'Why would you want to completely know how someone plays their song?' Answer: so I can learn and apply the parts I enjoy to my own playing! People confuse the ability to copy something (i.e. learn it) as opposing creativity when it actually adds to your creative foundation. We all stand on the shoulders of preceding giants.
Exactly. If you don't learn the details of the riff, you will not learn how to use them in your own playing. But if you on the other hand know exactly how the original sound was achieved, then you can apply the same techniques to your own playing - you are more in control of your own playing. A lot of the time the magic lies in the small details - that's what the musical side of playing is all about. Music is about more than playing the correct notes. Learning to imitate the sounds that you hear makes your own interpretation much more informed and also makes your playing sound a lot more musical.
Same, I'm a classical guitarist, but my schoolmates forced me to learn this song and I played it already on level 6, because it was natural way to play it for me, since I'm a classical guitarist.
I prefer playing on the 12th-10th frets. I think the great thing about Paranoid is there's so many different ways to play it. Especially the solo. Everyone improvises a little on the solo. You just got to.
i learned the paranoid riff by ear and i didn't notice that end-note being a B untill you said it was, then i listened to the original track and oh yes it is... my ears suck!
The exact name slips my mind, but instead of a tremolo/whammy bar, it allows you to bend a string or strings of your choice up or down a fixed amount. For example, you can set it up to bend your B string up a half step, so you can play an A minor chord, then precisely bend it into an A major chord. I've seen them used quite well in the guitars this man makes: ruclips.net/video/AeBNyViGtCc/видео.html
Nope, that is a duesenberg les trem on the sg, which is a bigsby style trem that affects all the strings when used, not just the b string. It is a tremolo/whammy, he just has the tremolo arm off of it. ruclips.net/video/Yn3Q4QrejV8/видео.html The guitar in the link you posted has a b-bender style system which is something else entirely.
Bingo.Les Trem 2. I've got one on mine, It's awesome. Obviously not a Floyd but it's perfect for surfy/shimmery/rockabilly type use and it needs no modification at all and leaves your guitar in completely original condition if you take it off again.
Very informative! I'm 52 years old and have been playing it "wrong" for many years! That said it was easy for me to play it this way (level 6) and it does in fact sound much better! Thanks, I always enjoy your easy to understand lessons.
i've discovered over the epochs and eons that unique musical arrangements WITHIN intros or outros can often end up the most memorable segments.yeah,in other words,those movements occuring NOWHERE else in the track.and PARANOID is exemplary of this phenomenon.BATTERY?FADE TO BLACK?HOLY WARS?'nuff said.
I just started learning guitar and this lesson, while far above my ability level, does a great job of showing me just how complex guitar is and how incredibly skilled the master guitarists really are. I can listen to level 1 and immediately recognize Paranoid. But at level 6, I hear how Tony meant it to sound.
Super helpful. Paranoid is what I’d consider an intricately simple song, which is why it’s great for beginners. Simple enough for newbs to grasp, but enough detail to keep from getting bored. Nailed it Mike.
The guy who taught me how to play always seemed to start at your level 4 when teaching me songs. I have watched 4 or 5 of these and it's odd that I always play it like your level 4 unless I like the song a lot and tab it out exactly.
I don't know if you do death metal artists much but I'd really like to see a levels video for Crystal Mountain by Death. I've seen people play it so many different ways.
I wonder if there is a method/formula that Geezer used to play with Tony, at least for the first two records, where the bass and the guitar tend to be panned to opposite sides minus the guitar overdubs. They sit so well together, for an unnatural balance.
