Stairwell Hymn (easy) · level 1 · goal 100 bpm

Stairwell Hymn is an eight-bar lead riff in standard tuning: Melodic metal lead, D minor, tenth to seventeenth fret. This is level 1 of 3, played at 100 bpm; the three levels of the riff run from 100 to 140 bpm. It works on power chords, 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.

Every bar is the same shape one step higher: two eighths, a quarter, a long note. Start on the D string's 14th fret, then let your index own the 10th. Shift up on the high G for the peak.

The three levels

1. Level 1 · 100 bpm · Melodic metal lead, D minor, tenth to seventeenth fret. Every bar is the same shape one step higher: two eighths, a quarter, a long note.
2. Level 2 · 120 bpm · Melodic metal lead, D minor, tenth to seventeenth fret. Say "tri-pl-et" on the beat and land the long note squarely on beat two.
3. Level 3 · 140 bpm · Melodic metal lead, D minor, eighth to seventeenth fret. The sixteenth pickups are grace, not content.