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Tool - Forty Six & 2 - Guitar Lesson

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Tool - Forty Six & 2 guitar lesson video
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Tool Progressive Metal D minor
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About Forty Six & 2

Drop D tuning is not just a convenience here, it is load-bearing. The open low D gives the main riff its heavy, droning quality, and you will want to get comfortable with single-finger power chords on the bottom string before anything else. Tool built "Forty Six & 2" around a repeating, syncopated riff in D minor that sits at 120 BPM, a tempo that feels manageable until you try to lock it in with the kick-drum pattern underneath. The challenge is not raw speed but precision: every note needs to land exactly on time, with consistent pick attack and clean muting between hits. The song also shifts between that grinding verse riff and a more open, melodic guitar feel in the chorus and outro, so you are really practising two different right-hand moods. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the main riff slowed down until the picking and muting feel automatic, then gradually work the tempo back up. The outro build in particular rewards careful, patient repetition.

  • The Drop D tuning lets you play the signature riff's power chords with a single finger, but clean palm muting across that low string is what defines the tone.
  • At 120 BPM the riff is moderately paced, yet its syncopated rhythm against a complex drum pattern makes tight timing the real difficulty to master.
  • The song spans contrasting guitar textures, from a dense, muted low-string riff to cleaner, more open <a href="/genre/progressive-metal/">Progressive Metal</a> passages in the outro, demanding control of both.

How to Play Forty Six & 2

Tuning: Drop D · Key: D minor · Tempo: 120 BPM

The drop D tuning lets you fret the low power chords with a single finger, which is central to the heavier riffing here.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 120 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

While Adam Jones primarily uses the Les Paul Custom, the Standard's similar mahogany construction and stock humbuckers deliver comparable thick midrange essential to Tool's Drop D riffing. The slightly lighter body doesn't match his signature tone density, making it a secondary choice for his wall-of-sound aesthetic.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Adam Jones's 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom in Silverburst is the cornerstone of Tool's sound, with its dense mahogany body and maple top generating the dark, compressed midrange that defines their heavy riffs. Stock humbuckers paired with the Diezel VH4 create maximum sustain and harmonic richness in Drop D tuning.

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier
Amp

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier

The Dual Rectifier powered Tool's early albums Undertow and Opiate, delivering aggressive high-gain tones that laid the foundation for their heavy sound before Jones switched to the tighter Diezel VH4. Its saturated character shaped Tool's initial sonic identity on their most raw, aggressive material.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Adam Jones uses the Cry Baby Wah on Tool's lead sections and filter sweeps, adding expressive vocal-like textures to his melodic lines. The wah's dynamic range lets him cut through the dense rhythm tone while maintaining the articulate note definition crucial to Tool's complex arrangements.

MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay
Pedal

MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay

The MXR Carbon Copy analog delay creates ambient swells and extends Jones's lead sustain throughout Tool's atmospheric passages, particularly on songs like Lateralus. Placed in the effects loop, it adds spacious texture without clouding the tight, articulate rhythm tones from the Diezel VH4.

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