Black Sabbath - Children of the Grave - Guitar Tab

The Ultimate Collection

2017 5:15

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About Children of the Grave

Few riffs in heavy rock hit as hard as the one that opens "Children of the Grave." Black Sabbath built the track around a relentless, galloping figure in E minor that sits right at the boundary between straight and shuffled feel, and getting that groove locked in is the first real challenge. Tony Iommi's approach here leans on tight, palm-muted downstrokes driving into open power chords, so your right hand discipline matters as much as fretting accuracy. The shifts between the muted gallop and the open, ringing chord hits need to be clean and even, which is trickier at tempo than it looks on paper. Start by isolating that main riff at a reduced speed and use the Practice Toolbar to loop it slowed down until the muting and the rhythm feel automatic. The mid-song tempo changes and the darker, slower breakdown sections also deserve their own slow-loop sessions before you try to run the whole song from top to bottom.

• The signature riff uses heavy palm muting combined with open power chord hits, so consistent right-hand technique is essential throughout.
• The song sits in E minor, giving the main riff a dark, tense character that rewards attention to muting precision over flashy technique.
• Tempo and feel shift noticeably in the breakdown section, making it worth practising that transition separately before running the full arrangement.