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For this post we will be learning how to play Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne! This is not a Black Sabbath song. Apparently this is the first single by Ozzy as a solo artist, separated from Black Sabbath.

Crazy Train has one of the most recognizable rock guitar riff and it primarily uses the full minor scale of F#m (or the A major scale which has the relative minor of F#).

It reached 49 on the United Kingdom chart and number nine on the Billboard Rock Tracks chart in 1981. It did not however, reached any position in the US charts but it did got a considerable (a lot) of air play that it became very popular!

The song is one of Osbourne’s most well known and recognizable as a solo performer. It was rated 9th greatest guitar solo ever by over 25 million readers of Guitar World magazine. The song was also ranked 9th by VH1 on the list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs and in 2009 it was named the 23rd greatest hard rock song of all time also by VH1, the highest placement by a solo artist on the list.

How to Play Crazy Train Guitar Riff

Like mentioned before the riff is played over the A major key or its relative minor (same set of notes) which is F#m.

On this post I will show you how to play Crazy Train.

How to play “Crazy Train”

Guitar Riff Part 2

The second part of the riff is the one right after the minor pentatonic scale.

This is much faster compared to the first part which is most (if not all) 8th notes.

The second part of the riff has more 16th note. Most of these notes is the open A string. (Please see the image on the right).

Beat 2 and 3 will have more emphasize on the chord form. First one (Beat 2) is the A major and the 3rd beat is the E.

Learn to Play Crazy Train

Start the riff on the low E string with your index finger on the second fret.You will use your ring finger and pinky finger to play the fourth and fifth fret respectively on the A string. Start off this riff by playing down strokes with your right hand on both the low E string and the A string.

When you arrive at the part of the riff which is marked in red, your right hand should begin to alternate between down strokes and upstrokes.

Notice that this main riff – which begins at 00:00:20 of the song – is a cycle that repeats three times. O
n the fourth time through the riff ends in two bar chords, and these chords are marked in dark blue in the tablature. To play the first bar chord (Which is a ‘D chord’), play the 5th fret on the A string with your index finger whilst laying your ring finger on the 7th fret across the next three strings. Then slide this entire shape up two frets to play the next bar chord (an ‘E chord’).

Another version of explanation –

How to Play Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne

Start the riff on the low E string with your index finger on the second fret.

You will use your ring finger and pinky finger to play the fourth and fifth fret respectively on the A string.

Start off this riff by playing down strokes with your right hand on both the low E string and the A string.

When you arrive at the part of the riff which is marked in red, your right hand should begin to alternate between down strokes and upstrokes.

Notice that this main riff-which begins at 00:00:20 of the song- is a cycle that repeats three times.

On the fourth time through the riff ends in two bar chords, and these chords are marked in dark blue in the tablature.

To play the first bar chord (Which is a ‘D chord’), play the 5th fret on the A string with your index finger whilst laying your ring finger on the 7th fret across the next three strings.

Then slide this entire shape up two frets to play the next bar chord (an ‘E chord’).

More Info of Song