7-Day Metal Guitar Reset - Get Back on Track

You already know you’ve got to put the time in to get better on guitar.
But saying things like, “Well, just practice more,” – that doesn’t always work, does it?

Because sometimes it’s not about practice. It’s about passion.
You love metal. You love playing. But the fire just isn’t there, and when you finally find time to play, it’s the same old riffs on repeat.

If you’ve been feeling stuck playing guitar or struggling to get motivated to practice again, you’re not alone.
It happens to every guitarist, even the ones who live and breathe this stuff. I’ve been there, too.

That’s why I created this simple 7-Day Metal Guitar Reset to help you reignite that spark, rebuild your momentum, and get back to loving guitar again.
No pressure, no fancy studio setup. Just you, your guitar, and a few minutes a day to reconnect with what made you fall in love with metal in the first place.

👉 Watch the full video below and follow along each day.

🎸 Ready to reignite your playing even more?
Grab my FREE Metal Riffs & Licks Guide. It comes with tabs, backing tracks, and short video lessons to help you build confidence and power in your playing.

👉 Download it here

🔥 Day 1: Reignite the Fire

Before you even play a note, I want you to take yourself back in time.
Think about that moment when you first got into metal. What was the riff or song that lit that spark inside you?

This is about restarting your guitar-playing journey. It’s about going back to where it all began and rebuilding that raw excitement.

What was it that made you not just want to listen to metal… but to be part of it?
See, you and I are different from the rest of the world.
Being a metal music fan wasn’t enough. We had to go deeper and play it.

Now, once you’ve got that memory fresh in your mind, that first riff, that first band, that first album, grab your guitar.

Don’t worry about playing that exact song or riff.
Just start playing something that reminds you of why you got into this in the first place.

For me, it was back around ’88 or ’89 when I bought my first two records:
Metallica’s Master of Puppets and …And Justice for All.

The funny thing is, it wasn’t even one specific riff that sparked the fire. It was the overall sound and feeling I got.
If I were doing this Day 1 exercise with you right now, I’d probably play some chunky power chords with a lot of palm muting, galloping, and single note riffs. I’m thinking ‘Shortest Straw’ or ‘Lepper Messiah.’

So here’s your Day 1 mission:

🎯 Spend about 15 minutes playing whatever comes out.
It doesn’t have to be perfect.
It doesn’t even have to make sense.
Maybe it’s just a few power chords.
Maybe it’s something simple that feels right.

The key is to let yourself relive that original spark, the feeling you had the first time you wanted to pick up a guitar and play metal.
Let that emotion guide your fingers.
That’s how you start reigniting the fire.

⚡ Day 2: Build on Your Strengths

Most guitarists spend all their time obsessing over the things they’re not good at.
But you and I, we’re not most people.

Today, I want you to flip that mindset.
Focus on the things that you are good at. Think of the techniques that come naturally to you.

Even if it’s just one thing.
Maybe it’s your tight palm-muting, your smooth down-picking, or your killer sense of rhythm.
Maybe it’s a simple single-note riff that just feels right in your hands.

There’s something powerful about building on what you’re already strong at.
If you build a rock-solid, or in our case, metal-solid foundation, that base becomes unshakable.
And once that foundation is strong, everything else you learn sits on top of it with confidence and control.

For example, I might spend my 15 minutes today playing a few of my favorite heavy-groove riffs, lots of palm-muting, and tight right-hand control with a mix of darker note choices and melodic progressions.
I realize ‘dark notes and melodic progressions’ aren’t exactly techniques, but it’s my style. So I want you to also think about your style that you’re developing when you’re doing this.
The goal isn’t to show off; it’s to fortify what already feels natural.

🎯 Your Day 2 mission:
Spend about 15 minutes focusing on the techniques and riffs that come easiest to you.
It doesn’t have to be a specific song or even an exact riff. I strongly encourage you to make stuff up and improvise. There’s no right or wrong here.
The idea is to strengthen your natural playing style so everything you build later has that solid, unbreakable core.

