Metallica's Tricky BATTERY (Gallop Riff) DECODED!

Hear it with new ears.
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[@Anywherethatisnthere]

1:53-2:12 that actually sounds really cool

[@prometheustv6558]

It sounds like it could be a bridge of a song off The Black Album

[@dimitripapadinikolaus]

Kinda sounds like Eye of the Beholder

[@JoseGonzalez-eq8gz]

Kinda sounds like Powerslave from Iron Maiden

[@kaiser7695]

Sounds like Iron Maiden

[@chr1llee]

holy shit it sounds so good?

[@congoose100]

James sings over that. Insane.

[@nihilist92]

My thought precisely!!

[@Mickocarbomb]

He sings and plays it with precision which scares and impresses me.

[@banticraider]

@TheHunterTV ok mr

[@deadstar44]

@Jose Soto Except Hetfield plays that insane gallop, belts over it AND interacts with the crowd like a showman across the stage all the way at ease through while Mustaine is stuck gnarling at the mic all constipated. Hetfield makes that look easy even it's anything but.

[@clcartlidge]

It's not that hard

[@DwayneRidgwayOfficial]

Battery is one of the most deceptively simple songs. Those gallops are crazy. Cliff played a groovier version of the riff that didn't gallop, but the differences don't make it any easier. Great video, thank you! Addendum: Thinking about it, Battery isn't really simple like I implied, I guess I just mean that on paper it seems fairly straight forward, but it has tons of nuances, like a lot of Metallica's songs.

[@prometheustv6558]

If you look at James’ interview with Guitar Center he does the power chords with his pinky but uses his ring to play the thirds.

[@gregorywilson3318]

Funky but actually interestingly cool.

[@sludgerat666]

Counter intuitive but still badass

[@TwstedLizard]

I love that james is my guitar idol because he plays funky just like i do

[@featheryfemme]

Huh, that's what I've always done. Just feels right, feels comfortable.

[@weeabooman1465]

you’re a really cool dude and I appreciate your videos

[@MirrorMountain]

I fully agree with this

[@Hoscitt]

I love it when you do these 'straight beat' versions, really changes how I hear the songs even after 30 years of obsessive listening! 👍🤘

[@RaaZVan99]

1:53 what if battery was on load/reload

[@clichenachos3109]

Somebody should do vocals for it, or put slithers or king nothing vocals over it

[@jfo3000]

It wouldn't have the killer MoP guitar sound. Probably other key elements missing too.

[@JosephDunegan]

Young man (I say this with all due respect) I was there in '86 when Master of Puppets was released and Metallica was on tour with Cliff Burton before he died. I have to say you did a great break down of this song. I'm proud of you!

[@BlakeSpohn]

Radical!

[@pthibault630]

It still sounds like it inverts on the second pass when you bring it up to speed, but I know it doesn't. I've known for years how this riff is supposed to go, but even to this day when I listen to them play it I have to actually pay attention to it. If I stop concentrating on it, the beat still inverts in my head at some point. More so during the chorus than the verse

[@Chris-ec9xi]

Same here. I think a key factor, apart from the way the riff is constructed (and a bit of sloppiness in James' playing at precisely that 4th third i.e. the first beat of the new bar), is Lars not really emphasizing the downbeat plus a very prominent snare on the upbeat. It's even worse on fight Fire with Fire, where I it close to impossible to count it through

[@SlinkyJosh]

I have been listening to this song for 17 years and that riff has never made sense to me. Now it finally does, thank you!

[@aleksandrkras6969]

I love how clean you play in slow speed there’s where real technic is

[@Behdad47]

If you didn't understand what he's saying, it's completely okay. Your body needs to understand it as well. Start slow and build up speed.

[@kcpiranha58]

Mike you always have such a great tone and your playing is so clean.

