Palm-muted eighths: a downpicking exercise for rock and metal
Eighth notes on the palm-muted low E, every one a downstroke, with changes to G and A. It's the basic sound of rock and metal rhythm guitar, and it builds the stamina and steadiness to hold a downpicked part through a whole song. Every chug should be the same weight and length.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with the metronome on, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 160 bpm. No account or microphone needed.
- Goal tempo
- 160 bpm
- Starts at
- 96 bpm
- Length
- 2 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
How to play it
Rest the edge of the picking hand on the strings at the bridge; every stroke down.
Rest the edge of the picking hand, the fleshy side below the little finger, on the strings right where they leave the bridge. Pick the open low E in eighths, all downstrokes, and at the end of the second bar move to G and A at the 3rd and 5th frets.
The further the hand moves from the bridge, the more muted and thuddy the notes. Find the spot where they still have a clear pitch but stop short, and keep the hand there.
Mistakes to watch for
- The palm creeping forward as you play, so the notes get duller and duller.
- Lifting the palm on the fretted notes and letting them ring open.
- Gripping the pick hard to keep up: by 160 bpm a tense arm will tire within a minute.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 96
- 104
- 112
- 120
- 128
- 136
- 144
- 152
- 160
That's 16 loops and about a minute before you're playing at 160 bpm. If it stops being clean on the way, stop the ramp there and loop that tempo until it is. With a microphone or an audio interface you can record while you play instead: Demiurg checks every loop and steps up only after two clean ones in a row, and back down after a poor one.
Questions
How fast should I play Palm-muted 8ths?
The goal is 160 bpm in eighth notes, which is 5.3 notes a second. Start wherever every note is clean: the player begins at 96 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.
Why only downstrokes?
Downstrokes sound heavier and more even, which is why so many metal and punk riffs are played that way. Keeping a part all downstrokes at speed takes stamina, which this builds.
How fast is 160 bpm in eighths?
Two notes a beat at 160 beats a minute, so 320 downstrokes a minute. That's the speed of a lot of fast thrash and punk rhythm parts. Don't worry if it takes weeks to get there.