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For Whom The Bell Tolls

MetallicaView all Metallica tabs

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For Whom The Bell Tolls by Metallica

Released in 1984 on Metallica's Ride the Lightning, For Whom the Bell Tolls crystallized the band's thrash-metal voice with a menacing, trudging groove. The track's iconic riff owes much to Cliff Burton's heavy bass line and James Hetfield's rhythm guitar, and its title nods to John Donne's meditation and the Hemingway novel about war.

The song's writing and recording fused Hetfield's stoic rhythm guitar with Burton's thunderous bass intro, setting up a pummeling, mid-tempo groove that fans instantly recognized. Over the years it became a cornerstone of Metallica's live shows and a gateway track for many listeners into thrash metal, its title and themes leaving a lasting impression on metal culture.

🎸 Want to know the techniques, practice tips, and lesson details? Scroll below the lesson!

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What You'll Learn

In this lesson you will learn the core of For Whom the Bell Tolls: the down-picked, palm-muted main riff built from power-chord shapes around the low E-based roots, plus the verse and chorus groove that repeats with tight timing. We cover a clean approach to coordinating left-hand power chords with right-hand muting, keeping a steady groove with the bass, and nailing the signature off-beat accents that give the riff its punch. We'll also touch on the transition into the bridge and how to approach playing at speed without losing control.

Intermediate; helpful to have solid palm muting, basic power-chord shapes, and comfortable down-picking/alternate picking at moderate tempo.

🎸 Techniques Used

Palm MutingPower ChordsDown-Picking / Alternate PickingRiff-based Syncopation

Practice Tips

💡Break the riff into two-bar phrases and practise with a metronome, starting slow and increasing tempo gradually.
💡Lock in the groove with the bass by matching your low-string muting to the kick of the drums for a tight chug.
💡Practice the section hands separately (left-hand shapes first, then right-hand muting) before combining for speed.