# Good songs to practice downpicking ?



## Nag (Apr 10, 2016)

I'm not sure whether this belongs in this subforum or in the Beginners subforum (because the content should be interesting for beginners), but anyway.

I have neglected my rhythm playing a whole lot because I always found melodies a lot more interesting than 0000 chugging (quick tip for any beginners reading this : practice rhythm, it's _rather_ important  ).

I'm trying to boost up my rhythm playing, and the most fundamental technique for any metal player is probably downpicking. I've been practicing Master Of Puppets obviously, because Master Of Puppets. It's great because it has 3 and a half minutes worth of very fast downpickage. But always practicing the same gets boring after a while so I'm asking if you guys could help me find more songs to practice.

If you could find me songs that :
1) have riffs that are mostly downpicked (a few gallops or whatever are alright, sure, but the main focus is downpicking), *tempos over 200 bpm* are more than welcome for the challenge
2) have *good tabs available online*, preferably GP5 tabs on Ultimate Guitar  . I guess I'm asking for *rather famous songs*, so I expect a lot of old school thrash or death. The reason I'm asking you guys for help is that I barely listen to any of that stuff, so I don't know the famous songs by famous bands 

Thanks to anyone helping


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## Blytheryn (Apr 10, 2016)

Blackened is a fun one, same for Battery, if you don't know that.


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## Nag (Apr 10, 2016)

Blackened is the one with the main riff where they never play two consecutive notes on the same string, right ? Scary


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## Blytheryn (Apr 10, 2016)

Nagash said:


> Blackened is the one with the main riff where they never play two consecutive notes on the same string, right ? Scary



I was in a loading screen for a game, and just wrote that while it was loading, first riffs that came to mind. I'll try and think of some better ones.


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## Nag (Apr 10, 2016)

Thanks, man. I'm hoping more people will join in with something that's _not_ by Metallica to suggest


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## Blytheryn (Apr 10, 2016)

Here's some more:
The riff at 2:24 is a lot of fun, especially when it gets fast.


TBDM are some of my favorite riffers, try to get that opening riff clean that fast.


Sylosis. Probs one of the best new thrash bands out there. The riff at 00:52 is pretty fun.


The verse riff is pretty tight here.


Not sure exactly what kind of stuff you're into, most downpicking stuff is mostly across two strings in the thrash genre. The stuff I listen to isn't super techy, but a lot of downpicking for sure...


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## Nag (Apr 10, 2016)

Blytheryn said:


> Not sure exactly what kind of stuff you're into, most downpicking stuff is mostly across two strings in the thrash genre. The stuff I listen to isn't super techy, but a lot of downpicking for sure...




I want to practice to get my downpicking tight and fast, and to build up a bunch of endurance. I'm not really into super technical stuff either, I usually listen to melodic death metal, power metal, black metal... it's a lot of tremolo picking, so it's not the same technique at all. I'm trying to expand my capabilities


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## pastanator (Apr 10, 2016)

Skeletons of Society, Behind The Crooked Cross, Chemical Warfare, and World Painted Blood(combines down picking with triplets) by Slayer. When you're comfortable with them at recorded speed, increase it by like ten percent. Keep doing that until you're happy with your right hand. Slight burning in your forearm is a good thing here because you're increasing muscle. Of course be careful and don't over do it though.


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## Blytheryn (Apr 10, 2016)

Nagash said:


> I want to practice to get my downpicking tight and fast, and to build up a bunch of endurance. I'm not really into super technical stuff either, I usually listen to melodic death metal, power metal, black metal... it's a lot of tremolo picking, so it's not the same technique at all. I'm trying to expand my capabilities



I'm in the black metal/melodeath boat with you as well, man! I've been playing lots more thrash recently, and my forearm is killing me on some of the riffs like the ones I posted. I'll keep going through my playlists and keep an keen ear for any dope downpicked stuff and update when I find a few.


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## Alex Kenivel (Apr 10, 2016)

Was totally going to suggest MoP


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## JustMac (Apr 10, 2016)

This song is a b*tch to play, 3:45 are downstrokes


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## Nag (Apr 10, 2016)

I'm not surprised to see Sylosis in here. I saw them live with Children Of Bodom in november, hadn't really given them a listen before. Tight stuff 


EDIT : I also just thought of this one :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlnECHvrHmc


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## Blytheryn (Apr 10, 2016)

Nagash said:


> I'm not surprised to see Sylosis in here. I saw them live with Children Of Bodom in november, hadn't really given them a listen before. Tight stuff



Where did you see them? I saw them in London and Birmingham on that tour.


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## Nag (Apr 10, 2016)

in Strasbourg, France. aka my real location, I don't live in a Catamenia album like my profile says


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## Blytheryn (Apr 10, 2016)

Nagash said:


> in Strasbourg, France. aka my real location, I don't live in a Catamenia album like my profile says



Sounds good, man!


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## DXL (Apr 10, 2016)

The Art of Partying by Municipal Waste has a good and somewhat challenging down picked chorus


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## Dana (Apr 10, 2016)

dude, its already been stated. there is no better song to practice tight down picking deliciousness than Blackened. period.


