As far as Megatober attendance goes, I’ve managed a 75% success rate so far. That’s from the grand total. Not from the 21 days so far. From the 21 days so far, I’ve managed 100%. So I’m totally winning. But Megatober isn’t about attendance. It’s about learning 31 different Megadeth riffs in the month of October. I’m almost certain I’ll nail it. I won’t perfect 31 riffs—I’m not that good a guitar player—but I sure will continue to have fun trying.
Last week’s entry ended with a mention of day 15. So let’s start with day 16’s learning. It is not where the third week began, but it was a bit of a Disconnect.
Haha. Megadeth joke. Disconnect was the track title for day 16. Oh well … Funny for me.
Day 17 I decided to take it a bit easy. Some of the more recent days had proved difficult for me. I have lazy fingers and for me to eventually nail these Megadeth riffs, I’m going to need to build up some muscle memory. My brain isn’t strong enough to remember these intricate moves on their own. That’s why a simple riff from This Was My Life was a fitting solution for day 17.
Day 18. Now that day was fun! When you watch this video you’ll notice at least two things. Firstly, my guitar playing is nowhere near as tight as Dave Mustaine’s. Secondly, you’ll notice I am playing this slower than Dave Mustaine. See point one.
Washington Is Next. I seriously love that riff and that song. Great stuff. I’ll be practicing that one a lot more.
I’ll end this week’s blog post with one of the most challenging videos I’ve attempted yet. It is not performed well. It is a track I am going to have to attempt many more times before I feel confident in playing it. My right hand technique needs a lot of work. My left hand as well, but in my opinion, the right hand is one of the things that makes Dave Mustaine’s guitar playing so legendary.
Holy Wars … The Punishment Due. I think the punishment has something to do with your wrists and fingers after playing this song. Damn.
And there you have it. I will say this. My hat goes off to all people who play this stuff as well as they do. Kudos to your determination and skill.
For those playing at home, the complete list of riffs I have attempted so far is as follows.
- Angry Again
- Prince of Darkness
- Reckoning Day
- How the Story Ends
- Symphony of Destruction
- Bite the Hand
- Cold Sweat
- Something That I’m Not
- Skin o’ My Teeth
- Wake Up Dead
- Mary Jane
- New World Order
- Youthanasia
- Trust
- The Killing Road
- Disconnect
- This Was My Life
- Washington is Next
- Sleepwalker
- Hangar 18
- Holy Wars … The Punishment Due
After week four, I’ll post the complete list as well as my favourite learnings from this challenge. There have been many.