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Metallica - FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE - Guitar Tab

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Key E minor
Metallica - FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE guitar tab video
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Ride The Lightning (Deluxe Remaster) album cover
Ride The Lightning (Deluxe Remaster)
1984 4:45
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Metallica Thrash Metal 1984 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE

Few album openers hit as hard as this one. "Fight Fire with Fire" begins with a deceptive acoustic guitar intro, fingerpicked cleanly in a classical style, before the band detonates into one of the fastest thrash metal tracks Metallica had recorded up to that point. The contrast between that delicate opening and the wall of distortion that follows is itself a lesson in arrangement, and nailing the transition is your first real challenge here. The rhythm guitar work throughout the main body of the song demands tight, palm-muted alternate picking at a relentless pace, and staying locked in without rushing or losing the mute definition is genuinely hard. The key of E minor gives the riffs a dark, low-end weight that suits the open sixth string perfectly. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the picking-intensive verse riff slowed down, focusing on keeping your picking hand relaxed so tension does not creep in and kill your stamina before the song is halfway through.

  • The acoustic intro uses fingerpicked classical-style guitar, making clean fretting and right-hand control your first technical hurdle before the distortion kicks in.
  • Palm-muted alternate picking at high speed drives the rhythm parts, so building stamina and mute consistency is the core practice goal for this song.
  • Written in E minor, the riffs lean heavily on the open low E string, which helps anchor the tone but demands precise muting to avoid unwanted resonance.

How to Play FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE

The song moves through: • Baroque Intro, • Intro Riffs, • Verses 1 & 2, • Chorus 2, • Solo & Harmony & Riff - Kirk, • Verse 4, • Final Chorus.

Key: E minor · Tempo: 196 BPM

The arrangement runs through 7 distinct sections, and the solo is the steepest jump, so isolate it on its own. At 196 bpm it moves fast, so the real test is building picking stamina and keeping every note clean at speed.

Loop the hardest passage and creep the speed up from around 70 percent until it holds at 196 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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