How to Play Paranoid by Black Sabbath
Paranoid by Black Sabbath is a prototype 1970 Heavy Metal hit that spread the emerging new style around the globe. The band’s fast, staccato rhythm style, heavy distorted guitar tone and Ozzy Osbourne’s unique high vocal range created a dynamic new sound that was soon being copied in garages and pubs all over the world. Paranoid is a classic song for electric guitarists.
Chords: E5 D5 D4 C5 : both two and three-string forms of these power-chords are used in Paranoid.
Pick or Fingers? You reeeally need a pick for this style! And you need a fairly firm pick to create the strong downstroke rhythm.
What is ‘palm-muting’? Allow he side of your palm to lightly rest on the bass strings as you play fast, short downstrokes in the verses. This creates the steady, staccato style of rhythm you hear throughout the verses. The other sections contrast with long, sustained chords. Don’t try to palm-mute these; they need a clear, strong tone.
Acoustic or Electric? Electric guitar or get out! Seriously, it’s just not an acoustic guitar piece . . .
Lead guitar : the lead solo is in E pentatonic minor (E Blues), played mostly between the 7th and 5th positions.
What is the small TAB number in the intro riff for? This shows the starting fret of the fast hammer-on note you hear right at the start of the intro. Keep your index finger flat on strings 5 & 4, strike them with a hard downstroke then instantly hammer the ring finger on to the 4th string, 9th fret. This creates the ‘grace-note hammer-on’ that features in the opening riff of Paranoid.
Relevant pages in Electric Guitar Solo Style 1 : to learn more about the techniques and TAB reading used in this chart go to pages 8 - 9, 18 - 19 and 25 - 26.
Relevant pages in Modern Guitar Chord Styles 2 : to learn more about the chords, rhythm and playing style of Paranoid check out the introduction to bar chords and power chords on pages 4 to 9.
Need a bit of help?
Electric Guitar Solo Style 1 : Suitable for beginners, this very helpful book is for entry-level to intermediate guitarists who want to improve their lead guitar skills. Presented with TAB throughout to assist, EGSS1 will consolidate your core lead guitar skills like hammer-on, pull-off, string-bending, pentatonic and blues scales, and more. All techniques are explained clearly and then applied to cool solos throughout the book. EGSS1 will help you build a rock solid foundation for your guitar soloing!
