u/touchingcloth247

Hi Everyone,

I’ve recently picked up and started playing seriously again after about 12 years and I’m finding that some stuff is still second nature whereas other stuff is either gone or morphed into poor technique.

I’m looking for advice on where to pick up and go from here rather than just trying to learn Metallica/slayer riffs and bumbling through!

I’ve never considered myself a lead guitarist and always played rhythm. I swapped to Bass and enjoyed that but only noodled /learned the basics.

I consider my role sitting in the groove and complementing the guitar and bass à la Daron Malakian, Mick Thomson or big QOTSA rhythm. I like playing thrash, nu-metal, alt-rock, hardcore etc!

Current baseline

All major and minor chord shapes at the 1-3rd fret

Barre chords major and minor

Palm muting

I can play the major pentatonic scale at the 6th fret and work out the scales above and below by picking the notes but I can’t remember the full major pentatonic up and down the neck

Where I’m struggling / found bad practice

I’m strumming with a claw hand, this is making it hard to accurately pick individual strings when playing flourishes after chord patterns etc

I’m digging the pick into the strings and finding fast palm muting difficult

The GBE strings are foreign territory to me! Anything high up and not on EAD feels alien to me.

I’ve recently jammed with friends and managed the rhythm guitar of Go With the Flow - QOTSA and A Boy Brushed Red - Underoath with little difficulty but I’d like to improve my playing and technique towards playing old school thrash, hardcore, emo, nu-metal rhythm guitar parts.

Any advice on where to go next would be greatly appreciated!