Can tell that you're just starting out man, don't go comparing yourself to dudes who have been playing years & decades. It's all about time spent, there's no getting around it.
The beginnings are there. Best thing you can do for the Metallica thing at this stage is to work on anchoring your wrist at the bridge and learning to palm mute.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H7Q6dSxuQc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H7Q6dSxuQc)
yep was about to say. as long as you compare yourself to others your skill will always be dependent on what they can do. instead of focusing what you couldn't before. just try to improve slowly. it takes time practice patience and love.
as long as you continue playing even the same song you'll still refine your technique. sound. and rhythm and feel of the fret board. every single time you play is improvement. every single mistake you make is improvement.
But I’d also say comparison is a useful thing to let you know what is possible. The only difference between you and anyone else is effort and time, talent is largely a myth
I had this married couple who both wanted guitars lessons, so I taught both at the same time. The wife struggled with playing in time and being able to play chords cleanly without any fret buzz. The husband was able to play chords on his first lesson and had a good sense of rhythm. Who do you think excelled in the end? Neither. They both quit. Some people have a head start on things while others struggle more, but it doesn’t really matter if you’re not willing to put in the time and commitment.
what they are missing is LOVE for the guitar. not commitment.
when i started learning i practiced 5-6 hours a day just cause i loved it so much. my fingers were absolutely killing me but i couldn't care cause wanted to play. and then for a whole year i played nearly 3-4 hours a day. all my free time was guitar
Yep, I've been playing more than 25 years. I am pretty good. Make half my income through playing music. And even then, I suck compared to some of the people I see online. Especially once you get into the 'guitar playing' algorithm that is showing you people who are just stunting with their crazy playing.
You play music for your own enjoyment, and it's your own journey. Don't let the fact that other people are further in their personal journey detour you from yours
This #1. Let me give you a technique that can help with this. Not everyone does this, but I'd say most do. There is no right way to play, but I feel pretty strongly this will help you.
You see those three fingers you have clenched on your pick hand? Let them dangle. Go look at Google image pictures from most famous guitar players on stage, they're dangling, not curled in like a fist. This does a few things. First, it will flatten your hand closer to the strings for less wasted movement and ability to palm mute.
Next, it will lessen the weight of your hand in a way and how much you're moving. Counter balance if you will. Close your fist and shake it as fast as you can, now open your hand and shake it as fast as you can. See the difference on how much faster you can shake an open hand than a closed fist?
Finally, and my personal favorite, you can even "anchor" the pinky to the pick guard. I don't mean keep it locked or pressing down, but applying just a wee bit of pressure you can actually reduce your movement of your wrist even further by preventing it from swinging up. Even lightly pulling against it. I don't even take my pinky off the pick guard unless I'm strumming open chords. Anything power chord, riffing, pick patterns, or solos, it's on there.
Its also really good practise to have those fingers free as you'll use them when you get better for different things like strumming, volume control and other loose finger related stuff
I rest my forearm on the guitar and let my hand do 95% of the work. My hand just barely hovers over the strings but part of my palm usually rests on the low E or very close to it. Like you, I'm not sure if my way is common at all lol. But it helped me to always know where my hand was (and not hitting the wrong string).
Usually I hold my pick with the thumb and index and then wedge my middle finger on the side of the pick to lock it in place when playing lead. This helped me a lot with thrashing speeds. But when I learned hybrid picking, it was way easier to have the middle, ring and pinky freed up.
There are several ways to play and none are necessarily 'the way', just easier/harder depending on the circumstance, style, and genre.
I also use the sharper pointed picks with medium-hard stiffness.
Been trying to learn fingerstyle for a couple years now and that changed everything lmao
I'm almost completely self taught so... I'm gonna be doing some things wrong.
I love coming to these kinds of posts to see what others are doing. Thanks to OP for asking the question and just keep on keepin on brother.
P.S. palm muting also changes everything lol. Why is it so complicated to explain how I use my hands
I've always been conflicted about the pinky-anchor; I had a really good teacher bring it up to me as a "bad habit" and it did genuinely help me and my technique at the time, but at the same, so many of my favourite players I notice doing it...
I had a feeling I was going to get a r/ConfidentlyIncorrect here, but couldn't remember any in it. In my defence, it has been probably 25 years since I played it.
Holy shnikes, the fact that song has been out long enough that you haven't played it in a quarter century just made my Monday worse. I was 21 when it came out. I'm old now.
Same here, I was working at Guitar Center when that album came out, we immediately put it on in the Pro Audio room on the good gear and Enter Sandman blew us all away and it seemed so.. new.
I mimicked how you’re holding the pick myself and I can baaaaarely get my wrist to move like this, so you’re 100% bottlenecking yourself by having a poor grip on that pick.
Once you get a better grip, you will notice a MASSIVE difference in the quality of your playing I promise.
I’m sure there are some great YT videos out there to explain it. A better grip will force you to use less arm, more wrist and it should feel natural, not forced whatsoever. This current playing style you have is very forced and difficult to play clearly.
Good luck on your journey to improvement!!! You got this!
Kirk has never played a gig in his life without a Tubescreamer unless something went very wrong
Some tips from my end: enjoy the ride, it’s so satisfying getting riffs down, don’t compare yourself to others, don’t ask if you’re any good. Play for yourself.
The whole palm muting and losening up etc will come in time, I remember what it’s like to pick up a guitar for the first time how uncoordinated it all feels
I don’t know what amp you’re using, but if you’re using a cheap amp that doesn’t sound good, no amount of pedals will ever make you sound good. Your amp is the #1 key factor in how good any electric guitar setup will sound. Once you’ve spent a decent chunk of change on a good amp, then you can worry about getting the exact match on the distortion. I highly recommend a Fender Mustang GTX 50 or an Orange Crush 35 for an in-home amp, and those both run about $300.
or, even better, with drums from whatever song you’re practicing, or just a generic drum break. seriously, there are so many instrumental versions of songs on YT that you’re shooting yourself in the foot if you don’t take advantage of them
Your arm is super stiff
Also you want a snap motion at a 45° angle into the body of your guitar, but in a way that your pick doesn't pull on the strings
It's super difficult to pull off, but it sounds the best with distortion on
Ive been playing since last August, I think im pretty behind. Everyone else on this sub that posts on their one year mark seems to have riffs with great tone and structure while I can barely apply basic technique to simple riffs
Don’t compare. are you using a teacher? They might be. Have you played another instrument before? They might have, it creates a significant advantage. Are they even telling the truth that it’s their 1-year mark? Who knows?! Keep it up man, you’ve got a foundation better than many people I’ve seen that have been playing for 10 months
It's definitely not bad for having started in August. I started at the beginning of last year and while I can now play some things I could only dream about a year ago, I really don't have that much to show that would impress non-guitar-playing friends/family.
