Tune each string down half a step: E♭ · A♭ · D♭ · G♭ · B♭ · E♭, from thickest to thinnest. These fret positions sound different in standard tuning.
About this recording
Appetite for Destruction · 1987 · Universal Music Group album-track upload dated 2018-06-21; provider metadata lists original release 1987-07-21.
Playing level: advanced · Theory level: beginner
Start with the minor pentatonic shape at fret 12. In E-flat tuning its home note sounds E♭, even though guitarists often call it an E minor shape.
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 |
| E♭ Natural Minor | E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭ | 1 · 2 · ♭3 · 4 · 5 · ♭6 · ♭7 | Listening guide |
| E♭ Harmonic Minor | E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D | 1 · 2 · ♭3 · 4 · 5 · ♭6 · 7 | Listening guide |
Solo breakdown
Main solo
Guitar: Slash
Where is this solo?
The extended solo in the later E-minor-shaped section, including the wah-led climb and pentatonic ending. The opening riff and earlier short solos are separate.
E♭ Minor Pentatonic
Listening guide
E♭ minor pentatonic is the sounding-note map for the E-minor-shaped pentatonic material at the end of this section.
E♭ · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · D♭
◎ Outlined dots = E♭, the home note.
E-flat 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 sounding-note map for the E-minor-shaped pentatonic material at the end of this section.
E♭ · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · D♭
E♭ Natural Minor Listening guide
E♭ natural minor adds F and C♭. C♭ is the same fret as B. This is the sounding version of the E minor scale used in standard-tuning demonstrations.
E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭
E♭ Harmonic Minor Listening guide
E♭ harmonic minor replaces D♭ with D. Compare the stronger pull into E♭ in the climbing passage.
E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D
How the chords shape the solo
Chords and note choices
Listen for the landing note
Listening idea The guitar is tuned down half a step. Desi Serna’s lesson demonstrates the part in standard tuning, so its written E minor sounds a half step above the record. Here the shapes stay in the same fret area and the note names match E-flat tuning.
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
Find E♭ on string 6 at fret 12. In E♭ Minor Pentatonic, play D♭–E♭ and leave a pause. Then choose E♭ Harmonic Minor and play D–E♭. Hold the final E♭ each time.
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.