Song Lesson Library

Metal guitar is one of the most popular styles of guitar today. With this Metal songs list, you can learn your favorite songs from the genre and build on your metal guitar skills. We even break down popular guitar solos, tones and techniques so you can sound authentically metal. With song lessons from Judas Priest, Dio, Pantera, Tool and many more, you'll become a legit shredder just like the greats.

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There is 1 acoustic and 1 electric guitar in this song. Guitar 1 is an acoustic guitar that plays a fast arpeggiated riff using a different tuning. Guitar 2 is a high gain crunch electric guitar using dropped D tuning to dig into some massive riffs. This song uses arpeggiation, dropped D power chords, octaves, and palm muting.

Published: 06/23/2022 Upgrade

There is one high gain electric guitar that plays throughout this song that mixes heavy rock grooves with synth/techno styles. This song uses single note riffing, power chords, and syncopation.

Published: 03/10/2022 Upgrade

“Holy Diver” as made famous by Ronnie James Dio is a mid-tempo arena rocker with power chord fueled rhythm guitar riffs and a killer solo loaded with speedy licks, pinch harmonics, string bends, and double stops.

Published: 10/07/2021 Upgrade

Mike will show you the 2 guitar layers in this song. Guitar 1 uses a distorted, effected tone and plays unison bends, heavy octaves, dropped D power chords, and other textural parts. Guitar 2 uses a clean but still effected tone to play quieter, washed out, chorusey chords and diads.

Published: 04/05/2016 Upgrade

This song features lots of really cool and heavy guitar parts that are easy to play. There are two guitar parts to learn with some cool riffing and crazy noises with your pick scraping the strings, some very industrial sounding distortion using single notes and power chords being doubled by both guitars, some really cool filter/synth type tones on guitar, along with an ending guitar solo that is equal parts simple and eerie.

Published: 10/05/2015 Upgrade

In this tutorial I will teach you "Bat Country", by Avenged Sevenfold. After the introduction, we will take a look at gear and tone before diving into the intro riffs. We will learn all the great riffs that make up the verses and the choruses, as well as the crazy guitar solo and the harmonized guitar duel. In between, a clean/acoustic interlude lets you breathe for a bit. The outro features even more harmonized riffs to keep things new and interesting all the way to the end.

Published: 07/24/2014 Upgrade

In these lessons, Lee Wanner will teach "Electric Eye", made famous by Judas Priest. After the song introduction and gear and tones, Lee will break down the intro riff. Next are the riffs for the verse, pre-chorus, and chorus before we look at the solo rhythm. Then you'll learn the bridge and the song outro; next is the guitar solo in 2 parts. We'll do full and single guitar performances, then you'll take over in the jam along.

Published: 04/10/2013 Upgrade

In this song tutorial, Lee Wanner will teach "Heading Out to the Highway", as made famous by Judas Priest. Lee will talk about the song and the gear and tones, then teach the intro riff. The verse, chorus, and bridge parts all follow that; then you'll learn the rhythm under the solo and the harmonized solo. The final verse leads are next, then we'll end with a play along, a single guitar performance, and the jam along.

Published: 03/13/2013 Upgrade

In this series of lessons, Lee Wanner will teach you "Cowboys From Hell", by Pantera. Lee will introduce the song, then talk a bit about the gear and tones; then launch into the intro riffing. The we'll look at the chorus, the verse, and the pre-chorus. Next up is the rhythm under the solo, followed by the solo itself. Then Lee will break down the bridge before we do a play along, a single guitar performance, and a jam along.

Published: 03/06/2013 Upgrade

Lee Wanner is going to teach you the metal song "Blood Brothers" in this set of lessons, by Papa Roach. After an overview and a look at the tuning and tones, we'll get into the intro of the song. The verse is similar, with single-note riffing played ensemble with the bass. Then we're on to the pre-chorus crunch power chords, and into the chorus and variations. The last section is the bridge, then we'll do a play along, and mute the guitars for you in the jam along.

Published: 09/18/2012 Upgrade

In this tutorial, Mike Olekshy will teach you "Between Angels and Insects", by Papa Roach. Mike will start with an overview of the song and talk about the gear and tones. The first playing lessons will look at the main riff and second intro guitar, then we'll into the riffs in the verse and chorus. We'll look at the second verse melody next, then the bridge and outro octaves. Last is a play along performance, then you take over in the jam along.

Published: 09/12/2012 Upgrade

In this metal song tutorial, Lee Wanner will teach you "(Sic)", as made famous by Slipknot. Lee will give you a brief overview of the song, then talk about the dropped B tuning and tones. This song has an atypical structure and is all about rhythm riffs, so Lee will start with the intro riff, then the "pre-verse" riff. We'll follow that up with the verse and "post-verse" riff, then break down the bridge; after which we'll look at the chorus, and the outro riffs. We'll do a play along performance, then you take over in the jam along.

Published: 09/12/2012 Upgrade

In this metal song tutorial, Lee Wanner will be teaching you "Son Of Sam", as made famous by Shinedown. After the usual overview and talk about tones and tuning, Lee will break down the intro to the song and the verse riff and eBow. The pre-chorus riffing is next, followed by the two parts in the chorus. Lee will examine the bridge before he heads to the slide solo, then we'll do a play along and a jam along to finish.