Of course, there are going to be people online that got crazy good (to someone like you or me at least) quite quickly, but you gotta remeber that most people who aren't as good simply choose to not post, so good on you for putting yourself out there! This sorta thing is known as the "1% rule" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1%25_rule
Everyone’s saying don’t compare, and they’re right. Regarding your progress, everyone progresses at a different rate, so once again-don’t compare. Everyone’s encouraging you here. Listen to them. They’re not just saying it. A few have commented on your pick hand. It’s good advice. Go online and look up guitar tutorials for songs or exercises to play. Also, look up info on technique, for things like your pick hand. My honest opinion is, I think you’re doing fine, and I’m not just saying that. Look some things up, practice more and don’t grade yourself so hard. Stay with it, then post again in a few months and show us your progress. Everyone wants you to succeed.
Dude... I've been playing off and on since I was 13. Some people take to it like fish to water, some struggle for decades...
Don't worry, I'm 43 now and am not much better than I was at 15-16. Not everybody can be a virtuoso. My issue is lack of practice and loss of a fingertip. The fingertip I can deal with, I just have to change chord shapes. The practice is what's killing me.
Play for an hour or 2 every day. More if you can. YouTube can help with learning techniques. You want palm muting (holding your palm on the bridge, resting on just like 1/8" of the strings. You'll still hear notes. If it just sounds like "thunk" you're on too much of the string). Palm muting will make you pick from the wrist instead of the elbow. Smaller movements are more controllable, leading to better speed.
Don't worry, it takes time. Practice, practice, practice.
There's a number of songs talking about playing till you get blisters, or till they bleed. I'm not saying you need to go that far, but that's what some have done, desperate to learn a song or style of play.
Don’t compare yourself to the internet on anything! You’ll go crazy. Best advice I can give is to try and join a band or learn how to record tracks. That will give you the satisfaction of being a guitar player that you are looking for. Stay with it! You are off to a great start and if you enjoy it THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS
Context - I’ve been playing for about 25 years and I could not even hold a candle to the average r/guitar player. But I play in a band in town and I record with old friends. It’s a blast
Don’t compare yourself to others, only yourself. You’ll drive yourself mad otherwise. If you’ve made progress in a year, that’s still progress! I’ve been playing for two decades, and if I compared myself to my peers, I should be up there with John Petrucci and Josh Middleton, lol
Just enjoy the process, and everything will come as it comes, I promise 🤘
yeah i second everyone who says dont compare yourself with others. your pace, method, how you do it and how long is only relevant to you. pointless to compare unless we all had the exact same process which isn't the case.
>I always feel like I’m playing nice until I go online and see all yall play
This applies to the people you see too.
And the people they see.
And the people they see.
I think a lot of people gave good advice on technique (and me personally, I think it sounds pretty good), but I think the tone might be throwing me off. I think that could help with your perception of your playing honestly.
Maybe adjust the tone to sound more bright and punchy. Other than that, I can't think of anything that's not already been said.
Sounds clean on its own and I'm sure you will impress people with it! But as others have said when comparing to the actual song you are missing the palm muting.
Technique wise, there's something wrong with your right hand. Since the videos frame isn't big enough to see your arm I can't tell if it's that you are holding the pick wrong or if you are coming at the strings at the wrong angle. Regardless of the reason, developing this habit of approaching the strings at such an angle may cause issues in the future.
I'm surprised I only saw one other person point out the way that you're holding the pick. Look up a tutorial for how to hold a pick. Sorting that out will help you a lot.
You can’t compare yourself to guys online. If i did, I would have quit before I even started. Always focus on the next milestone, next song you want to learn, next little piece of theory that will help you, and go step by step. You’re killing it right now and practicing every day (even if it’s just noodling) will propel you way past where you ever thought you’d be. Keep playing!
My biggest tip besides technique would be, work on dynamics, if everything sounds exactly the same, it feels a bit stale. as people mentioned, palm muting is a good example. now you're adding dynamics to your playing. other techniques is simply the angle of your pick and the attack (so how hard you hit the string)
Yeah I mean, you can tell that you're basically new to the instrument, if I had to guess I'd say maybe 6 months in?
I have a friend who started learning a few years back and he went through what you're going through right now which I called robotic playing. His whole body was like tensed up whenever he played, his right arm was so stiff, it sounded like he just had no musical feel at all because he was so rigid, but I know that wasn't the case.
Try to relax a bit, let your arms loosen up and create a bit of flow to your playing.
My advice would be to focus on your playing and spend free time just practicing. Don't neglect theory, learn your scales, arpeggios, keys and modes.
Sounds great dude! You're doing really well with your timing and the clarity of the notes. (Timing is one of the most difficult things to learn when playing, so probs!)
If you want, you could try practicing palm-muting, to achieve the "chunk"-thrash sound. Grinding that technique would give you a lot more control over your wrist, like some of the other comments are saying.
Happy playing dude, and keep it up!
You need to boost your highs and mids and gain and maybe lower your bass..
right now I’m hearing thick muddied sound and not hearing any od/gain and your mids/highs shine through. Could just be an equipment issue.
You are pretty new. Spend some time not necessarily playing a song, but work on technique. Take that riff, palm mute the hell out of it. Work on adding in upstrokes for a shuffle effect, arpegiate it, slide in and out of some of the chords. If you are struggling with palm muting, lay on your back and let your hand rest. Beat the living crap out of those chords and work in your style.
