Learn To Play Megadeth

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Andy James Tutor, Professional Guitarist

Song Lessons in this Course

Song-by-Song Guitar Lessons Taught by Danny Gill

This course covers five complete Megadeth songs, with every riff, rhythm part, and guitar solo broken down in full detail. Each lesson is structured to take you from the opening notes through to the final chord, giving you a thorough understanding of both the technical demands and the musical intent behind each track.

Train of Consequences

"Train of Consequences" is a masterclass in rhythmic precision and controlled aggression. The lesson covers the song's signature interlocking riff sequences, which are built around the E minor pentatonic scale and demand a highly disciplined approach to palm muting and alternate picking. The track's locomotive rhythmic momentum is deceptively difficult to maintain at full tempo, and the lesson breaks down the picking patterns and fretting-hand positions in detail to help you build the necessary stamina and consistency. The solo section introduces syncopated rhythmic phrasing over power chord foundations, making this an excellent entry point into Mustaine's compositional approach.

99 Ways to Die

"99 Ways to Die" showcases the breadth of Dave Mustaine's technical vocabulary, combining aggressive rhythm work with a solo section that draws on a wide range of lead guitar techniques. The lesson covers the song's D minor riff structures, which make extensive use of pull-offs and power chords to create a dense, layered rhythmic texture. The guitar solo is a study in contrast — fluid legato runs sit alongside rapid trills and scale sequences, demonstrating Mustaine's ability to blend smoothness and aggression within a single musical statement. This lesson is particularly valuable for guitarists looking to develop their legato technique within a thrash metal context.

Symphony of Destruction

"Symphony of Destruction" is one of Megadeth's most iconic and widely recognised tracks, and it represents an ideal study in how Mustaine uses chromaticism and syncopation to create tension within a relatively accessible song structure. The lesson covers the G minor palm-muted riff in detail, exploring the specific picking dynamics and muting technique required to achieve the track's characteristic groove. The solo section is a concentrated demonstration of Mustaine's lead style, incorporating tremolo picking, vibrato, and string bending in a compact but highly expressive passage. This is an essential lesson for any guitarist learning Megadeth songs online.

Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

"Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" is widely regarded as one of the greatest thrash metal songs ever recorded, and the guitar lesson reflects the track's extraordinary technical demands. The lesson covers the song's rapid alternate-picked intro riff, which is one of the most challenging rhythm guitar passages in the Megadeth catalogue, requiring both speed and absolute precision in the fretting hand. The galloping rhythm sections that follow demand a thorough understanding of right-hand technique and pick attack, while the guitar solo is a showcase of Mustaine's unique blend of speed, melody, and two-handed tapping. This lesson represents a significant technical milestone for any guitarist working through the course.

Hangar 18

"Hangar 18" is a landmark in thrash metal guitar composition, featuring a succession of guitar solos that collectively represent one of the most ambitious lead guitar statements in the genre's history. The lesson covers the song's D minor riff sequences, which combine open-string figures with rapid alternate-picked passages to create a constantly shifting rhythmic landscape. The multiple solo sections are broken down individually, with each one teaching a distinct set of techniques — from hammer-ons and pull-offs in the earlier solos to dive-bombs, pinched harmonics, and sweep picking in the later, more technically demanding passages. Completing this lesson is a genuine achievement that demonstrates a high level of proficiency in both rhythm and lead guitar.

This Course is Ideal for Players Who...

Learn to Play Megadeth on LickLibrary is designed for guitarists who are serious about developing their technical metal technique and who want to learn from some of the most demanding and rewarding source material the genre has to offer.

This course is the perfect choice for guitarists who have a solid foundation in metal rhythm playing and are ready to take on the specific challenges of Mustaine's highly individual style. It suits players who have a genuine passion for the Megadeth catalogue and want to go beyond simply strumming along — to truly understand how these songs are constructed, how the riff structures work harmonically, and how Mustaine's lead playing achieves its distinctive combination of aggression and melody. If you admire the technical precision of Dave Mustaine's rhythm work, or the virtuosic complexity of his guitar solos, this course will give you the tools to replicate and understand both.

This is also an ideal course for players who have been learning thrash metal guitar online and feel ready to apply their developing technique to real, iconic songs. The structured, note-for-note approach means you are not just learning isolated licks or exercises — you are building a genuine, performance-ready repertoire of five of the most technically significant songs in heavy metal history.

What will I achieve from completing this course?

LickLibrary's Learn to Play Megadeth works because it is built on the principle that the best way to develop as a technical metal guitarist is to learn great music, played correctly, from an expert instructor. Andy James brings world-class technical ability and years of experience as a metal guitar tutor and performer to every lesson, ensuring that the most demanding passages are always explained with clarity and broken down into manageable, learnable components.

The note-for-note methodology means that every riff, rhythm part, and solo is taught exactly as it appears on the original recordings, giving you an authentic connection to the music rather than a simplified approximation. This approach develops real technique — the kind of alternate picking speed, chromatic fretting-hand precision, and lead guitar fluency that transfers directly to your own playing, regardless of the style you ultimately pursue.

Megadeth's music is, at its core, a masterclass in the relationship between technical complexity and musical expression. Learning these five songs with Andy James will give you a profound understanding of how thrash metal riffs are constructed using chromatic passing tones and syncopated rhythms, how Dave Mustaine builds intensity and drama in his solos, and how the interplay between technical precision and raw aggression creates the signature Megadeth sound. This is not just a guitar course — it is a complete education in the craft of technical thrash metal guitar, delivered through five of the genre's most enduring and demanding anthems.

** Disclaimer **
*This product is not endorsed by or made in association with Megadeth nor does Megadeth perform or appear on this course.*