Master Of Puppets

[d7th]

I learned that song using alternate picking all the way (except solos of course :) ) but it doesn't sound right ( it sounds good but not as accurate as the original ) I was wondering if they play it with strict down picking ?

[Wyll_Watts]

the rhythm on that song is about 99% downpicking. It's a great song to learn that style of downpicked thrash rhythm. Hetfield is known for his speedy and consistant downpicking. He uses three fingers to hold the pick, and the point of the pick is angled slightly towards the neck giving a little more thickness to the sound. Also, I think I remember him saying in an article somewhere that his fingers hit the strings sometimes too, adding a little more of an intersting "grind." Like all other techniques, start slowly and focus on relaxing and economy of motion, it may take a while to get your downpicking up to the speed of that song. If you have any questions about specific riffs etc, I'd be happy to help.

Best of Luck,
Wyll

[d7th]

I ve downloaded the video of the S&M version, and I've noticed something funny. Hetfield seems relaxed when he plays downpicking, the opposite of hammet .

[EricV]

That´s probably because Hetfield has been playing that way for many years. He´s a very fast "downpicker". Check out some of the older Metallica records...
I guess if you play that way for many years, it gets kinda easy
Eric

[Wyll_Watts]

back when I was in school a group of guitar playing friends I hung out with kind of had this competition to see who could play Master of Puppets the fastest. I guess that was sort of an immature attitude to playing lol.. but all of us developed some great downpicking technique in the process.. the album version of that song is about 220 or 230 bpm I think.. I maxed out at about 290 - 300 bpm, but there was this one kid in that group who could play it even faster.. he was amazing, all he ever did in his spare time was play Metallica rhythm on this beat up old jackson explorer copy. At that time I was using the Hetfield rhythm technique and I believe he was using something a little closer to the way Dave M. of Megadeth plays.. Well, that was some random useless info..

Wyll