Widow Lantern (hard) · level 3 · goal 160 bpm

Widow Lantern is an eight-bar melodic riff in standard tuning: Melodic death, D minor, syncopated call and response on fifth-string roots. This is level 3 of 3, played at 160 bpm; the three levels of the riff run from 110 to 160 bpm. It works on gallop picking, palm muting, 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.

Reverse gallops go down-up-down, with the eighth on the beat after. Keep the picking hand in sixteenths through every rest, and fret the three-note chords with a barre so you can reach the stabs fast.

The three levels

1. Level 1 · 110 bpm · Melodic death, D minor, syncopated call and response on fifth-string roots. Count "1 & 2 &" out loud.
2. Level 2 · 145 bpm · Melodic death, D minor, syncopated call and response on fifth-string roots. Alternate picking in strict eighths, and keep the hand moving through the rests.
3. Level 3 · 160 bpm · Melodic death, D minor, syncopated call and response on fifth-string roots. Reverse gallops go down-up-down, with the eighth on the beat after.