Pressure Gauge (easy) · level 1 · goal 110 bpm

Pressure Gauge is an eight-bar thrash riff in standard tuning: Teutonic thrash, F# minor, pedal tone. This is level 1 of 3, played at 110 bpm; the three levels of the riff run from 110 to 164 bpm. It works on palm muting. 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.

Accent the fretted notes on the beat and keep the pedal notes light and muted. Downstrokes only. In bar eight, listen for A, G#, G falling into the F# at the top.

The three levels

1. Level 1 · 110 bpm · Teutonic thrash, F# minor, pedal tone. Accent the fretted notes on the beat and keep the pedal notes light and muted.
2. Level 2 · 150 bpm · Teutonic thrash, F# minor, pedal tone. The line notes land squarely on the beat and the pedal fills the "ands." Keep the picking hand moving down-down like a piston.
3. Level 3 · 164 bpm · Teutonic thrash, F# minor, pedal tone. The reverse gallops on the open A lean into the next line note, so think "da-da-DUM." In bars five and six, pick only the first note of each pull-off and let the open B snap back between them.