Learn How To Play "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden on Guitar!

In this lesson, we'll learn how to play Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden on the electric guitar. One of my favorite grunge songs of all time! This song has techniques, including hammer-ons, flick-offs, and complex chords that suit Grade 6+ intermediate guitar players.

We'll learn the main acoustic guitar part similar to Chris Cornell's version. And, we'll also explore the original version further up the guitar neck.

🚨 Rock out to this song with chords, lyrics, and Tabs using the JustinGuitarTabs!

Black Hole Sun - Guitar Settings & Effects

For this video lesson, I'm using this 335, and I've gone into an Analog Man King of Tone for some distortion, and then I've gone into an Analog Man by chorus pedal. The chorus effect is what I'm using, but I'm pretty sure the original was a Leslie Speaker Cabinet.

You can get that with a chorus pedal—I've got the speed turned most of the way up and the depth on about half, but you'll have to experiment with your chorus unit to try and find that. I've also added a little analog delay courtesy of a Strymon El Capistan delay pedal.

💡 Want to learn more about guitar effects? Great guitar tone starts here.

Black Hole Sun - Playing Tips

This song is all about the guitar layers. If you're playing it in a band, it's best to divide the parts and have some guys playing heavier sounds while others play riffs. Transcribing it will help you make sense of what's going on!

This song is perfectly pickable! Picking it makes finding the right strings easier than finger-picking would. But you could play it fingerstyle, use a pick, or even combine both! The choice is yours. :)

Want professional Tabs for Black Hole Sun? Check out the JustinGuitarTabs.