As a guitar teacher myself I feel like this is the wrong way to teach people how to play songs. In my experience with playing guitar I have found the more you focus on these microscopic details you lose the ability to infuse a song you're learning with your own creative flare, I'm not saying it's inherently bad to focus on small details such as these, however I feel these are details that you should focus on more when you write your own material. I myself had this approach to learning songs when I first started and I found myself lacking a lot more areas because I was so focused on trying to play everything exactly the same as the record and I struggled to find my own style of playing. In reality most musicians almost never play the same thing the same way twice, as in most cases it's impossible to recreate those little nuances. Furthermore I firmly believe the magic comes from being able to play the bare bones of a song and being able to add your own nuances and style to the song you're playing, for example when I play Angry Again - Megadeth. I like to play that intro as a slow sweep rather than the way Mustaine plays it, as alternate picking. Adding my own nuances gives me more satisfaction when I've learnt how to play a song because I've taken something and given it a fresh breath of life. These are just the philosophies of a fellow guitarist and teacher, I know you won't read this but on the off chance you do i'd be interested in hearing your philosophies when it comes to teaching and playing. Great little lesson man keep up your good work :)
Appreciate it. I've been teaching for 25 years now and I see it both ways. Just like different people learn things in different ways some people just need the basic sketches and others get the most out of detailed work. I love both, of course I'm not trying to mimic every guitar player, but if you can see the microscopic details that make something work, why not showcase them from time to time. Thanks again for the comment.
these level vids are a waste of time .. just show the correct way and spent time on that ...and toward the end of the video you said "some people" ask why be so detailed and be exactly like tony iommi ? I don't believe anyone would say that who would not want to be ME ?
FINALLY!!! My band's guitar player refuses to believe that Tony plays the "B" note at the end! He plays the octave "E" just like most other guitar players do, and it drives me crazy!! He also plays the little 4-note fill that Geezer played between the chord change down to "D". I'll be showing him this video at our next rehearsal! Thanks, man!
It's better to settle these things before the rehearsal even starts. I had a rehearsal where the bassist listened to the live version of a song, the drummer listened to the single release version, and they were supposed to listen to the album version. We lost like 40 minutes to get everyone back to speed, it was horrible. Just send him the video, dude.
I thought that he hit the B on the 5th string 14 the SECOND time through. I have (somewhere) the Cherry Lane official Black Sabbath tab from years back, and that's how they had it written....
My first TAB book was a Black Sabbath one and it had everything pretty well laid out. Lots of power chords and lots of riffs starting on the 12th fret. Got me into guitar! Great video.
bruh i’ve played this song at a pub gig before and apparently it was level 1. i did everything on this video apart from playing on the low e, ive always played it on the a
Love the idea of these videos, I have recently found myself doing the "levels" thing. I used to play guitar at 15/16 when I was in school but gave up when I went to college, about a year ago I started again at 27, now I've gotten "okay" again I have noticed that when I was younger I was happy to play songs as long as they sounded like it at say level 1/2/3. But now I find myself already playing at 5/6 and laughing at how I used to play them.
Up to level 5, I was sitting over here saying... yeah but you're playing the wrong note!!! Then you put in the correct note. Lol. That drove me crazy. It turns out I was already at level 6 on this one. =P
Turns out I was playing the 6th level when I was like a month into the guitar, because I just had those tabs for it. And I wish I watched this video back then, it would have saved me a lot of time haha. Oh, I almost forgot, it seemed easier for me to roll my index finger, I always like it when I don't have to move my fingers a lot. Now I'll go and try to master this song, thanks!
This is the first LEVEL'S video of yours I have come across. I love it; and I agree, the feel is in the details. It was great listening to the differences. I'll be looking forward to the next one. 👍
'cuts a little too close to home' and 'strikes a nerve' had me laughing like fuck. great vid as usual. Are those dimarzio pickups you use? How many guitars do you own?
Great SG. Would you consider doing levels with Gates of Babylon? Rainbow. I was a lead vocalist/writer for over 25 years and the last sort of twelve to fifteen years were mostly Hard Rock (yes, that's how old I am! The term "metal" wasn't around when I was doing the old Sabbath, and Rainbow stuff.) I always wanted to perform Gates of Babylon live but nobody could play it until I was in my second metal band, which turned out to be the last band I was in until recently, as I've decided to get a band going again, but no metal this tine! lol! Classic rock from 60s through 70s - maybe a few 80s. But the last band I was in, I had Barry Stock in the band from Three Days Grace. This was before he joined TDG So Barry and the other guitar monster Dave Douglas could actually play that song, and so I got to perform it before I retarded...er I mean retired! I'm obviously not actually expecting you to do levels of that song, it's an incredibly dark and complex guitar song, which Blackmore excelled at, which is why I love Rainbow - with Dio of course! Joe Lynn Turner... meh...he has a chick's middle name, so...you know...he sang sissy songs!! Since You've Been Gone?? ...Hmmmph! Dio - "Oh carry home my broken bones and lay me down to rest, I'm a fallen angel who's lost his wings I guess I failed to pass the test!!! YES!! MANLY DIO!!!! Jack - Canada
I love these levels videos. Interesting that riffs like this and SmokeOTW can sound a bit naff at the lowest levels but with the details added they become awesome!
