About this recording
Screaming for Vengeance · 1982 · Original album studio recording
Playing level: advanced · Theory level: beginner
Start with the small E minor pentatonic map. Treat the quick outside notes as something to check locally, rather than learning a new scale for every run.
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 Minor Blues | E · G · A · B♭ · B · D | 1 · ♭3 · 4 · ♭5 · 5 · ♭7 | Listening guide |
| E Natural Minor | E · F♯ · G · A · B · C · D | 1 · 2 · ♭3 · 4 · 5 · ♭6 · ♭7 | Practice idea |
Solo breakdown
Main solo
Guitar: Glenn Tipton / K. K. Downing
Where is this solo?
Glenn Tipton’s electric guitar solo in Electric Eye, separate from The Hellion introduction.
E Minor Pentatonic
Listening guide
E minor pentatonic is a suggested first map for the blues 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 a suggested first map for the blues phrases.
E · G · A · B · D
E Minor Blues Listening guide
E minor blues adds B♭ as a passing note. This map does not explain every chromatic or diminished figure in the solo.
E · G · A · B♭ · B · D
E Natural Minor Practice idea
Add F♯ and C for a wider practice map. This does not make the entire solo an E natural minor 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 Chromatic notes move in one-fret steps. A diminished pattern repeats smaller, evenly spaced chord shapes. Neither idea fits neatly into every minor-scale box, so keep those figures separate from the main map.
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 nearby pentatonic notes. Repeat a short phrase twice, then put one one-fret passing note between two of them. Return to E before starting again.
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.