Metal — Electric guitar

On the electric guitar a chord progression tends to sound best when you keep the shapes compact and let the amplified sustain hold them, trusting the band to cover the low notes. Weight, speed, and an almost physical intensity: metal sounds dense and aggressive, with riffs — that is, short, punchy phrases that repeat — hammering away without mercy. Here you'll find the style's strumming patterns, in practice the hard-hitting rhythmic figures behind all that impact.

Grooves

My Chords & Scales — Build the genre's repertoire — save and organize in the Notebook · try it in Chord & Fret

Updated July 9, 2026