About this recording
Back in Black · 1980 · Original album studio recording
Playing level: intermediate · Theory level: beginner
Start with five notes. Listen for short bursts that leave room for the band.
The scales at a glance
Compare the notes
Learn these shapes, then see how they help explain each solo below. Some are extra ideas for your own practice.
| Scale | Notes | Intervals | Use in this study |
|---|---|---|---|
| E Minor Pentatonic | E · G · A · B · D | 1 · ♭3 · 4 · 5 · ♭7 | Listening guide |
Solo breakdown
Main solo
Guitar: Angus Young
Where is this solo?
The main guitar break after the second chorus, before the singing returns.
E Minor Pentatonic
Listening guide
E minor pentatonic is the main listening map here. Learn the five notes, then listen for the gaps between Angus’s phrases.
E · G · A · B · D
◎ Outlined dots = E, the home note.
Standard tuning (teaching setup) · frets 12–15 · high string 1 at top · toward nut →
These dots show where the scale notes are. They do not show the order of the solo.
Read the note positions
- String 1, fret 12: E, interval 1, root
- String 1, fret 15: G, interval ♭3
- String 2, fret 12: B, interval 5
- String 2, fret 15: D, interval ♭7
- String 3, fret 12: G, interval ♭3
- String 3, fret 14: A, interval 4
- String 4, fret 12: D, interval ♭7
- String 4, fret 14: E, interval 1, root
- String 5, fret 12: A, interval 4
- String 5, fret 14: B, interval 5
- String 6, fret 12: E, interval 1, root
- String 6, fret 15: G, interval ♭3
More about these scales
E Minor Pentatonic Listening guide
E minor pentatonic is the main listening map here. Learn the five notes, then listen for the gaps between Angus’s phrases.
E · G · A · B · D
How the chords shape the solo
Chords and note choices
Listen for the landing note
Listening idea A power chord has a root and fifth, but no major or minor third. Compare G from the lead map with G♯ in an E major chord. That clash helps explain the blues sound.
Technique tips
Technique and phrasing
- bending: A bend raises a note by pushing the string across the fretboard. Play the target note first, then bend a lower note until it matches. Practice suggestion
Practice ideas
Try the ideas yourself
Original practice suggestions; these are not the recorded solo.
Try this slowly
Choose three notes from the map. Play a short answer to a single E, then leave two beats of silence. Keep the answer shorter than the gap.
Check: You can keep a steady pulse and hear the final note clearly.
A simple practice plan
Put the study into practice
- Listen to the chosen solo and identify its beginning and ending.
- Find the root notes: the notes the scale is named after. Say their names, then play them.
- Add one new note, or aim for a note from the chord. Make a short phrase of your own.
- Listen to the solo again. Can you hear where the phrase comes to rest?
Updated 2026-11-10
This analysis may contain errors or inaccuracies.