[@floridajim3023]

Your vid is just where I want to be in20 years! But unfortunately I am 71 and have my doubts about that ! I watched you beginners vid with the spyder move and started on it a couple of months ago and I can’t get my little finger to cooperate with this but I will keep trying! Thank you for your time you give to these vids

[@craigpaulson3503]

Once you get passed that first 6 months to a year, you should start progressing by leaps and blind. One piece of advice I'd like to share concerns your breathing. Just like anything else that requires concentration, sometimes we breathe a lot more shallow. When you sit down to play take a few really deep breathes in through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth. Relax your body, especially your hands and fingers. Once you feel relaxed and you're ready to play, place your fingers lightly on the fret board and play through some scales. Press so light that you hear buzzing of the strings. Running through the sales like this will help muscle memory. At this point, what you play doesn't have to sound all that good. Keep breathing deeply and keep fingers not being immediately used as close to the fret board as possible. Very important to stay relaxed the entire time. Once you're familiar with the scale you can start applying more pressure to your fretted notes. Just enough until you get a nice full sounding note. In other words, stay as relaxed as possible and fret the string as light as possible to create a full note. Pressing too hard will cause hand fatigue and possibly lead to injuries such as tendonitis. Pressing too hard will also cause notes to become sharp because of unintended bends. Sorry if this isn't explained very well, but I hope it's clear enough to help. My playing really took off after learning this. Have fun.

[@andthebeatgoeson69]

Hope you're still practicing, Florida Jim

[@ViktorDimovskiGtr]

That slide part 2>3 3>4 at the end makes me shift gears everytime...

[@vividpugzz]

When you played the riff at a slower tempo it sounded like something from the Black Album lol

[@ryanem969]

I've always played it as an Ebm, not a D. The root and 3rd part. I used to think it was a straight D, but years of obsessing... Try it out, sounds closer.. but cheers!

[@andthebeatgoeson69]

Same. It's sounds like the Ebm / Bmaj inversion. I honestly don't think it's D.

[@ianw.9185]

@@andthebeatgoeson69 I really don't think it is either, even though a lot of smart players say it is

[@mr.iiconic]

Couldn't agree more.

[@gregorywilson3318]

You’re a legend, great video! I really like how it sounds a slower tempo!!!

[@middleclassthrash]

Lars is the secret sauce that makes metallica sound so much more original than other bands.

[@haversidne3658]

Fuck yeah i love lars

[@asymptoticspatula]

Battery is one of my favorite riffs ever. It’s so weird, both in timing and in note choices.

[@pthibault630]

You know how I finally got this burned into my brain? By listening to the isolated drum and BASS track. Not only is it awesome to hear Cliffs parts... but he grooves so hard, it actually helps burn the rhythm into your head.

[@Trystero_]

Can you imagine a world without guitar you can’t cause guitar holds together the universe

[@airconditioningunit9777]

but bass holds together the mix

[@marvintimke3978]

@@airconditioningunit9777 It's everything....bass, guitar, drums and whatever else you have in your band

[@deadaccount5063]

@@marvintimke3978 the trash can

[@XxinsaneDavidxX]

The guitar is such a screechy annoying noise 💀😷 ooo a world without guitars you say!?😍😍😍WHEREE!? Sign me up!!

[@tomclarkson1257]

@@deadaccount5063 trash can important

[@nickweiler3693]

I find the album version to be especially difficult to listen to "correctly" because of the way it's played. The downbeat seems to be de-emphasized on both the drums and the guitar in such a way that it's uniquely confusing to keep the rhythm. I've had better luck with live versions of the song.

[@MegadethFan9000]

I hope you one day do a video showing all the guitar techniques of Rodolf Schenker.

[@danielalejandro5674]

Man I was just starting to learn this riff, pretty nice breakdown

[@dml-_2120]

Idk if you did this beforehand but I love how everyone plays that major 3rd diad after Uncle Ben's video :D

[@Squall6575]

dude i recently watched that vid and switched my playing too lmao

[@jdaniel.guitar]

But isn’t supposed to be a minor 3rd of D#,F# vs the major 3rd of D,F#? I am confused.

[@ThrashRoC]

I´ve seen Metallica back in 91 in Basel /Swiss Live @the "Monsters of Rock" ..first row (standing at the PA) They were INCREDIBLE good on the day.. not ONE fucking wrong note !! I will NEVER forget this show, especially since I had a backstage pass and "meet & greet" with Hetfield .. They played Battery and it was so FUCKING good ..

[@Golipillas]

Love your content, you're such a good teacher

[@Swampster70]

As the great bassist Billy Sheehan once said, "if you have to think about it, you didn't practice enough." Battery isn't technically difficult, just be aware of the timing and the 'on' beats. Being able to dig into the strings and get the chug required in order to not crank the gain to get the sound, that for me was the really hard part. Jame's iron grip on the pick is key. You have command of the pick to that degree, the rest rhythmically is achievable He is smacking the crap out of his strings playing this whilst being super accurate. That's the hard bit..

