Long Tide (hard) · level 3 · goal 140 bpm

Long Tide is an eight-bar lead riff in standard tuning: Melodic metal lead, D minor, fifth to thirteenth fret. This is level 3 of 3, played at 140 bpm; the three levels of the riff run from 100 to 140 bpm. It works on power chords, hammer-ons and pull-offs, slides, vibrato. 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.

The runs feed the long notes, so play them light and land the target on the beat. Strictly alternate the sixteenths. In bar six, pick each pull-off pair once and let the fretting hand finish it.

The three levels

1. Level 1 · 100 bpm · Melodic metal lead, D minor, fifth to tenth fret. Treat the two eighths as an upbeat that pushes into the long note.
2. Level 2 · 120 bpm · Melodic metal lead, D minor, fifth to tenth fret. Each pair of sixteenths launches a long note.
3. Level 3 · 140 bpm · Melodic metal lead, D minor, fifth to thirteenth fret. The runs feed the long notes, so play them light and land the target on the beat.