I'm doing this as part of a project and I was taught not only keeping the barre on, but playing on the E string, because it makes the slide during the verses so much easier
“Cuts a little close to home, strikes a nerve” oh yikes ahahahah
"I'm not gonna make a joke about cutting ends of his fingers off" *makes 2 accidental puns about cutting/touching nerves*
‘Accidental’
Congratulations you found the joke!
Levels of whole lotta love! Many people don’t know about bending up the 5th string and hitting the open D string to give it that distinct sound!
The famous Whole lotta love dissonance secret ;)
This one pls Mike
omg, like NO ONE I see covering whole lotta love does the open D string thing! I completely agree with this.
I learned that from a Joe Walsh video where he lets out Jimmy's secret
I literally just came here to type that!
'Why would you want to completely know how someone plays their song?' Answer: so I can learn and apply the parts I enjoy to my own playing! People confuse the ability to copy something (i.e. learn it) as opposing creativity when it actually adds to your creative foundation. We all stand on the shoulders of preceding giants.
Well put.
Exactly. If you don't learn the details of the riff, you will not learn how to use them in your own playing. But if you on the other hand know exactly how the original sound was achieved, then you can apply the same techniques to your own playing - you are more in control of your own playing. A lot of the time the magic lies in the small details - that's what the musical side of playing is all about.
Music is about more than playing the correct notes. Learning to imitate the sounds that you hear makes your own interpretation much more informed and also makes your playing sound a lot more musical.
Spot on just as tony did heard many different sorts of music and put those techniques into his style this is how it is done
Oh my god...
It's happening.....
Mike is turning into Tony.
All you need now is a mustache and re learn guitar left handed.
and cut his finger tips off - oops too close to home :D
Lol
Lol
I love your name
Ahhh I missed this series my man! Thank ye!
Maybe the 7 levels of Crazy Train..........
This was my first ever song on an electric and i had no idea i played it on level 6 difficulty😂 well it really helped me for sure
Same, I'm a classical guitarist, but my schoolmates forced me to learn this song and I played it already on level 6, because it was natural way to play it for me, since I'm a classical guitarist.
Can you do the 7 levels of symphony of destruction?
I'm definitely for it.
It's not that nuanced, though. At least the main/verse riff. But, to be fair, I've seen people play the chorus riff a million different ways.
It’s about as simple as metal gets, right up there with walk.
I prefer playing on the 12th-10th frets. I think the great thing about Paranoid is there's so many different ways to play it. Especially the solo. Everyone improvises a little on the solo. You just got to.
Yeah true dat
That SG is sick bro✌
Thanks. I put it up for sale today tho. This is its last video. :(
Where??
Craigslist and Minnesota Musician Garage Sale
Have you got a link..?
The-Art-of-Guitar that’s sad. That SG taught me how to play Iron Man perfectly.
Such a great series man. Keep it up dude. Analyze the f out of everything!!!!
i learned the paranoid riff by ear and i didn't notice that end-note being a B untill you said it was, then i listened to the original track and oh yes it is... my ears suck!
These "level" videos are great, keep them coming !
(I'm not sure if "keep them coming" is correct I'm not a native speaker lol)
Correct, and I agree :D
It is correct as far as I'm concerned
~Native Speaker
Should be fine ;) (also no nativ speaker)
+LP D'A
You could go with: Flood us with your Top X levels content.
It’s 100% correct mate, well done
What's up with that bridge?
You could do a library worth of levels videos on Sabbath.
The exact name slips my mind, but instead of a tremolo/whammy bar, it allows you to bend a string or strings of your choice up or down a fixed amount. For example, you can set it up to bend your B string up a half step, so you can play an A minor chord, then precisely bend it into an A major chord. I've seen them used quite well in the guitars this man makes: ruclips.net/video/AeBNyViGtCc/видео.html
Nope, that is a duesenberg les trem on the sg, which is a bigsby style trem that affects all the strings when used, not just the b string. It is a tremolo/whammy, he just has the tremolo arm off of it. ruclips.net/video/Yn3Q4QrejV8/видео.html
The guitar in the link you posted has a b-bender style system which is something else entirely.
hchoe741 x
Looks like the whammy set up for Noki Edwards of the Ventures when they used Mosrite guitars. Almost a pedal steel laptop set up.
