Where to begin

I mentioned in an earlier post that Crazy Train is a great place for a guitarist to start so here is the guitar tab.

Click on images to enlarge

This is the introduction from the CD version of the song. I think that learning this song will help you greatly with using your ring and pinky fingers. Use your pointing finger on the beginning notes and then use your ring and pinky on the following notes. Do not cheat. The point is to strengthen your fingers to the point that they become stronger and in time it feels more natural. Transitioning to the chords at the end is a great way to practice as well.

If you are a person who is new to guitar tab the idea is simple. The top is actual music notes but the bottom is the tab. There is a line for every string on the guitar. The lowest line is the lowest sounding string. The highest line naturally is the highest sounding string. The numbers on the string indicate what fret number to place your fingers. Simple right? I hope so. To make it even simpler, and this is not always the case, the number 2's are your pointing finger. The number 4's are your ring finger, and the number 5's are your pinky finger except for the cording in the final bar.

That is, like I said, the intro to the CD version of Crazy Train by one of the greatest guitarists I have ever had the privilege to listen to and learn. To hell with "Smoke on the Water". This is a better place to start.

When you play this you need to take it slow and in parts. Don't try and master all of it if you are struggling. The main thing is to get stronger and practice. Speed will come quicker than you think unless you try and rush it. It might sound silly but going slow is actually a quicker way to gain speed.

This next part is the main riff of the song. The key to playing this correctly is to try and hit the chords with your fingers at the same time as opposed to slapping them on one by one. Here is the songs main riff.


A lot of people find this part of the song hard but again if you take it slow and in parts you will do fine. Also do not forget to practice with your mouth. I can't stress that point enough. At the end of this section there are nice little pull offs before Ozzy Starts singing. When I say pull off I mean your finger is on the string and you pull it off causing the note to sound without having to pick it. In this song diagram S means slid and P means pull off.

This main riffs follows through to the solo that I will now add.


For this part of the solo T means Tap on and in this instance you should Tap on with your right hand finger. It doesn't matter what finger you use with your right hand. Use whatever is comfortable so you can still be able to hold the pick and get back to it after the right hand taps are done. The last thing you want to do is drop your pick. The little forward slashes in pairs means to repeat.

Continue


The three notes in (parenthesis) are played but only with slight pressure on the strings so they make a quick sweeping sound but cut off right away. Don't push the strings down to the fret but just press them slightly and keep them suspended above the fret. B means bend and in this instance a whammy bar bend up and down over and over to give it some flare.

Continue


This part contains hammer on and pull off. H mean hammer on. It means to slap your finger hard on the string with out picking in order to make the note sound. This part of the solo is great strength practice for anyone who wants to build strength in this area. You also slide your hand up the neck to get to the following parts. The more this is done the more it will become smooth and more fluid.

Continue


This is the last part of the solo and the most difficult. Don't rush it and don't get discouraged either. What seems hard at first will, over time, become not so difficult. Make sure to take the last part in small chunks that make sense together. There is a really nice scale at the end that will make you feel really great if you can accomplish and learn it properly.

I hope you enjoyed this post. I will include more and more as time goes on. I wanted to start with Crazy Train because it is where I started. If you are a beginner then have lots of patients with the solo. You might want to not even attempt the solo yet until your finger get a little stronger. That is up to you. This guitar tab is very accurate so don't be fooled into thinking someone else has better tab. This tab comes directly from the Original Randy Rhoads guitar book by Wolf Marshall. I have not seen any other that are as accurate.

Next time I think I will have to post some good old Dimebag.

Metallica

I have to address the issue of Metallica so I will do so now.

Metallica was once a great band. I remember when I first heard Master of Puppets. I was playing Castlevania at the time on my Nintendo. I was given the Master of Puppets tape, yes tape, by my friend. He was very adamant that I listen to it. He always liked listening to me play the guitar and wanted me to learn some Metallica. I was addicted before the first song was over. I could not believe how awesome it was. Really heavy and great guitar riffs. A guitar players dream come true. I remember that shortly after that great day I rode my bike down to a record shop here in town called the Last Place on Earth. I purchased Kill Em All and Ride the Lightning with literally only pennies to spare in my pocket.

For the next year I was a Metallica nut. I learned most every song I could. It was refreshing and great fun the entire time. I never was a Kirk Hammet fan but the rhythm guitars for the albums were so great. Metallica during those days were the best at putting changes into there songs. Just when you thought the song was super cool they would always take it a step further and blow your mind again before the song ended.

It is too bad that those days are over. Metallica is now a complete shit band that I wish would just fade away. Everything after about half of the Black Album has done nothing but completely suck. They sold out in the worse way possible. Every time I get asked if I like Metallica I always say, "I use to but not any more".

