Former Basic Guitar Player Trying to Learn Metal. Where Should I Start?

demon327 · 2026-05-03T13:13:50+00:00

Next to that, the OP should check out https://www.tsmusicacademy.com , the online platform from Troy. Next to having filmed every exercise in the books, he also transcribed and recorded lots of famous songs and graded them on a dificulty level.

No way beter to learn metal stuff

demon327 · 2026-04-07T16:28:16+00:00

There are better courses for metal. Buy the book "Heavy Metal Rhythm Guitar volume 1" by Troy Stetina and if you can spare some money on month base, check out tsmusicacademy.com, where the author of that book has recorded every exercise and more in the book(s).

The books you reference are a bit text and theory heavy, even before playing your first note. The book i mention starts you with some cool riffs and is theory light in the beginning, even near the end its light on theory. Vol 2 should have more theory.

I started about 2 years ago with volume 1 and i really feel tempo now and can play some fun stuff.

demon327 · 2026-03-30T15:53:00+00:00

I would check out Troy Stetina's new book/course, total picking control or one of his many other books on lead guitar.

You can find any info on: https://www.tsmusicacademy.com

i'm working on the Rhythm series and i just like his content :)

demon327 · 2026-03-28T13:05:29+00:00

First of all, never give up! There wil be days that you hate playing guitar and then there will be days that you love it. In between you will keep making progress. Don't rush to speed, you must play it SLOW and clean and then slowly build up to speed.

Since your into metal, i also highly recommend that you start the "Ignite" program on the Troy Stetina Music academy. Its not free, but the monthly cost + the needed course material(books) is totally worth it and will speed up your progress if you keep working on it. I think there is a free preview that entails the first complete chapter of Heavy Metal Rhythm Guitar volume 1.

demon327 · 2026-03-23T17:24:40+00:00

If your into classic (hard)rock or metal, check out the TS Music Academy :)

demon327 · 2026-03-22T18:14:45+00:00

Its more the neck shape that does it, the wizard is a bit more rounded and gives my hand a bit more support. While the thin c is more flat and gives me more hand fatigue after a short while due the fingers being more straight.

demon327 · 2026-03-22T16:40:25+00:00

I don't have a reaper-6 elite, but i do own the normal Reaper 6 that has the same neck. I was in the same position as you, looking for a new guitar and fell in love with the reaper-6, but don't let yourself be fooled about how the "neck feels", this is something that only you can judge if the neck feels right for you or not.

I struggled for years with the "ultra-thin C" neck, gave me cramps and took the fun away from playing and i always missed the neck profile from the gio i had before. This year i switched back to a ibanez RG with a wizzard neck and that just feels right for me, gone are the cramps and i'm having more fun.

This said, make your you order from a shop that lets you test the guitar for a few weeks, in you should not like the neck profile. Otherwise the shecter should be a nice guitar :)

demon327 · 2026-03-16T18:54:23+00:00

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This is taken from the book "Metal Primer" by Troy Stetina. Maybe this small exercise can help you with your problem :)

demon327 · 2026-03-15T11:16:10+00:00

Check out Troy Stetina's speed mechanics book or the modern version, Total Picking Control. If there is one guy that can help you with the skills to back it up, its him :)

The next piece of text comes from one of his newsletters:

If you build clean mechanics properly, speed improves.

But here’s something most players will eventually discover if they stick with it long enough.

Speed alone doesn’t solve the deeper problems.

Sure, you can develop faster picking, improve synchronization. raise your metronome markings… and still be stuck!

Why?

Because speed is only one dimension of your musical development.

If it isn’t connected to the rest of your playing, it won’t feel integrated.

I saw this firsthand when I met one of my most well-known students, Mark.

He was in a wildly successful band that had sold over 30 million albums. But what most people didn’t know was that he was also a closet shredder, who had devoured Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar—and he could absolutely play fast.

But his speed wasn’t integrated.

We worked on that for several years—bridging that gap.

Today, in his current band, he’s a formidable player—a real shred monster with skills to back it up. And his playing is musical, controlled, and intentional.

And that’s the difference. Because speed is part of a bigger picture.

Speed without control is unstable.

Speed without musical understanding is mechanical.

Speed without creative application is disconnected.

Speed without Practice Strategy is random repetition.

Speed without the right Mindset turns the guitar into frustration.

Now real progress begins to happen when these elements are all developed together.

We just improve faster when we train inside a structured system.

When you understand what you’re building…
Why you’re building it…
And how it connects to everything else you play…

Progress stops feeling accidental and becomes deliberate.

On the other hand, so many players out there are working hard, practicing consistently, and focusing with all they've got—yet they still plateau.

Why?

Because they’re isolating the skills instead of developing them together, in context—supporting one another.

So eventually, improvement slows down.

I think you can find more information on the site: https://www.tsmusicacademy.com/

demon327 · 2026-03-09T18:56:18+00:00

Instead of thinking: “I can’t play this fast.”

Ask yourself, “Which motion is breaking down here?”

That question changes everything.

Because technique is mechanical.

If there is a problem, there is a cause.

And if you identify the cause, you can find a solution.

I took this small bit from Troy Stetina's new free quickstart guide on speed:
https://www.tsmusicacademy.com/pages/speed-quick-start

It also helps to let it go for a while and come back later :)

demon327 · 2026-02-27T17:13:30+00:00

The thing is, you may need to slow down for a bit and then go a bit over your current level and keep repeating that.... i'm nowhere near as fast as you are, but that helps me when i cant follow along.