⚔️ Day 3: Focus on One Weak Technique

Yesterday, you built on what already comes naturally. Your strengths.
Today, we’re doing the opposite.

I want you to pick one technique you struggle with.
Not three. Not five. Just one.

It could be alternate picking, hammer-ons, pull-offs, tremolo picking, or even timing on gallops. It can be anything that’s been bugging you or holding you back.

For the first five minutes of today’s practice, focus entirely on that one technique.
Keep it simple.

For example, if alternate picking gives you trouble, try something like this:

(Imagine I’m playing a short alternate-picking exercise; open A string to a Bb power chord, keeping it clean and controlled.)

You don’t have to play the exact same thing over and over. Mix it up a little. Maybe add a C power chord, maybe move it up the neck.
Take short breaks between runs, reset your focus, and then jump back in.

The cool thing is, once you start doing this, you’ll naturally come up with variations.
That’s a good thing. It means you’re engaging creatively, not just drilling mindlessly.
The point is you’re spending a focused amount of time on one technique you struggle with, but really have a desire to nail it.

Now, after those five minutes, here’s the key part:
Go back to what you did on Day 2, the riffs and techniques you’re already great at, and start blending in this new technique.

Let’s say you’re really strong at heavy down-picking with palm mutes.
Now take that same riff and sprinkle in the alternate picking you just worked on.
Combine them.

It’s not about perfection. It’s about giving yourself freedom.
If it’s sloppy or awkward at first, that’s okay. That’s the point.
You’re building something new on top of your already solid foundation.

🎯 Your Day 3 mission:

Spend 5 minutes isolating a technique you struggle with.
Then spend the rest of your 15-minute session integrating that technique into what you’re already good at.

Over time, that “weak spot” will stop being a weakness. It’ll become part of your foundation, part of your natural style. This is how you start improving your guitar playing fast, without feeling overwhelmed.

🥁 Day 4: Play Riffs in Context (with Backing Tracks…or a Band!)

Playing guitar riffs along with metal backing tracks

All right, it’s Day 4, and it’s time to get the band back together!
Okay, all jokes aside… if you actually can practice with a band, that’s awesome.
But today, I want you to do something that’s just as powerful:
Play your riffs in context.

What I mean by that is play along with a backing track.

Playing guitar in context like this reignites your passion for guitar and helps you stay motivated. Because when you play with a full mix with drums, bass, and another rhythm guitar, everything about your playing gets tested:

Your accuracy
Your timing
Your feel

This is one of the fastest ways to improve your metal guitar skills.
Because it forces you to lock in. There’s no hiding behind solo practice here.

For today, I want you to pick just one backing track and jam with it for about 15 minutes.
Don’t worry about perfection; this is about getting used to playing in a real musical context.
Mess up. Laugh it off. Tighten it up. Then keep going until you start to feel the groove click.

If you don’t have a backing track handy, I’ve got you covered.
You can grab my FREE Metal Riffs & Licks Practice Guide, which includes several full-length backing tracks (plus tabs and short video lessons) to help you jam like you’ve got a full band behind you.

👉 Download your free copy here

🎯 Your Day 4 mission:

Pick one backing track.
Play your riff or one from Metal Riffs & Licks for 15 minutes straight.
Focus on staying tight and grooving with the track.

By the end of this session, you’ll feel more like you’re playing with a band, not just practicing alone.

🎸 Day 5: Make the Riff Your Own

Day 5 builds on what you did yesterday, but this time, we’re going to take it even deeper.

On Day 4, you played along with a full mix: guitars, bass, and drums.
Today, I want you to strip it down and play along with just the bass and drums.

If you grabbed my Metal Riffs & Licks Practice Guide, you already have these versions. I include both the full mix tracks and the bass-and-drum-only tracks for each riff.

So why is this so important?

There are two big reasons:

1️⃣ This truly tests your accuracy and timing.

When you don’t have another guitar in the mix, you’re completely exposed.
It’s just you, the rhythm section, and the groove.
If you rush or drag, you’ll hear it instantly, and that’s a good thin