The Four Types of Headbanging Guitar Riffs

• Writing a headbanging riff is an art form, and the power to inspire listeners to violently whip their noggins at the sound of your heavy riffing is something to be valued.
• After an in-depth review of headbanging, I've determined there are actually various versions, and these differences can be revealed through using different techniques in your guitar playing.
• For example, if you want a long, drawn-out headbang, low tunings and even lower tempos will be necessary. If you seek that classic headbang, look no further than a solid galloping rhythm with the metronome set to the “thrash” BPM.
• Beware, however; there have been multiple health issues related to headbanging, including Terry Balsamo of Evanescence, who incurred a stroke in 2005 from what doctors suggested might've been the result of frequent headbanging. In 2011, Megadeth's Dave Mustaine admitted his spine condition, stenosis, was caused by many years of headbanging.
• Despite these potential dangers, headbanging is alive and well, and I encourage you to refine your skills with these four types of headbanging riffs.

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Tyler Larson is the founder of the guitar-centric brand Music is Win. His insightful, uncomplicated guitar lessons and gear demonstrations along with entertaining, satirical content about life as a musician receive tens of millions of video views per month across social media. Tyler is also the creator of the extremely popular online guitar learning platform, Guitar Super System. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Tyler has been teaching guitar for over a decade and operates a production studio in Nashville, TN.