You know the feeling. You’re sitting there with your guitar, maybe an acoustic or a cheap Squier plugged into a practice amp, and that clean, haunting melody starts playing in your head. It’s the opening of One. It’s arguably the most famous anti-war anthem in heavy metal history, and for a guitar player, learning how to play One by Metallica is basically your graduation ceremony from "beginner" to "someone who actually knows what they’re doing."
But here’s the thing. Most people mess it up. They focus so hard on James Hetfield’s downpicking or Kirk Hammett’s blistering final solo that they miss the soul of the track. It’s a song of contrasts. It starts with a beautiful, mournful clean section and ends in a machine-gun rhythmic assault that mimics the literal sounds of a battlefield. To play it right, you have to understand both the technique and the storytelling.
The Clean Intro: It’s All About the Feel
Let’s talk about that opening. It’s in B minor. It sounds simple, right? Just a bit of fingerpicking or light plectrum work. Wrong. Most students rush this. They treat it like a technical exercise instead of a mood piece. When you’re figuring out how to play One by Metallica, you need to realize that James Hetfield isn’t just hitting notes; he’s setting the stage for a man trapped in his own body.
The main riff uses a lot of open strings and subtle shifts. You’ve got that low G and the open D string ringing out. It creates this hollow, lonely atmosphere. Honestly, if you aren't letting those notes ring into each other, you're doing it wrong. Don't mute them. Let the dissonance breathe.
Kirk Hammett’s lead fills over the top are where things get tricky for your phrasing. He uses a lot of slides and very specific vibrato. It’s not about speed here. It’s about the "cry" of the guitar. If you’re using an electric, stay on your neck pickup. Keep the tone warm. If you have a chorus pedal, kick it on—very lightly—to get that shimmering 1988 ...And Justice for All sound.
The Shift into Darkness
Suddenly, the song changes. The "Landmine has taken my sight" section kicks in. This is where your right-hand technique needs to be rock solid. Metallica is the king of downpicking, but One actually uses a fair bit of alternate picking once the "Machine Gun" riff starts later on. However, for these mid-tempo heavy chords, stay with the downstrokes. It gives the song that percussive, aggressive "chug" that defines thrash metal.
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Watch the Time Signatures
A lot of people get tripped up by the timing. One isn't a straight 4/4 pop song. It moves. It breathes. There are measures of 3/4 and 2/4 tucked in there that will throw you off if you’re just counting "1, 2, 3, 4" in your head. You have to listen to Lars Ulrich’s kick drums. They aren't just keeping time; they are the rhythmic skeleton of the entire composition.
If you’re struggling with the transition to the heavy parts, slow it down. Seriously. Use a metronome. Set it to 60 BPM and just practice the transition from the clean arpeggios to the distorted power chords. If you can't play it clean at half speed, you’ll never play it right at full speed. You'll just end up with "sloppy bedroom guitarist" syndrome, where everything sounds like a blurred mess of gain.
The "Machine Gun" Riff: Triplets and Terror
This is the moment everyone waits for. The "darkness, imprisoning me" section. This is the heart of how to play One by Metallica. You are mimicking a heavy machine gun.
Technically, these are 16th-note triplets. You’re playing: Da-da-da, Da-da-da, Da-da-da, Da-da-da.
- The Grip: Keep your pick hand relaxed. If you tense up, your forearm will cramp before you even get to the solo.
- The Palm Mute: This is vital. You need a heavy palm mute right at the bridge. If you're too far forward, the notes go dead. Too far back, and they ring out too much. Find that "sweet spot" where the "chug" sounds tight and percussive.
- Synchronicity: Your left hand and right hand have to be perfectly in sync. If your fretting fingers are a millisecond behind your picking hand, the riff loses its bite.
Tackling Kirk Hammett’s Masterpiece Solo
Then comes the solo. Oh, man. The solo.
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It’s fast. It’s frantic. It’s legendary. To learn this, you have to break it into chunks. Don't try to learn it all in one sitting. You'll lose your mind.
The first half is a lot of tapping. Kirk uses a very rhythmic tapping style here. It’s not like Van Halen’s fluid, melodic tapping; it’s more aggressive and repetitive, almost like a siren. Use your middle finger or your pick to tap—whatever feels more natural—but keep that rhythm steady.
The second half of the solo involves some serious rapid-fire pentatonic shredding. You’ll need to work on your pinky strength. A lot of players try to cheat by only using three fingers, but you need all four to get the reach and speed Kirk has. Also, watch out for the wah-pedal usage. Kirk loves his wah. If you don't have one, you can still play it, but it won’t have that "screaming" quality that defines the original recording.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Most people use way too much distortion. It’s a common trap. You think "Metallica = Heavy," so you crank the gain to 10. Stop. On the original record, the guitars are actually quite "dry" and precise. If you use too much gain, the "Machine Gun" riff turns into a wall of white noise. You want "crunch," not "mush." Turn the gain down to about 6 or 7 and let your hands do the work.
Another big mistake? Neglecting the bass. If you're playing this with a band, the bass guitar has to lock in perfectly with the kick drum. On the album, the bass is notoriously buried (sorry, Jason Newsted), but in a live setting, it’s what gives the song its punch.
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Gear Tips for the "Justice" Tone
To get that specific 1988 sound, you need to "scoop" your mids. This means turning your Bass and Treble up and your Midrange down on your amp. It’s the classic thrash metal "V" shape on a graphic equalizer.
If you're using a digital modeler like a Kemper or a Line 6, look for Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ or Marshall JCM800 profiles. Those were the workhorses for Metallica during this era. For the clean sections, use a Roland JC-120 (Jazz Chorus) setting if you have it. That’s exactly what James used to get that crystal-clear, almost icy tone.
Beyond the Tabs: The Emotional Component
You can't play this song properly if you don't feel it. One is based on the novel Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. It’s about a soldier who has lost his limbs and his face but remains conscious. He’s a prisoner in his own skin.
When you play that final, heavy breakdown, you shouldn't just be thinking about notes. You should be thinking about the frustration and the rage of that character. That’s the difference between a YouTube cover and a performance. The best guitarists—the ones who really master how to play One by Metallica—are the ones who can translate that story through their strings.
Actionable Steps to Master the Track
Don't just stare at the tabs. Start with these concrete steps to actually get the song under your fingers:
- Master the Clean Arpeggios First: Spend three days just on the intro. Don't even turn on your distortion pedal. Make sure every single note rings out clearly and the transitions between chords are seamless.
- Isolate the "Machine Gun" Rhythm: Practice the 16th-note triplets on a single string (the low E). Get your right hand up to speed before you even worry about the fretting hand. Use a metronome and increase the speed by 5 BPM only when you can play it perfectly ten times in a row.
- Loop the Solo Sections: Use a program like Transcribe! or even YouTube’s playback speed settings (0.5x or 0.75x) to hear exactly what Kirk is doing.
- Record Yourself: This is the "brutal honesty" phase. Record yourself playing along to the track. You’ll notice timing issues and "sour notes" that you didn't hear while you were in the middle of playing.
- Focus on the Dynamics: Practice the jump from the quietest part of the song to the loudest. Being able to control your volume and intensity is what makes this song impactful.
Playing One is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s a long song with a lot of moving parts. But once you nail that final riff and the dual-guitar harmony at the end, there’s no better feeling in the world for a metalhead. Keep your wrist loose, your ears open, and your timing tight.