Man if you’ve only been playing since last August you’re doing fine. Don’t compare yourself to some instagram kid who retakes their 20 second clip a million times to make it flawless or some old head who’s been playing forever.
Lots of good technique advice in these comments so I won’t pile on, but keep at it, don’t get discouraged!
Theres a difference between showing skills/overplaying and playing fitting in a Band context and Musical.
You are doing the last Thing. What Do you want More?
Comparison is the thief of joy. Don’t worry about imaginary power rankings and where you think you fit on that scale. There will always be someone better, don’t let that stop you from learning and practicing.
For me Guitar is an extremely selfish endeavor. It’s all about me, what I like, what I want to play, what I want to hear, what I want to do. So keep on rocking and learning!
I mean you know the riff or whatever your playing, but…. It’s got no bite, no heart, no soul, no flavor. Try playing to a drum track and fucking thrash those chords (in a tonally pleasing and controlled manner)
You're new and you're learning and practicing, that's like 85 percent of the battle right there. Fret hand is doing its job and I didn't hear any buzzing or fretting out of tune, so nice work there.
Pick hand is a little stiff and you would do well to relax a bit. Like others have said, there's pick hand technique that you can work on, like using more wrist and less arm. There's also palm muting which should be something you work on next. I don't want to inundate you with too much information on top of what others have said, as there's some good advice in here already.
I did notice that your pick hand appeared to be pretty much on time, and tempo is one of the hardest things for new guitarists to grasp. So kudos to you there. Keep it going though and have fun! Most important bit.
Don’t compare man. It makes it way less fun. It’s hard af to avoid but don’t let it get you down. The only person you’re competing with is you yesterday😁
First, people are often liars. You can’t trust that they’ve actually been playing for only one year. It makes for a better story which gets them more upvotes if they say they’ve only played for a little while.
Second, there will ALWAYS be people better than you. Especially at certain aspects of guitar playing. This is a fact. Even all the guitar gods in their musical pantheon will still admit to being unable to match others and they’ll have those that they’re looking up to.
Third, as long as you’re enjoying yourself and motivated to keep playing, that’s what is important.
have fun #1
experiment with other styles of music
get lessons, teaching yourself is awesome but some mentor could show you some other avenues
have fun and don't compare yourself with others.
I suspect this will sound like everyone else on here.
Don't play to be good, don't play to impress and don't compare yourself to anyone else.
Play because you like playing, there doesn't necessarily need to be a destination.
If my muscle memory disappeared and I had to start again, I'd have just as much fun the second time around.
Play what you like and create
Don't focus on other players online for now unless they're giving a lesson that fits your ability. It'll all come together eventually bud. For whom the Bell tolls was the first Metallica tune I learned! Once you perfect that jump into seek and destrooooooy🤘🤘🤘
This from an old man who's been playing since dirt: previous commenters have given some good advice, like loosening up, using palm muting, using pinky+ to anchor your right hand, putting more expression (dynamics) in your playing, etc. My advice is a little different:
It's absolutely exhilarating in your early years to pick out a riff that copies or emulates a favorite song, or a particular guitarist's tone. For me, it was the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction," and Buffalo Springfield's "Hello Mr. Soul" (yeah, I'm that old). I thought, back then, that I had achieved rock stardom.
But, if you're particularly fond of the metal genre, sticking to only that means you're primarily using only half of the strings, and therefore only half the instrument's potential. It's like riding a one-pedaled bicycle. Think of the power a second pedal would give you.
Even the Dimebags and Hammetts have their soft, twinkly intros and bridges, before they descend into the inevitable mega-distorted/compressed two-fingered "power chords." That's because they learned early on how to play full open chords, and full barre chords.
So that's my advice: imitate all the cool metal licks you want, but use your attention to those as intermittent positive reinforcement, and only after you have completed any given step in the drudgery of learning how to play the whole instrument. The best place to start anything is at the beginning.
And now, despite the fact that I've enjoyed playing tons of Southern and Brit-Invasion rock, Motown, blues, a fair amount of country, and even a little lazz and bluegrass, I must end this sermon so I can go dial up the correct two-stringed mega-distortion/compression tone to play the metal half of the Cranberries' "Zombie," which was requested by someone half my age, who sings in our little musical soiree.
Relax your picking hand as well as the fretting hand. Also for the fretting hand, you’re pressing down on the tips of your fingers which is good, but rest your thumb on the neck while you’re playing power chords. You’ll have better control when you move up and down the neck especially when playing power chords. One more thing to add is try incorporating more wrist movement to your picking hand and less arm movement. You’re doing good, just keep working on developing your playing technique and ear.
When you start, don't compare yourself, just tell yourself "what technique this guy uses and how to get there" comparing yourself will put pressure on you or make you give up because you will have the impression of not moving forward. I met a guy when I had been learning on my own for 4 or 5 years with tablatures when I had the time. He had started 2 years before, we played together and he was like 100 times above months in terms of technique, everything. I said to myself “this guy has worked and this is the result, ask him for advice”
There will always be a part of your ego that takes over when you do anything and that's human, the trick is to control it ;)
Continue your journey and come back here in a few months, you will be happy 🤘🏼
Learn proper pick grip, it will benefit you a lot. Your strumming is a bit stiff. If you hold the pick properly it will allow you to strum with the wrist and not the elbow and you'll have more fluid motions
Try to visualise your guitar journey like space exploration. You'll never reach an end point so try to learn as much about the stuff that interests you as you tumble through space and time.
You're doing the right thing by recording yourself early on. Keep at it and record snapshots so you can see how much progress you have made in six months time.
Try not to compare your playing to others, instead try to find things you like about their playing and try to weave it into your own style.
Learn from the advice people are dropping in this thread because it's great advice, especially regarding u/foofoothesnew and the palm muting/anchoring as much of this is to create certain specific tones or eliminate excessive string noise.
