Here is a Carlos Santana lick I liberated from the first guitar solo in the song “Black Magic Woman”. It’s in the key of D minor, and comes completely out of a D natural minor scale.
Carlos Santana Lick
(Video Guitar Lesson)
Santana Lick Tablature
The number highlighted in blue in the tablature above is the note you should use as your guide when playing this guitar lick in other keys. In this case the highlighted note is a D. This guitar lick is in the key of D minor.
If you wanted to play this Santana lick in B minor, then you would move everything down 3 frets so the highlighted note on the first string would be at the 7th fret (B).
D Natural Minor Scale
Here is the D minor scale form that this Santana lick is played out of.
The notes in red are the D notes (the root of the scale). The numbers are one possible fingering for this scale, but just remember that if you are improvising that is not set in stone.
D Minor Pentatonic Scale
Another scale you might use to improvise with along with this Carlos Santana guitar lick is the D minor pentatonic scale.
This Santana lick actually starts out with an Fmaj7 arpeggio, which is a chord that can be build from the D minor scale. Playing arpeggios within a particular scale is a great way get out of the rut of just playing up and down the scale.
Have fun with your new Santana Lick.
