How to Play Black Hole Sun chords by Soundgarden on Guitar

Black Hole Sun is one of the most popular songs by the American rock band Soundgarden, released in 1994 as the third single from their fourth studio album Superunknown. The song was written by the lead singer and guitarist Chris Cornell, who described it as a “surrealistic nightmare” inspired by the news and media. The song features a dark and heavy sound, with distorted guitars, haunting vocals, and a psychedelic solo.

If you want to learn how to play Black Hole Sun on guitar, you will need to master some basic chords, a capo, and some effects pedals. In this article, we will show you how to play the song using two different versions of chords: one with a capo on the fourth fret, and one without a capo. We will also give you some tips on how to achieve the tone and sound of the original recording.

Chords

Intro:
E G D C#m C B
 
Verse 1:
      E           G
In my eyes, indisposed,
       D             C#m
In disguises no one knows.
           C               B
Hides the face, lies the snake,
     E             F
The sun in my disgrace.
         E             G
Boiling heat, summer stench,
            D                  C#m
Neath the black the sky looks dead.
         C                 B
Call my name through the cream,
          E                F
And I'll hear you scream again.
 
Chorus:
            C
Black hole sun,
           B
Won't you come,
     E     D       G
And wash away the rain.
            C
Black hole sun,
           B               A               B
Won't you come, won't you come, won't you come.
 
Verse 2:
       E              G
Stuttering, cold and damp,
           D                C#m
Steal the warm wind tired friend.
           C               B
Times are gone for honest men,
               E                 F
And sometimes far too long for snakes.
        E                G
In my shoes, a walking sleep,
        D               C#m
And my youth I pray to keep.
        C          B
Heaven sent hell away,
        E                 F
No one sings like you anymore.
 
Chorus:
            C
Black hole sun,
           B
Won't you come,
     E     D       G
And wash away the rain.
            C
Black hole sun,
           B               A    B
Won't you come, won't you come.
 
            C
Black hole sun,
           B
Won't you come,
     E     D       G
And wash away the rain.
            C
Black hole sun,
           B
Won't you come,
           A                G               B
Won't you come (Black hole sun, Black hole sun).
           A                Em              B
Won't you come (Black hole sun, Black hole sun).
           A                G               B
Won't you come (Black hole sun, Black hole sun).
           A                Em              B
Won't you come (Black hole sun, Black hole sun).
 
Bridge:
         E              G
Hang my head, drown my fear,
         D              C#m
Till you all just disappear.
 
Chorus:
            C
Black hole sun,
           B
Won't you come,
     E     D       G
And wash away the rain.
            C
Black hole sun,
           B               A    B
Won't you come, won't you come.
 
            C
Black hole sun,
           B
Won't you come,
     E     D       G
And wash away the rain.
            C
Black hole sun,
           B
Won't you come,
           A                G               B
Won't you come (Black hole sun, Black hole sun).
           A                G               B
Won't you come (Black hole sun, Black hole sun).
           A                G               B
Won't you come (Black hole sun, Black hole sun).
           A                G               B
Won't you come (Black hole sun, Black hole sun).
           A                G               B
Won't you come (Black hole sun, Black hole sun).
           A                G               B
Won't you come (Black hole sun, Black hole sun).
           A   G B
Won't you come,
           A   Em B  E D E
Won't you come.

Chords without Capo

Another way to play Black Hole Sun on guitar is to use the original chords without a capo. This version is more challenging, as it involves some complex and uncommon chords.

The chord names with an asterisk (*) are not the official names, but they are easier to remember. You can also use different fingerings for some of the chords, such as playing Eb as xx1343 or D as xx0232.

The song has the same four sections as before, but with different chord progressions. The verse follows this chord progression:

Em Gm Fm Em Eb D G* Fm*

The chorus follows this chord progression:

Eb D G G7 Bb Eb D Cm

The bridge follows this chord progression:

Em Gm Fm Em

The outro follows this chord progression:

Eb D G G7 Bb Eb D Cm Bb Eb D G G7 Bb Eb D Cm Bb Dm

You can find the lyrics and the strumming pattern for each section online.

Tone and Sound

To achieve the tone and sound of Black Hole Sun, you will need some effects pedals and settings. According to Cornell, he used a Gretsch Duo Jet guitar with a Bigsby tremolo system, a Vox AC30 amplifier, and a Dunlop Cry Baby wah pedal for the song. He also used some distortion, chorus, delay, and reverb effects.

You can experiment with different pedals and settings to find your own sound, but here are some suggestions:

• Distortion: Use a moderate amount of gain and level, and adjust the tone to your preference. You can also use an overdrive pedal to boost your signal and add some crunch.
• Chorus: Use a subtle amount of depth and rate, and set the mix to around 50%. This will add some shimmer and movement to your sound.
• Delay: Use a short delay time (around 300 ms) and feedback (around 25%), and set the mix to around 25%. This will create some space and echo in your sound.
• Reverb: Use a medium reverb time (around 2 seconds) and level, and set the tone to your preference. This will add some depth and ambiance to your sound.

You can also use a wah pedal to create some expressive sounds, especially during the solo. You can rock the pedal back and forth to sweep the frequency range and create some wah-wah effects.

Conclusion

Black Hole Sun is a classic song by Soundgarden that showcases their unique style and sound. The song is not very difficult to play on guitar, but it requires some practice and patience. You can choose to play the song with or without a capo, depending on your skill level and preference. You can also use some effects pedals to enhance your tone and sound, and emulate the original recording. We hope this article helped you learn how to play Black Hole Sun on guitar, and inspired you to play more songs by Soundgarden. Have fun and rock on!