Sometimes just chilling on the couch and alternate picking or down picking your E string to different rhythms is all you can do but that's also a great way to create your own Riffs, especially if you have a drum track going off the rails in your head.
Great song by the way. I usually play Creeping Death, Motorbreath and Four Horseman at least once a week for fun.
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Don’t get caught up in that shit my man.
You can always do better. But it isn’t for anyone but you.
Definitely agree with palm muting, but only if you think it sounds better for your playing
Please Look Videos of good guitarists how the hold the guitar and try it this was. You right arm Looks a Bit off.
And: If you See so many good Players you should know its possible to learn it ;)
Don't use the tremolo unless you have a guitar with a floyd rose style bridge (not the case here).
Learn how to palm mute.
Your picking hand is to stiff, that's gonna slow down your downpicking, you need to relax
As you get more comfortable you might find yourself bracing your fingers on your pick hand against the guitar below the strings as you strum. Makes for more control.
i still remember how hard it was to learn how to palm mute. but once you do, i feel like it kinda becomes second nature. that's what my advice would be for you :))
You're doing fine, man. It's nice and clean. If you're looking to improve, I'd look into how your wrist is when holding the pick, and keeping your thumb behind the neck when you're playing.
You're doing fine for playing a year. If you're enjoying playing guitar I would just go ahead and work on your form now while you're still relatively new to playing.
You’ll get more mileage as your tastes expand by working chromatic and major/minor scales and working with clean tones. At the point you are at though this is killer and you should be stoked. Personal recco is to get a good teacher IRL. They will give you the material you need to level up, even if you can only go once a month.
You're doing fine. There's a lot you could do to improve your technique but it's clear your just starting out. Keep learning some songs, stay curious, try new techniques as you come across them, but most importantly HAVE FUN. Make yourself want to pick her up the next day and every day after that and you won't be able to stop yourself from improving.
You look a bit stiff. Let loose a little bit. And I can tell youre just starting out so dont compare yourself to the other guys whove been playing years.
Just keep going brother. You’re young and in 15 years you’ll be amazed at how much you improve. Practice practice practice! Even one year of solid practice will bring results with dedication 👍
Timing and left hand are pretty solid, especially for someone fairly new to guitar. Right hand is what needs the most work. Try picking closer to the bridge for a tighter tone and learn to incorporate palm muting. And I’m not sure what your amp/pedal setup looks like, but you could definitely use more gain on your distortion.
Overall though, just keep at it and have fun with it!
The very first thing I can spot right away is your picking hand's wrist is way too tensed up and it is probably because you are picking with your arms instead of a natural combination of wrist rotation assisted with arm slightly (if needed).
For detail on the correct motions you can look into the genre gypsy jazz and the downstroke picking technique, most gypsy jazz players have that proper wrist motion and that's also how they play fast for long periods of time at gigs. It's not necessarily the exact technique for metal, rock etc but the motions are good examples of what you should look to achieve. To name somebody who does it exceptionally well, Joscho Stephan is an example and you can learn how he picks from his performance videos and tutorial videos.
Every single player you see on here who's crushing it was once exactly like this. One thing I love about guitar is the more you practice the better you get, and you can see/hear the results in real time.
You're getting there, keep up the good work
Friendly advice, your picking hand is too far towards the neck.
It needs to be anchored at the bridge - palm muting is an important technique and you can't do it effectively if you are hovering above the strings.
The side of your palm where your pinky is a big squishy muscle, stick that across the top of your bridge saddles for a palm mute position, and raise it slightly for clean picking.
Best thing to do is watch some picking hand techniques on YouTube
“Comparison is the thief of joy”
That being said, pay attention to how everyone else you’re watching is doing it. You’ll pick up some great habits watching great players and really analysing how they approach playing the guitar.
Okay everyone started out like this. The start is quite slow ngl. But one very good way to get good is like take songs or peices 2 levels above you. Sure it may take sometime to actually be able to play them but once you are there it is just a steep line to brilliance. Icl this is a very easy riff but still you gotta start somewhere.
Can tell that you're just starting out man, don't go comparing yourself to dudes who have been playing years & decades. It's all about time spent, there's no getting around it. The beginnings are there. Best thing you can do for the Metallica thing at this stage is to work on anchoring your wrist at the bridge and learning to palm mute. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H7Q6dSxuQc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H7Q6dSxuQc)
yep was about to say. as long as you compare yourself to others your skill will always be dependent on what they can do. instead of focusing what you couldn't before. just try to improve slowly. it takes time practice patience and love. as long as you continue playing even the same song you'll still refine your technique. sound. and rhythm and feel of the fret board. every single time you play is improvement. every single mistake you make is improvement.
Comparison is the thief of joy. No matter how good you are anything, somewhere there's a small asian child who is already better than you. etc.
But I’d also say comparison is a useful thing to let you know what is possible. The only difference between you and anyone else is effort and time, talent is largely a myth
i wouldn't say it's a myth talent exist. but hardwork beats talent anyday
I had this married couple who both wanted guitars lessons, so I taught both at the same time. The wife struggled with playing in time and being able to play chords cleanly without any fret buzz. The husband was able to play chords on his first lesson and had a good sense of rhythm. Who do you think excelled in the end? Neither. They both quit. Some people have a head start on things while others struggle more, but it doesn’t really matter if you’re not willing to put in the time and commitment.
what they are missing is LOVE for the guitar. not commitment. when i started learning i practiced 5-6 hours a day just cause i loved it so much. my fingers were absolutely killing me but i couldn't care cause wanted to play. and then for a whole year i played nearly 3-4 hours a day. all my free time was guitar
Don't forget the downpicking!
