In the span of his long career, Ozzy Osbourne has never had any problem finding great guitarists for his bands. Beginning with Tony Iommi in Black Sabbath and continuing with Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde during his solo years, Ozzy’s latest recruitment is metal phenom Gus G. Gus was the driving force behind power metal group Firewind, and has also appeared on tracks for Nightrage and Arch Enemy. “Let Me Hear You Scream” is the first single off Ozzy’s latest record, Scream, and the first record in Ozzy’s catalog to feature the Greek guitarist’s fiery fretboard work.

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TUNING
All of the guitars on this track are tuned down one whole step. From low to high, the tuning is D–G–C–F–A–D.

INTRO
Gus kicks off the tune with a syncopated riff shown in Fig. 1. This part is double tracked, but notated here as two guitars arranged for one. The most difficult part of this lick is the timing. Underneath the notation I have listed how to count through the phrase. Here we are subdividing each beat into sixteenth notes and counting them using the “1 e & a” method. For the symbols inside the parentheses, count them silently. A good way to practice this is to count out loud each beat segment and then clap on the portions of the beats that aren’t in parentheses.

After the intro riff, Ozzy comes in with the vocals over a one-measure break. Gtr. 2 and Gtr. 3 enter playing a series of bends that descend chromatically, shown in Riffs A and A1. Gtr. 1 continues with Rhy. Fig. 2, which is made up of some classic metal riff elements. Begin by palm muting the low 6th string in-between sliding between a G5 and an A5 power chord. This continues until the Verse, where Gtr. 1 takes over most of the heavy riffing duties.

VERSE
During the Verse, Gtr. 1 plays Rhy. Fig. 3, which is a variation on Rhy. Fig. 2 used during the Intro. The main difference is that this riff is made up of mostly single notes with a few power chords thrown in. Gtr. 2 comes in with a slightly syncopated riff that combines off-beat hammerons with palm muted single note lines. This keeps going and is combined with Gtr. 1’s heavy single-note riff before the Pre-Chorus kicks in.

PRE CHORUS AND CHORUS
The Pre-Chorus is only a short four measures, but sets the stage for the anthemic Chorus right around the corner. The Chorus comes in with Gtr. 3 playing a sixteenth-note lick that is based on a repeating three-note pattern. You can play this entire riff in fifth position with your ring finger covering the notes on the seventh fret and your index finger hitting the notes of the fifth. Gtr. 1 plays some sustained power chords underneath while doubling Gtr. 3 in some places. The vibe really picks up four measures before the first ending (or Interlude) where Gtr. 1 comes in with a fast-paced riff played almost entirely on the 6th string. Just like earlier, this riff is based on a repeating three-note pattern, only this time one of the notes is an open string. At the end of the second measure there is a pinch harmonic, which is notated as P.H. In order to play the harmonic, strike the string with the edge of your thumb immediately after hitting the string with your pick. This will produce a highpitched squeal that is a staple of many heavy metal guitarists’ styles.

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GUITAR SOLO
The Guitar Solo opens with a slippery lick that is shown in Fig. 2. Gus begins this phrase by sliding into the F# on the 2nd string with his first finger and then hitting the high D on the 22nd fret on the 1st string with his ring finger. If you analyze this passage, you will notice that nearly the whole lick consists of a series of three-note patterns. The pattern begins with a slide of your index finger (alternating between ascending and descending) along with a fretted note on an adjacent string. For the most part you would use your ring finger for the fretted notes with the exception of the G on the 1st string in the second measure before the sextuplet.

The next two measures of the solo are split between flowing legato phrases and palm-muted scale fragments. Begin in the 7th position and follow the fingerings shown in Fig. 3. Here, Gus begins with a few 32nd notes, combined with a sixteenth-note triplet, before settling into a series of sextuplets. Sometimes it is easier to think of sextuplets as two sixteenth-note triplets. This continues until the end of beat one in the second measure of the example. At beat two, Gus begins a trill with his index finger on the C# and middle finger on D, both on the 5th string.

Want more? Check out these cool links at guitaredge.com

• Get Ozzy jam tracks and more at guitarinstructor.com
• Get cool Ozzy gear at oldglory.com
• Get more Ozzy Osbourne tab books at musicdispatch.com
• Download “Let Me Hear You Scream” on iTunes
• Check out Ozzy Osbourne online at ozzy.com

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