Practice Studio

Metallica - Enter Sandman Pt.4 - Outro Section - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.

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

About Enter Sandman Pt.4 - Outro Section


The outro section of Enter Sandman is where Metallica let the riff breathe and stretch, making it one of the more satisfying sections to nail on guitar. Running at 120 BPM in E minor and standard tuning, the section centers on James Hetfield's signature downpicking technique, which is both the soul of the part and the main physical challenge. Sustaining tight, aggressive downstrokes at this tempo over the length of an outro will fatigue your picking forearm faster than you expect, especially if you are gripping the pick too hard. Keep your wrist loose and your grip firm but not tense. The heavy metal feel here lives in the consistency of each stroke, so use the Practice Toolbar to loop it slowed down and build the muscle memory before bringing it up to full tempo. Focus on keeping the muted and fretted notes equally controlled throughout.

  • The entire section sits in E minor and E Standard tuning, so no retuning is needed and open E and B strings ring naturally against the fretted riffs.
  • James Hetfield's strict downpicking technique is central to the tone and feel here, demanding forearm endurance more than finger dexterity.
  • At 120 BPM the tempo is approachable, but maintaining consistent pick attack and palm muting precision across the full outro is the real test.

How to Play Enter Sandman Pt.4 - Outro Section

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 120 BPM

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

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.

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Play with Backing Track

Solo (Backing Track)

Solo (Backing Track)