Why Does Kirk Hammett Tape Up His Hands While Playing Guitar?

If you’ve ever watched Kirk Hammett as he tears up the fretboard, you might have noticed that he tapes up his strumming hand.

Speaking in a video chat about his “It’s Alive” horror movie memorabilia exhibition, the Metallica rocker addressed the reason. “I’ve always plucked the strings really hard and banged on the guitar very hard when I’ve strummed or played, or whatever,” explained Hammett, which he says can cause him to bleed on stage.

Describing the pain as feeling like “the worst paper cut in the world,” Hammett added that he now uses clear tape so his band-aid approach wouldn’t attract so much attention.