Learning Megadeth - Peace Sells - GuitarTalk Community

Learning Megadeth - Peace Sells

NorioDS

Right! Phase 2 of the "Pointy vs Paddle Headstock" guitar duel has us learning "Peace Sells" by Megadeth.

Right off the bat... my fingers are freezing. This one is gonna be harder to learn just because the mornings and evenings are colder now. Speed + Cold don't go well together. So this ought to be "fun".

I'm buying the Rocksmith 2014 song on Steam. I'll first learn the notes and groove there and then add in metronome playing so that I can bring up the speed. Rocksmith's Riff Repeater is great but I prefer increasing the BPM in increments of 5 - 10 BPM. I suppose it's just what I'm used to but it also helps transfer what I learn to the real world (with other musicians).

The other benefit to adding in non-Rocksmith practising is it allows me to work on my tone. Turning tone and volume knobs up or down, switching pick-ups, playing with push-pull pots, tweaking knobs on my amp, etc. This is super important to me, again, to allow me to translate what I learn into real-world jams.

Later that hour...

So I'm practising along with the song and I'm wondering when the challenge will hit me. Then it hits me. Around the third quarter of the song, there's this rhythm "breakdown" that is pretty tricky. And will be a beast to do up to speed.

Still doesn't feel like as much of a challenge as Scuttle Buttin' but then I think I'm relieved about that!

@V8 — was that the part of the song that got you interested in this song for the challenge? Or am I missing a whole other tasty part?

V8

NorioDS @V8 — was that the part of the song that got you interested in this song for the challenge? Or am I missing a whole other tasty part?

Bwahahaha, you're looking for the machocist part...well, there isn't really one in the rhythm guitaring parts. This is an accessible tune ?

But it does have a groove, subtle, but like Scuttle Buttin, there's a feel to it - without it - the song doesn't really flow nicely. If you're headbangin while playin, you're doing it right ? The bass line while, very similar, is a fun to play on bass too - Maybe give your bass a little lovin' too. And if you really want to crank up the ludicrous, try play any of the lead licks, they're warp speed!

Unlike Scuttle Buttin, I'm betting on me for this one...but...tonewise It'll be interesting, my paddle doesn't metal real good. All you gotta to is : bridge pickup, cut the mids, add some gain and "wahhyy-hey"!

NorioDS

V8 All you gotta to is : bridge pickup, cut the mids, add some gain and "wahhyy-hey"!

Yeah there's no "cut the mids" option on my amp. I have a single, solitary tone knob ?

V8 if you really want to crank up the ludicrous, try play any of the lead licks

Definitely super-fast! I'm gonna give some of 'em a try but I won't sacrifice a good groove for some weedly-weedly. It helps that I love this song so I should notice if I'm veering off course. The tricky thing with the SRV tune was that I heard it for the first time when I watched that Paul Davids video. So my ear had no idea if I was doing anything wrong.

V8

NorioDS It helps that I love this song so I should notice if I'm veering off course.

Ahh, gooood! It's one of my favourite Megadeth tunes - second only to Hanger18. I will give the opening lead a try, but already I think it's too fast and my paddley effort doesn't have the 'touch typing' shreddy feel that makes those leads a tad easier to play (E.g. Flat fretboard, skinny wizard neck and high output humbuckers).

I'm eyeing @Jazzman105 's SA120.,.it would be (*&^ing perfect for this.

I'll try do a 2m metal rhythm demo this week using a riff of Peace Sells - really just to share a stoopid little exercise I occasionally do (it's the only one) - it's ever-so-simple and incredibly effective.

NorioDS

V8 I'll try do a 2m metal rhythm demo this week using a riff of Peace Sells - really just to share a stoopid little exercise I occasionally do (it's the only one) - it's ever-so-simple and incredibly effective.

Sounds fun! Looking forward to it

NorioDS

Day 2 — Didn't get to practise this morning so I squeezed in a bit of time before lunch.

