Learn How to Play "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath

In this lesson, we'll explore one of the greatest metal tunes ever, Paranoid by Black Sabbath, on electric guitar. I've been playing this wrong my entire life, but the correct way is pretty easy! Let's check it out.

Paranoid by Black Sabbath – Riff

First, let's see how to play that iconic riff! We put finger 1 on fret 12, barring strings 4, 5, and 6. For the first bar, we play strings 5 and 6 on beat 1, the "and" after 2, and beat 4, each time hammering down on fret 14 of string 5 with finger 3.

In the next bar, we play fret 12 of string 5 on beat 1, then hammer down on fret 14 of string 5 on the "and" after 1. Then we move up to string 4 and do the same, starting on beat 2. Go back to string 5 and repeat these two hammer-ons. This entire riff is played twice at the beginning of the song; then, we're into the verse.

💡Hammer-Ons – Learn how to play wicked hammer-ons with my Legato Primer!

Paranoid by Black Sabbath – Verse

The verse starts with an E power chord – finger 1 goes on fret 12 of string 6 and finger 3 on fret 14 of string 5 (12 14 X X X X). We start by pumping eighth notes – playing 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + with down picks with some palm mute. Explore the palm mute until it sounds like the original song! And keep the strums nice and even – we don't want to accent beats two and four. It lasts two bars.

On the next bar, we move down a tone to the D power chord, shifting both fingers back two frets (10 12 X X X X). And on the final bar of the repetition, we shift both fingers down one string to a G power chord (X 10 12 X X X).

You can hear on the record that finger 3 sometimes lays down here, playing notes on fret 12 of strings 3 and 4. Practice changing from D5 (10 12 X X X X) to G Major chord (X 10 12 12 12 X). Finger 3 rolls onto the top as you move from G to D.

💡 Perfect your Palm Mute! This is a super-important Metal technique.

We only play the G for one strum, moving back to the D on the "and" after 1. We then move back to the E power chord on beat 3 and on beat 4, press down finger 1 on strings 3 and 4 at fret 12, and target those two notes. The rhythm for this last bar is 1 + 3 4.

Paranoid by Black Sabbath – Other Verse Parts

At the end of the first verse, there's a four-bar fill. This starts with an E power chord, played on beat 1, then held for a whole bar. Then it moves to the C power chord (8 10 X X X X) played on beat 3 and held for a full bar, then the D power chord played on 3 and held for half a bar. For the final two bars, we pump eighth notes on E again.

There's also an eight-bar middle section. It starts with the E power chord played and held for two bars. We then move to the D power chord and do the same. We repeat this, making up eight bars. The song has a tight finish. We play the verse riff until beat 4, then mute the strings.

Paranoid by Black Sabbath – Effects

As for the sound for this track, I went into my Kemper profiler and typed in "Fuzz." I boosted many of the mids, trebles, and presence so it would sound like the original. Use a fuzz pedal through a clean amp, and you might get close to it! It's not a heavy sound – it's fuzzy.

Have lots of fun with this one – again, it's not too tricky, and you get some great practice with your power chords, muting, and hammer-ons. Take care. :)

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