Megadeth - Holy Wars - Chords/Rhythms Part 2 - Guitar Lesson

About Holy Wars - Chords/Rhythms Part 2

The rhythm guitar work in "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" is some of the most demanding in all of Thrash Metal, and Part 2 of the chord and rhythm section zeroes in on the tight, syncopated riffing that makes this track so physically challenging. In E Standard tuning and centered on E minor, the parts sit in a range that feels natural on guitar but punishes any weakness in your picking hand. At 120 BPM the sixteenth-note chug patterns need a locked, relaxed wrist rather than brute force, because tension will kill your accuracy long before the end of the song. The chord voicings shift quickly, so clean fretting-hand muting between changes is just as important as the picking itself. Megadeth built these rhythms to interlock with the lead work, so every stop and accent has to land precisely. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the trickiest accent patterns at a reduced speed until the placement feels automatic, then work the tempo back up gradually.

• The rhythm parts use E Standard tuning in E minor, so no retuning is needed, but the fast chord changes demand precise left-hand muting to keep the tone tight.
• At 120 BPM the sixteenth-note riff patterns place heavy demand on alternate picking endurance, making slow, isolated repetition the most effective way to build accuracy.
• Pay close attention to the syncopated accent placements in Part 2, as rushing or dragging those hits will cause the riff to lose its aggressive, locked-in feel.