Hollow Standard · level 2 · goal 132 bpm

Hollow Standard is an eight-bar gallop riff in standard tuning: NWOBHM half-time stop-time in D minor. This is level 2 of 3, played at 132 bpm; the three levels of the riff run from 104 to 152 bpm. It works on palm muting, power chords, hammer-ons and pull-offs. The player loops the riff with drums and bass, starts at 70% speed and steps up 5% after every clean pass until you play it at full tempo.

Every hit is a downstroke and every rest is a dead stop with no ringing. In the gallop bars, rest your palm at the bridge so the two short notes thump while the long note stays open and accented on the beat.

The three levels

1. Level 1 · 104 bpm · NWOBHM half-time stop-time in D minor. The rests are part of the riff, so choke each hit by lifting your fretting fingers off the strings without leaving them.
2. Level 2 · 132 bpm · NWOBHM half-time stop-time in D minor. Every hit is a downstroke and every rest is a dead stop with no ringing.
3. Level 3 · 152 bpm · NWOBHM half-time stop-time in D minor. In bar six the pull-offs fill the gaps between hits, so mute the chord first and snap each pull-off onto the open string.