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
Thriller · 1982 · Original album studio recording
Playing level: expert · Theory level: beginner
Start with the minor shape at fret 12. The guitar is tuned down half a step, so the home note here is E♭.
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 |
Solo breakdown
Main solo
Guitar: Eddie Van Halen
Where is this solo?
Eddie Van Halen’s featured electric guitar break in the studio song. The rhythm guitar part is separate.
E♭ Minor Pentatonic
Listening guide
E♭ minor pentatonic is a suggested sounding-note map for the blues-shaped lead material.
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 a suggested sounding-note map for the blues-shaped lead material.
E♭ · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · D♭
E♭ Natural Minor Listening guide
E♭ natural minor adds F and C♭. Compare this wider map with the short pentatonic phrases.
E♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D♭
How the chords shape the solo
Chords and note choices
Listen for the landing note
Listening idea A tapped note still has a note name. Use the same tuning when comparing picked, hammered and tapped notes. A diagram shows fixed fret pitches; a tremolo-arm movement can travel between them.
Technique tips
Technique and phrasing
- tapping: Tapping sounds a note by tapping a fret with a finger from your picking hand. Start slowly on one string and keep unused strings quiet. Practice suggestion
Practice ideas
Try the ideas yourself
Original practice suggestions; these are not the recorded solo.
Try this slowly
Choose one string and two notes from the map. Alternate a picked lower note with a hammered higher note. Keep both at the same volume before adding one higher tapped note.
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.