About this recording
Blizzard of Ozz · 1980 · Original album studio recording
Playing level: advanced · Theory level: beginner
Start with F♯ minor pentatonic, then add G♯ and D. The fast tapping still needs clear target notes.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| F♯ Minor Pentatonic | F♯ · A · B · C♯ · E | 1 · ♭3 · 4 · 5 · ♭7 | Listening guide |
| F♯ Natural Minor | F♯ · G♯ · A · B · C♯ · D · E | 1 · 2 · ♭3 · 4 · 5 · ♭6 · ♭7 | Listening guide |
Solo breakdown
Main solo
Guitar: Randy Rhoads
Where is this solo?
Randy Rhoads’s main electric solo after the vocal sections, before the song returns. The opening riff is separate.
F♯ Minor Pentatonic
Listening guide
F♯ minor pentatonic gives a smaller map for the blues-shaped phrases.
F♯ · A · B · C♯ · E
◎ Outlined dots = F♯, the home note.
Standard tuning (teaching setup) · frets 2–5 · 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 2: F♯, interval 1, root
- String 1, fret 5: A, interval ♭3
- String 2, fret 2: C♯, interval 5
- String 2, fret 5: E, interval ♭7
- String 3, fret 2: A, interval ♭3
- String 3, fret 4: B, interval 4
- String 4, fret 2: E, interval ♭7
- String 4, fret 4: F♯, interval 1, root
- String 5, fret 2: B, interval 4
- String 5, fret 4: C♯, interval 5
- String 6, fret 2: F♯, interval 1, root
- String 6, fret 5: A, interval ♭3
More about these scales
F♯ Minor Pentatonic Listening guide
F♯ minor pentatonic gives a smaller map for the blues-shaped phrases.
F♯ · A · B · C♯ · E
F♯ Natural Minor Listening guide
F♯ natural minor adds G♯ and D. Randy’s clinic discussion identifies the last solo with F♯ minor.
F♯ · G♯ · A · B · C♯ · D · E
How the chords shape the solo
Chords and note choices
Listen for the landing note
Listening idea F♯, A and C♯ form an F♯ minor chord. Find those three notes before connecting them with the rest of the scale. A tapping pattern can move through chord notes without using every scale note in order.
F♯ Minor arpeggio
F♯ · A · C♯ · 1 · ♭3 · 5
Play these chord notes separately and listen for a clear ending. This is a chord-note reference, not the order of a recorded passage.
Practice idea Compare the notes of F# minor as an original chord-tone exercise.
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
Play F♯, A and C♯ separately and leave a gap. Choose one of them as a final note for a short phrase. Keep that ending easy to hear before trying the same idea higher on the neck.
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.