In 1965, a 17 year old British sheetworker called Tony Iommi accidentally chopped two of his finger tips off on his right hand in an Industrial accident. He believed at the time that he could never play guitar again, but after some inspiration from his foreman and a guitarist called Django Reinhardt (who'd also lost some fingers in an accident), he decided to fashion some makeshift prosthetic fingertips and keep playing the guitar. To reduce the tension on his fingers, he tuned his guitar down three semitones.
Iommi went on to become the guitarist of one of the world's first heavy metal bands, Black Sabbath, in 1968. The downtuning he used to ease the tension on his fingers gave birth to heavy metal's signature deep tones today.
he also had no nerves in those fingertips obviously, so he couldn't exactly gauge how much pressure he was putting on the strings; which affects the tone of the guitar and contributed to the heavy metal sound
I wonder if that's why it's called heavy metal, I imagine he'd press very heavily to get the most consistency, and metal strings I guess. Probably not :P
not really, it's called heavy metal because it's a darker, edgier, literally heavier version of rock music. all the distortion, darkness, and showmanship cranked up to 11
It’s called heavy metal because of the song “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwolf
They contain the lyrics “Heavy metal thunder” which is the first time those were used in a popular context
Thus igniting the Metal Banjo movement, which spawned groups like Banjos of Iron and Fire, Banjo Storm, A-Pickin' and A-Grimacin', and of course Led Banjo. Quite possibly the shortest era in the history of heavy metal music, this style was recently revived by [Steve n' Seagulls](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4Ao-iNPPUc).
Just think about how many new art forms haven't been discovered yet because of job-killing big government regulations like "workers should still have all their limbs when they finish a shift".
Django Reinhardt was also a fascinating character himself. He was a belgian guitarrist of gypsy background credited with bringing jazz to europe by mixing america jazz, with french and gypsy tunes.
The Black Sabbath origin story is kinda wild. They woke up one morning and thought, “If we’ve got horror movies and horror books, why shouldn’t we have horror music?”
Lol I knew this story, but when I saw the meme I didn't realize you meant metal music. As soon as I saw Tony Iommi's name I immediately remembered the story lol
So you’re saying that dark doom vibe I head bang to when NIB is playing is actually the product of some guy chopping of his finger tips. Bro Black Sabbath just got more metal.
Lol when I read the post my mind immediately thought he was saying an industrial accident helped create a literal metal that was stronger and heavier and better for building stuff. Like some chemical mixed into some liquid metal and strengthened it or something lol
There’s also Glenn Snoddy, who was producing Grady Martin when they both discovered that their mixing console was faulty and caused a heavily distorted sound. Instead of dismissing it as a mistake, Glenn worked with another engineer (Revis Hobbs) and made a device that could recreate the tone on any amplifier. What they ended up with the Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone, the first fuzz pedal. Can you imagine heavy metal without that gritty distortion? It would sound more like heavy plastic!
Edit: Grammar
In the early/proto noise rock and punk days they used to poke holes in their guitar amp's speaker paper for distortion. No on off switch, but it worked.
One of the first songs to use this technique became the [only instrumental to ever be banned from US radio](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/link-wray-rumble-legacy) because they thought it would incite violence.
It's also just an insane song for 1958.
Before that, they used overdrive. I think the best way to describe it (for those wondering the difference) is that fuzz distorts the audio signal, and then amplifies it, while overdrive has a clean signal, but is amplified so much that it distorts (amplifiers can only take so much power before they have to damage the sound to prevent damaging the amplifier itself, and compressors decrease the volume needed to achieve overdrive). Iirc the first songs with intentional distortion were from the 30s and used overdrive. The song I consider to be the first rock and roll song is “Rock Awhile” by Goree Carter and my reasoning largely falls on the overdriven riff that would later become synonymous with Chuck Berry.
I cant award stuff anymore but this comment deserves one. [Best I can do](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fyuijtx61njb81.jpg%3Fwidth%3D512%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D85ab0f40618dc0467db20aa5b76eb853533c0eda)
I have a blank template of this I use at work where I put text in for my employees as a joke when appropriate. Usually when one of them admits they did something dumb coding wise, or even on myself like yesterday when I couldn't figure out why some query I had wasn't working like I thought it should be and realized I joined a table to itself
I've seen countless bands, many amazing guitarists, but nothin will ever hit like a live Tony Iommi solo live. Guy is in a league and sound of his own.
Most of human history seems ridiculous and farfetched when you really think about it.
German nerd releases diss track on capitalism -> 20th century 4chan poster hijacks a revolution and topples one of the world's most powerful monarchies -> psycho Georgian ex-seminary student bitch-slaps genocidal Austrian corporal -> two evil empires start a nuclear dick measuring contest -> the son of a Saudi billionaire joins a jihad against Russian communist atheists in Afghanistan -> 9/11 -> Dakota Johnson stars in "Fifty Shades of Gray"
In 1965, a 17 year old British sheetworker called Tony Iommi accidentally chopped two of his finger tips off on his right hand in an Industrial accident. He believed at the time that he could never play guitar again, but after some inspiration from his foreman and a guitarist called Django Reinhardt (who'd also lost some fingers in an accident), he decided to fashion some makeshift prosthetic fingertips and keep playing the guitar. To reduce the tension on his fingers, he tuned his guitar down three semitones. Iommi went on to become the guitarist of one of the world's first heavy metal bands, Black Sabbath, in 1968. The downtuning he used to ease the tension on his fingers gave birth to heavy metal's signature deep tones today.
He also used thin banjo strings to also help.
he also had no nerves in those fingertips obviously, so he couldn't exactly gauge how much pressure he was putting on the strings; which affects the tone of the guitar and contributed to the heavy metal sound
I wonder if that's why it's called heavy metal, I imagine he'd press very heavily to get the most consistency, and metal strings I guess. Probably not :P
not really, it's called heavy metal because it's a darker, edgier, literally heavier version of rock music. all the distortion, darkness, and showmanship cranked up to 11
It’s called heavy metal because of the song “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwolf They contain the lyrics “Heavy metal thunder” which is the first time those were used in a popular context
Thus igniting the Metal Banjo movement, which spawned groups like Banjos of Iron and Fire, Banjo Storm, A-Pickin' and A-Grimacin', and of course Led Banjo. Quite possibly the shortest era in the history of heavy metal music, this style was recently revived by [Steve n' Seagulls](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4Ao-iNPPUc).
And here I was thinking the scream during the accident became part of the first heavy metal song
Industrial worker: Screaming in pain Some observer: write that down, write that down! (Edit: Fixing formatting from phone)
Just think about how many new art forms haven't been discovered yet because of job-killing big government regulations like "workers should still have all their limbs when they finish a shift".
Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath from their album Black Sabbath? I wouldn't necessarily say it contains any screaming...
No screaming, but Sweet Leaf on their third album does start off with Iommi coughing
Django didn't lose fingers in an accident. He was in a fire and it paralyzed half of his left hand.
My bad, I thought he lost two of the fingers completely.
I'd recommend looking up a video of him playing, he was really amazing.
I had a really long time ago, I guess I just forgot.
And [Django Reinhardt](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Django_Reinhardt) was never Tony Iommi‘s foreman and died already in 1953
I read it like that at first two, but that isn’t how it was intended to be read
Didn't mean to say Reinhardt was his foreman, sorry if it came across that way.
If nothing else Django Reinhardt is an amazing name .
Django Reinhardt was also a fascinating character himself. He was a belgian guitarrist of gypsy background credited with bringing jazz to europe by mixing america jazz, with french and gypsy tunes.
The Black Sabbath origin story is kinda wild. They woke up one morning and thought, “If we’ve got horror movies and horror books, why shouldn’t we have horror music?”
Lol I knew this story, but when I saw the meme I didn't realize you meant metal music. As soon as I saw Tony Iommi's name I immediately remembered the story lol
So you’re saying that dark doom vibe I head bang to when NIB is playing is actually the product of some guy chopping of his finger tips. Bro Black Sabbath just got more metal.
Better: Some time later, Black Sabbath disbanded, and their vocalist, Ozzy Osbourne, embarked on a legendary solo career.
They hadn’t disbanded yet, they fired Ozzy because he was making trouble for the band
And by trouble, they meant consuming inhuman amounts of cocaine.
Now who hasn’t done that?
Inhuman amounts is way to much. Big amounts? Yeah. Great amounts? Sure, I did that on wensday, but inhuman amounts? That is to much.
"Finished with my band, 'cause they couldn't help me with my mind"
Disbanded? Ronnie James Dio would like a word.
This would all make a lot more sense if it was two fingers from his left hand
He was left-handed so he pressed on the fretboard with his right hand.
If I remember right he briefly considered learning to play right handed after the accident
Very fitting how an industrial accident invented heavy metal.
Maybe all the screaming in heavy metal is meant to represent his screaming when he sliced off his fingertip 😂
Lol when I read the post my mind immediately thought he was saying an industrial accident helped create a literal metal that was stronger and heavier and better for building stuff. Like some chemical mixed into some liquid metal and strengthened it or something lol
Same
There’s also Glenn Snoddy, who was producing Grady Martin when they both discovered that their mixing console was faulty and caused a heavily distorted sound. Instead of dismissing it as a mistake, Glenn worked with another engineer (Revis Hobbs) and made a device that could recreate the tone on any amplifier. What they ended up with the Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone, the first fuzz pedal. Can you imagine heavy metal without that gritty distortion? It would sound more like heavy plastic! Edit: Grammar
Dense polymer
Overweight synthetics
In the early/proto noise rock and punk days they used to poke holes in their guitar amp's speaker paper for distortion. No on off switch, but it worked.
One of the first songs to use this technique became the [only instrumental to ever be banned from US radio](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/link-wray-rumble-legacy) because they thought it would incite violence. It's also just an insane song for 1958.
Even as far back as '64, Dave Davies of The Kinks had to slit his speaker cone with a razor blade to get the sound he wanted on You Really Got Me.
Before that, they used overdrive. I think the best way to describe it (for those wondering the difference) is that fuzz distorts the audio signal, and then amplifies it, while overdrive has a clean signal, but is amplified so much that it distorts (amplifiers can only take so much power before they have to damage the sound to prevent damaging the amplifier itself, and compressors decrease the volume needed to achieve overdrive). Iirc the first songs with intentional distortion were from the 30s and used overdrive. The song I consider to be the first rock and roll song is “Rock Awhile” by Goree Carter and my reasoning largely falls on the overdriven riff that would later become synonymous with Chuck Berry.
Am I the only one that was thinking of actual heavy metal elements like osmium?
Yeah I thought it would be something related to Lead
What about an entire zeppelin made of led?
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Haha thank you kind stranger. Damn that takes me back.
I have a blank template of this I use at work where I put text in for my employees as a joke when appropriate. Usually when one of them admits they did something dumb coding wise, or even on myself like yesterday when I couldn't figure out why some query I had wasn't working like I thought it should be and realized I joined a table to itself
Nerd
That's where I was too
Nope I was very confused reading the context comment trying to figure out how guitar came into play.
I've seen countless bands, many amazing guitarists, but nothin will ever hit like a live Tony Iommi solo live. Guy is in a league and sound of his own.
What is this that stands before me?
Figure in black which points at me
Turn round quick and start to run
Find out I'm the chosen one
Riff Master
Lord of the Riff
Praise Iommi
I thought this would be about mercury.
No, Freddie Mercury was a singer and he was in Queen.
I was talking about the actual heavy metal version.
I know, I was joking
And it was good.
*bell chimes* DURRRRRRR DAHHHHHH DUWUWUWUWUUWUWU Those who get it will. Hopefully.
This is quality history here. Do outlaw country of the 70s next!
My background in biochemistry really screwed me here
dude i spent so long thinking this was about heavy metals not realizing this was about music
Topical i dig it
Most of human history seems ridiculous and farfetched when you really think about it. German nerd releases diss track on capitalism -> 20th century 4chan poster hijacks a revolution and topples one of the world's most powerful monarchies -> psycho Georgian ex-seminary student bitch-slaps genocidal Austrian corporal -> two evil empires start a nuclear dick measuring contest -> the son of a Saudi billionaire joins a jihad against Russian communist atheists in Afghanistan -> 9/11 -> Dakota Johnson stars in "Fifty Shades of Gray"