'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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. 👍
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've been playing music over 40 years and I find very cool information in UR vids, I'm reccommending that all my students watch UR vids as homework ... Keep up the AWESOME work Bro !!!! \m/
Absolutely fantastic video!! I keep telling people that the correct way to start "Paranoid" is on the twelfth fret not the seventh. Glad you explained this in full detail
I’ve been playing guitar for many years and I’ve been watching a lot of RUclips videos on guitars and stuff and this has got to be the coolest video series I have seen in a very long time because you play all the songs that I love to play when I’m bored but you teach me how to perfect them thanks man
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
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.
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.
From my experience, people play the intro riff down at the 7th because their guitars are set up badly and the intonation is out, resulting in an out of tune sounding riff at the 12th. These videos are so good. Even experienced players can take something from this, the way of layering what you’re trying to learn is so good. Awesome 😁👍🏻
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.
I do appreciate your desire to go for the "magic" in the preciseness of how Tony played the riff. I love this stuff and thank you for sharing it with us. I try to keep one thing in mind, I like to play as clean as possible (which frankly can get in the way), but part of the "magic" isn't playing cleanly but let your fingers just play out what is in you. I believe that's what Tony and other players do. Be In the moment. Play the tune with skill and understanding what is happening, but not get too caught up in mimicking the notes, but let the "magic" of the music take over and play it'self through you. Serve the music. I guess the real magic is the music playing through Tony Iommi and the best we can do is let play through us, because, well, we're not Tony Iommi. ;)
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.
Good vid. Many years ago I bought a magazine (Guitar World?) where T.I. did an article showing how to play this and it was Level 6 which is how I've always played it. Even Total Guitar got it wrong and incorporated a great surging sliding chord in the verse. Excellent .
Awesome video! Nice to see how these riffs are truly played rather than their simplified forms that I learned. All these details truly bring these riffs to life. Also, thanks for the heart! Really nice to see someone actually patrolling comments :)
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!
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!
Totally agree on finding the 'recipe for the magic'. It adds to your musical vocabulary. That said, I'm not sold on level 5. Additionally, I believe there to be a seventh level (of hell! Because, of course, this is Black Sabbath and Tony Iommi we're talking about here). I'm pretty sure I recall an article where Tony Iommi himself explains that he's actually sliding his second finger up the A string from 12 to 14, as opposed to hammering on. That's How I've been playing it since.
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 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....
damn, level 1 was spot-on for me, who is just starting to learn guitar. Although I later learned the hammer-ons while still on the 5th and 7th fret, mostly because I'm learning guitar on my school's classical guitars
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
I hated Jetsones. He-Man. That's a different story. Oh and btw great video. I pretty often play electric unplugged, so I never hammered 5th and 4th strings. This plus bar on all 3 trings are that extra bonus for me.
I was just learning this yesterday and thanks to youtube algorithms this pops up on my recommended. Funny thing is that I was naturally trying to play the whole riff with a barre index finger because it just felt much easier and natural.
thats how i played that already. P.s thank you for this because I'm doing this song for a signing/ music competition and I needed to know that I wasn't playing it wrong
![Stromae, Pomme - “Ma Meilleure Ennemie” (from Arcane Season 2) [Official Visualizer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1F3OGIFnW1k/mqdefault.jpg)
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!
“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!
'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
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.
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.
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.
Ahhh I missed this series my man! Thank ye!
Maybe the 7 levels of Crazy Train..........
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'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.
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
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.
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
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
Such a great series man. Keep it up dude. Analyze the f out of everything!!!!
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.
It's amazing how the last level it actually sounds like Iommi. Great video
Iommi has so many awesome riffs you can dedicate an entire channel . That guitar is awesome.
These N-levels videos are pure gold. Thanks a lot for make them and share with us.
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.
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. 👍
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.
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!
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've been playing music over 40 years and I find very cool information in UR vids, I'm reccommending that all my students watch UR vids as homework ... Keep up the AWESOME work Bro !!!! \m/
4:27 Man, thank you!!! Everyone told me I was wrong but I felt that was closer to the original!
Absolutely fantastic video!! I keep telling people that the correct way to start "Paranoid" is on the twelfth fret not the seventh. Glad you explained this in full detail
I’ve been playing guitar for many years and I’ve been watching a lot of RUclips videos on guitars and stuff and this has got to be the coolest video series I have seen in a very long time because you play all the songs that I love to play when I’m bored but you teach me how to perfect them thanks man
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
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.
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.
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
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
"Cuts too close to home". I see what you did there ;-)
Haha!
Amazing dude you did not miss a single detail. even the nonsense ones.
Great video's, Mike. Best on the net. Started struggling with this one since '71. Thought I finally had it. Guess I was wrong.
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!
From my experience, people play the intro riff down at the 7th because their guitars are set up badly and the intonation is out, resulting in an out of tune sounding riff at the 12th.
