"Heavy metal is a music genre that truly shook up the world once it hit the scene. Nowadays classical performers takes these tunes to rock out on their violin. They’re ditching some of the best guitar for metal choices and picking up their bow to cover some epic tunes. 

Practicing some music from the heavy metal genre can actually help you to break the tedium of having to play classical music all of the time. There are a lot of different techniques that heavy metal musicians use which will really help you expand on your violin skill set. Metal isn’t a genre where you can be understated so if you’re planning on performing live, you will need to get used to moving around on stage with your violin. 

If you want to get into the metal genre but don’t know where to start, check out these seven metal songs that can be played on the violin to get you started. 

"Thunderstruck" by AC/DC   

AC/DC have some of the best metal music out there so it’s no surprise that they would appear first on our list. What we have here is the cover performed by 2Cellos you have probably done the most famous cover of the song on strings to date. The video is epic and the way they use their instruments to recreate the power behind the song is breath taking. Their stage presence is definitely something to take note of as well if you plan on performing metal music, although we wouldn’t suggest breaking your bow in this way. You can listen to their rendition in the video below. 

Thunderstruck was the lead single to come from the 1990 album entitled The Razors Edge. The distinctive opening part you can hear in the beginning of the song was originally played on the guitar. In the original the guitarist taped up all of the strings apart from the B. Although the song was never released as a single, it still stands as one of the heaviest songs the band ever came out with. 

"Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica 

Metallica do just what it says in their name – metal! With their song Nothing Else Matters they took a softer approach to the genre and it’s this gentleness that translates beautifully onto the violin. We have given you the cover by Golden Salt who used both the violin and guitar to create an amazing rendition of the song. 

The original orchestration of the song was arranged by Michael Kamen. He conducted the San Francisco Symphony orchestra at the time. The live album from Metallica entitled S&M went on to feature this orchestra. Their use of strings and orchestras in many of their songs is probably why their music translates so well onto the violin. 

"Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin   

For the cover of Kashmir by Led Zeppelin we’re turning to professional violinist David Garrett. He is probably one of the most famous violinists anywhere in the world and is known for his covers of some of the most popular metal and rock songs. He also covered other metal artists such as Metallica and Nirvana as part of his work. 

The song Kashmir was said to have been inspired by a trip that the band made down the coast of the Moroccan Atlantic. The song is incredibly long which made it difficult for some radio stations to play. The signature guitar riff used in this song was actually used as a tuning warmup that Jimmy Page had been using for years. 

"Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N’ Roses 

Another song covered by 2Cellos, Welcome to the Jungle has that amazing riff at the beginning that makes it ideal for violin. You’ll have to watch out for this one if you’re planning on learning to play it on the strings. As you can see from the Croatian brothers you’re going to have to move those arms and fingers quickly to recreate the sound. 

The original concept behind Welcome to the Jungle was inspired by Los Angeles which the band went to visit. It was penned to expose the darker side of the city as Guns N’ Roses pursued fame. The song was originally released in 1987 and then re-released in 1988 once the band had gotten some fame. 

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana  

Moving onto more modern metal, we’re coming into the birth of grunge metal with Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana. Once again it’s that strong metal guitar riff at the beginning that makes the song play so well on strings. It’s another fast one for violin players but that infamous background melody sounds absolutely fantastic when it’s played properly. 

Kurt Cobain was the brains behind this metal hit for the band. He was actually attempting to write the ultimate pop song but instead made one of the most famous grunge metal hits of all time. It was actually the first song of its alternative kind to become popular amongst a new generation. The song was penned to show Cobain’s disdain for his generations apathy and spinelessness and he utterly despised anything mainstream happening at the time. 

"The Pretender" by Foo Fighters 

Once again we’re looking at guitar riffs that translate beautifully onto the violin and The Pretender by the Foo Fighters does just that. It’s elegance when played on strings adds something to the song. This cover features the violin as the lead in place of the guitar but still has the drums and bass playing in the background. It’s an interesting take on one of the bands more popular hits over the years. 

Grohl revealed in a radio interview that this song was actually put together in one day when the other records they released would take several weeks to compose. The song was supposed to refer to the political unrest in the US where people wouldn’t get what they were promised. 

"Paranoid" by Black Sabbath 

No band says metal like Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne is still probably the number one metal front man of all time. This one is going to have those fingers and arms moving again to replicate that up tempo background melody. A violin takes over the melody of what the lyrics would have been sung to with some beautiful articulations thrown in for good measure. 

As the name would suggest the song is all about a man who is paranoid. The lyrics were probably fuelled by Osbourne’s own paranoia that he suffered from when misusing substances. It’s a fan favorite for the band that will always be synonymous with their style and angst.