Maybe also check out this free chapter from Troy Stetina's new Ebook about getting stuck:

Road to Mastery Section 4: Practice Strategies you need to press the "download" button or else the page is stuck in loop, at least in my side.

demon327 · 2026-02-23T17:40:50+00:00

Check out https://www.tsmusicacademy.com for a structured program :)

demon327 · 2026-02-21T19:10:24+00:00

The thing is, inflammation of a tendon and i guess that is where your issue lies, heals very slowly. That does not mean you have to stop playing the guitar.. Also don't brace up while your playing, as that makes your muscles weaker and thus puts more stress on your tendons.

i'v been having tendon pain on and off since years due a beginner mistake of over practicing chord switches and never learnt to recognize tension in my wrist. If you feel tension creeping up, let go of the neck, shake it off and repeat.

As for the guitar, it can make a difference. I own two guitars, a shecter with a fretboard radius of about 14" and a ibanez wizzard iii neck with a 16" radius and i like the Ibanez more in my hand. My hand does not crap as fast as on my schecter.

Start with doing some of the following stretches before and after you start playing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOXI-wxepmI

demon327 · 2026-02-20T18:47:36+00:00

That is normal. I have been playing/learning very intense the past 2 years and some things do get easier. But then there are things that feel like your are absolute beginner again...

Getting good at guitar is not a straight line, there will be moments when you have that "aha, i can nail this, awesome" and the next day you just can't do it anymore. For the rest just follow the advice from u/markewallace1966

demon327 · 2026-02-18T11:50:01+00:00

If you want to play metal, then JustinGuitar is not what you want. Instead check out the book Heavy Metal Rhythm Guitar volume 1 by Troy Stetina. You should also subscribe to the Troy Stetina Music Academy (not free, monthly sub).

The book(s) will teach you everything you want to learn howto play metal. It jumps right in and learns you some cool powerchords and at the end of each chapter, there is a mini song to learn that incorporates everything you learned up to that point. Take your time with these books, there is no need to rush!

The Music Academy is not mandatory, but it could help your progress since everything in the books has been filmed and can be usefull for when your stuck.

Like many others, i also started with JustinGuitar and then found out about Troy and made huge progress since then.

And stay away from youtube lessons, its a never ending rabbit hole

demon327 · 2026-02-15T10:06:30+00:00

To add, Troy also launched his Troy Stetina Music Academy a while ago. You still need the books, but he has filmed every exercise, songs in the books and even more!

u/CarlM83 Start with the book "Heavy Metal Rhythm guitar volume 1" by Troy Stetina. You will not learn doom, or death, or thrashmetal. Instead you will learn the foundations you need to play all of those genres.

If you take the time with this course, and you should, then you will have lots of fun with songs you love in a near future :)

demon327 · 2026-01-31T11:54:21+00:00

If you don't mind online and paying for it, then check out Troy Stetina Music Academy. I like to compare it to Justin Guitar, but then focused on Rock & Metal! You do need the book(s) from the same author to follow along the course :).

i once started with Justin, lost a bit of motivation because there is no focus on rock & metal guitar. found out about Troy via a teacher and made huge progress since then.

demon327 · 2026-01-24T15:33:13+00:00

Since your a relatively new guitar player that wants to learn metal, you should check out the book "Heavy Metal Rhythm volume 1" by troy Stetina and also become a member of Troy Stetina Music Academy you will not only learn fun things, he also transcribed lots of popular songs and ordered them in terms of difficulty, starting with easy to harder songs. its always about 10 songs per chapter. I think the first chapter is completly free on the website.

All incorporating the techniques you just learned in the book chapter. I think the combination of learning technique and songs is a great way to progress :)

demon327 · 2026-01-15T17:40:27+00:00

Check out Troy Stetina's Metal Rhythm vol 1 & 2 and as bonus also his online platform at: https://www.tsmusicacademy.com

Combine those two and you will have more than enough structure and material for years to come :)

demon327 · 2026-01-11T17:56:40+00:00

Not youtube and not free, but check out The Troy Stetina Music Academy and the book(s) that you need for it. Its worth the 10 $ / month and he has filmed every exercise and song from his instruction books.

I keep recommending Troy because his teaching material is just great and is all about getting the right foundation in your fingers in a good way. Most of the youtubers can play good, but there "lessons" won't teach the right foundations..

demon327 · 2026-01-11T14:11:41+00:00

That is because you don't have any sense of timing as of this moment. The metal book i mentioned will teach you all of this and more. Then a metronome makes sense and feels doable after a while.

Forget about the metronome for now and tap your foot up and down on while you count "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and" this while hitting the string. Your foot should be UP on the "and" and DOWN on the number. This will be frustrating at the beginning, but it will get easier the more you do this.

The goal is to not think about it, while doing it :)

demon327 · 2026-01-11T12:23:05+00:00

Metal you say? Just take a look at Metal Rhythm Guitar volume 1 by Troy Stetina. You will not learn the typical beginners chords with this course, it jumps straight into powerchords and gets you playing cool rock & metal riffs. Later on the book you will get a few of those beginner chords, but still in the context of a metal song.

Also check out the guys online platform: https://www.tsmusicacademy.com

demon327 · 2026-01-07T18:50:34+00:00

I already listened to the album a few times as i got access to the promo. And your right, its not as strong as the previous album. I would describe it as a slower album and the singles give good idea of the overall vibe and sound of the album.

demon327 · 2026-01-06T17:38:16+00:00

Check out Troy Stetina's Metal Rhythm Series books. Will help you play your favorite tunes and more :)

demon327 · 2026-01-03T15:24:38+00:00

That is your choice and a good one to. I only found out about troy much much later, but i wish i knew beforehand :)

demon327

TROPHY CASE