Published: 09/05/2012 Upgrade

In this set of lessons, Lee Wanner will be teaching you "I'm Broken", by Pantera. Lee will get you started with an overview and the gear, tones, and tuning. Then it's off to the similar intro and chorus riffs, and the time signature twists in the verse. Lee will then break down the pre-chorus and bridge sections, then get into Dime's solo. We'll end with a full performance play along, then mute the guitars so you can jam along.

Published: 08/22/2012 Upgrade

In this set of metal song lessons, Lee Wanner will teach you "Wait and Bleed", as made famous by Slipknot. Lee will give you an overview of the song, then talk about the gear and tones. The first breakdown will be on the chorus, which also acts as the intro. The Lee will get into the verse riffs, followed by the bridge riffs. Then it's time for a play along performance, and we'll take it out with a jam along to the backing track.

Published: 08/15/2012 Upgrade

In this series of song lessons, Lee Wanner will teach you "Prayer", by Disturbed. Lee will briefly go over the song elements and the tines and tuning, then plunge into the intro riff. That is followed by the verse riff; the pre-chorus and chorus parts are up next. There's a post-chorus that Lee will break down; then an alt chorus with a simple lead, and the bridge. We close with the play along performance, and a jam along.

Published: 08/08/2012 Upgrade

In this metal song tutorial, Lee Wanner will lay out all the parts in "Before I Forget", as made famous by Slipknot. Lee will give an overview and look at the tuning and tones, then teach the intro riff. He'll follow that with the verse part, then the pre-chorus parts. Next in line are the chorus parts, then the guitars in the bridge. To finish, you'll play along through the song with Lee, then take over in the jam along.

Published: 07/26/2012 Upgrade

In this metal tutorial, Mike Olekshy will teach you "Last Resort", by Papa Roach. Mike will dive into the gear and tuning, then break down the descending rhythm riff and single-note riff. Then it's on to the chorus in two lessons, followed by the bridge parts. Mike will ten look at the outro of the song before he does a full performance. Lastly, we mute the guitars and you take over to jam.

Published: 07/20/2012 Upgrade

In these eight lessons, Lee Wanner will be digging into the elements in the song "Laid To Rest", by Lamb Of God. Lee will talk first about the tones and dropped D tuning. Then he'll dissect the verses, choruses, and bridge, consisting of single note lines, chromaticisms, pinch harmonics, and octaves. We'll look at the intro last (as it functions as an interlude), then tie it all up in a final play-along performance.

Published: 01/04/2012 Upgrade

In this set of eight guitar lessons, Mike Olekshy will examine the vibey alt metal tune "Digital Bath", by Deftones. First off is the tones and tuning (in dropped-C). Mike will break down the main riff and second riff for you that occur in the verses and choruses, after which he breaks down the pre-chorus riff and chorus variation. The finale is a full performance play-through, and then a jam along with the guitars removed.

Published: 12/27/2011 Upgrade

In these 20 lessons, Michael Elsner will dig up all the details for the prog rock song "Pull Me Under", recorded and performed by Dream Theater. Michael will talk about the chords you need to know, the three verse variations, the various pre-chorus and chorus elements, the progression under the keyboard solo, the guitar solo, the extra parts in the song, the song outro, then some final thoughts. Then it's time to play it through!

Published: 11/14/2011 Upgrade

In these seven lessons, Mike Olekshy will take you through "The Red", by Chevelle. This is a heavy rock/alt metal song that's tuned down to Db; Mike will explain the tuning, tones, and effects used here, then delve into the main riff plus the chorus of the song. Next up is the guitar solo, followed by the outro riff variation. Lastly we'll play it through in a full performance so you can play along.

Published: 09/27/2011 Upgrade

In this series of lessons, Lee Wanner will take you through the metal song "Got The Life", recorded by Korn and released in 1998. There's two guitars in this one. Lee will talk about the gear and tone, then break down the intro/chorus octave part and underlying power chords. Then Lee will pick apart the verse and bridge sections and teach the creative use of harmonics with effects. We'll draw it to a close with a full performance play-along.

Published: 09/22/2011 Upgrade

In these seven song lessons, Lee Wanner will be breaking down the song "Left Out", as made famous by Shinedown. Lee will explain the tuning, tones, and effects first, then give you the scoop on the soundscape that also functions as the verse. We'll then examine the heavy riff that is the first half of the chorus, and then the second half of the chorus. Next we'll break down the bridge of the tune, and finish it up with a full performance play-along.

Published: 09/19/2011 Upgrade

In this song tutorial you'll be learning "Walk", as made famous by Pantera. Lee will talk about the tuning and the tone, then teach the intro and chorus riff to the song. Then he'll dive into the verse and pre-chorus, followed by the solo. You'll play along in a final full performance.

Published: 09/15/2011 Upgrade

In this series of seven lessons, Lee Wanner will lay out the parts to the song "Stupify", performed by Disturbed. Lee will tune you in to the tones and tuning, then teach the details on the intro/chorus section. Up next will be the part for the verses, then the part for the bridge section. Lee will take you through the outro of the tune, then put it all together in a final full performance.

