Creator Area
Sign in Creator Area

Practice Studio

Metallica - The Thing That Should Not Be - Guitar Lesson

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

Not in tune?

Select a Loop

Start of your loop
End of your loop

Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key E minor
Metallica - The Thing That Should Not Be guitar lesson video
Guitar 365
Guitar 365 Top Contributor
YouTube: 1.6Msubs 183Kviews
Creator Page →
·
–50¢ 0 +50¢
· Tap to start

Your browser will ask for microphone permission.

Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Master of Puppets (Remastered) album cover
Master of Puppets (Remastered)
1986 6:36
Listen on Spotify
Metallica Heavy Metal 1986 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About The Thing That Should Not Be

Few Metallica riffs feel as physically oppressive as the one that opens this track. Metallica built the whole song around a slow, grinding down-picked riff that sits deep in the low register of E minor, and the weight of it comes entirely from picking discipline. The temptation is to switch to alternate picking when your forearm tires, but the moment you do, the crushing evenness falls apart. Keep your wrist loose and your pick attack consistent from the first note to the last. The chromatic slides and the lurching, off-kilter rhythmic feel are equally important to nail, so use the Practice Toolbar to loop the main riff slowed down until your fretting hand stops anticipating the next position shift. The lead work in the midsection is more melodic than technical, but the bends need confidence and good ear. This is less a speed exercise and more a lesson in controlled, deliberate heaviness.

  • The main riff relies on relentless down-picking in E minor, demanding strong picking-hand endurance and a consistently heavy, even attack.
  • Chromatic movement and an unsteady, lurching rhythmic feel make the riff harder to lock in than its slow tempo suggests.
  • The mid-song lead section focuses on deliberate bends and phrasing, making it a good exercise for expressive playing over aggressive rhythm guitar.

How to Play The Thing That Should Not Be

Key: E minor · Tempo: 117 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 117 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Kirk Hammett's vintage 1959 'Greeny' Les Paul Standard delivers warmer, more dynamic PAF-style tones that contrast his EMG-equipped ESP guitars, adding organic sustain to his lead work. This guitar's traditional construction gives his solos a thicker, less compressed character than his signature models.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

While not Hammett's primary choice, the Les Paul Custom shares the Les Paul's warm PAF pickup character and thick body resonance, offering heavier players an alternative to Strat-style designs for achieving Metallica's crushing rhythm tones.

Gibson Explorer
Guitar

Gibson Explorer

James Hetfield's early Gibson Explorer established his signature angular shape and thick body tone, delivering the aggressive midrange attack essential to Metallica's crushing rhythm style before his ESP signature models became his primary tool.

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier
Amp

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier

Kirk Hammett's Dual Rectifier heads provide the high-gain, midrange-forward aggression that lets his solos cut through Hetfield's scooped rhythm tone, creating definition and clarity in Metallica's dense wall of distortion.

EMG 81
Pickup

EMG 81

Hetfield's bridge EMG 81 delivers the hot, compressed output with tight low-end that defines Metallica's palm-muted riffs, the ceramic magnet and active preamp cutting through heavy arrangements with focused, aggressive attack.

EMG 60
Pickup

EMG 60

Both guitarists use the neck EMG 60 for warmer, more articulate rhythm tones and smoother lead voicings, balancing the 81's aggression with clearer note definition across Metallica's dense arrangements.

Recommended for You