Tips on palm mute galloping?

Re: Tips on palm mute galloping?

just play along to stuff, you'll get it eventually. personally i think maiden stuff is perfect for getting the galloping down.
 
Re: Tips on palm mute galloping?

A thick pick.

+1, I used to use thin picks, I could never go back now.

It's also worth mentioning, since people have been bringing up Hetfield, that he actually uses 3 fingers on his pick, kind of like holding a pen. I am cursed with this as well, never even knew people used 2 fingers until a year ago and I've been playing for 15 years. I'm just not very observant :smack: I can palm mute gallop like a kentucky derby thoroughbred of course but my lead playing suffers.
 
Re: Tips on palm mute galloping?

I like .60 Dunlops my self,anything thicker for me seems to lack action.I need the pick to give a little when I play.
Anyways I find the way you hold the pick affects double picking(or whatever you call it)I find that I hold my middle,ring and picky fingers pointing out and just leave um loose to flop around.Kinna an upside down OK sign.
But really the only way I know off is to keep practicing till you get the feel for how to angle the pick against the strings and wrist movement.I'd start off by just double picking one chord with a gallop feel then once you get it down make up more complex patterns and keep challenging yourself.
Hearts Barracuda is a great song to learn galloping on IMO.
 
Re: Tips on palm mute galloping?

I mix my wrist, elbow and thumb. I also move my picking position around the string to give my thumb a chance to work smoothly.
My absolute fave song to learn this kind of picking would be Nevermore's Seed Awakening, and for slower picking, 7 Tongues of god.
 
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Re: Tips on palm mute galloping?

The first songs I really learned were DRI Gun Control, Slayer Angel of Death, Obituary Slowly We Rot and Cannibal Corpse Hammer Smashed Face, and the dude that taught me was a metal guy, so I was taught correct technique and I've never really had trouble doing this stuff. I think if you get used to a different technique it must be hard, I've seen a lot of other dudes that are way better players than me have trouble playing thrashy stuff.

I use my wrist in a really compact, kinda side-to-side motion and I only use thumb and index finger on my pick (wtf @ 3 fingers on a pick?), I never drop picks either. I usually use regular dunlop nylon 1mm that I cut to a point with some snips, the sharp angle helps with speed and I think it might actually sharpen the attack, which you lose a little of with the nylon picks, but the flexible nature of the pick makes artificial harmonics easier, so the trade off is OK with me because I love to annoy people with sweep squeals.

If you want to play like this, learn to play some Slayer, just the intro from Chemical Warfare would be easy enough to practice and will work your limp wrist into shape.

...and don't alternate pick chugs, I hate that, it's cheating.
 
Re: Tips on palm mute galloping?

Dava Grip Tip Picks are my personal fave. Gripping higher gets the feel of a lighter gauge pick, grip lower and you have a heavy gauge feel.....LOVE EM.
DavaGripTipsGuitarPicks6Pack6Pack.jpg
 
Re: Tips on palm mute galloping?

Learn to play Iced Earth - Stand Alone.

If you can do that REALLY tightly, gallops will be a piece of cake.
 
Re: Tips on palm mute galloping?

use a thick pick (I find one with a sharp-ish tip works best)
don't allow too much of the pick to contact the string - you want to basically use the tip of the pick
use the wrist and the thumb to control the gallop
practice to Iron Maiden lots
 
Re: Tips on palm mute galloping?

I wouldn't really consider Iron Maiden much of a gallop workout to be honest.
Pretty much the stuff you use to begin to learn to gallop palm mute.
Esoteric Surgery and the opening riff to "Bleed" by Meshuggah are probably what one should be aiming for in terms of really getting the galloping technique truly happening.
 
Re: Tips on palm mute galloping?

I wouldn't really consider Iron Maiden much of a gallop workout to be honest.
Pretty much the stuff you use to begin to learn to gallop palm mute.
Esoteric Surgery and the opening riff to "Bleed" by Meshuggah are probably what one should be aiming for in terms of really getting the galloping technique truly happening.
well sure, but the first question to ask surely is - can you do Iron Maiden gallop picking well, for a whole song, perhaps for 5 songs or 10 songs? Flawlessly? If so, move on, if not well you have a little work to put in first. Funny - I have students telling me they want to learn sweep picking and string skipping. I get them and find they can barely string a simple solo together.
So, first things first, in my opinion.
 
Re: Tips on palm mute galloping?

Aye, it's true, when it comes to making pedal notes punchy or crisp, I highly recommend the stainless steel pick, , maybe not all the time, but for recording or live, the difference is very very noticeable.you can also pick more nimbly and relaxed. I tried this after I heard RudySarzo say that RRhoads loud volumes with a light supple touch. I'm blanking on Battery, but it's also true if u need the do chunkallica chord muting, it's better if the pick GIVEs a little like a bendable .77 or .60, and comes down at angle. If you rotate yr wrist 45degrees so the pick is more diagonal, you get a rawkin bite. Metalllica promotes a fierce dogma of downstrokes, as did Barney Kessel after he met Charlie Christian. It's worth trying, try all ways and decide for yrself. MickMars plays downstrokes on Live Wire the vid and at Usfest, but lo and behold Carnivalof Sins he alt piks. So it's ok to mix it up, but of course , never learn only the "right" way at the expense of the most economic way. Also, learn to count it out so you can play the tricky stuff, w downstrokes on downbeats and upstroked on upbeats. !\m/
 
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