Bingo.Les Trem 2. I've got one on mine, It's awesome. Obviously not a Floyd but it's perfect for surfy/shimmery/rockabilly type use and it needs no modification at all and leaves your guitar in completely original condition if you take it off again.
also, maybe a "levels of" for whom the bell tolls?
The intro guitar lead is the end to black Sabbaths fairies wear boots. Jake E Lee also played that part with Ozzy.
That shit is as shallow as Ulrich
Very informative! I'm 52 years old and have been playing it "wrong" for many years! That said it was easy for me to play it this way (level 6) and it does in fact sound much better! Thanks, I always enjoy your easy to understand lessons.
"Cuts too close to home". I see what you did there ;-)
Haha!
Cool video
I was on the level five
I've been asking this for a while
But, could you do a rory gallagher techniques?
Blackened_Sun Yesss Rory Gallagher!!! The greatest guitarist ever, according to Jimi Hendrix himself!
I was on lvl 6 and thought it was the easiest way
i've discovered over the epochs and eons that unique musical arrangements WITHIN intros or outros can often end up the most memorable segments.yeah,in other words,those movements occuring NOWHERE else in the track.and PARANOID is exemplary of this phenomenon.BATTERY?FADE TO BLACK?HOLY WARS?'nuff said.
I just started learning guitar and this lesson, while far above my ability level, does a great job of showing me just how complex guitar is and how incredibly skilled the master guitarists really are. I can listen to level 1 and immediately recognize Paranoid. But at level 6, I hear how Tony meant it to sound.
Super helpful. Paranoid is what I’d consider an intricately simple song, which is why it’s great for beginners. Simple enough for newbs to grasp, but enough detail to keep from getting bored. Nailed it Mike.
You and you're channel are awesome, the level of detail and effort you put on your videos is incredible, thanks for share your knowledge.
👍👍 playing this song for 42 years didn’t know level 6. Learn something new everyday. This is if you’re open to it. I am! Thank you
It's amazing how the last level it actually sounds like Iommi. Great video
Levels of Hammer Smashed Face?
Will you keep long hair and a beard (beard is not optional) ????
Once again great quick lesson.
Please do crazy train !!!
"CUTS a little too close to home".."Strikes a nerve" groan....
The guy who taught me how to play always seemed to start at your level 4 when teaching me songs. I have watched 4 or 5 of these and it's odd that I always play it like your level 4 unless I like the song a lot and tab it out exactly.
Tonni Iommi Black Sabbath> all
Level 7 might involve incorporating part of the baseline into the rhythm
We need some queen detail leveles like "We will rock you".
I don't know if you do death metal artists much but I'd really like to see a levels video for Crystal Mountain by Death. I've seen people play it so many different ways.
can you do a video on the techniques of Vinnie Paul as a tribute?
Vinnie paul is a drummer
Dimebag Darrel?
27 years on an axe and your videos are fantastic! Almost every song you overview I’m missing 1-2 levels! Love it man!
i was losing my mind hearing you play it wrong until level 5 with that note
My cartoon crush as a kid was Betty Rubble. My cartoon crush as an adult ... Jessica Rabbit!
I wonder if there is a method/formula that Geezer used to play with Tony, at least for the first two records, where the bass and the guitar tend to be panned to opposite sides minus the guitar overdubs. They sit so well together, for an unnatural balance.
Almost no-one I have watched play Paranoid so it sounds like the record. Even Iommi plays it wrong sometimes.
However, this tutorial nails it!
Whats that on the guitar bridge?
It's a Deusenberg Les Trem.
