Five Magics by Megadeth
Five Magics is one of Megadeth's most lauded early instrumental pieces, a showcase of technical prowess and daring composition from the band's 1980s era. Often cited as a standout track on Megadeth's debut album Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!, the tune reportedly builds around five distinct melodic motifs that flip from brutal, palm-muted chug to nimble, tremolo-picked passages.
Though not a mainstream single, Five Magics left a lasting imprint on aspiring players, illustrating how Megadeth could fuse speed, precision, and musical ideas into a single piece. Its five-part structure invites guitarists to study phrasing, rhythm, and fretboard economy—the kinds of details that defined thrash mastery and inspired countless players to push their own technical boundaries.
🎸 Want to know the techniques, practice tips, and lesson details? Scroll below the lesson!
What You'll Learn
Students will learn to navigate the five sections of Five Magics, building a toolkit of riffs, transitions, and techniques. You'll tackle the main tremolo-picked leads, fast alternate-picking riffs, palm-muted chug sections, and the melodic arpeggios that connect them, while focusing on timing, dynamics, and clean transitions to keep the tempo tight.
Advanced; prior skills in tight alternate picking, palm muting, clean fretting, and quick fretboard navigation will help you master this track.
🎸 Techniques Used
Practice Tips
- 💡Break the tune into five sections and practice each at a slow tempo with a metronome before linking them.
- 💡Lock in your palm muting and stay relaxed so the chug sounds even across sections.
- 💡Record and compare to a reference; practice with a downbeat metronome to ensure the accents land on the right counts.
More Megadeth Tab Lessons
Want More Lessons?
Subscribe to DadRock Tabs on YouTube for free guitar and bass lessons every week!
Subscribe – It's Free!💬 Comments & Ratings
Loading comments...