Rhythm bits (even the more complicated ones) are starting to come together. I still miss a chord now and then and in the faster rhythm part, quite a lot of notes but I take comfort that it's starting to sound like something.

Haven't added in metronome practise as I still have to check what notes I'm playing and I found that it's easier to first learn the notes and THEN add in the metronome.

V8

Day 1 : 0m. I'm giving @NorioDS a headstart.

Not really....? I did spend a bit of time learning both Peace Sells and Raining Blood when I was supposed to be working on the Scuttle Buttin challenge.

Not that I'm at all far, got the first 3 rhythm riffs rocking with drums, but not to tempo. Still got another 5 or so riffs to go - want to borrow a looper and see if I can work out a way to get a few of the dual guitar parts looping together, think that'll be fun.

V8

Day 2. 0m. I should really start learning something today ?

NorioDS

Day 3 — Nothing so far. Power outage this morning made it hard to practice. I could have practised unplugged though but that didn't occur to me until now ?

Will hopefully squeeze in a bit of practise in the arvie/evening.

NorioDS

Day 3 — Later that day...

Got some decent practise in at night. Almost have the more difficult riff under my fingers. There's a bit of tricky string-skipping that's tough to raise up to tempo.

Also, there are a lot of different parts that make up the song. Gonna need to pick a few and commit those to memory so I can start adding in metronome practice to my regimen.

The main rhythm that goes: Bb5 A5 x x x x G5 x x x x Ab5 x x x x (etc)

... There's a slight trick to the groove that I haven't quite gotten yet. I could sit counting the notes and so on but I prefer to feel the groove and "let it come to me". Not a standard way of learning a song or riff but I enjoy it way more.

I find the trickiest bits of the song is actually the switching between riffs. You might be finishing 1 riff around the 1st or 2nd fret and starting the next on the 10th fret. That's where song familiarity becomes helpful. You can look "forward" to the upcoming parts and prepare your fingers to get to where they need to be on time.

For a self-proclaimed metal-head, it's a shame I've never learned a metal song. This is a lot of fun and I'm sure it'll inspire much metal-groove making in the future ?

V8

NorioDS The main rhythm that goes: Bb5 A5 x x x x G5 x x x x Ab5 x x x x (etc)

This one? Ignore the tuning, you're probably in Eb (Album tuning), while I'm resolutely staying E standard.

Riff 1
e|-------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------6-----------------------5--|
E|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--4--0-0-0-0-0-0-0--3--|

e|-------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------6--------------------8--7-|
E|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--4--0-0-0-0-0-0--6--5-|

NorioDS You might be finishing 1 riff around the 1st or 2nd fret and starting the next on the 10th fret.

I've seen a few differing tabs - more so than for Scuttle Buttin! What you can do for this one is start on the D string 5th fret instead of the A string 10th fret - the bonus is that I find it much easy to squeal (pinch harmonics) on the D string than the A for this riff and the hand doesn't have top rush into position, you're pretty much there already from the previous riff?

NorioDS

Day 4 — I also keep fish and we had no power yesterday which is when I do water changes. So this morning I did that and it took too long. No practise yet. Hoping to again squeeze something in the arvie or evening.

V8

Day 3. 10m on Peace Sells and 20m on Mr Brownstone (opening riff). This am I recall Mr Brownstone but not the Peace Sells riffs...sigh...

NorioDS

V8 This one? Ignore the tuning, you're probably in Eb (Album tuning), while I'm resolutely staying E standard.

That's the one! Rocksmith reckons the song is in E standard. I'm saying Bb5 where I could say A#5. Exactly the same notes as your tab though.

V8 the bonus is that I find it much easy to squeal (pinch harmonics)

Gotta admit, I'm struggling with the harmonics. Might have to switch BACK to the tiny pick for this one ?

