“We’re living with 60-year-old arms now!”: Gary Holt says “everybody cheats” when it comes to downpicking – even James Hetfield
When it comes to relentlessly precise downpicking, most would regard James Hetfield as the master. But even the Metallica frontman cuts corners sometimes to give his right hand a breather, at least according to Slayer’s Gary Holt.
In an interview in the latest issue of Guitar World, the 61-year-old guitarist reflects on how his own approach to downpicking has changed as he gets older.
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“With the tendon problems I’ve had over the years, downpicking is the first thing that’s slowed down,” he says.
Asked about the severity of his tendon issues, Holt explains: “I’ve had arthritis and chronic tennis elbow. I had to fight back from them and they’ve affected me in both arms. On the last Exodus album, I had so many cortisone shots I lost count. I had one a couple months before recording the album and that worked wonders until we tracked The Beatings Will Continue (Until Morale Improves).
“I was downpicking on that and I blew my right elbow out. I had to go to physical therapy to get back to playing. So, if I worked with James he might give me shit about keeping up on some of the downpicking stuff, but the things I do well, I do as well as anybody else. With downpicking, you learn little cheats to get through it.”
While some guitarists in the thrash metal community have strict rules regarding acceptable downpicking practice, Holt insists that “everybody cheats” anyway.
“I’ve seen videos of James leaving out downpicks,” he says. “We’re living with 60-year-old arms now. On these reunion shows, Slayer was playing Reborn. And Kerry [King] and I were like, Man, that’s fast!’
“Goddamn, that was fun to play for those two shows, but I was super relieved when we got through it.”
Elsewhere in the interview Holt confirms that Slayer will not embark on any future tours or albums, saying Exodus is now his “priority”.
“If we come back and do a couple shows here and there – as Kerry has alluded to – I think that’s perfect. I love Slayer, but I’m not ready to put Exodus on hold anymore. That’s my band for life. Slayer are my family, but Exodus were my first family.”
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