[@stephenwinchester6668]

The slow tempo in the beginning sounds awesome!!

[@0mik3mik3]

Your tone is amazing.

[@JAF2991]

That tone, I love it!

[@voronOsphere]

Whoah!!!! That sounds like a whole new song!!!!! I actually like it better than the regular speed (of course the original is a metal milestone)!!!!! Thanks, Mike!!!!

[@ASSASSIN-ej7pp]

You should do a lesson on Of Wolf and Man

[@WizardOfArc]

Shape shiiiiiiiift!

[@gageclark2390]

Dude that’s like one of my favorite Metallica riffs right there.

[@phadrus]

@@gageclark2390 I’ll second that

[@voronOsphere]

Great tune!

[@richkurtz9661]

DDDUUUUDDDEEE!!!! Thank you for this video. It finally unlocked in my head. Been trying for 30 years to understand this riff. Thanks dude.

[@sylentstorm8422]

Thank you for these vids. Best lessons on KZbin.

[@xPBKM4x]

Love this song. My favourite all time Metallica song and especially with the SFO! Can’t get enough of that S&M album made in ‘99. My ultimate goal is to play and sing this like James is able to. It is a god-like skill to pull off such a fast moving riff. Anyone you could point me to so I could get lessons on the coordination it takes to play and sing at the same time?

[@austinhunt4260]

You’re a talented teacher! Humility goes A LONG WAY.

[@Flaming676]

I always thought that the 3 sixtieth notes with the sixth string open was the begining and the E minor diad (5th string on 7 fret and 4th string on 5th fret) was the end of the riff. I was felt it that way until now that I want to learn this song and I was struggling to get in time every single time! Thank you for this thorough lesson!

[@Metron3]

You should have posted this when I was like 16

[@ThrashRoC]

You are a COOL Guitar Guy !! This Channel ROCKS !

[@BRO77TX]

Mike, that beginning riff could be an actual song!! 🤘

[@oozePOP]

I found this channel through randomly getting suggested the video of the drum part in One that feels off. Then I just randomly had the idea to do a search for a video on how to properly listen to the song Battery (because my brain does do the on beat off beat shift thing). Lo and behold, it's the same exact channel I had just encountered! Even better... all these videos were just recently uploaded! Finding this channel was definitely destiny.

[@sn00k24]

My thing is still getting lost when I focus on the drums. I can play the riff fine, it sounds like it adds a beat and then loses a beat somewhere in the phrase to me. I could hear the proper way on one of the audio clips of them playing this during Jason's audition I believe, at least a lot better than the official album version and it made the song sound way better i thought. Not sure if that would help anyone too.

[@sn00k24]

Yeah it's been three years and I still can't hear this riff right. The vocals make the drums sound right but as soon as I focus on the guitar I lose it. Probably will always be like this

[@sonicclang]

Seriously the best video ever made showing how to play Battery. I've been a Metallica fan since I was 13 (1992). I could never figure this riff out. At least now I understand it, even if it's still hard to play. I'm going to keep practicing.

[@keyable]

Thanks for anothet Metallica Rythm lesson, waiting for more Metallica stuff! cheers

[@jwalters8498]

Great breakdown of an awesome Riff, thank you, not quite at that speed yet but I will be then I can come back to this.

[@corporalrich]

Your amazing. When you slowed it down I almost heard a malcolm young riff... you can guess which.

[@rayrayallday]

you sir just earned a follow for life. this is a great explanation.

[@operationthrash9645]

Fun fact: It’s obviously still hard, but actually easier than you think to play and sing this song. Once you get into it, “meshing” the galloping motion with your vocals is actually pretty doable. I’d say the most impossible Metallica song to play and sing is creeping death.

[@espkstm]

Thanks for breaking this down! Battery and Blackened are 2 of the hardest rhythms to get down! \m/

[@rizkiarya6257]

I feel you bro, been practicing for weeks but still cant get that rythm

[@bruh5687]

Holy crap I think I just mastered this riff off of this video. Thank you! Plus your They Live shirt is awesome!

[@MirrorMountain]

Really cool lesson, thanks! Never realised that i missed a couple of nuances.

