About this recording
Burn · 1974 · Original album studio recording
Playing level: expert · Theory level: beginner
Start with the G blues notes, then compare the longer minor-scale lines. Listen for repeated ideas that move up or down.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| G Minor Blues | G · B♭ · C · D♭ · D · F | 1 · ♭3 · 4 · ♭5 · 5 · ♭7 | Listening guide |
| G Natural Minor | G · A · B♭ · C · D · E♭ · F | 1 · 2 · ♭3 · 4 · 5 · ♭6 · ♭7 | Listening guide |
| G Minor Pentatonic | G · B♭ · C · D · F | 1 · ♭3 · 4 · 5 · ♭7 | Listening guide |
Solo breakdown
Main solo
Guitar: Ritchie Blackmore
Where is this solo?
Blackmore’s guitar solo in the studio track. The keyboard solo is a different part.
G Minor Blues
Listening guide
G minor blues adds D♭ between C and D. Use the extra note briefly when listening to the blues-based opening.
G · B♭ · C · D♭ · D · F
◎ Outlined dots = G, the home note.
Standard tuning (teaching setup) · frets 3–6 · 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 3: G, interval 1, root
- String 1, fret 6: B♭, interval ♭3
- String 2, fret 3: D, interval 5
- String 2, fret 6: F, interval ♭7
- String 3, fret 3: B♭, interval ♭3
- String 3, fret 5: C, interval 4
- String 3, fret 6: D♭, interval ♭5
- String 4, fret 3: F, interval ♭7
- String 4, fret 5: G, interval 1, root
- String 5, fret 3: C, interval 4
- String 5, fret 4: D♭, interval ♭5
- String 5, fret 5: D, interval 5
- String 6, fret 3: G, interval 1, root
- String 6, fret 6: B♭, interval ♭3
More about these scales
G Minor Blues Listening guide
G minor blues adds D♭ between C and D. Use the extra note briefly when listening to the blues-based opening.
G · B♭ · C · D♭ · D · F
G Natural Minor Listening guide
G natural minor gives a wider map for the connecting runs. A sequence is a short idea repeated from a different note.
G · A · B♭ · C · D · E♭ · F
G Minor Pentatonic Listening guide
Remove D♭ from the blues map to see its five-note G minor pentatonic core.
G · B♭ · C · D · F
How the chords shape the solo
Chords and note choices
Listen for the landing note
Listening idea A G minor chord contains G, B♭ and D. Pick out those three notes in the larger scale. They give a phrase clear landing points while the other notes connect them.
Technique tips
Technique and phrasing
- legato: Legato means joining notes smoothly. A hammer-on sounds a higher note with your fretting finger; a pull-off sounds a lower one. Match their volume to the picked note. Practice suggestion
Practice ideas
Try the ideas yourself
Original practice suggestions; these are not the recorded solo.
Try this slowly
Choose three neighbouring scale notes. Play them slowly, then start the same three-step idea from the next note. Stop after two groups and return to G.
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.