Creator Area
Sign in Creator Area

Practice Studio

Metallica - Fade To Black Pt.4 - Outro Solo - Guitar Lesson

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

Not in tune?

Select a Loop

Start of your loop
End of your loop

Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key B minor
Metallica - Fade To Black Pt.4 - Outro Solo guitar lesson video
Guitar 365
Guitar 365 Top Contributor
YouTube: 1.6Msubs 823Kviews
Creator Page →
PLAY WITH BACKING TRACK
·
–50¢ 0 +50¢
· Tap to start

Your browser will ask for microphone permission.

Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Listen on Spotify
Metallica Thrash Metal B minor
Capo Advisor 0 B minor · Original key

About Fade To Black Pt.4 - Outro Solo

The outro solo of "Fade to Black" is widely regarded as one of Kirk Hammett's finest moments, and it earns that reputation. Playing in B minor, the solo builds in layers, starting with a melodic, almost vocal phrasing before escalating into faster, more aggressive runs. What catches most players off guard is not just the speed at the peak, but the phrasing in the earlier, slower passages: the bends need to be precise and fully committed, or the emotional weight collapses entirely. Getting those expressive bends right takes deliberate repetition, so use the Practice Toolbar to isolate each phrase, loop it slowed down, and really listen to whether your pitch is landing where it should. The transition from the clean, restrained opening of the song into the distorted fury of the outro also means you need to be thinking about your pick attack and dynamics throughout. Metallica built this track as a slow-burn, and the solo only pays off if everything leading up to it is controlled.

  • The outro solo is in B minor and moves through multiple distinct sections, demanding both lyrical bending technique and faster scalar runs in the same performance.
  • Kirk Hammett's phrasing in the slower passages relies heavily on expressive vibrato and full-step bends, which are worth isolating before attempting the full solo.
  • The solo sits over a clean-to-distorted dynamic shift, so practising your pick attack and tone control alongside the notes themselves is essential.

How to Play Fade To Black Pt.4 - Outro Solo

Key: B minor · Tempo: 110 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 110 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Kirk Hammett's vintage 1959 'Greeny' Les Paul Standard delivers warmer, more dynamic PAF-style tones that contrast his EMG-equipped ESP guitars, adding organic sustain to his lead work. This guitar's traditional construction gives his solos a thicker, less compressed character than his signature models.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

While not Hammett's primary choice, the Les Paul Custom shares the Les Paul's warm PAF pickup character and thick body resonance, offering heavier players an alternative to Strat-style designs for achieving Metallica's crushing rhythm tones.

Gibson Explorer
Guitar

Gibson Explorer

James Hetfield's early Gibson Explorer established his signature angular shape and thick body tone, delivering the aggressive midrange attack essential to Metallica's crushing rhythm style before his ESP signature models became his primary tool.

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier
Amp

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier

Kirk Hammett's Dual Rectifier heads provide the high-gain, midrange-forward aggression that lets his solos cut through Hetfield's scooped rhythm tone, creating definition and clarity in Metallica's dense wall of distortion.

EMG 81
Pickup

EMG 81

Hetfield's bridge EMG 81 delivers the hot, compressed output with tight low-end that defines Metallica's palm-muted riffs, the ceramic magnet and active preamp cutting through heavy arrangements with focused, aggressive attack.

EMG 60
Pickup

EMG 60

Both guitarists use the neck EMG 60 for warmer, more articulate rhythm tones and smoother lead voicings, balancing the 81's aggression with clearer note definition across Metallica's dense arrangements.

Recommended for You

Play with Backing Track

Play with Backing Track

Solo (Backing Track)

Solo (Backing Track)