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Metallica - Nothing Else Matters Pt.2 - Solo - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
Metallica - Nothing Else Matters Pt.2 - Solo guitar lesson video
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Metallica (Remastered) album cover
Metallica (Remastered)
1991 6:29
Listen on Spotify
Metallica Heavy Metal 1991 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Nothing Else Matters Pt.2 - Solo

The solo section of "Nothing Else Matters" sits in E minor and rewards careful, patient work. Kirk Hammett's lead playing here leans on melodic phrasing rather than speed, so the challenge is less about finger dexterity and more about tone, vibrato, and sustain. Each bent note needs to land in tune and ring with conviction, which is harder than it sounds at the tempo of the song. Getting the vibrato to feel natural and even is the real craft to develop, and it takes time before it stops sounding stiff. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the bends and vibrato passages slowed down so you can hear exactly where your pitch wavers. Metallica recorded this on their 1991 self-titled album, and the production gives every sustained note a lot of space, meaning small inaccuracies in pitch or timing are very exposed. Play with a clean but slightly warm tone to hear your own technique honestly.

  • The solo is in E minor and centres on melodic, vocal-style phrasing, making controlled vibrato and accurate string bends the primary techniques to develop.
  • Because the tempo is slow and the mix is open, out-of-tune bends are immediately noticeable, so isolating each bend with the Practice Toolbar is a practical approach.
  • A clean or lightly driven tone works well for practice, as it reveals intonation and vibrato clarity far more honestly than heavy distortion does.

How to Play Nothing Else Matters Pt.2 - Solo

Key: E minor · Tempo: 48 BPM

Loop each section and focus on clean, even timing rather than speed, with the metronome at 48 BPM.

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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