MusicRadar

Metallica's James Hetfield

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Down-picking is an integral part of your technique. How did you develop the strength and speed that this approach requires?

"It was always a kind of contest – who could down-pick the fastest – and mostly it was a battle between me and Lars, actually. It's a hard thing to do well, because your timing has got to be dead on.

"If you're playing eighth or sixteenth notes then you've got to get cooking. A lot of practice is called for to build up your strength. A lot of wanking too!"

Tomorrow is Day 4 of MusicRadar's Metallica Week.

And it's killer - read what Kirk Hammett tells us in a new interview, 25 years on, about the making of Kill 'Em All.