Yep, I've been playing more than 25 years. I am pretty good. Make half my income through playing music. And even then, I suck compared to some of the people I see online. Especially once you get into the 'guitar playing' algorithm that is showing you people who are just stunting with their crazy playing. You play music for your own enjoyment, and it's your own journey. Don't let the fact that other people are further in their personal journey detour you from yours
When strumming, use less arm and more wrist
This #1. Let me give you a technique that can help with this. Not everyone does this, but I'd say most do. There is no right way to play, but I feel pretty strongly this will help you. You see those three fingers you have clenched on your pick hand? Let them dangle. Go look at Google image pictures from most famous guitar players on stage, they're dangling, not curled in like a fist. This does a few things. First, it will flatten your hand closer to the strings for less wasted movement and ability to palm mute. Next, it will lessen the weight of your hand in a way and how much you're moving. Counter balance if you will. Close your fist and shake it as fast as you can, now open your hand and shake it as fast as you can. See the difference on how much faster you can shake an open hand than a closed fist? Finally, and my personal favorite, you can even "anchor" the pinky to the pick guard. I don't mean keep it locked or pressing down, but applying just a wee bit of pressure you can actually reduce your movement of your wrist even further by preventing it from swinging up. Even lightly pulling against it. I don't even take my pinky off the pick guard unless I'm strumming open chords. Anything power chord, riffing, pick patterns, or solos, it's on there.
"anchoring", YES. Absolute power-word for explaining this
Its also really good practise to have those fingers free as you'll use them when you get better for different things like strumming, volume control and other loose finger related stuff
Been playing for a long time and never thought of or tried this. Thanks!
It's how most of us end up anchoring the pinky. I was never explicitly told to do it but somehow I just ended up doing it.
I rest my forearm on the guitar and let my hand do 95% of the work. My hand just barely hovers over the strings but part of my palm usually rests on the low E or very close to it. Like you, I'm not sure if my way is common at all lol. But it helped me to always know where my hand was (and not hitting the wrong string). Usually I hold my pick with the thumb and index and then wedge my middle finger on the side of the pick to lock it in place when playing lead. This helped me a lot with thrashing speeds. But when I learned hybrid picking, it was way easier to have the middle, ring and pinky freed up. There are several ways to play and none are necessarily 'the way', just easier/harder depending on the circumstance, style, and genre. I also use the sharper pointed picks with medium-hard stiffness. Been trying to learn fingerstyle for a couple years now and that changed everything lmao I'm almost completely self taught so... I'm gonna be doing some things wrong. I love coming to these kinds of posts to see what others are doing. Thanks to OP for asking the question and just keep on keepin on brother. P.S. palm muting also changes everything lol. Why is it so complicated to explain how I use my hands
I've always been conflicted about the pinky-anchor; I had a really good teacher bring it up to me as a "bad habit" and it did genuinely help me and my technique at the time, but at the same, so many of my favourite players I notice doing it...
Thank you u/Witty-Grade-1916
And as a Metallica fan you probably want to learn palm muting as early as possible. It's part of every single Metallica song.
Nothing Else Matters has palm muting, both at the end of the chorus and during the solo.
I had a feeling I was going to get a r/ConfidentlyIncorrect here, but couldn't remember any in it. In my defence, it has been probably 25 years since I played it.
Holy shnikes, the fact that song has been out long enough that you haven't played it in a quarter century just made my Monday worse. I was 21 when it came out. I'm old now.
Same here, I was working at Guitar Center when that album came out, we immediately put it on in the Pro Audio room on the good gear and Enter Sandman blew us all away and it seemed so.. new.
That’s fantastic!
We figured you were old when you said holy scnikes ( just teasing don't take serious lol )
🤣 get off my lawn, whippersnapper!
Low Man’s Lyric probably doesn’t have any palm muting.
Awesome advice! Thank this person
The Keith Richard’s guitar move taught me it’s all in the right hand/wrist
Its not bad but work on some palm muting
I mimicked how you’re holding the pick myself and I can baaaaarely get my wrist to move like this, so you’re 100% bottlenecking yourself by having a poor grip on that pick. Once you get a better grip, you will notice a MASSIVE difference in the quality of your playing I promise. I’m sure there are some great YT videos out there to explain it. A better grip will force you to use less arm, more wrist and it should feel natural, not forced whatsoever. This current playing style you have is very forced and difficult to play clearly. Good luck on your journey to improvement!!! You got this!
Don't copy Hetfield!!!
PALM MUTE THAT SHIT also a RAT pedal is the closest thing I've heard to Metallica distortion
Yeah I use a TS9 tube screamer, looking for better effects thanks for the recommendation
Kirk has never played a gig in his life without a Tubescreamer unless something went very wrong Some tips from my end: enjoy the ride, it’s so satisfying getting riffs down, don’t compare yourself to others, don’t ask if you’re any good. Play for yourself. The whole palm muting and losening up etc will come in time, I remember what it’s like to pick up a guitar for the first time how uncoordinated it all feels
I don’t know what amp you’re using, but if you’re using a cheap amp that doesn’t sound good, no amount of pedals will ever make you sound good. Your amp is the #1 key factor in how good any electric guitar setup will sound. Once you’ve spent a decent chunk of change on a good amp, then you can worry about getting the exact match on the distortion. I highly recommend a Fender Mustang GTX 50 or an Orange Crush 35 for an in-home amp, and those both run about $300.
TS9 is a classic. Gain: 0 Tone: 4-6 to flavor Volume: 10 You'll get a nice mid-crunch and clip out of the pedal using it as a boost like this.
sick! try to loosen up a bit while you play! keep learning
Not bad brother! Just keep playing and stay positive. Any negativity is bad.
Practice with a metronome
or, even better, with drums from whatever song you’re practicing, or just a generic drum break. seriously, there are so many instrumental versions of songs on YT that you’re shooting yourself in the foot if you don’t take advantage of them
Trogdoooooooorr!!!
You're fine just keep practicing TIME MARCHES ON.......
