Metal Licks Vs. Non-metal Licks

Opposite the opinion of a certain group of guitar players, learning faster styles such as metal isn’t always more technical than mastering other lighter styles. Thrash doesn’t really require more finger know-how than bluegrass does it?

You would get such a wide range of response that seeing a clear-cut winner would be nothing short of impossible, although we can still deliberate. Melody and darkness are what normally drive heavy metal. With these such musical elements, the metal genre (largely dependant on sub-genre) becomes extremely based on guitar, and this helps encourage technical ability.

This concept could arguably be contradicted when jazz enters into the discussion. When you think about how complex jazz can be as a style you realize how difficult it is for new players. In a comparison discussion like this it is important to remember that these points are given value by each individual.

Within any genre of guitar playing you will have people that defend their techniques and maintain that it is superior to others. Most of us know that debates typically get people more settled in their original beliefs, and with style vs style discussions in music it is no exception.

Each type of guitar playing has it’s own great forte, instead of a jack-of-all-trades kind of thing. Funk is a good demonstration. What kind of thoughts does funk generate in your head? Scratchy guitar and slap bass maybe? Once we move past slap bass, we think guitar effects with a wa-wa pedal. If funk has perfected it’s own unique sounds, why would it need to sound like anything else?

The point is that no one can honestly try to maintain that metal is more technical than all other styles, although I’m still not neglecting that it’s tough for some beginners to play. Technical playing ability is shared across the musical board, even in country with skilled guitarists like Keith Urban. The bottom line is great music is only interpreted in the minds of the fans. Realizing the subjectiveness of certain methods and how it is seen by the fans is a very important thing.

Please check out metal guitar riffs for some quick riffs to learn, or if you are looking for something a little more substantial then give metal guitar lesson a try.