Iron Lowland · level 2 · goal 115 bpm

Iron Lowland is an eight-bar classic rock riff in standard tuning: Classic hard rock, A minor, low strings, half-time stomp. This is level 2 of 3, played at 115 bpm; the three levels of the riff run from 100 to 135 bpm. It works on palm muting, power chords. 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.

Let the accented chords ring open and keep the single-note chugs tight under the palm. Listen for the contrast between open and muted; that contrast is the groove.

The three levels

1. Level 1 · 100 bpm · Classic hard rock, A minor, low strings, half-time stomp. Count the rests out loud and mute them with the picking hand so the silence is clean.
2. Level 2 · 115 bpm · Classic hard rock, A minor, low strings, half-time stomp. Let the accented chords ring open and keep the single-note chugs tight under the palm.
3. Level 3 · 135 bpm · Classic hard rock, A minor, low strings, half-time stomp. Reverse gallops are down-up-down: two muted sixteenths, then a firm eighth.