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Ozzy Osbourne - Diary Of A Madman Acoustic - Famous Riffs - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
Ozzy Osbourne - Diary Of A Madman Acoustic - Famous Riffs guitar lesson video
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Ozzy Osbourne Heavy Metal E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Diary Of A Madman Acoustic - Famous Riffs

The acoustic side of "Diary of a Madman" is one of the quieter corners of Ozzy Osbourne's catalog, but it demands real precision from the fretting hand. Playing in E minor at 120 BPM in E Standard tuning, the riff work sits in a range that feels comfortable until you try to keep the notes clean at tempo. The challenge is maintaining an even, controlled fingerpicking or hybrid-picked attack while holding chord shapes that shift in ways that can catch you off guard. That combination of a moderate tempo and unexpected voicings means rushing is easy and accuracy is everything. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the trickiest transitions slowed down, so your fretting hand can build the muscle memory before you bring it up to full speed. Within Heavy Metal, acoustic passages like this are often overlooked, but they reward the guitarist who takes them seriously with a cleaner technique that carries over into electric playing too.

  • The riff sits in E minor in E Standard tuning, so no retuning is needed, but clean fretting pressure is essential to avoid buzzing on the acoustic.
  • At 120 BPM the passage is moderate in tempo, making accurate left-hand shifts the main difficulty rather than raw speed.
  • Practise the chord transitions in isolation using the Practice Toolbar's slow-down feature before attempting a full run-through at tempo.

How to Play Diary Of A Madman Acoustic - Famous Riffs

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 120 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 120 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Slash's Les Paul Standard on 'Ordinary Man' delivers Ozzy's signature thick, warm sustain through its mahogany body and set neck. The guitar's natural resonance cuts through a cranked Marshall while maintaining the heavy, blues-rooted tone that defines modern Ozzy records.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde both relied on the Les Paul Custom's thick mahogany construction and PAF-style humbuckers for sustained, focused leads that pierce through Marshall saturation. The Custom's weight and warmth became sonic anchors for Ozzy's most iconic guitar tones across decades.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

Zakk Wylde dimed the JCM800 2203 for maximum crunch and tight low-end response, making it the backbone of modern Ozzy heaviness. The amp's aggressive gain structure and natural breakup at volume deliver the roaring, sustained tone perfect for pinch harmonics and heavy riffing.

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)
Amp

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)

Randy Rhoads' modified 1959 Super Lead Plexi delivered natural tube saturation with a tight, focused midrange that allowed his fast runs and solos to cut through with clarity. The Plexi's simple, responsive design meant tone came directly from his fingers and Les Paul into the amp.

EMG 81
Pickup

EMG 81

Zakk Wylde's bridge position EMG 81 provides high output and compressed sustain essential for heavy riffing and pinch harmonics that define modern Ozzy songs. The active humbucker's tight low-end response couples perfectly with a dimed Marshall JCM800 for maximum aggression.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde both used the Cry Baby wah to add expressive texture to leads without cluttering their core Marshall-driven tone. The wah's responsive sweep enhanced their solos while remaining secondary to the raw tube amp saturation that defines Ozzy's sound.

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