As for the positions, I'm happy enough switching around. It can only improve my skills for future songs. As much as I'm already exhausted by all of the pressure that goes with this duel, it is having a majorly positive influence on my playing! Particularly the techniques I've ignored for most of the last 20-odd years.

V8

NorioDS V8 This one? Ignore the tuning, you're probably in Eb (Album tuning), while I'm resolutely staying E standard.

That's the one! Rocksmith reckons the song is in E standard. I'm saying Bb5 where I could say A#5. Exactly the same notes as your tab though.

Aha, I'll admit to LOVING this 1/8th note riff. As simple as it looks...it is very subtly groovy - the trick (I believe) is that that fretted chord is on the 8th note and then the 1 that follows is a accented open E - it lends a certain groove to what is a straight 1/8 note feel.

I also didn't count this, but felt it - much fun!

NorioDS V8 the bonus is that I find it much easy to squeal (pinch harmonics)

Gotta admit, I'm struggling with the harmonics. Might have to switch BACK to the tiny pick for this one

These puny single coils of mine are not helping - what would scream out of a humbucker just doesn't have the same sustain/satisfaction on these bullet strat pups I'm rockin' (yip...my MIJ has circa 2002 MIC bullet strat pups, more microphone than pickup ?)

NorioDS

V8 These puny single coils of mine are not helping

Yeah that part I'm enjoying. Seems the bridge pickup on the JS100 + my Orange Micro terror are perfect for getting the right sound. Once I have a version of this under my fingers, methinks it'll be a fun one to jam from time to time. Maybe even as a fun warm-up (at slower tempos) before each practice session.

V8

NorioDS Seems the bridge pickup on the JS100 + my Orange Micro terror are perfect for getting the right sound.

Far more so than mine! I was thinking a metal zone would work for this - ridiculous noise floor aside (more hiss than a 50's am radio station), it does have a 4 band eq that lets one pull all the mids out.

Mine is away on loonnggg term loan. The kinda loan that you never get back - though, I kinda knew that when I handed it over.

However...I do have friends in low places.

NorioDS

Day 4 — Later that day...

Managed to squeeze in some practice. Got the "peace sellllls but who's buyin'" rhythm section (last third of the song) kinda under my fingers. Getting perfect "scores" in Rocksmith at 90% speed.

But that's the same trap I fell into before* with SRV - Scuttle Buttin'. Time to add in a metronome. 90% sounds fast so I stayed there too long instead of increasing to 91%, 92% and beyond.

There's something about a scale of 1 - 100 that doesn't let you "feel" how truly far away you are from 100% when you're at 90%.

Compare that to the difference between 124bpm (90%) and 138bpm (100%) and, somehow, it just seems like a greater distance and I take it more seriously and practise a little harder. They're the same thing but my brain treats them differently. 90% is "good enough". Whereas anything less than my target tempo is NOT.

(I got the 138bpm tempo of the song from a website. Not sure it's accurate.)

V8

NorioDS (I got the 138bpm tempo of the song from a website. Not sure it's accurate.)

I had it up to 145bpm last nite - I didn't know what the bpm was on this (Found some sheet music the am, 140bpm was what they all were agreeing on - but I'm not 100% that's all the way through, I felt it speeded up for the last 1/3?)

Did try the opening lead lick...umm, yeah right - that;s way outside my skill set to get to 140bpm anytime soon.

THough I did get to thinking how to present the learnings - I'm thinking I'm not going note for note song structure - since I'm not doing vocals or solo's. Rather a short n fun performance of the riffage that flows like the original (I hope).

NorioDS

V8 THough I did get to thinking how to present the learnings - I'm thinking I'm not going note for note song structure - since I'm not doing vocals or solo's. Rather a short n fun performance of the riffage that flows like the original (I hope)

Exactly what I'm thinking and the best way to do this without boring our poor listeners ?

ChrisDanger

NorioDS best way to do this without boring our poor listeners

Listening to Mustaine riffs is the antithesis of boring! ?