Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
Don't miss these
The Spice Girls
Artists Greg Lester on how he crafted the classic nylon-string guitar solo in the Spice Girls’ 2 Become 1
Yes backstage
Artists Unpacking the technical genius behind one of the most iconic rock songs of the 1980s
Steve Morse poses in the studio with his Ernie Ball Music Man signature model – not the guitar synth at the bridge.
Artists “Nobody can play better than that guy, man!”: Steve Morse on the supernatural powers of Petrucci, Johnson and Blackmore
Justin Hawkins
Artists “He wanted it to sound tinny, so he literally put the mic in a tin”: When The Darkness teamed up with Queen’s producer
John Mayer
Artists “It wasn’t anywhere close to being a single”: The classic track that defines John Mayer as a guitarist and a songwriter
Adrian Belew with the Fender Stratocaster that he and Seymour Duncan relic'd in the back garden
Artists Adrian Belew on how he and Seymour Duncan made one of the first relic’d guitars
Fender and Jackson's Iron Maiden 50th Anniversary Collection: FMIC has unveiled a signature guitar and bass collection to celebrate 50 years of the British metal institution.
Artists Fender and Jackson celebrate 50 years of Iron Maiden with limited run signature collection
Jeff Beck 1954 Epiphone Oxblood Les Paul
Electric Guitars Jeff Beck's 1954 Oxblood Les Paul is the most expensive Les Paul of all time. This Epiphone version comes in at a fraction of the price, and with a further 20% off at Thomann, it may be an irresistible deal for the Jeff Beck aficionado
A PRS McCarty 594 on a hard case
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars 2025: Our pick of guitars to suit all budgets
Close up of a Taylor GS Mini acoustic guitar lying on a wooden floor
Acoustic Guitars Best acoustic guitars 2025: Super steel string acoustics for all players and budgets
Steve morse and Jon Lord play onstage together during a 1996 Deep Purple show in Amsterdam.
Artists Steve Morse on why he loved writing with Jon Lord and the Deep Purple track that started with a cup of tea
Gretsch Electromatic CVT Double-Cut in Wychwood greenburst finish
Electric Guitars "For garage, punk, and rock styles, it’s got the tonal firepower on offer": Gretsch Electromatic CVT Double-Cut review
A Strandberg Boden Essential headless guitar on a concrete floor
Electric Guitars $300 off the 4.5-star rated Strandberg Boden Essential feels like the guitar deal of the year - save big on the most forward-thinking guitar around
Bon Jovi
Artists “When I brought up the talk box, everybody in the band laughed at me”: How Bon Jovi created their signature rock anthem
Harley Benton Custom Line King-12CE NT: the cutaway jumbo 12-string features an all-maple build, gold hardware and Fishman electronics
Guitars Harley Benton unveils Custom Line jumbo 12-string with a $350 price tag that’s for the Byrds
More
  • "The most expensive bit of drumming in history”
  • JoBo x Fuchs
  • Radiohead Daydreaming
  • Vanilla Fudge
  • 95k+ free music samples
  1. Tutorials
  2. Guitar Lessons & Tutorials

Quick licks: Intermediate #4

News
By Guitar Techniques ( Guitar Techniques ) published 17 August 2011

Country picking and Hetfield-style rhythm

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Intermediate lick one: country-fried pickin'

Intermediate lick one: country-fried pickin'

Hybrid chicken-picking is the order of the day here with this Danny Gatton inspired example. Your plectrum takes the lower notes and the second and third fingers grab the higher strings. This is based on the G Mixolydian and G major pentatonic scales. Try your bridge pickup into a clean Fender style amp sound with a compressor and some slap back echo if you have them, to make it sing out as it should.

Page 1 of 2
Page 1 of 2
Intermediate lick two: Metallica style rhythm

Intermediate lick two: Metallica style rhythm

This James Hetfield style meltdown has lots of chromaticism. Make sure you keep the sixth string muted and pumping the whole time. Try alternate picking if you can't manage all downstrokes like JH at this tempo. A high gain Boogie sound with a bridge position humbucker will make you The Master!

