Intro to Heavy Music (Monthly Ongoing Class)

Intro to Heavy Music is an ongoing class designed for guitarists who want to explore heavier styles—from hard rock and punk to doom, stoner metal, thrash, and beyond—in an accessible and supportive environment.

This class is a great fit for beginner to lower-intermediate guitarists who have some foundational guitar experience and want to start developing the techniques, vocabulary, and musical understanding needed to play heavier music.

It's also the perfect primer for students who eventually want to take Heavy Metal Dojo. The two classes share many of the same musical influences and techniques, but Intro to Heavy Music approaches them at slower, more accessible tempos and with less technical complexity.

What to Expect

Each month, we'll work with new songs, artists, techniques, and musical concepts to explore what makes heavy music work. Rather than simply learning songs from beginning to end, we'll break down the riffs, rhythms, scales, techniques, and theory behind the music and apply those concepts to your own playing.

The material rotates each month, allowing you to continually build your skills while exploring different corners of heavy music.

Depending on the material we're studying, class may explore:

• Downpicking and developing picking endurance

• Gallop rhythms and other common metal rhythm patterns

• Power chords and moveable chord shapes

• Palm muting and rhythmic articulation

• Introductory alternate picking

• Building accuracy and consistency at slower tempos

• Pentatonic scales and accessible lead guitar vocabulary

• Introduction to soloing and improvisation

• Developing riffs and rhythm guitar parts

• Understanding the relationship between riffs, scales, and harmony

• Playing with heavier rhythmic feels and articulation

• Breaking down how iconic guitar parts are constructed

• Developing the technical foundation needed for more advanced metal playing

The emphasis is on building confidence and control before chasing speed. You'll learn how to play heavy music cleanly and confidently while gradually developing the skills necessary to tackle more technically demanding material.

A Gateway Into Heavier Styles

Intro to Heavy Music explores a wide range of heavier music rather than focusing exclusively on traditional heavy metal.

We'll dive into doom and stoner metal, slower thrash, hard rock, alternative metal, punk, grunge, and other heavy styles, giving you a broad foundation for understanding what makes these genres sound the way they do.

You'll encounter everything from massive, slow riffs and hypnotic grooves to driving punk rhythms and classic hard rock guitar parts.

Learn From the Bands That Shaped Heavy Music

Throughout the course, we'll study music from bands including:

Sleep, Metallica, Megadeth, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, AC/DC, Motörhead, Ghost, Deftones, Die Spitz, Danzig, Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Draconian, Rage Against the Machine, Tool, Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Ramones, Alice in Chains, Misfits, Nirvana, The Offspring, and many more.

Studying such a wide range of artists allows you to see how different musicians approach riffs, rhythm, tone, melody, harmony, and songwriting while developing a versatile heavy-music vocabulary.

We won't just learn what to play—we'll explore why these parts work and what you can take from them into your own playing.

Build the Skills for Heavy Metal Dojo

If your long-term goal is to play more technical and extreme metal, Intro to Heavy Music is an excellent starting point for Heavy Metal Dojo.

You'll begin developing many of the same foundational skills you'll eventually need for more advanced metal playing, including:

• Picking accuracy and endurance

• Downpicking

• Gallop rhythms

• Palm muting

• Riff precision

• Pentatonic and introductory scale vocabulary

• Basic lead and soloing concepts

• Playing with a consistent sense of time

• Understanding the theory behind heavy guitar parts

The biggest difference is tempo and technical complexity. Intro to Heavy Music gives you more room to develop these skills before introducing the faster tempos, more intricate picking patterns, advanced scales, and techniques found in Heavy Metal Dojo.

Think of it as building the foundation before entering the dojo.

A New Musical Deep Dive Every Month

Intro to Heavy Music is a monthly, ongoing class, with new songs, artists, techniques, and learning objectives introduced throughout the year.

Each month's material is layered to meet students where they are while providing opportunities to grow. As you continue with the class, you'll encounter increasingly challenging applications of the techniques you've developed.

You don't need to already be a metal guitarist. If you're comfortable with the fundamentals of guitar and want to start exploring heavier music, this class is designed to give you a clear path forward.

Is This Class Right for You?

Intro to Heavy Music is intended for beginner to lower-intermediate guitarists who have completed the foundational stages of learning guitar.

This is not intended for someone who has never played guitar before. Complete beginners should first complete our Guitar Fundamentals program, also available through Rose City Guitar Company, to make sure they have the basic skills needed to succeed in a genre-specific class.

If you're unsure whether you're ready for Intro to Heavy Music—or whether you should start here or move into Heavy Metal Dojo—reach out to us for a free assessment. We'd be happy to help you find the right starting point.

A Flexible Membership-Based Program

Intro to Heavy Music is one of many specialty classes included in our monthly membership program. As a member of Rose City Guitar Company, you're not limited to one class—you can build a schedule around your goals and interests.

Want to combine Intro to Heavy Music with Rockin' n Rollin', Blues, Frets & Theory, or another specialty class? You can mix and match classes throughout the month to create a personalized learning path.

Memberships include 4, 6, 8, or up to 12 classes per month, with pricing based on how many classes you'd like to attend. This gives you the flexibility to explore multiple styles while learning alongside a supportive community of fellow musicians.

What Happens After I Purchase?

Intro to Heavy Music is offered Tuesdays at 5:00 PM and Wednesdays at 6:30pm. Your monthly membership covers 4 classes/month in this class. So you'll want to join the Tuesday or Wednesday session.

Once you sign up through our website, we'll send you a welcome packet along with instructions for accessing our online scheduling system.

Because classes are limited to just 5 students, you'll reserve your seat each week through our online calendar. If you ever need to miss a class, you can easily reschedule into another eligible class—such as Guided Practice—using the same booking system.

If you have questions about whether Intro to Heavy Music is the right fit for your experience level or musical goals, reach out anytime at 971-300-4202 or rosecityguitarco@gmail.com. We'd be happy to help you find the class that's right for you.