Tune the guitar to C standard. The strings will feel looser than might be preferred. Loose or sloppy play can be corrected by having the guitar adjusted by a professional technician. Set a metronome to a comfortable rate that you can keep up with; it can be increased as the different techniques become more comfortable.
Place the index finger of the fretted hand over the two lowest strings of the guitar in any position and play them as a chord. Titled "The Power Chord," these tones are commonly heard in black metal but palm muted at the bridge with the picking hand, chugged and part of a sequence or series of power chords and notes.
Use the index finger, middle finger and pinkie finger of the fretting hand to create power chords in a first position, half step, then whole step pattern both ascending and descending. Be sure to keep the fretting hand still while creating each power chord with its respective finger. It may take some time to build up the strength of the pinkie finger to consistently and clearly articulate the desired power chord. If the metronome is set to a 4/4 rhythm, add an additional chord while playing along to find the downbeat or simply double one of the chords. It is recommended to play to a 3/4 rhythm to this guide when attempting to learn power chords.
"Trem (tremolo) Picking" is the other distinctive element of black metal. Practiced players are able to pick to 8th, 16th and even 32nd notes of each bar of music or a combination of each. Combined with the same speed of a drummers kick, the guitarist is able to sound very percussive, and each note, while very short, has much more impact than it normally would. Start slow picking "up" then "down" on the highest string in 5th position to a metronome. Attempt to stay fluid when alternate picking with an up and down motion. Jagged, tense picking will produce an undesirable effect and throw off timing. If it is uncomfortable, simply slow down the metronome.
Listen for the half notes or pauses when the metronome is waiting to count another beat and begin to pick those half and quarter beats as well. Increase the rate of the metronome as the skill begins to feel more comfortable.