British Heavy Metal - Judas Priest

Lesson Sample

Looping Jam Track 1

Teacher: Judas Priest featured the duel guitar work of Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing. Often Tipton and Downing would crush away on identical rhythm riffs for maximum heaviness.

Main Riff


Teacher: Notice the riff uses the same 'power chord inversion' as last week. 5th-Root voicing, Also the use of a repeating 'pedal' tone. The pedal tone is a note riding under moving notes or chords on top. Practice playing the pedal tone with palm muting. Lift off on the chord hits to make them punchy.

blaine: Is that the same as a drone note?

Teacher: Pretty much the same. Just a pedal implies it is in the bass. The muting is important so that the pedal doesnt' overwhelm the rest of the riff. Here comes a video of the right hand.

Right Hand video

Teacher: The lesson sample starts with this bridge riff. Again power chords F5-D5-G5-E5

Bridge Riff


Teacher: An alternate way, used on the second repeat. The diads on the 2nd-3rd strings imply D major and E major.

Bridge Riff 2


Teacher: The C5-B5 chords at the 3rd and 2nd fret lead to the Main Riff. Tagged at the end of the tab.


Teacher: Here's a looping track:

Looping Jam Track 1


Teacher: A couple of lead riffs to put on top:

Lick 1


A Blues Scale


Teacher: First lick comes out of the standard A Blues scale. The neck will show the fingering I prefer when playing in this style, using a stretch to get the notes under the first three fingers only, helpful for the rapid fire legato and bends of the style.

Lick 2


Teacher: More legato in a three note per string style. This riff mixes modes and the blues scale.

A minor scale (Aeolian)


Teacher: Notes of the minor scale

A Dorian Mode


Teacher: and the dorian mode

Lick 3


Teacher: The same blues scale moved up 12 frets. The last lick using trem bar dips as Tipton likes to do. Here's a new jam track:

Looping Jam Track 2


Teacher: More metal mayhem next time from the Killmeister. Lemmy of Motorhead fame.