“Mike here with the art of guitar here” 😂, jk man love the content keep it up
As a guitar teacher myself I feel like this is the wrong way to teach people how to play songs. In my experience with playing guitar I have found the more you focus on these microscopic details you lose the ability to infuse a song you're learning with your own creative flare, I'm not saying it's inherently bad to focus on small details such as these, however I feel these are details that you should focus on more when you write your own material. I myself had this approach to learning songs when I first started and I found myself lacking a lot more areas because I was so focused on trying to play everything exactly the same as the record and I struggled to find my own style of playing. In reality most musicians almost never play the same thing the same way twice, as in most cases it's impossible to recreate those little nuances. Furthermore I firmly believe the magic comes from being able to play the bare bones of a song and being able to add your own nuances and style to the song you're playing, for example when I play Angry Again - Megadeth. I like to play that intro as a slow sweep rather than the way Mustaine plays it, as alternate picking. Adding my own nuances gives me more satisfaction when I've learnt how to play a song because I've taken something and given it a fresh breath of life.
These are just the philosophies of a fellow guitarist and teacher, I know you won't read this but on the off chance you do i'd be interested in hearing your philosophies when it comes to teaching and playing. Great little lesson man keep up your good work :)
Appreciate it. I've been teaching for 25 years now and I see it both ways. Just like different people learn things in different ways some people just need the basic sketches and others get the most out of detailed work. I love both, of course I'm not trying to mimic every guitar player, but if you can see the microscopic details that make something work, why not showcase them from time to time. Thanks again for the comment.
Iommi has so many awesome riffs you can dedicate an entire channel . That guitar is awesome.
Level 7: chop the tips of your fingers off and wear caps to get that authentic Iommi sound
these level vids are a waste of time .. just show the correct way and spent time on that ...and toward the end of the video you said "some people" ask why be so detailed and be exactly like tony iommi ? I don't believe anyone would say that who would not want to be ME ?
FINALLY!!! My band's guitar player refuses to believe that Tony plays the "B" note at the end! He plays the octave "E" just like most other guitar players do, and it drives me crazy!! He also plays the little 4-note fill that Geezer played between the chord change down to "D". I'll be showing him this video at our next rehearsal! Thanks, man!
It's better to settle these things before the rehearsal even starts. I had a rehearsal where the bassist listened to the live version of a song, the drummer listened to the single release version, and they were supposed to listen to the album version. We lost like 40 minutes to get everyone back to speed, it was horrible.
Just send him the video, dude.
I was playing it like level six since the begining because it felt easier lol
cool
Great video's, Mike. Best on the net. Started struggling with this one since '71. Thought I finally had it. Guess I was wrong.
i remember doing level four but with the open low E sting
Me too.
I thought that he hit the B on the 5th string 14 the SECOND time through.
I have (somewhere) the Cherry Lane official Black Sabbath tab from years back, and that's how they had it written....
Tab books (even official ones) are almost never 100% correct
My first TAB book was a Black Sabbath one and it had everything pretty well laid out. Lots of power chords and lots of riffs starting on the 12th fret. Got me into guitar! Great video.
It's been a while
All I hear is the Staind Song. haha
+The-Art-of-Guitar
Same hear. It's been a while since that song hit my ear drums.
As soon as you said move it to the 12th fret I barred it without even thinking
My biggest cartoon crush was Splinter from TMNT
april o'neil.
Damn. I've been doing level 6 the entire time? Crazy. I suck at guitar, but I actually did something right.
bruh i’ve played this song at a pub gig before and apparently it was level 1. i did everything on this video apart from playing on the low e, ive always played it on the a
Amazing dude you did not miss a single detail. even the nonsense ones.
Love the idea of these videos, I have recently found myself doing the "levels" thing.
I used to play guitar at 15/16 when I was in school but gave up when I went to college, about a year ago I started again at 27, now I've gotten "okay" again I have noticed that when I was younger I was happy to play songs as long as they sounded like it at say level 1/2/3. But now I find myself already playing at 5/6 and laughing at how I used to play them.
"Cuts" a little to close to home.
I love Paranoid.
Tom Scholz technique vid!
These N-levels videos are pure gold. Thanks a lot for make them and share with us.
More Metallica plzz
I dare you to not end a sample lick with a vibrato.
or even scales for that matter.heh.
"strikes a nerve" literally
I played this with out moving my finger because I was lazy. lol
Up to level 5, I was sitting over here saying... yeah but you're playing the wrong note!!! Then you put in the correct note. Lol. That drove me crazy. It turns out I was already at level 6 on this one. =P
Turns out I was playing the 6th level when I was like a month into the guitar, because I just had those tabs for it. And I wish I watched this video back then, it would have saved me a lot of time haha.
