Riff Rundown

Difficulty: Easy - Intermediate

Composer - Pantera

Where to find this song - Cowboys From Hell track #5

Release Date - July 1990

The Bio:
A band with truly few peers, Pantera rose to unprecedented prominence in the early '90s with an uncompromising approach that prided itself on brutality and guts rather than style or trend. The band actually formed in 1982. Their eccentricity and stubborn insistence on being the most intense metal band this side of death metal took them to the top of the Billboard charts, yet also ironically reduced them to cult status. Either way, Pantera never followed the bandwagon, winning legions of metalheads with sincerity, even if it meant they had become the genre's dark horse.

Guitar 1

As you can see in the video, most of what you will be working with in this riff is simple and straightfoward. You will be playing the "low E" string with your 1st finger barring all strings. You just need to use your 3rd finger for the fourth fret on the "A" string. Pick accordingly with the first measure. Right at the end of the first measure, you will be letting off of all strings and beginning the next measure by playing a power chord with your 1st finger on the second fret on the "D" string, and your 4th finger on the fourth fret on the "G" string. Don't forget to allow the open strings to play within the measure. For the last measure on this riff, all you need to do is move to the "G" string and the "B" string and reverse your finger arrangement, with your 1st finger on the second fret and your 4th finger on the fourth fret on opposite strings.

Chorus

Below is the guitar and bass parts. Here's what they sound like together:

Guitar

For the first measure, use your 2nd finger on the "A" string, and don't forget to let the open notes play. Then, to go to the first fret, just use your 1st finger. For the next measure, use your 3rd finger to play the third fret, and allow a little vibrato into the next note. A vibrato is when you allow the string to shake rapidly in between notes. Then, just use your 2nd finger again, followed by your 3rd finger for the third fret. For the fourth fret, all you need to do is use your 4th finger on the "G" string. The rest of the measure is repetitive. For the last measure, all you need to do is substitute the numbered frets for your fingers. You will see that it is very easy to do. Don't forget the vibratos in there though, as it is a key signature in the riff!

Bass

Use your 2nd finger for the fifth fret, and then just slide up to the 1st fret with the same finger, playing it with your 1st finger. Then, play the first fret a few times, and use your 4th finger for the third fret on the "D" string. To end the measure, slide with your 1st finger to the fifth fret. Play that a few times, and then use your 3rd finger for the seventh fret on the "A" string. Use your 2nd finger for the sixth fret on the same string, and then play the seventh fret again. For the next measure, use your 4th finger for the eighth fret on the same string. You should be able to figure out the rest of the measure, right? Allow the last note to vibrato.

Riff Resources

Complete Transcription To "Cemetary Gates" (PDF)

Complete Transcription To "Cemetary Gates" (Power Tab)