This may sound kind of naiv but I am new to playing the electric guitar and
had a couple of questions. I have already checked all threads on this topic
but none quite answer my questions. How do I play metal in particular black
metal(for example darkthrone) with my right hand? All kind of names are out
their like strumming, shredding, trem. picking.... and I am kind of confused. I assume that shredding and strumming are the same thing and mean playing like if you shake your hand with your pick (real fast alternative picking). Is trem. picking the same thing?
If I have understood the principal of strumming than I know how to play
single notes but not how to play chords. I know that in certain music styles
one only downpicks chords (sounds better than down and up) yet black metal
is played so insanely fast that to only downpick chords is simply too slow
(it could also be me who is simply too slow). So my question is in that case
if you play chords with strumming (down and up) anyway but because its so
fast you cant hear the negative effects.

Thanks a lot!!

BFG

Thats alright. Asking only makes you wiser, and you do it in a normal, not shouting (or n00bish ) way.


their like strumming, shredding, trem. picking....



strumming is (slowly) strumming your pick over an chord where you can hear every note in that chord individualy.
Shredding is a kind of very f a s t soloing or lead playing. Think Yngwie Malmsteen or Steve Vai.

Tremolo picking is what you think it is. Very fast up&down movement of the pick on one string.

And try to learn alternate picking over downpicking as soon as possible.
It will make you a faster and better player overall.

__________________

I learned alternate picking first and only recently learned to downpick. But I'm weird like that.

__________________

Thanks for the info!

But I still dont think I have understood how I have to play chords real fast.

As an example: take a powerchord like 3 and 5 on the e and a string. I want to play this chord real fast. Do I have to stroke downwards hitting both strings and then stroke upwards hitting both strings? Or do I have to stroke only downwards hitting both strings? Or do I have to pick string e down and string a up(I think thats wrong)?

Thx

hit both the strings on your downstroke and then do the same on your upstroke...make sure you dont mute the sound in between the strokes if you want to get a continuous sound

__________________

Yeah do what this dude said, you might struggle at first, when I first tried doing chords like this fast up and down, i always got stuck on the strings going back upwards, takes a bit of getting use to, dont worry to you will get the hang of it bud, just praaaactice!

__________________

does anyone know any sweep piking exercises

No but try searching on google, may help you.

__________________

there are a lot of them in the Official Scales And Sweep thread: http://metaltabs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9339

__________________

"strumming is (slowly) strumming your pick over an chord where you can hear every note in that chord individualy. "

Thats not right. When you strum all the notes are played together, hearing the notes individualy would be an arppeggio, or like sweep picking. Looks like a mistype, but don't want to confuse the noobs.


As far as the fast chords..... they are pretty much all down picked in metal. What you are hearing could be just one note on the low E string that is being palm muted. If you don't know any better, palm muted low notes with heavey distortion can sound like power chords to a certain extent.

Learn to palm mute!!!!! Its the most important metal technique.

This is all good advice. My response would be to work on all those things. I have found that over the last several years playing guitar I have begun to do any and all and mix them up. Start with just downstroking, and also as a separate exercise (and for speed) down/up over your full chord. Eventually you will find you naturally begin to mix the two up. And that's when your rhythms will start to really evolve and take on a life of their own. That's my $.02 anyway.

Oh and totally agree about the palm-muting too. It's fundamental to metal guitar, both rhythm and lead.

If i were you i would Start alternate picking slowy like in death metal. Then play all the songs you have learned alternateley and graduelly work up speed.
As for Playing chords Fast tremelo is fundemental in Black metal. Id suggest listening to power metal for chords ( it actually helps)