Tim Henson has said learning Black Sabbath’s by ear played a huge role in his development as an player – and every beginner guitarist should take the time to study it. The Polyphia string-botherer has turned the guitar world upside down with his brain-melting virtuosity and , but he was once a young, inexperienced, and aspiring guitarist. In a recent conversation with Avenged Sevenfold player Johnny Christ alongside Polyphia bandmate Scott LePage, Henson opened up on his early days as a guitar player, which were heavily influenced by Sabbath.
“My dad taught me the and the G, C, D, A, B, and F chords – basic shapes,” he recalls (via ). “Then he pointed me in the direction of Black Sabbath and said, 'Go learn by ear.'” Henson and LePage then set about mastering the riff to , which heralded from a larger record rich in riff royalty.
“Honestly, that record is such a wonderful thing for a beginner guitar player, because [it has] lots of cool-sounding riffs, and they're easy to figure out. And there's gratification [for] a new player there.” For the pair of budding riffers, there was something accessible about Iommi’s riffs when it came to navigating their fretboards by ear.
It also gave them a greater appreciation of his playing style. “Those guitar parts are incredible and they're cool as hell, and they make sense on the fretboard,” Henson goes on. “There's a clear path to follow, in the way the fingers move in relation to the fretboard.
“Scott and I h.