[@rickgriego2844]

At first I thought this was a lot of hacking,but this is actually GOOD ADVICE.Thanks for the video bud!

[@realmichaeltian]

honestly these videos are just the best

[@clownpocket]

That riff always puzzled me, thanks for breaking it down so it makes some sense. I had given up on it. I have really bad rhythm, and get thrown off the beat very easily, so I’m always drilling repeatedly with a drum machine to get parts down.

[@Frenchmelodymaker]

And what about the gallop picking of James in My apocalypse ? He somehow alternates between down picking and gallop picking, it’s quite difficult to get it by ear and it’s even harder to play. Any advise ?

[@kartikchandrasekhar2762]

''KIRK HAMMETT: James would show Cliff and me the riffs, and we'd build the songs from there. Some I'd already be familiar with. The main riff in ''Battery'', for instance: the first time I heard James play that was in England, on his acoustic guitar. We were watching THE YOUNG ONES on the BBC, and all of a sudden he started messing around with this sort of galloping rhythm. I said, ''Wow, that's cool''. And so when it came time to start learning stuff, I'd often hear a riff and say, ''Oh, okay. I know that one.""

[@lucalapaglia3941]

Oh my god I looked for a video like this for so long

[@DiegoAmbrósio-o6m]

Terrific lesson!

[@thedaywerevolt]

What you don't touch on - are you alt picking or doing the all downstroke method? I guess I just can't tell!

[@fernando651]

ugh ive been trying to master this riff for like 20 years. i still suck at it. i think i need to get me up/down strokes right on this one.

[@smarkmalark]

Aye! Love the "They Live" shirt!

[@runwithaxx8663]

They really gotta bring cliff onstage :(

[@satchrules101]

if it wasn't from one of ur older lessons on how to position ur wrist when down picking fast riffs ... my wrist would not be able to keep up it would die out! Thanks bro.

[@Vau_]

Always cool to hear you play Metallica

[@adambarkermusic]

This blew my mind. This has always messed with my ears/mind, thank you!

[@koalanectar9382]

There are so many metallica songs where it sounds like the snare drum is alternating between emphasizing downbeats and upbeats, but the part never changes. I can never tell if that's on purpose or not.

[@oneminutefixed5003]

I play this everyday, but I can't go over 90% speed without getting sloppy

[@gregd5569]

I believe there is one more trick to the gallop. The accent in the 16h-16th-8th (3-note gallop grouping) is on the first note (TA-da-da) not the last one (ta-da-DA). In the context of the bar the accent is on AND ([one]-e-[AND-a-two]-e-[AND-a-three]-e). The first note in bar is never accented. It is very audible in the original song but not never in Guitar Pro style tabs. I suspect that when James created the riff he counted (or felt) it differently (to how it is represented in the tabs) with the first single open E of the riff being the AND of the previous bar and with the first notes of "the gallop 3" falling on ONE a TWO of the new bar.

[@ajizzle4rizzle]

Really starting to enjoy your content 👊

[@v0ver]

The battery gallop riff is mistery for me =) thanks a lot!

[@Living_EDventures]

You make it seem so easy. Great video Mike.

[@jayyoutube8790]

Great teacher. Thank you👍🏻

[@aryankarecha5793]

I think that Lars’ crashes on the and, along with the snare, also make a big difference, because if you if listen to Seattle 89, where he does not hit the crashes, the snare still sounds like it’s on the and, but on the master of puppets tour, Lars does the crashes. So both the drums and the riff make a difference in this case.

[@oinka720]

I don't play the guitar. I used to play guitar hero. Those off beat snare hits drove me absolutely bonkers. Your teaching has given me hope that I can dig up my plastic toy guitar and reclaim my balls from that stupid game that done stoled them all those years ago. Thank you. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

[@jackclayton5620]

The most megadeth sounding Metallica riff ever, my favorite

[@tytholemewg2531]

Love your energy bro

[@mikkelbomholt247]

Thank you for this video! i finally learnt the right timing of the riff:)

[@mrbigg7255]

Really liked the slowed down version. Sounded cool.

[@DeviantmindOG]

I’ve actually started to watch it in slo mo as james is playing it for a demo, and really listening and looking at his fingers. I’m now 99.99% sure that the “inverse power chord” is always two frets apart, not as you’re playing it. Can you please look into it again?

