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Metallica - One - Second Solo - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
Metallica - One - Second Solo guitar lesson video
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About One - Second Solo

The second solo in "One" by Metallica is where the song fully ignites, shifting from the brooding clean passages into a relentless, high-intensity lead section. This is Kirk Hammett at his most demanding: rapid alternate picking, wide vibrato under pressure, and phrasing that needs to feel aggressive without losing clarity. The solo sits in E minor, which gives you a well-mapped fretboard position, but the speed and stamina required to execute it cleanly is the real challenge. Getting the picking mechanics right matters more here than knowing the notes, so isolate the fastest runs and use the Practice Toolbar to loop them slowed down until your pick attack is consistent on every note. The transition into the galloping rhythm that closes the track is easy to rush, so pay close attention to where each phrase lands against the underlying pulse. Take the solo in small sections rather than always running it from the top.

  • The solo is in E minor and relies heavily on the pentatonic minor scale, making the note choices approachable even if the speed is not.
  • Rapid alternate picking is the core technique required, and any unevenness in your pick stroke will be exposed at full tempo.
  • Practising the fastest runs at 60 to 70 percent speed with the Practice Toolbar before pushing the tempo will build cleaner muscle memory.

How to Play One - Second Solo

Key: E minor · Tempo: 110 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 110 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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