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Metallica - The Shortest Straw - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
Metallica - The Shortest Straw guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
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Master7
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Metallica Thrash Metal E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About The Shortest Straw

Few thrash tracks demand this level of right-hand endurance from the opening bar. Metallica built "The Shortest Straw" around relentless alternate picking, and keeping that tight, even attack going at full tempo is the central challenge. The main riff sits in E minor and leans heavily on low-string chugging punctuated by fast chromatic runs, so your fretting hand needs to stay relaxed while your picking hand stays precise. The syncopated rhythmic feel is easy to rush, and small timing errors compound quickly when the whole band is locked in together. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop any of the faster riff passages slowed down before pushing toward full speed. Kirk Hammett's lead work over the track also rewards close attention: the phrasing is angular and the bends are quick, so looping it slowed down will reveal details that are impossible to catch at full tempo. Getting the right-hand muting clean is what separates a sloppy run-through from a convincing performance.

  • The central riff relies on aggressive alternate picking on the low strings in E minor, making consistent right-hand stamina the main technical hurdle.
  • Syncopated rhythmic accents throughout the song can easily cause rushing, so working with a metronome at reduced tempo is strongly recommended.
  • Clean palm muting is critical to the track's heavy feel, and sloppy mute technique will undermine the riff even if the notes are correct.

How to Play The Shortest Straw

Key: E minor · Tempo: 147 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 147 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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