by Chapter Inc. member Tim Sterling
This column is written mainly for intermediate players, but I really hope
all guitarists gain something extra from it.
I only post parts of riffs in order to have enough space for a lot of riffs.
Ever wonder what tunings Metallica have used? Well, they've used quite a few during their existance. We're going to discuss their different tunings in this column. First I should tell you that I've written the tunings from low to high, 6th string to 1st string. The first tuning Metallica ever used, most notably, is standard tuning of E-A-D-G-B-E. The band used this from Kill 'Em All to Ride The Lightning.
FIGURE 1:
The Four Horsemen (intro riff)
E-tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E)
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-5-----7--5-----------------------------------/
-3--5--5--3--7--5--7--5--7--5--7--5--7--5--7--/
----3--------0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--/
pm--------------------------------/
pm: palm mute
FIGURE 2: For Whom The Bell Tolls (main riff) E-tuning ----------------------------------------------/ ----------------------------------------------/ ----------------------------------------------/ ----------------------------------------------/ ----------5-----------7-----------5--8--4-----/ -0--0--0--3--0--0--0--5--0--0--0--3--6--2-----/ pm-----| pm-----| pm-----|
Although Master Of Puppets was in standard tuning, Metallica changed their usual ways on the with one song not in standard tuning. Although most transcriptions of "The Thing That Should Not Be" say that it is in D-tuning, it is played by the band in Drop-D, which it like standard tuning, except that the low E is tuned to D, thus giving a tuning of D-A-D-G-B-E.
FIGURE 3: The Thing That Should Not Be (main riff) Drop-D tuning (D-A-D-G-B-E) ---------------------------------------------R/ ---------------------------------------------E/ ---------------------------------------------P/ -------------3--3-----4-----5----------------E/ -0--0--1--2--1--1--2--2--2--3--0--2----------A/ -0--0--1--2--------2-----2-----0--2----------T/ pm--------| pm pm pm pm
From then until The Black Album, Metallica continued to use the standard tuning of E-A-D-G-B-E. The Black Album used 3 different tunings: standard, D-tuning which is tuned D-G-C-F-A-D, and Eb-tuning which is tuned Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb.
FIGURE 4:
Sad But True (main riff) D-tuning (D-G-C-F-A-D) ---------------------------------------------R/ ---------------------------------------------E/ ---------------------------------------------P/ ---------------------------------------------E/ -2--2--2--5pu0--1pu0-------------------------A/ -0--0--0--------------3pu0-------------------T/ pm pm pu: pull-off
FIGURE 5: The God That Failed Eb-tuning (Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb) ---------------------------------------------R/ ---------------------------------------------E/ -12--12--9--16--16--9--12--12--9-------------P/ ---------------------------------------------E/ -10--10--7--14--14--7--10--10--7-------------A/ ---------------------------------------------T/
It appeared that Metallica liked the Eb tuning so much that they chose to record their entire 6th studio album, Load, in Eb-tuning, with the exception of one song: "The House Jack Built." This song has an odd tuning of what I call Drop-C#/Db. In this tuning, a guitar in Eb-tuning has the low string tuned down to C#/Db, thus providing a drop-style tuning, but in the key of C#/Db. I call it C#/Db because these notes are exactly the same pitch, they just have different names.
FIGURE 6: The House Jack Built (main riff) Drop-C#/Db tuning (Db-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb) ---------------------------------------------R/ ---------------------------------------------E/ ---------------------------------------------P/ ---------------------------------------------E/ -0--2--------2--2--0--2--------2--2----------A/ -0--2--5pu4--2--2--0--2--5pu4--2--2----------T/
Another album in which the tab books mutilate horribly is Reload, in which Metallica use 3 different tunings--Eb, Drop D, and Drop C#/Db. What I think is funny is not the guesses they make at the tunings, but their transcription of "At the mercy" during the guitar solo of "Bad Seed", which they transcribe as "Happy birthday."
FIGURE 7: Devil's Dance (main riff) Drop-D tuning ----------------------------------------------/ ----------------------------------------------/ ----------------------------------------------/ ----------------------------------------------/ -5-----5-----5-----5--------------------------/ ----6-----5-----6-----5--3pu0-----------------/
FIGURE 8:
Bad Seed (intro riff)
Drop-C#/Db tuning
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---------------------------------------------E/
---------------------------------------------P/
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-5--3--0--------------3ho5--3--0-----------3-A/
----------5--3--0--0--------------5--3--0--3-T/
pm
ho: hammer-on
On their latest studio release, Garage Inc., the band use a slew of different tunings: Drop C#/Db, Eb, Drop D, and standard (E).
FIGURE 9: Free Speech For The Dumb (intro riff) Drop-C#/Db tuning ----------------------------------------------/ ----------------------------------------------/ ----------------------------------------------/ ----------------------------------------------/ -0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--3-----/ -0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--3-----/ pm-----------------------------------|
FIGURE 10:
It's Electric (intro riff)
Eb-tuning
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-4--2-----2-----------------------2--------2--/
-------4-----4--2--0--2--4--4--2--0--------0--/
----------------------0--2--2--0-----0--0-----/
pm pm pm
FIGURE 11: Sabbra Cadabra (end of A National Acrobat) Drop D tuning ----------------------------------------------/ ----------------------------------------------/ ----------------------------------------------/ ----------------------------------------------/ -1ho3--1----------1ho3--1---------------------/ ----------3^3--1-----------3^3--1-------------/ ^: bend up one step, then bring back down to original pitch
FIGURE 12:
Last Caress (intro riff)
Standard tuning
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----10-12-----10-12--10-----------------------/
-10-8--10--10-8--10--8--12--10-10-10-10-10-10-/
-8---------8------------10--8--8--8--8--8--8--/
pm-------------/
The above tunings that I've described are from albums only. Metallica have been known to make tuning changes live, the most notable one I can think of being an extremely heavy "Thing That Should Not Be" tuned to Drop-C, which is C-G-C-F-A-D. I hope you all found this lesson helpful, the next lesson will focus on bass tunings, including interesting sounds made by both Jason and Cliff. If you have any questions or comments, contact me at Fixxxer259@hotmail.com. Thanks, chapter freakz, and thanks to Dan Nykolayko for giving me the opportunity to contribute a column like this for the Chapter Inc. memberz!!!