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Metallica - My Friend of Misery - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
Metallica - My Friend of Misery guitar lesson video
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Metallica (Remastered) album cover
Metallica (Remastered)
1991 6:50
Listen on Spotify
Metallica Heavy Metal 1991 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About My Friend of Misery

Tucked near the end of the 1991 Black Album, "My Friend of Misery" is one of the few Metallica tracks that begins life as a bass showcase before the guitars enter, so your first job is to understand how your part locks in with that low-end foundation. The whole band is tuned down a half step to Eb Standard, which gives the riffs a slightly darker, heavier quality than E Standard would, so make sure your tuning is right before you start. The main guitar work sits in E minor and leans on tight, palm-muted downpicking at 94 BPM, a moderate tempo that still demands clean right-hand control to keep the chug even. There is also a melodic clean-tone passage mid-song that asks for smooth fretting and controlled dynamics, a contrast that is easy to rush. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop that transition slowed down until the volume swell feels natural. Heavy metal rhythm playing rarely rewards sloppy muting, and this song will expose any inconsistency quickly.

  • The entire song is played in Eb Standard tuning, dropping everything a half step and giving the riffs a noticeably darker, heavier character.
  • Palm-muted downpicking is the core right-hand technique here, and keeping it consistent at 94 BPM is the main challenge for rhythm guitarists.
  • A contrasting clean-tone melodic section mid-song requires controlled picking dynamics, making it a useful exercise in switching between heavy and delicate playing.

How to Play My Friend of Misery

The song moves through: Intro, Underneath bassline, Melody, Fortified melody, over melody, Pre-chorus, Chorus, Chorus ending, Variation, Volume swells, B-bender section, Kirk double stops, and more.

Tuning: Eb Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 94 BPM

It is played in Eb standard, a half step down, so tune down before you start or every position and bend will sit a half step sharp against the recording. The arrangement runs through 12 distinct sections, so it helps to learn it in blocks rather than front to back.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 94 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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