Black Sabbath - Iron Man - Outro Solo - Guitar Lesson

Paranoid

1970 5:55

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About Iron Man - Outro Solo

The outro solo of "Iron Man" is where Tony Iommi lets the song's slow, crushing momentum finally boil over into lead playing. Rooted in E minor, it sits on top of one of the most recognisable riffs in heavy rock, so your phrasing has to feel equally heavy: big bends, deliberate vibrato, and nothing rushed. The challenge is matching the weight of the rhythm section rather than simply running scales. Every note needs to breathe, and getting your vibrato wide and controlled is the real work here. If the timing of the bends feels slippery at first, use the Practice Toolbar to loop the passage slowed down until your hand learns the feel before you bring it back up to tempo. Black Sabbath built this track on a blues foundation, so think in terms of the minor pentatonic with occasional natural minor colour rather than anything flashy.

• The solo sits in E minor, so the minor pentatonic scale is your foundation, with natural minor notes available for extra colour.
• Wide, controlled vibrato is the defining technique here: Iommi's slow, deliberate delivery demands you focus on sustain and hand strength rather than speed.
• Practise matching the weight of the rhythm riff beneath you, keeping your bends in tune and fully resolving each phrase before moving on.