Dave Mustaine recalls how he learned to play the guitar

One of the godfathers of Thrash Metal, Dave Mustaine, played a crucial role in Metallica‘s early years before becoming an even bigger part of the genre with the formation of Megadeth. But, of course, it was a long way to the top, and he struggled to learn guitar when he was young. In an interview with Steve-O (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar), he recalled that he learned more about the instrument through a book and from the younger brother of his sister’s boyfriend.

Dave Mustaine recalls how he learned to play the guitar

“The hardest part for me was learning how to tune because I didn’t have anybody to teach me. So, I had to figure out what it said. There was no Internet back then. It was back in… ’74, I think, was when I first started playing.”

“‘Mel Bay’ was the name of the guitar book, and it just had normal guitar chords and didn’t have any scales, didn’t have any runs, nothing like that. And we just went from there, learning how to play chords, and to when I got a turntable and started putting vinyl down and listening to songs.”

“My sister had started dating some guy, and his little brother played guitar too, and he helped show me a little bit about guitar playing and a little bit of the beginning nuances. I had a cousin named Johnny, back then he had a Gold Top Les Paul. It was so beautiful. And that was the first guitar I ever did a power chord on, was that Gibson Gold Top Les Paul,” Dave Mustaine said.

Mustaine is the only member of Megadeth who was part of all the releases. Right now, the band is also formed by Dirk Verbeuren (Drums – Since 2016), James LoMenzo (Bass – Since 2022) and Teemu Mäntysaari (Guitar – Since 2023).