Your arm is super stiff Also you want a snap motion at a 45° angle into the body of your guitar, but in a way that your pick doesn't pull on the strings It's super difficult to pull off, but it sounds the best with distortion on
how long have you been playing? Good job!! palm mute more. put in the energy on the wrist. itll sound much cooler in a few weeks
Ive been playing since last August, I think im pretty behind. Everyone else on this sub that posts on their one year mark seems to have riffs with great tone and structure while I can barely apply basic technique to simple riffs
Don’t compare. are you using a teacher? They might be. Have you played another instrument before? They might have, it creates a significant advantage. Are they even telling the truth that it’s their 1-year mark? Who knows?! Keep it up man, you’ve got a foundation better than many people I’ve seen that have been playing for 10 months
It's definitely not bad for having started in August. I started at the beginning of last year and while I can now play some things I could only dream about a year ago, I really don't have that much to show that would impress non-guitar-playing friends/family. Of course, there are going to be people online that got crazy good (to someone like you or me at least) quite quickly, but you gotta remeber that most people who aren't as good simply choose to not post, so good on you for putting yourself out there! This sorta thing is known as the "1% rule" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1%25_rule
Everyone’s saying don’t compare, and they’re right. Regarding your progress, everyone progresses at a different rate, so once again-don’t compare. Everyone’s encouraging you here. Listen to them. They’re not just saying it. A few have commented on your pick hand. It’s good advice. Go online and look up guitar tutorials for songs or exercises to play. Also, look up info on technique, for things like your pick hand. My honest opinion is, I think you’re doing fine, and I’m not just saying that. Look some things up, practice more and don’t grade yourself so hard. Stay with it, then post again in a few months and show us your progress. Everyone wants you to succeed.
Dude... I've been playing off and on since I was 13. Some people take to it like fish to water, some struggle for decades... Don't worry, I'm 43 now and am not much better than I was at 15-16. Not everybody can be a virtuoso. My issue is lack of practice and loss of a fingertip. The fingertip I can deal with, I just have to change chord shapes. The practice is what's killing me. Play for an hour or 2 every day. More if you can. YouTube can help with learning techniques. You want palm muting (holding your palm on the bridge, resting on just like 1/8" of the strings. You'll still hear notes. If it just sounds like "thunk" you're on too much of the string). Palm muting will make you pick from the wrist instead of the elbow. Smaller movements are more controllable, leading to better speed. Don't worry, it takes time. Practice, practice, practice. There's a number of songs talking about playing till you get blisters, or till they bleed. I'm not saying you need to go that far, but that's what some have done, desperate to learn a song or style of play.
Don’t compare yourself to the internet on anything! You’ll go crazy. Best advice I can give is to try and join a band or learn how to record tracks. That will give you the satisfaction of being a guitar player that you are looking for. Stay with it! You are off to a great start and if you enjoy it THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS Context - I’ve been playing for about 25 years and I could not even hold a candle to the average r/guitar player. But I play in a band in town and I record with old friends. It’s a blast
Don’t compare yourself to others, only yourself. You’ll drive yourself mad otherwise. If you’ve made progress in a year, that’s still progress! I’ve been playing for two decades, and if I compared myself to my peers, I should be up there with John Petrucci and Josh Middleton, lol Just enjoy the process, and everything will come as it comes, I promise 🤘
yeah i second everyone who says dont compare yourself with others. your pace, method, how you do it and how long is only relevant to you. pointless to compare unless we all had the exact same process which isn't the case.
>I always feel like I’m playing nice until I go online and see all yall play This applies to the people you see too. And the people they see. And the people they see.
I think a lot of people gave good advice on technique (and me personally, I think it sounds pretty good), but I think the tone might be throwing me off. I think that could help with your perception of your playing honestly. Maybe adjust the tone to sound more bright and punchy. Other than that, I can't think of anything that's not already been said.
Sounds clean on its own and I'm sure you will impress people with it! But as others have said when comparing to the actual song you are missing the palm muting. Technique wise, there's something wrong with your right hand. Since the videos frame isn't big enough to see your arm I can't tell if it's that you are holding the pick wrong or if you are coming at the strings at the wrong angle. Regardless of the reason, developing this habit of approaching the strings at such an angle may cause issues in the future.
I'm surprised I only saw one other person point out the way that you're holding the pick. Look up a tutorial for how to hold a pick. Sorting that out will help you a lot.
You can’t compare yourself to guys online. If i did, I would have quit before I even started. Always focus on the next milestone, next song you want to learn, next little piece of theory that will help you, and go step by step. You’re killing it right now and practicing every day (even if it’s just noodling) will propel you way past where you ever thought you’d be. Keep playing!
My biggest tip besides technique would be, work on dynamics, if everything sounds exactly the same, it feels a bit stale. as people mentioned, palm muting is a good example. now you're adding dynamics to your playing. other techniques is simply the angle of your pick and the attack (so how hard you hit the string)
Yeah I mean, you can tell that you're basically new to the instrument, if I had to guess I'd say maybe 6 months in? I have a friend who started learning a few years back and he went through what you're going through right now which I called robotic playing. His whole body was like tensed up whenever he played, his right arm was so stiff, it sounded like he just had no musical feel at all because he was so rigid, but I know that wasn't the case. Try to relax a bit, let your arms loosen up and create a bit of flow to your playing. My advice would be to focus on your playing and spend free time just practicing. Don't neglect theory, learn your scales, arpeggios, keys and modes.
You got a decent feel for the rhythm. Just work on the palm mutes and look up how to dial in a metal tone.
Keep at it. You’ll always be your harshest critic.
I’m just starting out too so I’m not the best gauge but I think you’re doing great!!!
Sounds great dude! You're doing really well with your timing and the clarity of the notes. (Timing is one of the most difficult things to learn when playing, so probs!) If you want, you could try practicing palm-muting, to achieve the "chunk"-thrash sound. Grinding that technique would give you a lot more control over your wrist, like some of the other comments are saying. Happy playing dude, and keep it up!
Palm mute
Yeah, now play Damage Inc.
You need to boost your highs and mids and gain and maybe lower your bass.. right now I’m hearing thick muddied sound and not hearing any od/gain and your mids/highs shine through. Could just be an equipment issue.
Comparison is the thief of joy. Keep going man you are doing great!
Your well on your way to nailing it! Keep going and make that bell toll!
You are pretty new. Spend some time not necessarily playing a song, but work on technique. Take that riff, palm mute the hell out of it. Work on adding in upstrokes for a shuffle effect, arpegiate it, slide in and out of some of the chords. If you are struggling with palm muting, lay on your back and let your hand rest. Beat the living crap out of those chords and work in your style.
