Ozzy Osbourne - "Crazy Train" Guitar Lesson With Tabs

I'm excited to show you how to play one of the most legendary metal riffs of all time: “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne. The guitar was written by the late great Randy Rhodes. Randy is highly respected not just because he was an incredibly skilled guitarist who wrote awesome music, but also because he always strived to improve his abilities. He was committed to developing his craft as a musician right up until he left us way too soon. His legacy carries on with the game-changing music he left behind. In this lesson, you'll get to learn what is perhaps his most iconic riff. Learning riffs and songs other people wrote is important because it'll help you develop your technique, give you more things to play, and help enhance your creativity.

Tones

"Crazy Train" has a classic heavy metal guitar tone. I use my computer as an amplifier to simply and quickly get a similar tone. To achieve this, I plug my guitar into my interface, which then plugs into my computer. The sound pours out of my studio monitors.

Next, I use an inexpensive digital audio workstation (DAW) called Reaper, which can be trialed for free.  This tentatively serves as a bland amplifier with no effects.  

The final link in the chain is one of my favorite amplifier simulators: Amped Roots by ML Sound Lab.  I use the free version of this plugin and tend to find it to be pretty mix-ready.  From there, I select the British preset.   

Lastly, I head to the plugin's built-in cabinet simulator. I select the Mega Oversize speaker on the left side with a Dynamic 57 mic in front of it. On the right side, I select a Freeman M25 speaker with a Ribbon 121 mic in front of that.

Section 1

The "Crazy Train" riff is in the key of F# minor and uses every note in the F# minor scale. The first half of this riff uses pedal point by playing the tonic in between the 5th and minor 6th scale degrees. Down-picking is used to play each note in the steady eighth note sequence. Section 1 of the "Crazy Train" riff is depicted in the guitar tab below.

Section 2

Section 2 is played with down-picking by using the same steady eighth note rhythm that was used in the first section. Reference the guitar tab below for Section 2 of the "Crazy Train" riff.

The Finisher

Sections 1 and 2 are played completely three times in a row. Section 1 is then played a fourth time; however, the last note will be the second fret of the A string as opposed to fret 2 of the low E string.

Finally, the riff ends with two HUGE power chords that each ring out for two beats. The first power chord is a D5 chord which uses the 5th fret of the A string and the 7th fret of the D string. Then strike an E5 power chord by using the 7th fret of the A string and the 9th fret of the D string.

"Now raise your goblet of rock.  It's a toast to those who rock."

Conclusion

Congratulations! You now know how to play one of heavy metal's most iconic riffs. We covered how to play both halves of the riff by using the notes and power chords Randy used to make it pop. You also got to see the tone setup I used in case you want to replicate the sound for yourself. I encourage you to watch the video as often as you need to refer to the tabs and to play along with me.  Start slowly with this if you have to. It's okay if you're not up to speed in the beginning. Stick in and I know you can pull it off.  Enjoy!

Watch the full lesson here: Ozzy Osbourne - "Crazy Train" Guitar Lesson With Tabs