Heavy metal guitarists 'will need to tune instrument down'

Posted by Martyn Hopkins

Guitarists keen to play heavy metal have been advised by one publication of the need to make sure their instrument is tuned properly.

A post on PraiseTrax.com notes that, depending on what type of guitar they have, musicians may need to tune it "down two whole steps".

"Rather than tuning high as you would to play acoustic guitar for instance, for heavy metal music you want it as deep and throbbing as you can get it," the article indicates.

As a chord's high notes are rarely used in the genre, for instance Metallica's For Whom The Bell Tolls was reported to never employ the B or E chords, metal musicians are advised that they can remove these strings altogether from their guitar if they wish.

Guitarists were also reminded of the importance of knowing the effect that an amplifier can have on the guitar's overall sound and that they will need to ensure that they get a sufficient amount of distortion.

Meanwhile, a Learn-Guitar-Chord.com article noted that guitarists wishing to play death metal should ensure their level of distortion is somewhere between 75 and 80 per cent "to avoid piercing your fans [with] irritating white noise".

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