Black Sabbath - Neon Knights - Guitar Solo Tab

Heaven and Hell (Deluxe Edition)

1980 3:52

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About Neon Knights

Few Heavy Metal openers hit as hard as "Neon Knights," and the guitar work is a big reason why. Tony Iommi plays the whole track in Eb Standard tuning, dropping every string a half-step, which gives the riffs that slightly darker, looser tension that sits so well at 128 BPM. The song is built around fast, galloping chord work in E minor, so your fretting hand endurance is tested early: the chord changes come quickly and need to lock in tightly with the kick drum to feel right. The lead breaks demand a clean alternate-picking technique and controlled vibrato, both of which benefit from slowing things down first. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop any of those transitions or solo phrases at reduced speed until the movements are comfortable, then bring the tempo back up gradually. Black Sabbath with Dio on vocals pushed Iommi toward brighter, more driving riff structures than earlier records, and that energy is exactly what makes this one worth working through properly.

• The song is played in Eb Standard tuning, so tune every string down a half-step before you start to match the recording exactly.
• At 128 BPM the chord changes are relentless, making right-hand rhythm consistency and fretting-hand stamina the two main challenges to build.
• The lead guitar sections reward careful alternate-picking practice: use the Practice Toolbar to loop them slowed down before attempting full speed.