For this metal guitar lesson I have looked at a few ideas with a very early 80’s sound in mind. I have tried to include some of the driving metal guitar riff ideas of Judas Priest, harmony lead guitar ideas of Def Leppard and Iron Maiden, plus a Def Leppard inspired chorus, featuring some slightly unorthodox chord voicings to the normal chords associated with Heavy Metal. Finally we have a short solo, using licks and ideas from all three of the bands mentioned, so there’s plenty to get your teeth into here!

Opening section & verse:

Our first section is based around something that bands like Judas Priest and Def Leppard would play. The basic chord sequence is based around Am, F and G major, but with a recurring chord figure that is consistent throughout the entire progression. As the verse kicks in, the changing root notes should be performed with a palm muted feel and sound.

The second half of the verse includes a melodic harmony melody that follows the chord progression. This melody includes a series of bending figures, that conclude with a descending pull off figure.

Chorus:

The chorus is inspired by the twin guitar orchestration of Def Leppard’s Phil Collen and Steve Clark. The chorus is based around the chord progression of F#m, E major, Bm and D major. Instead of using regular power chords, associated with Rock and Metal, this section makes use of the harmonically more interesting add9 chords, performed with chord arpeggios. The chorus concludes with another Def Leppard style sliding figure on the B string, performed against the open top E.

Guitar solo:

Now for the solos! First-up it’s a Judas Priest approach, which fuses bluesy bending licks and whammy bar squealing harmonic pull ups on the bar. The solo concludes with some climbing arpeggios licks.

“..remember this is vintage heavy metal, not modern, so don’t use too much gain...”too much gain...”

Jamie Humphries

Our next solo is courtesy of Def Leppard and includes a more melodic thematic approach. The next section of the solo includes a double stop chord idea that concludes with a C major 7th arpeggio being performed on the B and E strings.

Our final solo is based on Iron Maiden’s style and kicks off with bluesy pentatonic ideas and a descending trill figure. This solo also includes a pedal tone sequence that pedals off the open E string and concludes with another pentatonic figure.

In terms of tone for this piece remember this is vintage heavy metal, not modern, so don’t use too much gain, think more Marshall than Mesa Boogie!

Enjoy!