Shredding Death Metal Guitar: Guitar Book & Online Audio

This book cuts through the mystique of death metal guitar by systematizing the actual techniques that define the style rather than treating them as untouchable secrets. Meeker's approach to odd time signatures, pick harmonics, and legato work grounds extreme technique in real musical contexts drawn from the genre's most influential bands. The extensive riff and soloing sections give students concrete models to study and adapt rather than abstract concepts.

Aggressive, precise, and intellectually demanding. Death metal guitar demands both physical control and sonic aggression, and this book respects that duality by treating the technical elements with genuine depth while honoring the raw power and intensity that defines the music. There's a relentless forward momentum to the material that mirrors the genre itself.

Guitarists with solid foundational technique who are ready to tackle the specific demands of death metal as a style. This is written for players serious about understanding the genre's technical vocabulary rather than casual listeners curious about heavy music. You'll get the most from this book if you already read standard notation and can execute clean alternate picking.

• Isolate palm muting patterns separately before integrating them into full riff passages; lock the damping motion into muscle memory first so your pick hand can focus on timing and dynamics when the riff gets faster.
• Work through the odd time signature examples at half tempo with a click track set to subdivide the beat clearly; once the internal pulse solidifies, gradual tempo increases feel natural rather than chaotic.
• Practice string crossing drills without worrying about speed initially; train your eyes to track the fretboard movement and your picking hand to transition cleanly between strings, then layer in tempo.
• Record yourself playing the riff examples and listen back without judgment; hearing your tone, sustain, and articulation reveals which techniques need more focused work before moving to the next section.

Assign this to advanced high school or college guitarists as an elective study during the second half of the academic year, after they've solidified their technical foundation. It works particularly well for ensemble-based programs where you want certain section players to expand into extreme styles while the broader group focuses on conventional repertoire. The online audio makes independent practice sustainable between lessons.

• Picking techniques including alternate picking, economy picking, and sweep picking
• Legato execution with hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides
• Palm muting for controlled tone and rhythmic articulation
• Bend accuracy and vibrato control in melodic contexts
• Tapping and two-handed fretting techniques
• Pick harmonics and artificial harmonics
• String crossing and fretboard navigation across wide intervallic leaps
• Reading and performing in odd time signatures
• Riff composition and soloing within death metal subgenres