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.

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.

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

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.

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 ?

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.

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 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?

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.

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.

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.)

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).

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 ?

NorioDS best way to do this without boring our poor listeners

Listening to Mustaine riffs is the antithesis of boring! ?

ChrisDanger that's the spirit!

Day 5. 15m. Most productive session of the week. Still working on the last 1/3 riffage, not quite there yet.

Tonally I'm gonna get stomped. My 'rig' is not really cut out for high gain ?

So something weird happened in the last session. I tried my tiny Jazz ii or iii pick and everything just flowed so easily.

Even scuttle buttin' felt easier to play.

And it's all kinda confusing. Not sure what's really helping or hindering my playing. I suppose I need to keep switching between my picks and see what ends up being my go-to.

But the part that sucks is discovering this while under pressure to learn and perform new tunes. It's a great motivator to get'r done but it also just adds even more pressure and overwhelm to the mix!

Pick the wrong pick and you might screw up the performance or learning. I'm beginning to understand those superstitious soccer players who need their lucky underwear on to win a game! ?

Now I just need to figure out what my lucky pick is!

NorioDS So something weird happened in the last session. I tried my tiny Jazz ii or iii pick and everything just flowed so easily.

I also had a spectacular playing day yesterday...perhaps the stars were aligned...just so?

Day 6: 15m. Easily the funnest day of the 2part challenge so far. Got a great idea that you'll have to to wait n see - @NorioDS ain't 'borrowing' this genius maneuver (it's the guitar version of suplex ?)

Day 7. 0m. Too much sport on! Rugger, Ufc and F1, meant a day off guitaring. Did manage to borrow a simple looper (ditto clone)...