Metallica - Enter Sandman Pt.3 - Solo - Guitar Lesson

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Metallica - Enter Sandman Pt.3 - Solo - Guitar Lesson

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Metallica Heavy Metal E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

Enter Sandman Pt.3 - Solo


"Enter Sandman Pt.3 - Solo" by Metallica focuses on the iconic guitar solo section from Enter Sandman, one of the most recognizable riffs and leads in heavy metal history. Enter Sandman served as the opening track and lead single from Metallica's self-titled fifth album, bringing the band to a massive mainstream audience. The solo is a practical study in Kirk Hammett's blues-influenced phrasing, whammy bar use, and pentatonic vocabulary within a heavy metal context.

  • Kirk Hammett's solo on Enter Sandman is a go-to study piece for electric guitarists exploring blues-based lead playing in a metal setting.
  • The song is built around an E minor tonality, making its solo section accessible yet expressive for intermediate lead guitar players.
  • Enter Sandman's main riff uses a tritone interval, sometimes called the 'devil's interval,' giving it a distinctly dark, heavy character.
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.