Playbook

Lessons

Setup, the chug, breakdowns, drop-tuning harmony, and odd time. Read one, then take it to the metronome.

Before the first chug8 minStart here

Set the guitar up for drop

Gauge, intonation, and action so Drop C and Drop B actually stay in tune under a palm mute.

Metalcore 10110 minFoundation

The chug

Palm mute, pick attack, and the difference between a thud and a click. This is the grain of the style.

The slow punch9 minFoundation

Writing a breakdown

Half-time feel, space, and the one harmonic move that makes a breakdown land.

Off the grid8 minTight

Open notes and syncopation

How to make drop-tuned open strings feel like a hook instead of a drone.

Color over chug12 minProg

Prog metal chords in drop

Why open drop tunings spell 11 chords, and how to use add9, quartal, and spread voicings without losing weight.

Count grouping, not seven9 minProg

Odd time without getting lost

7/8, 5/8, and 9/8 as stomps: grouping, accents, and how to land back in 4/4.

Bounce, rest, repeat8 minTight

Djent tightness

Equal 16th bursts, honest silence, and why the noise gate cannot save a sloppy rest.

Arrangement10 minWrite

From riff to song

A simple map: verse chug, lift, breakdown, and a prog color section that shares one root.