Sad But True Guitar Lesson – Metallica


In this Sad But True guitar lesson video I will demonstrate how to play this killer slow grooving song by Metallica in it's entirety.

When it comes to Metallica's sound and style, "Sad But True" was a big departure. First off, Metallica usually tunes to standard tuning most of the time and are a lot more well known for their lightning fast thrash riffs than for slow power grooves.

However, with "Sad But True" they decided to break the mold and did so with outstanding results. Personally, this main riff to "Sad But True" is probably my all-time favorite Metallica riff. The groove is just simply infectious.

The tuning that Metallica employs in "Sad But True" is called D standard. What that tuning calls for is for you to tune every string on your guitar down one whole step. So the tuning will now be D G C F A D. This low tuning is a huge aspect in creating the deep grooving sound of "Sad But True".

The main riff itself uses a combination of thick palm muted power chords and open string pull-offs. It is actually rather simple to play once you get it under your fingers. The most important aspect in mastering this riff is to make sure you lock into the groove. The feel of the riff is just as important as the notes, especially with a slow power groove feel like "Sad But True" has.

The entire first video lesson will be dedicated to a precise breakdown of the main riff and all of the variations they play on it.

In the second video lesson I will demonstrate how to play all of the rest of the rhythm guitar parts found in "Sad But True". There are still more killer grooves to play here. The song just seems to flow so well with those thick hypnotic grooves.

Also, in the second video you will find the harmony guitar section. It is a little instrumental section that happens right before the main guitar solo. I will show you how to play both harmony parts.

In the last lesson I will teach you a note-for-note breakdown of Kirk Hammett's awesome guitar solo. This solo has a lot of SRV style double-stops, fast legato licks, fast alternate picked pentatonics and more! Also, there is a little extension to this solo that occurs a little bit later. After the main guitar solo ends they go back to the chorus. After that chorus ends the guitar solo comes back in for a quick little SRV inspired series of licks. Make sure you don't miss it! 🙂

I would put the difficulty level of "Sad But True" at around the upper-intermediate level so hopefully there will be many players out there willing to try and learn it. Even the guitar solo is played at a relatively moderate tempo compared to other Kirk Hammett solos.

Hope you guys enjoy it!

Carl...

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Sad But True Guitar Lesson Pt.1 - Main Riff

Sad But True Guitar Lesson Pt.2 - All The Riffs

Sad But True Guitar Lesson Pt.3 - Solos

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