Here To Stay by Korn

Learn how to play Here To Stay by Korn with this detailed, note-for-note guitar lesson from Lick Library. Taken from the band's critically acclaimed 2002 album Untouchables, Here To Stay is one of Korn's most recognisable tracks, combining crushing seven-string guitar riffs, aggressive rhythms and the dark, atmospheric textures that helped define the nu-metal genre.

Featuring the distinctive guitar work of Brian "Head" Welch and James "Munky" Shaffer, Here To Stay is an excellent song for guitarists looking to develop their heavy rhythm playing, improve their picking accuracy and explore the creative possibilities of extended-range guitars.

In this guitar lesson, Richard Shaw breaks down the song's powerful riffs, rhythmic patterns and essential techniques, helping you understand how Korn create their unmistakably heavy sound. Whether you're an intermediate guitarist exploring seven-string playing or an experienced musician looking to expand your metal rhythm vocabulary, this lesson provides valuable skills that can be applied across a wide range of modern metal styles.

Mastering Korn's Heavy Seven-String Guitar Riffs

One of the defining characteristics of Here To Stay is its incredibly heavy guitar sound. Korn's use of seven-string guitars, typically tuned down a whole step to A standard, allows the band to create exceptionally low riffs while maintaining the clarity and attack needed for their rhythmic playing style.

The song's main riff combines low-register notes with tightly controlled rhythmic accents, creating a powerful groove that drives the entire track. Rather than relying on complicated lead guitar passages, Korn focus on making relatively straightforward musical ideas sound enormous through precision, dynamics and carefully constructed rhythms.

Learning these riffs will help you develop greater control over low-string playing, improve your picking-hand accuracy and understand how to create heavy guitar parts without unnecessary technical complexity.

The lesson also explores how the two guitar parts work together, demonstrating the importance of tight timing and consistent articulation when playing aggressive metal riffs.

Palm Muting for Tight and Aggressive Rhythm Guitar

Palm muting is an essential technique throughout Here To Stay, allowing the guitarists to control the sustain and attack of their low-tuned riffs.

By resting the edge of the picking hand lightly against the strings near the bridge, you can create the short, percussive notes that give Korn's rhythm guitar playing its distinctive punch. Alternating between muted and more open notes adds contrast, making individual accents stand out within the riff.

Mastering this technique will improve your picking-hand control, help eliminate unwanted string noise and allow you to create tighter, more professional-sounding metal guitar performances. It is particularly valuable when playing extended-range guitars, where controlling low-frequency resonance is essential for maintaining clarity.

Syncopated Rhythms and Groove-Based Metal Playing

One of the most important elements of Korn's guitar style is their use of syncopated rhythms. Rather than placing every accent directly on the strongest beats, the guitar parts frequently emphasise unexpected subdivisions, creating the distinctive bouncing groove associated with nu-metal.

Here To Stay demonstrates how rhythmic placement can make a riff sound more aggressive and interesting without requiring excessive speed or technical complexity.

Working through these syncopated patterns will strengthen your internal timing, improve your ability to play alongside drums and bass, and develop greater confidence when performing rhythmically challenging metal guitar parts.

This approach is particularly useful for guitarists interested in bands such as Slipknot, Deftones, Limp Bizkit and other artists who combine heavy guitar tones with groove-oriented arrangements.

Power Chords and Low-Register Guitar Voicings

Although Here To Stay places considerable emphasis on single-note riffs and low-string rhythmic patterns, power chord shapes and low-register chord voicings are important elements of its heavy guitar vocabulary.

Power chords provide a strong, focused sound that works particularly well with high-gain amplification. Their simple construction allows guitarists to move between different positions while maintaining the weight and clarity required for aggressive rhythm playing.

Learning how these shapes interact with low-tuned single-note riffs will improve your fretboard knowledge, strengthen your fretting-hand accuracy and help you create more effective transitions between different rhythm guitar ideas.

The lesson also highlights the importance of clean chord changes and controlled string muting, ensuring that heavily distorted passages remain defined rather than becoming muddy.

