Black Sabbath - Paranoid - Guitar Tab

Paranoid

1970 2:48

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About Paranoid

Few riffs in rock history are as immediately recognisable as the one that kicks off "Paranoid," and the good news for developing players is that it sits comfortably in E minor at a brisk but manageable tempo. Black Sabbath built the track around a single, repeating power-chord-and-single-note figure that Tony Iommi plays with a tight, slightly palm-muted attack, giving it that punchy, clipped feel. Getting that tone right is as important as getting the notes right: too much reverb or a loose pick attack and the riff loses its urgency. The verse riff is a great entry point for anyone working on right-hand consistency, because any slip in muting or timing is immediately obvious. The lead break that follows is melodic rather than shreddy, sitting mostly in the E minor pentatonic box, but the phrasing and the bends are worth slowing down carefully. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop that solo passage at reduced speed so you can match Iommi's precise bend targets before bringing it back up to full tempo.

• The main riff is built on E minor power chords combined with single-note runs, making clean palm muting the key technical skill to develop.
• Tony Iommi's lead break sits primarily in the E minor pentatonic scale, so it is an excellent solo for players consolidating that position.
• Keeping the riff tight at full speed requires consistent alternate picking and right-hand muting, two fundamentals worth isolating in slow practice sessions.