Metal Appreciation Class | Iron Man (Patreon)

First off, let me say congratulations on making it to Friday! It's been a crazy week for me. Just wrapped up my family reunion with 150 people. Everyone seems to be getting sick but I'm still standing muhahah. How is your summer going so far? Catch up with me and others on discord with the link below!

🛑 DISCORD (tabs, quizzes, live chat)

https://discord.gg/YTGYRHHY

⚡️Today's metal appreciation class is on Black Sabbath's classic song IRON MAN. Buckle up, because we're about to study the history, themes and theory behind this work of art!

ABOUT THE SONG

Iron Man was released in 1970 on the Paranoid album. The first thing you'll notice is the distinctive guitar riff played by Tony Iommi. This riff is so fire, vocalist Ozzy Osbourne sings the damn thing! The story behind Iron Man gives me chills. Lyrics by bassist Geezer Butler, tell of a man who travels into the future to witness the apocalypse. On the journey back to the present, he's transformed into steel by a magnetic storm. Unable to communicate his warning to mankind, he becomes enraged, causing the very destruction he warned about! What a tragic irony muhahaha! Iron Man has been widely referenced in popular culture, including an association with the Marvel Comics character, Iron Man. So what makes the track so special? I believe the answer lies in the emotional themes below

EMOTIONAL THEMES

There's a rich range of themes in Iron Man. Isolation and Alienation are central to the track. The frustration of having something important to say but lacking the ability to say it. Betrayal and revenge take center stage as the main character is misunderstood, eventually causing him to lash out in revenge. Despair and hopelessness fills our protagonist as he witnesses the apocalypse forthcoming. It's songs like Paranoid that set the template for themes explored in metal music. Emphasis on negative emotion has become a core feature of the genre. How do you interpret the message of Iron Man? Next, we'll explore how Iron Man uses music theory to bring these emotional themes to life

FORM + ANALYSIS

I used to think Iron Man was in the key of B, since it starts on a B power chord. I later learned it's actually in the key of E minor. This key is pretty much the most powerful group of notes you can use in metal guitar. Check out the key signature, containing one sharp (F#) and the main riff below. I classify the main theme as a RIFF MELODY. This is when power chords contain a strong musical line you can hum.

Iron Man probably wouldn't be a big hit if released today, due to its progressive structure. Instead of the standard verse chorus template, Tony and the boys opted for a series of riffs and development sections. The track ends by recapitulating the beginning. This is where the true art of composition lies. It starts with bassist Geezer Butler tremolo picking an E pedal tone. Tony builds on the intro theme while Geezer descends a classic line cliche (pictured below). This is absolutely BRILLIANT! The chord progression implied by his bass part is Em-D-A/C# and C. It's a new twist on the standard Andalusian Cadence bringing a sense of conclusion and finality on level 666!

 There's two primary scales you can use to solo over Iron Man. Of course E minor pentatonic is the #1 staple. You can also use the E Aeolian mode to add some extra spice to the mix (pictured below). I like to think of each scale as an emotional mood. Pentatonic gives you that blues vibe, while Aeolian offers a more sorrowful experience with the b6 scale degree.

🎸LET’S PRACTICE

There's many lessons to learn from the music of Iron Man. The most important being the RIFF MELODY. Iron Man teaches us a good riff contains 3 primary elements, harmony, rhythm and melody. Think of the riff as a little song in and of itself. If you're ever feeling stuck when it comes to songwriting, this is a total game changer! By writing a strong riff, you basically have all the material needed to compose an entire song. So how do you actually write a guitar riff? I have a simple 3 step process you can follow. Step one is chugging on your low E string, or 0-0-0 (tab below). This establishes a strong tonal base to explore musical ideas

Step 2 is MELODY. This is the fun part. Imagine you're Ozzy Osbourne for a minute. Hum to yourself until something sticks. Chug away on you low E string to provide a foundation for your melodic exploration. Here's a haunting melody I came up with using the E mixolydian b6 scale (below). The sound of this mode uses elements of both major and minor, trapping us in a musical purgatory muhahaha

The final step when it comes to writing your own riff is rhythm and chords. This is when our music comes alive. Below you can see I added power chords to the melody. This creates a sense of harmonic movement, taking us on an emotional journey. I used a steady 8th rhythm to fuel the piece with forward momentum. The palm muting (P.M.), injects the passage with a percussive heaviness!

 WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Do you enjoy this lesson format? Let me know in the comments below!

⚡️HOMEWORK

Full tabs for this lesson are below. I included a couple fun ideas not discussed in this post like playing Iron Man backwards and also in a major key. For homework, write your own riff and post it in the discord chat!

Iron Man.gp