Open-String Riffs and Picking-Hand Precision

Korn frequently build their riffs around the powerful sound of the open low string, using repeated notes as a rhythmic foundation before introducing additional fretted notes and accents.

Open-string riffs are particularly effective on seven-string guitars because the extended low range produces a deep, percussive sound that works exceptionally well with distortion.

Here To Stay provides an opportunity to develop consistency when moving between open-string notes and fretted passages, ensuring that every note remains rhythmically accurate.

Practising these patterns will improve your picking efficiency, strengthen coordination between both hands and develop the stamina required for extended sections of heavy rhythm guitar playing.

It will also help you understand how simple rhythmic ideas can be transformed into memorable riffs through changes in articulation, note placement and dynamics.

Alternate Picking and Rhythmic Consistency

Alternate picking is a useful technique for developing the picking-hand control needed to perform the song's repeated low-string patterns accurately.

Using a combination of downstrokes and upstrokes where appropriate can reduce unnecessary movement and make demanding rhythmic passages feel more comfortable. The key is maintaining an even attack while ensuring that the accents and muted notes retain their intended character.

Developing this skill will improve your overall picking efficiency, increase endurance and help you maintain consistent timing when playing repetitive metal riffs.

The benefits extend beyond Here To Stay, providing a strong technical foundation for rhythm guitar parts across modern metal, hard rock and other aggressive musical styles.

Chromatic Movement and Dark Guitar Riffs

Another important aspect of Korn's musical vocabulary is their use of chromaticism, incorporating notes that create tension and an unsettling atmosphere rather than relying exclusively on conventional major or minor scale patterns.

The dark, dissonant character of Here To Stay demonstrates how closely spaced notes and low-register movement can contribute to the overall heaviness of a riff.

Understanding these musical ideas will expand your riff-writing vocabulary and help you experiment with darker melodic and harmonic sounds.

It also encourages you to think beyond familiar scale shapes, using tension, repetition and rhythmic placement to create guitar parts with a distinctive musical identity.

Brian "Head" Welch and James "Munky" Shaffer – Korn's Guitar Sound

Brian "Head" Welch and James "Munky" Shaffer are two of the most influential guitarists in the development of nu-metal. Their pioneering use of seven-string guitars, unconventional riff construction and atmospheric guitar textures helped establish Korn as one of the defining heavy bands of the 1990s and early 2000s.

Rather than following traditional metal conventions built around elaborate solos and fast technical passages, the duo developed a style centred on groove, dissonance, rhythmic precision and creative sound design.

Their guitar work on Here To Stay perfectly captures this approach, combining crushing low-register riffs with distinctive rhythmic arrangements and an unmistakably dark atmosphere.

The influence of Welch and Shaffer can be heard throughout modern metal, particularly among guitarists who favour extended-range instruments, heavily down-tuned riffs and rhythmically complex arrangements.

Studying their playing provides valuable insight into how two guitarists can work together to create a sound that is both incredibly heavy and instantly recognisable.

Learn Here To Stay and Improve Your Metal Rhythm Guitar Playing

Learning Here To Stay by Korn is an excellent way to develop the fundamental techniques required for modern heavy guitar playing. From precise palm muting and syncopated rhythms to powerful seven-string riffs and controlled picking, the song offers a variety of musical challenges that will strengthen your overall technique.

This Lick Library note-for-note guitar lesson helps you explore the individual guitar parts while developing a deeper understanding of the rhythmic and tonal elements that make Korn's music so distinctive.

By working through the riffs and focusing on timing, articulation and consistency, you'll gain practical skills that can be applied to countless other metal songs.

Whether you're looking to master one of Korn's biggest tracks, improve your seven-string guitar technique or develop a heavier and more rhythmically confident playing style, Here To Stay is an essential addition to your guitar learning journey.

Techniques Used

• Palm Muting
• Syncopated Rhythms
• Power Chords
• Open-String Riffs
• Alternate Picking
• Chromaticism
• Altered Tuning