Published: 09/15/2011 Upgrade

In this set of 16 lessons, Ben Lindholm guides you through all the parts to the metal song "How The Story Ends", as made famous by Megadeth. Ben talks about the gear and tone, and then guides you through the numerous riffs that make up this complicated song. Ben will break down the incredibly advanced guitar solo in three parts. He'll also take a look at the acoustic classical guitar part in the song, and break down the bridge of the tune too. The story will end with a full performance play-along.

Published: 08/30/2011 Upgrade

Get ready to learn some a very cool metal song with lots of great chords and licks, "My Curse", as made famous by Killswitch Engage. This driving number has many elements that we'll learn in this tutorial: the tone, form, picking techniques, dynamics, low C tuning, the jazz-inspired chords, fast 16 note triplets, and more. Time to engage!

Published: 03/28/2011 Upgrade

In this set of 11 lessons, Michael Elsner guides you through the 80's rocker "Head For A Heartbreak" as made famous by Winger. This big hair tune features some straight-forward power chords, blended with some chords not common to hard rock. You'll learn all the twists and turn here to the chords in the verses, choruses, and bridge; you'll learn the rhythmic elements, and you'll also learn the two solos. The soloing here uses whammy bar and tapping techniques, and is a lot of fun to learn and play!

Published: 01/23/2011 Upgrade

In this set of lessons we'll be teaching you the epic rocker "Empire", as made famous by Queensryche. This is a powerful, dynamic, and dramatic tune that features huge power riffs and an explosive guitar solo! We'll examine the tone and gear, the main guitar hook in the song, all the different harmony guitars that occur throughout, the use of double stops and pedal tones, the explosive guitar solo, and much more...and as always, culminating with a play along to a custom backing track!

Published: 01/11/2011 Upgrade

In this series of lessons we'll be breaking down the song "Just Like You" as made famous by Three Days Grace. Mike Olekshy will show you the main riff, the pre-chorus, the chorus and the additional textured part in the chorus, the bridge, the lo-fi part at the end of the song, and a play along and jam along to cap it all off.

Published: 12/10/2010 Upgrade

In this song tutorial we'll learn the hit song "Far From Over" by the New York based band Rev Theory. This is a killer tune in dropped C tuning that incorporates huge power riffing, cool dynamic parts and effects, and a simple but effective melodic guitar solo. We'll explore the layers of production used and analyze the riffs, rhythms, and melodic ideas, all of which are common elements of modern hard rock.

Published: 12/05/2010 Upgrade

In this series of lessons, you'll learn the parts to the searing metal song "Headstrong" by Trapt. Douglas Showalter takes you through the signature guitar hook, the verses, the elements of the chorus, the bridge, and then plays through the whole song. We also look at Drop C tuning, as this song was originally played on a 7-string guitar and since most people don't have a 7-string, we'll teach it to you on a regular 6-string.

Published: 11/01/2010 Upgrade

In this tutorial we are going to take a look at how to play the metal tune "Breaking the Law" by Judas Priest. This song includes some great rhythm guitar techniques along with cool effects that are equally heavy and easy to play. We will break down how to play all the parts of the song, as well as how to capture some of the cool production techniques that you hear. At the end we'll play along with the backing track, then you'll jam along on your own!

Published: 04/19/2010 Upgrade

In this tutorial we are going to take a look at how to play "Unholy Confessions" as made famous by Avenged Sevenfold. This modern metal song features a ton of great rhythm guitar playing along with lots of cool stuff you can play with another guitar player. We'll look at the chord movement, the great rhythm playing and breaks, the use of octaves, and the riffing and licks. The track is a little tricky to play so make sure you are plenty warmed up before you get going, and pay special close attention to some of the cool guitar harmonies that take place.

Published: 04/13/2010 Upgrade

In this series, we'll walk through the basic elements of this Megadeth tune: the verse hooks, pre-chorus, chorus, power chords, and solo, and then put it together in a playalong. Oh yes, and we'll crush the solo, too. Get ready.

Published: 02/16/2010 Upgrade

In this tutorial you will learn a metal classic, "You've Got Another Thing Coming" made famous by Judas Priest. We'll boost your chops with the minor pentatonic scale, hot rod your power chords, kick things up a notch with the riff behind the anthem and the metal rhythms. Then get ready to rock with a full play along!

Published: 12/11/2009 Upgrade

"Living After Midnight" is a metal classic from the early 80's that is considered, along with many tracks off of the same record, to be the beginning of heavy metal. In this tutorial, we are going to break down how to play this metal classic into a series of video lessons including the rhythms and power chords, the progressions, and the guitar solo.

Published: 11/25/2009 Upgrade

In this series we'll take a look at "Ace of Spades", as made famous by Motorhead. We're going to look at the main riff in this thrashing, driving number, along with some right hand techniques, tuning down a half-step, the solo, and the rhythm parts. Then we'll put it all together in a play-along performance.

Published: 10/27/2009 Upgrade