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Metallica - The Unforgiven III - Guitar Lesson

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Key A minor
Metallica - The Unforgiven III guitar lesson video
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Death Magnetic album cover
Death Magnetic
2008 7:47
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Metallica Heavy Metal 2008 A minor
Capo Advisor 0 A minor · Original key

About The Unforgiven III

The third chapter in Metallica's "Unforgiven" trilogy brings a cinematic weight that sits somewhere between a ballad and a full Heavy Metal workout. Tuned down to Eb Standard and centered in A minor, the song moves at a measured 120 BPM, which can feel deceptively relaxed until the arrangement thickens and the picking hand has to stay precise through long sustaining phrases. The clean intro and verse sections reward a light touch and careful attention to dynamics, while the heavier chorus sections demand that you lock in your pick attack without losing the melodic shape underneath. Getting comfortable with the shift between those two worlds is the real challenge here. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the transition from the clean verse into the driven chorus at a reduced speed, so your left hand fingering and your pick direction stay clean as the gain kicks in. The outro in particular builds intensity gradually, so pay close attention to how the volume swells and where the rests breathe.

  • The song is tuned to Eb Standard, so drop every string a half step before you play or your open chords and bends will clash with the recording.
  • At 120 BPM in A minor, the tempo feels moderate but the long sustaining phrases make clean fretting and consistent pick attack essential throughout.
  • The biggest technical shift to practise is moving between clean, lightly picked verses and the heavier, gain-driven chorus sections without losing melodic control.

How to Play The Unforgiven III

Tuning: Eb Standard · Key: A minor · Tempo: 120 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.

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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