Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Black Friday
  • Artist news
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
Don't miss these
Side profile of a person playing a drum kit
Drum Lessons & Tutorials 13 easy drum songs every beginner should learn
Jeff Beck
Artists “The first heavy metal riff ever written – and I wrote it!”: How Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page created a groundbreaking song
Greg Mackintosh of Paradise Lost plays his custom 7-string V live onstage with red and white stagelights behind him.
Artists Greg Mackintosh on the secrets behind the Paradise Lost sound and why he is still trying to learn Trouble’s tone tricks
Bolan live
Artists When T. Rex opened the floodgates of glam rock with the riff-driven groove of Get It On
Jack and Meg White in 2003
Artists “It was a challenge to myself: ‘I’m not gonna have a chorus in this song’”: How Jack White created the riff of the century
Josh Homme in the No One Knows video
Artists “Of course it was gonna be a hit! This song really is original”: Inside the making of a Queens Of The Stone Age classic
Pantera
Artists “No Pro Tools, no tricks. We helped change the production of heavy metal records”: Pantera's revolutionary anthem
Derek Trucks takes a slide solo on his Gibson SG as Tedeschi Trucks Band performs live at Madison Square Garden.
Artists Derek Trucks is one of the greatest slide players of all time – here’s how he decides when to use it
Wolfgang Van Halen
Artists “Some riffs have that swing. You hear it in the first Van Halen album”: Wolfgang Van Halen's new song echoes classic VH
Ozzy Osbourne and Zakk Wylde tear it up onstage in 1989. Ozzy is shirtless. Wylde his shirtless, too – and he plays his bullseye graphic Les Paul.
Keyboards & Pianos “That actually came from me and Oz jamming on the piano in my apartment in North Hollywood”: From Ozzy Osbourne to Papa Roach, Fleetwood Mac to George Harrison, here's 5 career-defining songs you didn’t know were written on the piano
Dave Davis pictured on the left in black-and-white, circa 1964, playing a Guild semi-hollow and singing into the mic; Dave Davies pictured from behind, slashing a speaker to show us how he got the distorted tone on You Really Got Me.
Artists “So, Dave, how do I slash the amp?”: Dave Davies picks up a razor and slashes a speaker on camera to demonstrate how he got the Kinks’ iconic proto-fuzz guitar tone
Alex Skolnick of Testament shows off his signature ESP singlecut as he performs at Belgium's Alcatraz Festival in 2024. On the right, Kiko Loureiro and Dave Mustaine of Megadeth photographed in the corridors backstage at Wembley Arena in 2015.
Artists Alex Skolnick on the time he was on standby for Megadeth – and what to do when you can’t match a player lick for lick
James Hetfield plays his white Gibson Explorer live with Metallica in 1986. He wears a black Metallica longsleeve.
Artists Metallica’s Master Of Puppets has been to the Upside Down but this backwards version might be the Strangest Thing you’ll hear this year
My Chemical Romance in 2006
Artists “It took five years to finish the song and define what it was about”: How My Chemical Romance created a classic anthem
Gibson Tony Iommi Humbucker: the all-new humbucker, a reissue of its first-ever signature pickup.
Artists Gibson goes back to the beginning with reissue of its first-ever signature pickup for Black Sabbath icon Tony Iommi
More
  • Pete Townshend on smashing - and fixing - his guitars
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • AI slop hits #1
  • The pain that birthed Don't Speak
  • Europe vs AI
  1. Tutorials
  2. Guitar Lessons & Tutorials

Quick licks: easy #19

News
By Guitar Techniques ( Guitar Techniques ) published 28 March 2013

Sabbath style riffing and Peter Buck chords

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Easy lick one: Tony Iommi style

Easy lick one: Tony Iommi style

Here’s a classic Black Sabbath grind - perhaps to celebrate their recent full line-up reformation for 2012’s Download Festival! You’ll need to tune your guitar way down to C for this one (C, F, Bb, Eb, G, C) and crank up some classic British valve crunch for the most authentic Satanic sound.

Page 1 of 2
Page 1 of 2
Easy lick two: R.E.M chords

Easy lick two: R.E.M chords

Try this cool chord sequence based on some of Peter Buck’s guitar work with the legendary Athens, Georgia band R.E.M. The G minor chord can be tricky so start slowly and work your way up gradually to 125bpm. Use a clean humbucker guitar sound for a clear but broad tone.

Page 2 of 2
Page 2 of 2
Guitar Techniques
The worlds best high-quality guitar tuition from the UKs foremost teachers and players image
The worlds best high-quality guitar tuition from the UKs foremost teachers and players
Subscribe and save today!
More Info
Read more
Side profile of a person playing a drum kit
13 easy drum songs every beginner should learn
 
 
Jeff Beck
“The first heavy metal riff ever written – and I wrote it!”: How Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page created a groundbreaking song
 
 
Greg Mackintosh of Paradise Lost plays his custom 7-string V live onstage with red and white stagelights behind him.
Greg Mackintosh on the secrets behind the Paradise Lost sound and why he is still trying to learn Trouble’s tone tricks
 
 
Bolan live
When T. Rex opened the floodgates of glam rock with the riff-driven groove of Get It On
 
 
Jack and Meg White in 2003
“It was a challenge to myself: ‘I’m not gonna have a chorus in this song’”: How Jack White created the riff of the century
 
 
Josh Homme in the No One Knows video
“Of course it was gonna be a hit! This song really is original”: Inside the making of a Queens Of The Stone Age classic
 
 
Latest in Guitar Lessons & Tutorials
Close up of a person playing guitar
With a massive 89% discount, $99 for a year's worth of Guitar Tricks online lessons is the best way to upgrade your guitar playing this Black Friday
 
 
Close up of a person holding an acoustic guitar bathed sunlight
Ignite your inner guitar god for just 27 cents a day with TrueFire’s July 4th sale - save 60% on online lessons
 
 
MusicNomad fret tuition
Can you fix your guitar's frets yourself? We try three innovative approaches from MusicNomad to investigate how they might conquer a major cause of fret buzz
 
 
George Harrison
How to play like George Harrison on The Beatles' Abbey Road
 
 
MusicNomad guitar fret cleaning
"You owe your guitar the chance to be its best": How to clean and polish your guitar frets a better way
 
 
Jimmy Page
Play like Jimmy Page! Exclusive video lesson
 
 
Latest in News
A Squier Tele and Squier Paranormal Offset Telecaster on a yellow background
Fender just launched its Black Friday sale and I can't believe the Player II Stratocaster is this cheap - save up to 30% off a range of Squier and Fender guitars
 
 
Gary Numan
“Very worrying to see him so emotional”: Gary Numan breaks down during gig after hearing "worst news ever"
 
 
ValhallaDSP ValhallaFutureVerb
“As close to perfect as we have ever heard”: ValhallaDSP’s new plugin is the product of eight years R&D
 
 
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 03: (L-R) Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons attend Operation Smile Los Angeles Smile Fiesta at Candela La Brea on June 03, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Simon/Getty Images for Operation Smile)
"Why don't we take a moment, think about him looking down on us”: Kiss pay tribute to Ace Frehley in Las Vegas
 
 
Tidal Upload
Tidal’s new artist-aimed upload service is currently offering ten independent artists $100,000 for publishing directly to the platform
 
 
at the BBC Introcuding SXSW Music Festival Showcase as part of SXSW 2024 Conference and Festivals held at the British Music Embassy - Austin on March 14, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Diego Donamaria/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images)
“So disappointing”: BBC Introducing under fire for featuring artist that uses AI
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...