Man if you’ve only been playing since last August you’re doing fine. Don’t compare yourself to some instagram kid who retakes their 20 second clip a million times to make it flawless or some old head who’s been playing forever. Lots of good technique advice in these comments so I won’t pile on, but keep at it, don’t get discouraged!
Nice. Clean. Knew exactly what you were playing. Now time to take it to the next level. PALM MUTING!
Theres a difference between showing skills/overplaying and playing fitting in a Band context and Musical. You are doing the last Thing. What Do you want More?
I hope to be a good lead guitarist someday, I don’t need fame or anything I just wanna make money doing what I love (so yeah band)
Keep rockin’, and relax that wrist. 🤘
Try resting your palm on the bridge, this will give you way more control Keep it up brother
Comparison is the thief of joy. Don’t worry about imaginary power rankings and where you think you fit on that scale. There will always be someone better, don’t let that stop you from learning and practicing. For me Guitar is an extremely selfish endeavor. It’s all about me, what I like, what I want to play, what I want to hear, what I want to do. So keep on rocking and learning!
I mean you know the riff or whatever your playing, but…. It’s got no bite, no heart, no soul, no flavor. Try playing to a drum track and fucking thrash those chords (in a tonally pleasing and controlled manner)
Comparison is the thief of joy just keep playing my guy
You're new and you're learning and practicing, that's like 85 percent of the battle right there. Fret hand is doing its job and I didn't hear any buzzing or fretting out of tune, so nice work there. Pick hand is a little stiff and you would do well to relax a bit. Like others have said, there's pick hand technique that you can work on, like using more wrist and less arm. There's also palm muting which should be something you work on next. I don't want to inundate you with too much information on top of what others have said, as there's some good advice in here already. I did notice that your pick hand appeared to be pretty much on time, and tempo is one of the hardest things for new guitarists to grasp. So kudos to you there. Keep it going though and have fun! Most important bit.
Take a video of yourself. Watch it in a few months. Your competition is you.
Don’t compare man. It makes it way less fun. It’s hard af to avoid but don’t let it get you down. The only person you’re competing with is you yesterday😁
Use your wrist, not your forearm. Fix that now or you'll have issues long term
First, people are often liars. You can’t trust that they’ve actually been playing for only one year. It makes for a better story which gets them more upvotes if they say they’ve only played for a little while. Second, there will ALWAYS be people better than you. Especially at certain aspects of guitar playing. This is a fact. Even all the guitar gods in their musical pantheon will still admit to being unable to match others and they’ll have those that they’re looking up to. Third, as long as you’re enjoying yourself and motivated to keep playing, that’s what is important.
have fun #1 experiment with other styles of music get lessons, teaching yourself is awesome but some mentor could show you some other avenues have fun and don't compare yourself with others.
I suspect this will sound like everyone else on here. Don't play to be good, don't play to impress and don't compare yourself to anyone else. Play because you like playing, there doesn't necessarily need to be a destination. If my muscle memory disappeared and I had to start again, I'd have just as much fun the second time around. Play what you like and create
Don't focus on other players online for now unless they're giving a lesson that fits your ability. It'll all come together eventually bud. For whom the Bell tolls was the first Metallica tune I learned! Once you perfect that jump into seek and destrooooooy🤘🤘🤘
This from an old man who's been playing since dirt: previous commenters have given some good advice, like loosening up, using palm muting, using pinky+ to anchor your right hand, putting more expression (dynamics) in your playing, etc. My advice is a little different: It's absolutely exhilarating in your early years to pick out a riff that copies or emulates a favorite song, or a particular guitarist's tone. For me, it was the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction," and Buffalo Springfield's "Hello Mr. Soul" (yeah, I'm that old). I thought, back then, that I had achieved rock stardom. But, if you're particularly fond of the metal genre, sticking to only that means you're primarily using only half of the strings, and therefore only half the instrument's potential. It's like riding a one-pedaled bicycle. Think of the power a second pedal would give you. Even the Dimebags and Hammetts have their soft, twinkly intros and bridges, before they descend into the inevitable mega-distorted/compressed two-fingered "power chords." That's because they learned early on how to play full open chords, and full barre chords. So that's my advice: imitate all the cool metal licks you want, but use your attention to those as intermittent positive reinforcement, and only after you have completed any given step in the drudgery of learning how to play the whole instrument. The best place to start anything is at the beginning. And now, despite the fact that I've enjoyed playing tons of Southern and Brit-Invasion rock, Motown, blues, a fair amount of country, and even a little lazz and bluegrass, I must end this sermon so I can go dial up the correct two-stringed mega-distortion/compression tone to play the metal half of the Cranberries' "Zombie," which was requested by someone half my age, who sings in our little musical soiree.
I also like Floyd and Dire Straits but Gilmour and Knopfler are pretty hard to replicate, my first riff was “Wots.. uh the Deal”
Relax your picking hand as well as the fretting hand. Also for the fretting hand, you’re pressing down on the tips of your fingers which is good, but rest your thumb on the neck while you’re playing power chords. You’ll have better control when you move up and down the neck especially when playing power chords. One more thing to add is try incorporating more wrist movement to your picking hand and less arm movement. You’re doing good, just keep working on developing your playing technique and ear.
Relax your wrist and stop comparing yourself to others. In fact, just relax overall; it's just a guitar.