Page 2 of 2
Page 2 of 2
Guitar Techniques
The worlds best high-quality guitar tuition from the UKs foremost teachers and players image
The worlds best high-quality guitar tuition from the UKs foremost teachers and players
Subscribe and save today!
More Info
Read more
James Hetfield plays his white Gibson Explorer live with Metallica in 1986. He wears a black Metallica longsleeve.
Metallica’s Master Of Puppets has been to the Upside Down but this backwards version might be the Strangest Thing you’ll hear this year
 
 
Jackson American Series Rhoads: the Rhoads is now officially being made in the USA again, and is offered with a choice of a hardtail or Floyd Rose, with the hardtail finished in Satin Black and Snow White, and the Floyd in Satin Black, Matte Army Drab and Snow White. Note the reverse headstock.
All Rhoads lead to California as Jackson brings one of its most-iconic metal guitars home for a high-end upgrade
 
 
Paul Gilbert
Four big-name guitarists spill their recording secrets
 
 
Jackson Pro Origins 1985 San Dimas: these retro S-styles take the high-performance electric guitar brand back to the '80s, offering single and dual-humbucker platforms for shred with the choice of rosewood or maple fingerboards – and what about that "Two-Face" black-and-white finish?
“These guitars empower metal artists with the authentic, crushing tone that built Jackson’s legendary reputation”: Jackson takes us back to the heyday of shred with the Pro Origins 1985 San Dimas series – and what about that Two Face finish?
 
 
Craig 'Goonzi' Gowans and Steven Jones from Scottish metalcore heavyweights Bleed From Within pose with their weapons of choice: Goonzi [left] has an ESP LTD M1000, while Jones has a Caparison TAT Special
Bleed From Within’s Craig ‘Goonzi’ Gowans and Steven Jones on the high-performance shred machines behind their heavyweight metalcore sound 
 
 
Pantera
“No Pro Tools, no tricks. We helped change the production of heavy metal records”: Pantera's revolutionary anthem
 
 
Latest in Guitar Lessons & Tutorials
Close up of a person playing guitar
With a massive 89% discount, $99 for a year's worth of Guitar Tricks online lessons is the best way to upgrade your guitar playing this Black Friday
 
 
Close up of a person holding an acoustic guitar bathed sunlight
Ignite your inner guitar god for just 27 cents a day with TrueFire’s July 4th sale - save 60% on online lessons
 
 
MusicNomad fret tuition
Can you fix your guitar's frets yourself? We try three innovative approaches from MusicNomad to investigate how they might conquer a major cause of fret buzz
 
 
George Harrison
How to play like George Harrison on The Beatles' Abbey Road
 
 
MusicNomad guitar fret cleaning
"You owe your guitar the chance to be its best": How to clean and polish your guitar frets a better way
 
 
Jimmy Page
Play like Jimmy Page! Exclusive video lesson
 
 
Latest in News
Green square on a cream background
"This record shouldn’t, strictly speaking, be possible at all”: Here's Autechre – reinterpreted on acoustic guitar
 
 
Lead singer and guitarist Robert Smith of The Cure performs on stage at Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, Netherlands 25th November 2022
“A run of shows to dream about”: Robert Smith announces line up for his first run of Teenage Cancer Trust concerts
 
 
Steven Tyler and Joe Perry
“The whole thing that AI can do – if you think about it, it’s just really creepy”: A warning from Aerosmith's Joe Perry
 
 
soundtoys
"This is our way of saying thank you": Soundtoys is giving away six free plugins this Christmas, starting with Little PrimalTap
 
 
ALM Busy Circuits Pamela's Disco module
ALM Busy Circuits new Pamela’s Disco module lets you sync a Eurorack rig to a CDJ or mixer
 
 
Text saying 'Just the way it is'
“It’s quite normal to be groped by men”: Harassment, low pay and exploitation all reported by young musicians and artists in new survey
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...