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## extendedsolo (Apr 10, 2016)

I think that the verse riff from Tornado of Souls is a good one to practice. 

Really I think Metallica is going to be a great place to start. Get through Master of Puppets, Disposable Heroes, Blackened, Through The Never, Creeping Death. 

I think Slipknot has some good songs too. Heretic Anthem is a good one. The middle riff in Surfacing is placed all downpicking and still gives me fits to this day (about 2 minutes in).


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## MoonJelly (Apr 10, 2016)

Listen to Fear Factory. A lot. 

It's not all downpicking, obviously, but it's the root of Dino's chops, which are amazing


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## Rizzo (Apr 11, 2016)

Any metalcore\hardcore will also be an idea. But really you can't get a better downpicking gym than old school thrash. I would keep it simple and look no further than Metallica.

To add something, I remember having good times with my wrist when jamming some Violator. Check "Chemical Assault". Nothing more than an old school fast thrash revival, but so much drive to the rhythms. Nice galloping exercise there too.

Example


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## Nag (Apr 11, 2016)

Okay, so I guess I'll be going back to Metallica


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## gnoll (Apr 11, 2016)

Sepultura!

BENEATH...

THE...

REMAAAAAAAINS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whole album, seriously. As far as thrash downpicking rhythm-monstrosity goes, I think this is as good as it gets. All things considered maybe the best album ever recorded. I'm a huge Metallica fanboy but like... why play Metallica when you can play Sepultura?  Especially if you wanna practise rhythm guitar...


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## ZeroTolerance94 (Apr 11, 2016)

Downpicking?

Forbidden - Through Eyes of Glass
...If you can down pick that you can down pick _*anything*_.

Kreator - Betrayer

For the best practice though, write your own songs in that bpm range you're practicing down picking in and include riffs that are all down picked. 
That way you get your own product out of it, that will probably sound killer... because it's all down picked, and you get your practice haha.


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## gnoll (Apr 11, 2016)

ZeroTolerance94 said:


> Through Eyes of Glass





I'd like to see someone downpick that, heh....


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## ZeroTolerance94 (Apr 11, 2016)

gnoll said:


> I'd like to see someone downpick that, heh....





If they can do it, so can you.


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## gnoll (Apr 12, 2016)

ZeroTolerance94 said:


> If they can do it, so can you.



But they don't?

Looking closely, it seems to me like Craig possibly plays d-d-u-d-d-u-d-d-u at times and alt picks the rest, while Glen seems to alt pick pretty much all I can see.

They're great players no doubt but I think downpicking at that speed is impossible.


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## j3ps3 (Apr 12, 2016)

I use this songs to warm up my picking hand. Lots of gallop picking and whenever it's possible, I use downstrokes.



It took me a couple of years to get this one right, but it was a great way to practice downstrokes.


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## Rizzo (Apr 12, 2016)

^^^
That's a tight picking hand!
What tuning is the song you played in?

Btw, Medeia is the band in which the youtuber and vocalist "Finowa" is in, right?


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## pkgitar (Apr 12, 2016)

Not thrash, but it seems well covered already.


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## Rizzo (Apr 12, 2016)

The fun thing is Browne himself said about his technique "I just learnt the entire Metallica discography and forced myself to always downpick".
So yeah...full circle


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## j3ps3 (Apr 13, 2016)

Rizzo said:


> ^^^
> That's a tight picking hand!
> What tuning is the song you played in?



Ceremonial is in C standard. The one I played, The Unseen, is in Bb standard.



Rizzo said:


> Btw, Medeia is the band in which the youtuber and vocalist "Finowa" is in, right?



Yeah, same band


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## ryane24 (Apr 27, 2016)

Any of you ever play Back Burner by August Burns Red? I learned that song years ago and still can only get all the way through it like 1 out of every 10 times I play it because of the down picking parts. I looked on youtube and people alternate pick everything, I don't know how they do that...


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## Mathemagician (Apr 27, 2016)

I want to learn a song completely down picked just to say I can. But then I go "naaaahh".


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## ftr (Apr 29, 2016)

Downpicking and clean tight rhythm playing is something that always interested me and is something i have always practiced a lot. I thought by now i would be able to play a lot of the songs downpicking full speed by now. i have been playing close to 8 years and have been working really hard on my rhythm for pretty much 5 years. i always find myself going ''alright, a year from now i should be able to play this full speed''. This does happen with some songs, but the songs that are downpicked i have trouble playing comfortably at full speed. for example, master of puppets and creeping death, i have been practicing those for a year now with the goal of being able to play them full speed down picking but i am still stuck at 90%. maybe i am at a plateau because of the way i hold my pick? i kind of stopped practicing down picking to focus on tremolo picking which i found i couldn't play some parts full speed well i.e. parts of death songs, emperor, but i have improved that aspect of my rhythm playing. and i i took a break from rhythm to focus on my lead. i thought taking a break and focusing on my lead would give some time for my rhythm playing muscle memory to improve but it didn't improve much. I am focusing back on my rhythm playing. practicing how i have always practiced, by playing clean as .... at a comfortable and increasing the speed slowly.


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