These videos are so good. Even experienced players can take something from this, the way of layering what you’re trying to learn is so good. Awesome 😁👍🏻
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
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.
I do appreciate your desire to go for the "magic" in the preciseness of how Tony played the riff. I love this stuff and thank you for sharing it with us. I try to keep one thing in mind, I like to play as clean as possible (which frankly can get in the way), but part of the "magic" isn't playing cleanly but let your fingers just play out what is in you. I believe that's what Tony and other players do. Be In the moment. Play the tune with skill and understanding what is happening, but not get too caught up in mimicking the notes, but let the "magic" of the music take over and play it'self through you. Serve the music. I guess the real magic is the music playing through Tony Iommi and the best we can do is let play through us, because, well, we're not Tony Iommi. ;)
Great concept these "levels" videos are. Thanks for doing these, very helpful!
Nicely done. I agree about the magic. When I first discovered level 5 I couldn't believe it. 🤘
Really liking these, such a great idea to look at these songs that tons of us have learned to play and maybe need to tweak.Thanks!!
I'm glad I watched the whole video before I commented about how you were playing the wrong notes. Another great "Levels" episode...well done.
Love that SG!!!
First time viewer and like your clever use of building up the levels to progress. Now subscribed !
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 love these videos. Rock on 🤘
Good vid. Many years ago I bought a magazine (Guitar World?) where T.I. did an article showing how to play this and it was Level 6 which is how I've always played it. Even Total Guitar got it wrong and incorporated a great surging sliding chord in the verse. Excellent .
Awesome video! Nice to see how these riffs are truly played rather than their simplified forms that I learned. All these details truly bring these riffs to life. Also, thanks for the heart! Really nice to see someone actually patrolling comments :)
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!
Your channel is brilliant
Loved these levels of the almighty Iommi. Thanks, man.
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 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!
We need some queen detail leveles like "We will rock you".
this vid was great, keep up the good work !
Please do crazy train !!!
Will you keep long hair and a beard (beard is not optional) ????
Once again great quick lesson.
Now this is a great guitar video 🤘
Totally agree on finding the 'recipe for the magic'. It adds to your musical vocabulary. That said, I'm not sold on level 5. Additionally, I believe there to be a seventh level (of hell! Because, of course, this is Black Sabbath and Tony Iommi we're talking about here). I'm pretty sure I recall an article where Tony Iommi himself explains that he's actually sliding his second finger up the A string from 12 to 14, as opposed to hammering on. That's How I've been playing it since.
Level 7 might involve incorporating part of the baseline into the rhythm
Thanks. I really like this series.
HE IS BACK!!!
“Mike here with the art of guitar here” 😂, jk man love the content keep it up
Levels of Hammer Smashed Face?
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?
"Sometimes it's fun to go deep and really find out what the recipe is for the magic"
I see what you did there, Mike
"CUTS a little too close to home".."Strikes a nerve" groan....
I love this series of videos. and black sabbath.
I agree. You can play a song however you want but it is special when you play it using the same technique as the artist who wrote it.
Great vid
Best lesson on youtube
Nice man , thanks a lot !! keep it up !!
Wow man! You're amazing! Now you have me subscribing, thank you.
Great series
Thanks for a great lesson. I often wonder if Tony Iommi chooses a way of playing or if he just naturally plays that way.
The jetson bit got me. Great little tactic (:
Yep, starting “Paranoid” on the twelfth fret is the correct way to start the song because it has the ‘authentic’ Black Sabbath sound as you said
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
Excellent lesson thank you I learned a lot
i remember doing level four but with the open low E sting
Me too.
Whats that on the guitar bridge?
It's a Deusenberg Les Trem.
damn, level 1 was spot-on for me, who is just starting to learn guitar. Although I later learned the hammer-ons while still on the 5th and 7th fret, mostly because I'm learning guitar on my school's classical guitars
5th level: I always knew I was missing something. Thanks!
As soon as you said move it to the 12th fret I barred it without even thinking
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
Ur guitar sounds incredibly great
That guitar is so beautiful
Man it feels good to know I learned the correct way to play this song a long with the other Sabbath ones. I contribute me being a perfectionist
I hated Jetsones. He-Man. That's a different story.
Oh and btw great video. I pretty often play electric unplugged, so I never hammered 5th and 4th strings. This plus bar on all 3 trings are that extra bonus for me.
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS.'nuff said.
I was just learning this yesterday and thanks to youtube algorithms this pops up on my recommended. Funny thing is that I was naturally trying to play the whole riff with a barre index finger because it just felt much easier and natural.
Tonni Iommi Black Sabbath> all
thats how i played that already. P.s thank you for this because I'm doing this song for a signing/ music competition and I needed to know that I wasn't playing it wrong
Love these levels series! BTW, what kind of tailpiece is on that SG?
Deusenberg
Great tips, thanks!