Cliff Burton is a legend of metal bass playing. He had great tone, chops and inspired a generation of bass players. But one thing that is often overlooked is his awesome approach to bass groove under the frenetic guitar riffs of James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett.

While many bass players would choose to double the guitar riff in a metal tune, Cliff opted to go for a less is more approach that makes for more warmth in the low end, a tighter all round sound and a better groove. In this lesson we’ll look at how this is perfectly demonstrated in the song Damage Inc. from the Master Of Puppets album.

Damage Inc. by Metallica

Technically, Damage Inc. is not too demanding. The main focus here should be on good time and tone. Take note of how Cliff plays 8th notes in place of the 16th note guitar riff. This makes for a better all round groove and a warmer low end.

Practice Tracks:

144bpm:

164bpm:

184bpm: