How to Play Iron Man on Guitar (Easy Tab)

Black Sabbath

To play Iron Man on guitar, follow the one-string tab below — press each fret number in order on the string shown in the player. The famous riff uses a short repeating pattern. Start slow, lock in the rhythm, then speed up to match the original feel.

Step-by-step

  1. 1

    Find the riff string

    Iron Man is arranged on a single string — check the player for which string to use.

  2. 2

    Learn the opening pattern

    Play the first few frets slowly until the dark, heavy rhythm feels natural. Palm-muting is optional at this stage.

  3. 3

    Repeat and loop

    The riff repeats — use the player loop feature to practice until you can play through without pausing.

  4. 4

    Speed up gradually

    Increase playback speed in small steps. Clean fretting beats rushing through the notes.

5th String

Interactive tab — play along

Tablature
2
Now
5
Now
5
Now
7
Now
7
Now
10
Now
9
Now
10
Now
9
Now
10
Now
5
Now
5
Now
7
Now
7
Now

Scroll horizontally to see upcoming notes

1 / 14
Fretboard1 E2 B3 G4 D5 A6 E1234567891011

The easiest way to learn this song is on one string — follow the highlighted frets above. For the full melody page with extra tips, open the complete Iron Man tab →

Similar easy guitar tabs

Frequently asked questions

Is Iron Man hard on guitar?

The full song uses power chords, but this one-string tab captures the iconic riff melody — much easier for beginners.

What string is Iron Man played on?

See the string badge on the interactive tab below — our arrangement picks the easiest string for the melody.

Open full Iron Man tab →

More tips, common mistakes, and the same interactive player on the melody page.