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Metallica - Wherever I May Roam - Famous Riffs - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
Metallica - Wherever I May Roam - Famous Riffs guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Metallica (Deluxe Box Set) album cover
Metallica (Deluxe Box Set)
1991 0:25
Listen on Spotify
Metallica Heavy Metal 1991 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Wherever I May Roam - Famous Riffs

The famous riff at the heart of "Wherever I May Roam" is built around a hypnotic, droning low-E pedal tone with a distinctly eastern, almost sitar-like quality. Metallica achieved that tone partly through a whammy bar technique and careful pick attack, so getting the right pick angle and palm-muting pressure is key before you even think about the melodic movement above it. The riff sits in E minor, which gives you a natural home base, but the phrasing is the tricky part: the rhythmic groupings feel slightly offset from the bar line, and that off-kilter pulse is easy to rush. Getting comfortable with the groove at a slower tempo first will save you a lot of frustration, so use the Practice Toolbar to loop the riff slowed down until the feel is locked in before you bring it back up to speed. Once the picking hand is solid, focus on keeping the low string consistent while your fretting hand handles the melodic line cleanly.

  • The signature riff uses a droning open low-E string as a pedal tone, with eastern-flavored melodic movement on top that demands independent control of both hands.
  • The riff's rhythmic phrasing sits in an off-kilter pattern that is easy to rush, making slow practice with looping essential before playing it at full tempo.
  • The song is in E minor, so standard tuning works, but nailing the palm-muting pressure on the pedal tone is critical to getting the correct heavy, sustained feel.

How to Play Wherever I May Roam - Famous Riffs

Key: E minor · Tempo: 131 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 131 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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