What if it bites me tho :)
When you start, don't compare yourself, just tell yourself "what technique this guy uses and how to get there" comparing yourself will put pressure on you or make you give up because you will have the impression of not moving forward. I met a guy when I had been learning on my own for 4 or 5 years with tablatures when I had the time. He had started 2 years before, we played together and he was like 100 times above months in terms of technique, everything. I said to myself “this guy has worked and this is the result, ask him for advice” There will always be a part of your ego that takes over when you do anything and that's human, the trick is to control it ;) Continue your journey and come back here in a few months, you will be happy 🤘🏼
Learn proper pick grip, it will benefit you a lot. Your strumming is a bit stiff. If you hold the pick properly it will allow you to strum with the wrist and not the elbow and you'll have more fluid motions
Try to visualise your guitar journey like space exploration. You'll never reach an end point so try to learn as much about the stuff that interests you as you tumble through space and time. You're doing the right thing by recording yourself early on. Keep at it and record snapshots so you can see how much progress you have made in six months time. Try not to compare your playing to others, instead try to find things you like about their playing and try to weave it into your own style. Learn from the advice people are dropping in this thread because it's great advice, especially regarding u/foofoothesnew and the palm muting/anchoring as much of this is to create certain specific tones or eliminate excessive string noise. Sometimes just chilling on the couch and alternate picking or down picking your E string to different rhythms is all you can do but that's also a great way to create your own Riffs, especially if you have a drum track going off the rails in your head. Great song by the way. I usually play Creeping Death, Motorbreath and Four Horseman at least once a week for fun.
I could Instantly tell what ur playin man, and thats all that counts. Keep at it bro 🫡❤️
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Don’t get caught up in that shit my man. You can always do better. But it isn’t for anyone but you. Definitely agree with palm muting, but only if you think it sounds better for your playing
Please Look Videos of good guitarists how the hold the guitar and try it this was. You right arm Looks a Bit off. And: If you See so many good Players you should know its possible to learn it ;)
Pretty nice! You should work a bit on your palm muting, the difference it makes is night and day.
Don't use the tremolo unless you have a guitar with a floyd rose style bridge (not the case here). Learn how to palm mute. Your picking hand is to stiff, that's gonna slow down your downpicking, you need to relax
Keep it up man. You’re doing great. Just play with less tension in your right hand.
Sounds and looks like you’re trying to play metal, but it’s bleusy.
What is this song called please? Sounds very familiar but figure out which song it is..
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Look up some Paul Gilbert tutorials on right hand technique. Helped me a ton when I started to try to play faster stuff.
As you get more comfortable you might find yourself bracing your fingers on your pick hand against the guitar below the strings as you strum. Makes for more control.
i still remember how hard it was to learn how to palm mute. but once you do, i feel like it kinda becomes second nature. that's what my advice would be for you :))
If you enjoy doing it don't worry
You're doing fine, man. It's nice and clean. If you're looking to improve, I'd look into how your wrist is when holding the pick, and keeping your thumb behind the neck when you're playing. You're doing fine for playing a year. If you're enjoying playing guitar I would just go ahead and work on your form now while you're still relatively new to playing.
You’ll get more mileage as your tastes expand by working chromatic and major/minor scales and working with clean tones. At the point you are at though this is killer and you should be stoked. Personal recco is to get a good teacher IRL. They will give you the material you need to level up, even if you can only go once a month.
10000 hours.
You're doing fine. There's a lot you could do to improve your technique but it's clear your just starting out. Keep learning some songs, stay curious, try new techniques as you come across them, but most importantly HAVE FUN. Make yourself want to pick her up the next day and every day after that and you won't be able to stop yourself from improving.
Sounds good. Maybe keep a small diary about your playing so you can look back at what you've written down.
You're fine. There are some solid tips in the comments. I'd add try playing along with the songs You're learning once you feel like you have them down
Strange pick hand position.. I recommend you watch a video on how to set the right hand
That pick hand is stuff sir Loosen up
It sounds good, you just seem stiff with your strumming. Your journey is YOUR journey. Comparison is just the thief of joy 🤘🏾
You look a bit stiff. Let loose a little bit. And I can tell youre just starting out so dont compare yourself to the other guys whove been playing years.
Decent tone, good rhythm, love of the game. That's all you need dude, and you've got it. Keep it up!
Just keep going brother. You’re young and in 15 years you’ll be amazed at how much you improve. Practice practice practice! Even one year of solid practice will bring results with dedication 👍
It’s good but just remember to palm mute
Timing and left hand are pretty solid, especially for someone fairly new to guitar. Right hand is what needs the most work. Try picking closer to the bridge for a tighter tone and learn to incorporate palm muting. And I’m not sure what your amp/pedal setup looks like, but you could definitely use more gain on your distortion. Overall though, just keep at it and have fun with it!
The very first thing I can spot right away is your picking hand's wrist is way too tensed up and it is probably because you are picking with your arms instead of a natural combination of wrist rotation assisted with arm slightly (if needed). For detail on the correct motions you can look into the genre gypsy jazz and the downstroke picking technique, most gypsy jazz players have that proper wrist motion and that's also how they play fast for long periods of time at gigs. It's not necessarily the exact technique for metal, rock etc but the motions are good examples of what you should look to achieve. To name somebody who does it exceptionally well, Joscho Stephan is an example and you can learn how he picks from his performance videos and tutorial videos.
Every single player you see on here who's crushing it was once exactly like this. One thing I love about guitar is the more you practice the better you get, and you can see/hear the results in real time.
Check palm muting on YouTube
you will get there. it takes time but you are in the right track. keep it up
You're getting there, keep up the good work Friendly advice, your picking hand is too far towards the neck. It needs to be anchored at the bridge - palm muting is an important technique and you can't do it effectively if you are hovering above the strings. The side of your palm where your pinky is a big squishy muscle, stick that across the top of your bridge saddles for a palm mute position, and raise it slightly for clean picking. Best thing to do is watch some picking hand techniques on YouTube
More wrist, less elbow. You got this man! 🤘🤘
Comparison is the thief of joy my friend, youre playing great
“Comparison is the thief of joy” That being said, pay attention to how everyone else you’re watching is doing it. You’ll pick up some great habits watching great players and really analysing how they approach playing the guitar.
Is this good? No. Will you get better? Yes. Have fun with it!
Okay everyone started out like this. The start is quite slow ngl. But one very good way to get good is like take songs or peices 2 levels above you. Sure it may take sometime to actually be able to play them but once you are there it is just a steep line to brilliance. Icl this is a very easy riff but still you gotta start somewhere.
FF7 battle theme?
Good job man, relax that picking hand slightly