list some songs here that contain some riffs with very fast downpicking, i wanna practice it and make it damn-ass fast.
the only really good etude that comes to my mind right now is the verse and main riffs from Master of Puppets: eight notes at 220 bpm.
there's gotta be faster ones.....right?

so please list as many songs as you can (from metallica or anyone else), that have downpicking as fast as that, preferable give or take 10 bpm

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I think I remember reading in Kerry King's column for Guitar World a while back that they use all downstrokes for the intro riff to Dittohead (yeah, I couldn't believe it either).

They aslo use all downstrokes in the verse to Postmortem. It's not that fast but I used it initially to build up my downstroke stamina.

A lot of Slayer songs employ all downstrokes in certain fast riffs but I can't remember which ones because I haven't played any of their songs for a while.

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Downstrokes for the intro riff to Dittohead?! How..

slayer generally use downstrokes where they can, however, dittohead is too fast for downpicking alone.

good songs by slayer that come readily to mind would be, piece by piece- intro and riff before chorus, intro to criminally insane, most of postmortem- 12notes @ 140 bpm,, raining blood- after the mid break and before the outro riff- 180bpm, spirit in black- 16th notes @ 124 bpm, intro to captor of sin- 8th notes and triplets @ 212bpm.

as for metallica songs, try down picking the intro to eye of the beholder, cause if you do this, then youve got no fucking worries. 16th notes @ 124 bpm. \m/

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Yeah, I saw the topic name and hat's the first song to come to mind. Also try Medicine Man by Pantera, try to play it faster than it's suppose to be.

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Yeah that's what I thought too! I probably mis-read the article, lol!

I did try it though and I reckon it is possible if you've been playing as long as Kerry and Jeff have. I can't find the issue with that particular column in it but in a later column he explains that he gets a "chunkier" sound by using downstrokes whenever he can. He gives an example of this in 16ths (although he doesn't state the bpm).

I used to play the intro to Master Of Puppets using all downstrokes way back before I discovered alternate picking (must be 6 or 7 years ago now). I think thats at 220 bpm while Dittohead is 228 bpm so there isn't that much difference. I reckon it can be done but I'm sticking with alternate picking at that speed!

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Slayer is one of the best bands around to use downpicking. Especially everything the other guys mentioned above. I remember those tunes well and they are probably the best downpicking tunes around...
Hail Slayer!!!!!!.....:[

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You don't need a song to practice down stroking. Do it by ear or with a metronome.

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I've heard that Crooked Cross by Slayer is supposed to be fast and almost completely downpicked, from a guy who plays the MoP intro downpicked. Never heard the song, though, so don't take my word for it.

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The intro to Spawn of Possession's Forbidden uses all downstrokes. Haha, that's fun to play, cause it's really heavy and thrashy.

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well, you're right, i could metronome this:
pm---------------
E-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

but that gets pretty boring

i wanna practice it with different songs, that's more fun.

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You could run up and down scales, to get some left hand practice and sync too. Just a thought.

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yeah i practice down strokes just going up and down all the major modes in a random key. or like go up and down the mode on strings 6 and 5, then go to the next mode for 6 and 5, all the way up and down. then do the same on 5 and 4, 4 and 3, etc. varies it up a bit.

i do that with alternate picking, too. and string skipping, 6 and 4, 5 and 3, etc. just about anything. works hands and the mind. you could also skip a mode.. I III II IV etc doing the same stuff. it makes you learn it so automatically.

perhaps playing along to napalm death's bootlegged in japan cd would do the trick.
plenty of downpicking and moving chords around at a fast pace. thats if youre into grind....

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there is a difference......MOP is eight notes at 220, but according to a powertab i found of Dittohead, it's sixteenth notes at 228.......which is actually eighth notes at 456! if the powertab isn't wrong.....then that's not possible........if he can do all downstrokes at 228, then he can add an upstroke to that, and he'd be the fastest alternate picker there is: sixteenth notes at 456 bpm...

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yes ditto had is 16th notes at 228, and in the column he says they are all downpicked, its in the september '02 edition of guitar world, the one with hendrix on the cover. anything by slayer is good for build any speed. anthrax and metallica are good for downpicking, as well.

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I feel like Im always bringing up IF but fuck it, the solo to December Flower. Thats the boarder of guitar mastery if you can play it flawlessly down the whole time

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Thanks for checking that out, MoonRaven! I knew I'd read it somewhere!

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