Black Sabbath And Incorporating Their Blues Boxes Into Your Blues Guitar Work

By Mark Grove

One of Rock and Metals Supreme head bands,was and continues to be Sabbath. This is a great video but a little grainy because it's from September 1975.

Even the crowd is right into Sabbath in this video. For those of you players who were teenagers like me in the 70's, Don Kirschners Rock Concert was a staple on TV until 1981. A 90 minute show.

I miss the real rock and roll!

It had some great acts including Sabbath. Sabbath, like I said in an earlier article takes their cues from blues.They are blues boxes as players refer to them as.And Sabbath plays them like a fucking charm.

So next time you have a hard time coming up with a new blues tune for your next gig,listen to some Sabbath and take some chords or note patterns from songs like Killing Yourself to Live and Hole in the Sky, and integrate them into a slower part of a blues track you're trying to write.

But don't play the Sabbath tune note for note. Play it your way and then variate it so it becomes a blues number.It's easier than it seems. If you have a hard time still,try a different instrument to play and write it from. Like a bass axe or drums.

You'll get there. Just listen and watch for the blues boxes,especially with Tony Iommi and his stupendous licks which are definitely blues and roots based.

As you can tell from how I write about music,I can't read music or Tab.

I'm a music and tab dunce.

Peace and success to all players.