sounding a Bb5 power chord against an open 6th string pedal tone for maximum angst. Play through Ex. 2 to get a taste of the ominous-sounding tri-tone interval and remember to keep a slight palm-mute on the pedaled 6th string.

As metal progressed into the new millennium, it branched off into various subgenres, many of which relied on a fusillade of rapid-fire 16th-note riffs played at breakneck tempos. Mastering the metric methods of bands like Slipknot, Gojira, and Lamb of God may seem daunting. The trick is to realize that there are only a finite number of ways to subdivide a beat and, once learned, these individual one-beat stems can be strung together in different combinations to create more complex patterns. Ex. 3 shows four common 16th-note rhythms. Play the first using a steady alternate picking-hand motion. For the second, third, and fourth patterns, continue the alternate picking-hand motion but “ghost” the missing stroke by simply not hitting the string. It’s imperative that your picking-hand never stops an alternating motion. This will help you navigate complex rhythms with both speed and accuracy. Once mastered, the four stem-rhythms can be connected together consecutively to create driving single-note riffs like the one in Ex. 4.

The root-fifth power chord voicing is the most common form of harmonic currency in the metal kingdom. One cool-sounding derivative of this formula is to switch the positions of (aka “invert”) the root and the fifth by playing the root above the fifth. This grip can be sounded by simply barring across any fret on the two lowest strings or—for a fuller sound—adding those same two notes up an octave by also barring the D and G strings two frets higher. Check out the C#5/G# power chord in Ex. 5. Once learned, this grip can be tied in with 16th-note rhythms and a pedaled low E string as shown in Ex. 6.

One lasting sonic innovation that became ubiquitous in metal was when King’s X started to crank out incredible drop-D riffs. To be fair, other guitarists had experimented with this before, but it was King’s X who first worked out a harmonic vocabulary around the one-finger root-fifth-octave power chords that are easily facilitated by the drop tuning like the F5 shown in Ex. 7.

Now power chords could be phrased with the same expression and fluidity as single notes. Ex. 8 ably demonstrates how a one-finger-barre voicing makes full-chord slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs easy to facilitate.

By the mid ’90s, myriad variations of lowered tunings had become extremely commonplace in the metal universe. Beginning guitarists are sometimes flummoxed by these alterations, but the overwhelming majority of the time they are just detuned versions of both standard and drop-D tunings, meaning everything you play in them will be fingered the same way, it will just be at a lower pitch. Some of the most common lowered tunings in metal are standard down a half-step, aka “Eb” (Eb–Ab–Db–Gb–Bb–Eb), standard down a whole-step, also called “D standard” (D–G–C–F–A–D) and drop-D down a whole-step (C–G–C–F–A–D), which is sometimes referred to as drop-C. If you’re a little hesitant about retuning your guitar, keep in mind that you’ve already learned to tune it to standard.

Learning to switch back and forth to a different tuning will be just as easy (if not easier) than when you first learned to tune. Try retuning your guitar to these then revisit some of the previous examples using the exact same fingerings, and see how the lower register affects the sound.

Another cool intervallic device commonly used in hard rock and metal riffs is the octave shape shown in Ex. 9. It is most easily fingered by removing the middle note of a root-fifth-octave barre chord. You’ll want to use your first finger to fret a note on the fifth string while curving it to make enough contact with the fourth string that it mutes that string completely.

Octaves are great for sliding melodically up and down the neck and—as demonstrated in Ex. 10—can be sounded in unison against pedal tones, or broken up into individual notes creating cool intervallic leaps. In the latter case remember to keep the octave hand shape constant.

Now that you’ve got a basic handle of some of the most common rhythm guitar techniques you can listen to how they are employed by the great artists of the genre and use this as a jumping off point for your own songs!

Jackson Audio and Silvertone introduce an exact recreation of the legendary Twin Twelve amplifier in pedal form.

In 1963, history was made with the release of the Silvertone Twin Twelve Amplifier. Originally listed in the sears catalog as the 1484, the Twin Twelve was offered from 1963 to 1967 and became the most coveted of all the Silvertone amplifiers. The unique sound of this amplifier proudly powers the tones of many of today’s best rock icons such as Jack White, Dave Grohl, Beck, Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day), Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) and many more.

An exact recreation of the legendary Twin Twelve amplifier, the 1484 Twin Twelve Pedal can be used as a studio-grade preamp, booster, EQ or overdrive depending on how the controls are set.

MSRP: $249.00. For more information, please visit jackson.audio.

Mojotone is proud to welcome the all new 'Anthem Series' into their famed line of Mojotone branded loudspeakers. With the intention of complementing vintage American-voiced amps, Mojotone's Anthem Series Speakers were purpose-built to optimize their overall power and functionality without compromising their finely-tuned classic American-voiced tone.

Available in 12", 10", and 8" versions, each speaker basket is paired with the perfect paper, voice coil, and magnet counterpart. Straight-seamed ribbed cones, were chosen for their superior performance and unmatched tone, and top-shelf voice coils and magnets have been carefully paired to each of their respective speaker cone sizes.

Additionally, Mojotone's Anthem Series Speakers will be included with many of their Amplifier Kits to help better the overall sound and functionality of each amp kit.

Gibson and Epiphone are proud to announce they have teamed with world renowned singer, songwriter and guitarist, Noel Gallagher to re-create his beloved 1960 Gibson ES-355 guitar and the Epiphone Riviera used during the mid-nineties.

​Gibson and Epiphone are proud to announce they have teamed with world-renowned singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Noel Gallagher to re-create his beloved 1960 Gibson ES-355 guitar and the Epiphone Riviera used during the mid-nineties.

“Fuck me, what a Guitar!” says Noel Gallagher of the 1960 Gibson ES-355. “I’ve actually sent my main one back to storage, something I haven’t done since the day I bought it… THAT’S how good it is!”

“This is THE guitar associated with Noel Gallagher since the late 1990s, we have taken our time over the details, we have worked closely with the artist and we have produced not only a truly remarkable recreation of the original but also a beautiful instrument which can be appreciated by all,” says Lee Bartram, EU Head of Marketing & Cultural Influence EMEA at Gibson Brands. “Gibson Custom continues to push the boundaries of what can be done with new guitar production, this project has been a labor of love for over 10 years and I’m extremely proud of what has been produced by amazing artisans in Nashville.”

​Since the late 1990’s the 1960 Gibson ES-355 has been Noel’s main live guitar and continues to grace stages around the world and be seen by millions of people. Gibson is proud to launch a limited run of 200 pieces of Noel’s main electric guitar which includes all the appointments which make the Gibson ES-355 the pinnacle of guitar craftsmanship, including a multi-ply bound maple body, a mahogany neck, and ebony fretboard, a Varitone switch, and a Bigsby B7 vibrato tailpiece. A reproduced handwritten lyric sheet, a hand-signed Certificate of Authenticity, and a custom Bear Strap exactly like Noel’s are also included.

MSPR: $9,999.00. For more information, please visit gibson.com.