I have a theory as to why they suck. I think it all started with the death of Cliff Burton. Cliff was probably the creator of most, if not all, of the great music. I never payed much attention to bass players but Cliff really stood out. He would have never allowed Metallica to take the turn that it has. It is my opinion that they still had a bunch of left over material from the Cliff days that eventually ran out half way through the Black Album.


That is of course just my opinion and I am entitled to it. I can't think of any other explanation that would describe the level of suck that they now perform. I have seen Metallica live two times. Once for And Justice For All and again for the Black Album tour. I have to tell you. They sucked both times live. If I am sitting there in the crowd and know that I can play the songs better then there is something wrong. I was not impressed. Especially both times they murdered the solo for the song Master of Puppets. Talk about noise pollution.

Anyway, when I write things for my guitar blog here I try and keep it to things that come up for myself and my guitar playing. Everyone always wants me to play Metallica. I don't mind playing real Metallica but I will always hiss and grunt if I am every asked if I know anything beyond that. I always voice my distaste and let them know I would never play that crap.

That brings me once again to the moronic bar bands. You know the ones I am talking about. They have a slew of Metallica songs to pick from and what do they play?

Wait for it.

Wait for it.


Yep, your guessed it. Enter Sandman.


How incredibly stupid is that. Probably the one song on And Justice For All that sucks. Do yourself some justice and don't even bother with this song. It has been done to death. You can't even watch a Hockey game without hearing it on the stupid PA System in the background. Anything that is played during a sporting event is a good hint of a song to stay away from.

Lets get back to another moronic move. How about the sickening drummer. That guy needs to shut up and play the drums. Every time he talks I want to put my foot in his ass. They were getting rich as all hell and this guy starts whining about people downloading Metallica of the internet. I mean really. They were on the road to making tons of cash and he stands up and gets involved in attacking people who download music off the internet. It has not stopped anyone. I do it all the time and always will. If I like something enough I will buy it. If not then I don't. Metallica isn't even good enough to download for free so Lars doesn't have to worry about me.

Then the dip shit washed up drummer has the gull to say, "Metal is Dead". WHAT? Could you repeat that because I can't believe my fucking ears. How stupid is that. Maybe there metal is dead but metal is certainly not dead. Tell Prong, or Soul Fly that one. They would laugh in your face. I couldn't believe it when I heard it. It not only pissed me off but confirmed that Metallica was dead in my book. They can have there fake drones that they have now for fans and stay out of my ears. I will never buy, download, or listen to Metallica ever again. Accept for the Metallica that I grew up with and still love. Cliff would have punched Lars in the face for that one.


If they would have continued and never changed then Metallica would have been one of the greatest bands of all time in my book. It always seems to go sour however. A good thing never really seams to last. At least we had four and one half good Metallica albums and that is better than none.

Rest in piece Metallica because you died with Cliff long ago.

More clues that no one talks about

I keep thinking of what I do when I play guitar and something else came to my mind. Stretching. No one ever really talks about stretching. The first thing you should do before any type of activity is to stretch. This is just as much true for a musician as it is for an athlete.

Before I play I always open my hand as far as I can and hold it for a few seconds. Then I make a fist and hold it for a few seconds. I do this a half dozen times or so before I grab my guitar. I also make a fist and roll my hands in a circular motion before I once again stretch my open and closed hands.

The important thing that you are doing is allowing your wrists and hands to perform there natural motion. This is very important so that you do not get cramps or the most dreaded for all guitarists. Carpal Tunnel or how every you spell it.

After stretching I like to do the Dimebag warm up. It is a simple exercise that will help your fingers gain strength and endurance. Simply grab the guitar and first tap on and pull off your first and second finger on the first two frets up and down the strings. Strike each string one time up and the next string down as you progress. D means down pick and U means up pick.



If the image is too small just click on it to open it up larger.

Move up the neck as far as you can stand it. Push yourself a bit but don't hurt yourself. When your notes no longer sound right don't worry. It is about gaining strength not accuracy. Accuracy will come more and more and you will be able to go further and further up the neck and eventually the entire neck up and down.

After using your first and second fingers take a break and do the stretches. When you feel rested you can then use your second and third fingers on the same notes and the same frets as far as you can go as well then repeat the rest and stretching before moving on to your third and forth fingers. DO NOT NEGLECT THE THIRD AND FOURTH FINGERS!!!

Over time you will get very strong hands and you will be able to play longer and longer without hurting. I know this exercise is boring but force yourself to do it each day you play and you will benefit from it.

To take things further you can take a scale you like and move it up and down the neck for the same effect.