[@theendpyro4757]

1:53 i thought he was gonna play Barracuda for a moment there

[@shaunshuping9768]

Heavy metal Paul Rudd has new video!!!! Lol,. Just picking.... You're a great teacher bro, really appreciate the videos and the piece by piece breakdowns you do, very very helpful!

[@TheRichie213]

This riff actually sounds really good slow!

[@voronOsphere]

Yeah! Like a whole new tune!

[@asphen2106]

Hi ! Greetings from Germany ! Like your videos. Did you use coloured contact lenses in this video ? Looking kind of strange compared to your other vids...

[@flanaj2]

You're absolutely amazing mate. I love your Blackened video. BUT 2:26 is wrong. A-string falls one semi-tone, the same as the D-string.

[@jamesb95]

Wait! Is it really [A string 7 fret + D sting 5 fret] chord to [A sting 5 fret + D string 4 fret] or is that second chord [A string 6 fret + D string 4 fret]. The tab book back in 88 had the first way (the way you play it) but I thought later that was a mistake and it’s the second way…. I know no one would notice but is that really the case?

[@dirkdiggler9147]

I used to play this when I was 16. If you can't move your wrist fast enough or adjust your fingers on the fret board. Don't try to figure it out. You just have to be fast enough.

[@bigstam1234567890]

Wait isn't the part with the inverted power chords both minor 3rds like 75-64-75?

[@warcaster4009]

That's how I have always played it.

[@billygoat12]

i always thought it was played like that but this is actually how they play on the album

[@buddy0li]

You are 100% right, but the tabs are written 75-54-75, that’s probably why he plays it that way.

[@lifeisdead01]

If you listen to the isolated guitar track, you can hear him play a D in that major 3rd interval. He only plays a D# minor 3rd when looping back into the start of the riff

[@shamicentertainment1262]

Funny thing is I've never had issues with playing along with metallicas weird timing, but then I watch a video decoding it and I"m like What the hell is going on lol

[@felipesantell007]

Hi, I've seen people playing the 7-5 5-4 7-5 part like this 7-5 6-4 7-5. In the tab's book, the tab shows it the way you play (5-4) it but the notation shows it the other way (6-4). It's a mess basically. Have you seen this confusion? Thx.

[@yeetfeet1878]

Hey my birthday is tommorow. Thanks for this early gift. By the way I love playing battery on drums. Always very inspiring thank you for this. Have a great day.

[@DwayneRidgwayOfficial]

Hope you have a happy birthday! Mine's less than a week from now so I'm considering this a week-early birthday present.

[@yeetfeet1878]

@ Dwayne Ridgway Thanks. And happy birthday to you as well.

[@Truthosaurus]

Ah man .... guitar and shirt are perfect match ))

[@jimicoop]

Awesome work man. 🤘🤘🎵

[@elguitarTom]

The reason for many thinking they tricked people on the beast, is because of Lars's pounding snare and not so clear kick drum sound on those albums

[@Ju1cy_F4rtzz]

whats up mike how's your day going?

[@xdfreaky9340]

Its easy to learn if u havent heard the song before. The hard thing is to reprogram your brain to hear a riff u know to well diffrent.

[@dougwhitton6298]

Baddery or Battery? Do they have two similar sounding tracks?

[@romanshredz]

Awesome video and thanks ! Slowing it down did finally make it it click … damn 👍

[@twosnakse]

Brother...I’m sure you’re playing the second minor dyad slightly wrong? It’s Eb (6th fret on A) and F#(4th fret on D), or at least I was 100% sure for the last 15 years until now! Ps I was wrong and apologise. Please watch the Ben Eller video mentioned below if you play it wrong like me!

[@ryanbradley248]

No it’s correct actually. Pretty sure Ben Eller debunked that. Go watch his vid on it.

[@ryanbradley248]

But I’m pretty sure all of us played it the way you said our entire lives.

[@twosnakse]

@@ryanbradley248 you’re absolutely right and I’m both pissed off and laughing about playing that one note wrong for 15 years. I humbly retract my statement and thank you for the correction.

[@TheArtofGuitar]

You're awesome Boynton. Sorry I snapped a bit at ya in the Stream, it's just really frustrating hearing that after working so hard all day on the video. See you at another LiveStream soon I hope.