Creator Area
Sign in Creator Area

Practice Studio

Metallica - Whiplash - Guitar Lesson

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

Not in tune?

Select a Loop

Start of your loop
End of your loop

Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key E minor
Metallica - Whiplash guitar lesson video
Guitar 365
Guitar 365 Top Contributor
YouTube: 1.6Msubs
Creator Page →
·
–50¢ 0 +50¢
· Tap to start

Your browser will ask for microphone permission.

Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

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.
Kill 'Em All (Deluxe Edition) album cover
Kill 'Em All (Deluxe Edition)
1983 4:09
Listen on Spotify
Metallica Thrash Metal 1983 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Whiplash

Few songs put a rhythm guitarist's picking hand under more pressure than "Whiplash." The central riff is a relentless low-E-string gallop in E minor, built on tight, palm-muted downstrokes that have to stay locked in even as the tempo pushes hard. Keeping that mute consistent while maintaining attack and clarity is the real challenge, and new players often let the palm drift or tense up through the faster runs. The verse and chorus sections also demand quick, clean transitions between muted chugging and open power chords, so your fretting hand needs to be just as disciplined as your picking hand. Metallica wrote this track when they were a young, hungry band, and that raw energy is baked into the arrangement, so a stiff or overly cautious approach will not capture the feel. Use the Practice Toolbar to isolate the main riff and loop it slowed down until the palm muting is second nature before you bring the speed back up.

  • The signature riff is built almost entirely on the low E string, making consistent palm muting and downstroke accuracy the core technical challenge.
  • Because no tuning is specified in the tab data, verify your tuning before playing along, as the key is E minor.
  • The rapid picking in the main riff benefits from looping it slowed down in the Practice Toolbar to build muscle memory before pushing the tempo.

How to Play Whiplash

Key: E minor · Tempo: 159 BPM

Loop the hardest passage and creep the speed up from around 70 percent until it holds at 159 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.

Recommended for You