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Black Sabbath - Paranoid - Guitar Tab

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Key E minor
Black Sabbath - Paranoid guitar tab video
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Paranoid album cover
Paranoid
1970 2:48
Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Music
Black Sabbath Heavy Metal 1970 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Paranoid

"Paranoid" by Black Sabbath is a landmark heavy metal track released in 1970 as the lead single from their second studio album of the same name. Clocking in at under three minutes, it is unusually concise for the genre, built around a straightforward yet iconic riff that makes it highly approachable for electric guitarists. It reached number 4 on the UK singles chart, cementing Black Sabbath's place in rock history and making it an essential study in early heavy metal guitar technique.

  • The song runs under three minutes, short for heavy metal, making it a focused, efficient study in riff-driven songwriting.
  • Tony Iommi's main riff uses a simple pentatonic-based pattern, ideal for guitarists learning early heavy metal technique.
  • "Paranoid" was Black Sabbath's first song to chart in both the UK and the US, released in 1970.

How to Play Paranoid

The song moves through: Intro, Verse, Interlude, Chorus, Inst, Solo, Outro.

Key: E minor · Tempo: 163 BPM · Difficulty: Medium

The main riff runs at 163 bpm in E minor, which feels fast for beginners but sits in a comfortable range once your picking hand locks in; the real challenge is maintaining tight, even downpicking through repeated notes without tensing up your forearm. Learn the verse riff first since it forms the backbone of the entire song, then tackle the solo, which features bends and fast pentatonic runs that demand clean fretting-hand accuracy. A common pitfall is rushing the riff under the excitement of the tempo, so use the speed control to practice it at 70-80% until the pick attack feels controlled and consistent before pushing to full speed.

Loop the hardest passage and creep the speed up from around 70 percent until it holds at 163 BPM.

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