Oh, I almost forgot, it seemed easier for me to roll my index finger, I always like it when I don't have to move my fingers a lot.
Now I'll go and try to master this song, thanks!
Judy Jetson?!? Dude! You must be as old as me!!! 😂
Right, cos they never, ever repeat them
This is the first LEVEL'S video of yours I have come across. I love it; and I agree, the feel is in the details. It was great listening to the differences. I'll be looking forward to the next one. 👍
'cuts a little too close to home' and 'strikes a nerve' had me laughing like fuck. great vid as usual. Are those dimarzio pickups you use? How many guitars do you own?
Love that SG!!!
cool, but where are thechniques of jack white
And Jack Black ? LOL..
Buzz pedal + Kickass riffs in E or B + some good blues and country songs = Jack White
Great vid
Also, I'm so glad I'm not the only one that caught the lower note in the final note set. Thank you for catching that and educating!
4:27 Man, thank you!!! Everyone told me I was wrong but I felt that was closer to the original!
Great SG.
Would you consider doing levels with Gates of Babylon? Rainbow. I was a lead vocalist/writer for over 25 years and the last sort of twelve to fifteen years were mostly Hard Rock (yes, that's how old I am! The term "metal" wasn't around when I was doing the old Sabbath, and Rainbow stuff.)
I always wanted to perform Gates of Babylon live but nobody could play it until I was in my second metal band, which turned out to be the last band I was in until recently, as I've decided to get a band going again, but no metal this tine! lol! Classic rock from 60s through 70s - maybe a few 80s.
But the last band I was in, I had Barry Stock in the band from Three Days Grace. This was before he joined TDG So Barry and the other guitar monster Dave Douglas could actually play that song, and so I got to perform it before I retarded...er I mean retired!
I'm obviously not actually expecting you to do levels of that song, it's an incredibly dark and complex guitar song, which Blackmore excelled at, which is why I love Rainbow - with Dio of course! Joe Lynn Turner... meh...he has a chick's middle name, so...you know...he sang sissy songs!! Since You've Been Gone?? ...Hmmmph!
Dio - "Oh carry home my broken bones and lay me down to rest, I'm a fallen angel who's lost his wings I guess I failed to pass the test!!! YES!! MANLY DIO!!!!
Jack - Canada
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOh La Connection. Fuck yeah
I've been playing this song lately (I buy my first SG) and thanks to you I can improve more
You are amazing bro :D
Level 7: Do this riff left-handed :)
I love these levels videos. Interesting that riffs like this and SmokeOTW can sound a bit naff at the lowest levels but with the details added they become awesome!
Mike.. I missed you
Great concept these "levels" videos are. Thanks for doing these, very helpful!
Can you do levels of Nothing Else Matters?
Thanks for a great lesson. I often wonder if Tony Iommi chooses a way of playing or if he just naturally plays that way.
Yesss
Levels of Californication or Otherside or maybe Under the Bridge
Amazing work. Make also LONG TRAIN RUNNIN PLEASE!
I'm doing this as part of a project and I was taught not only keeping the barre on, but playing on the E string, because it makes the slide during the verses so much easier
Can you do the levels of ride the lightning?
cartoon crush? er, Jessica Rabbit obvs... actually, maybe Daphne from Scooby Doo.
Im a beginner guitarist and when I learned that riff, I was already at level 6
Can you do Number of the Beast?
Nicely done. I agree about the magic. When I first discovered level 5 I couldn't believe it. 🤘
I concur on Judy Jetson but Poison Ivy on Batman: The Animated Series was a super close 2nd for me. Love the lesson btw.
I love these videos. Rock on 🤘
I agree. If I can’t play something exactly correct, I don’t won’t to play it…
Huh, I was already playing it like this after learning it today... cool
Its good to know I play it the right way. Well, I have to, I play in a Sabbath tribute band, I grew up watching Iommi.
Nice man , thanks a lot !! keep it up !!
Forgot to Detune Strings by a Semitone to Eb.😂🤣😂Level 4.5 Smart-arse.