Easy metal riffs are often preferred by beginning students, and if you have been to a guitar shop like Guitar Center then you can attest to this. If you are looking for a  metal guitar lesson then it’s likey as a guitarist you are a fan of heavy metal. These riffs are the ones that I consider more commonly played by practicing guitarists who like this genre. You should note that this is not in order and is not a ranking, just a listing.

1. The popular Metallica song “Enter Sandman”

It’s a common one, not the only one by Metallica that’s common, but the Enter Sandman Riff is certainly up there.

2. Another great Metallica riff in “One”

Another Kirk Hammett creation.

Despite the fact you could easily name exclusively Metallica riffs in this article, lets go to another group.

3. “Symphony of Destruction” riff from Megadeth.

Being the well-known rhythm guitarist Dave Mustaine is an often imitated player. There are not very many metal heads out there that don’t know who he is or what this song is.

4. The riff for Pantera’s “Walk”.

Among metal listeners Pantera has always been a respectable band. That progression is definitely one of their most learned by players.

5. The AC/DC riff to “Back in Black”

It’s an epic rock progression from their huge release that is still relevant, the Back in Black album. It’s not just the hard rock fans, but almost all players have this down.

6. “Sweet Child O’ Mine”s intro.

Playing the soaring intro to this song is more common that learning the whole thing. Because it is now so popular it’s jokingly stated that it’s the modern day version of “Stairway to Heaven”.

7. Black Sabbath’s riff to “Iron Man”.

Everyone knows that this song has a classic riff. It’s really hard to find a player that does not know this in some capacity. On top of all that it is considered one of the first metal songs ever.

8. The intro to “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne.

Most players know the beginning of this one, in similar fashion to “Sweet Child O’ Mine” mentioned earlier, the entire song is less known.

9. The riff to “Purple Haze” as played by Jimi Hendrix.

Jimi innovated a lot of that early rock sound so there are a lot of guitarists that try to learn his work. Particularly this song.

10. “Rainbow in the Dark” from Dio.

As one of the most legendary metal bands, this ranks as one of their best songs. Naturally the song and riff are “up there” on a players list of things to learn. This is not at all an exhaustive list, but the ones here are definitely widely learned riffs by aspiring players.

The most ripped off heavy metal riff

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