Pantera: Cowboys From Hell

Everyone, into the pit! It's time for a classic from Pantera! In this video I'll make an attempt to cover this famous song, and dive into the unique style of Dimebag! :)

When I first got my hand on this album, I was stunned at how someone can invent a completely new style of riffing? Ever since then, the complete rock/metal riffing style has changed. At that time, everyone wanted to sound and play like Dimebag.

"Cowboys From Hell" is the fith CD in line from the band, although everyone conciders it as their first. This is because they changed their style from Glam Rock/Heavy Metal to a more extreme, power groove style. This is also the first track on their CD.

Technically this composition is pretty rough. Not just the solo, but the riffs have their certain groove that is hard to master. Dimebag really stretched his pinky to get the scales he wanted to. So before you dive into the learning process, please warm up your hands.

Techniques included:

Groove Riffing
Advanced Rhythms Patterns
Wide Stretches
Wide Vibratos
Legato Picking
Staccato Picking
Pinched Harmonics

The structure of the song is as follows:

Intro Riff     Bar 1-4
Chorus (Riff)  Bar 5-12
Main Riff      Bar 13-20
Verse          Bar 21-32
Chorus         Bar 33-40
Verse          Bar 20-32

Chorus         Bar 33-40

Main Riff      Bar 41-46
Solo           Bar 48-64
Bridge         Bar 65-71
Coda           Bar 72-75
Chorus         Bar 33-40
Bridge         Bar 65-71
Ending Riff    Bar 86-87

Video lessons illustration explanation:

12(14) - this is a whole tone bend

12(b)  - this is also a whole tone bend

(14)12 - pre bend and release

p12    - pull-off to the indicated note

h12    - hammer-on to the indicated note

/12    - slide to the indicated note

\12    - slide from the indicated note

x      - random note or a ghost note

Have fun practicing!
-Zsolt