Practice Studio

Metallica - Dirty Window - Guitar Tab

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

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SECTIONS

Select a Loop

Start of your loop
End of your loop

Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key E minor
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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.

St. Anger album cover
St. Anger
2003 5:25
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Dirty Window


From the polarising 2003 album "St. Anger", "Dirty Window" sits in E minor at a steady 120 BPM, and the tuning stays in E Standard, so no retuning is needed before you dig in. The track is built around heavy, chugging riff work that keeps the picking hand under constant pressure. The challenge is not speed but precision: the rhythmic patterns demand tight palm muting and consistent downpicking, both of which tire the forearm quickly if your technique is inefficient. Metallica layer in some abrupt riff transitions that can trip you up the first few times, so isolating those bars with the Practice Toolbar and looping them slowed down is the most efficient way to lock in the changes. The Heavy Metal feel here relies on a percussive, clipped tone, so work on releasing palm pressure cleanly rather than letting notes ring longer than intended.

  • The song is in E Standard tuning and E minor, so no alternate tuning is required, making it immediately accessible to pick up and play.
  • Tight palm-muted downpicking is the core technique demanded throughout, and stamina in the picking forearm is the main physical challenge to build.
  • Abrupt riff transitions between sections are the trickiest moments to memorise, making looped slow-down practice on those joins especially productive.

How to Play Dirty Window

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 120 BPM

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.

Play with Backing Track

Play with Backing Track

Solo (Backing Track)

Solo (Backing Track)