Black Sabbath - Fairies Wear Boots - Guitar Lesson

The Ultimate Collection

2017 6:13

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About Fairies Wear Boots

Few early Sabbath tracks reward close guitar study quite like "Fairies Wear Boots." The main riff is a slow, heavy groove built on power chords and single-note runs, demanding a tight right hand and deliberate pick attack to get the weight right. Without a confirmed tuning in our data, check the tab above before you tune up, but note that Black Sabbath frequently tuned down in this era, which thickens the low-end considerably. The riff sits at a mid-tempo feel, so every note has room to breathe and any sloppiness shows immediately. The transitions between the main riff and the more open chord sections are where most players stumble, so isolate those bars in the Practice Toolbar and loop them slowed down until the shifts feel automatic. Focus on keeping your fretting hand relaxed through the whole pattern, because tension creeps in fast when you are trying to sound heavy.

• The signature riff relies on a combination of power chords and single-note runs, so clean palm muting and precise pick attack are the two key things to drill.
• Transitions between the main riff and the song's chord sections are the trickiest moments and are worth isolating with a slowed-down loop.
• Black Sabbath commonly tuned down during this period, so confirm the tuning shown in the tab before you start to avoid playing the whole song in the wrong key.