The Ultimate Black Magic Woman Guitar Lesson (Santana, Eric Clapton)

Today let’s dive into a “Black Magic Woman” guitar lesson. "Black Magic Woman" is a song that has captivated music lovers for decades. It started with Peter Green and the British blues rock band Fleetwood Mac. 

But the song found its true magic in the hands of Santana, becoming one of his most iconic and beloved tracks.  

In this post, I’ll break it down for you step-by-step. So make sure you’re tuned up, and let’s get started! 

Who is Black Magic Woman originally by?

"Black Magic Woman" was originally written and recorded by the British blues rock band Fleetwood Mac. The song was released as a single in 1968 and was included on their album English Rose in the United Kingdom. 

But Santana's cover of "Black Magic Woman" is undoubtedly the most famous and well-known version of the song. It was included on his 1970 album titled Abraxas and released as a single. Santana's interpretation of the song took a different direction from the original Fleetwood Mac version, infusing it with their signature Latin rock sound.

Carlos Santana's mesmerizing guitar work became the centerpiece of the track. His distinctive playing style, blending rock, blues, and Latin influences, brought a fresh and captivating energy to "Black Magic Woman." 

Santana's rendition of "Black Magic Woman" received significant radio airplay and climbed high on the charts, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The song's success helped propel the "Abraxas" album to great heights, cementing Santana's place in the music industry and earning them widespread acclaim. 

To this day, Santana's version of "Black Magic Woman" remains an iconic and influential track. 

Black Magic Woman Chords

To play “Black Magic Woman” you’ll only need to know 4 chords Dm, Am, Gm, and A7. I would play each one of these chords as bar chord shapes.

Dm I would play at the 5th position like this:

Am is played in the 5th position as well. But here I’ll play all 6 strings like this:

Gm is the same shape as Am but relocated to the 3rd fret like this:

And finally, A7 goes back up to the fifth position and is played like this:

Next, let’s put these chords into the chord progression. “Black Magic Woman” is 12-bar minor blues chord progression. Each chord (for the first 8 bars) last for 2 bars.

Dm (2 bars)

Am (2 bars)

Then we do the same thing again but trade out the Am for Gm like this:

Dm (2 bars)

Gm (2 bars) 

After this, we get to the final 4 bars. Here we have a bar of Dm, then a bar of A7, and then we’ll finish with 2 bars of Dm like this: 

Dm (1 bar)

A7 (1 bar)

Dm (2 bars)

These last 4 bars function like a turnaround progression. The rate of chord changes gets a little quicker and this puts a button on the progression.

Altogether it goes like this:

Dm (2 bars)

Am (2 bars)

Dm (2 bars)

Gm (2 bars)

Dm (1 bar)

A7 (1 bar)

Dm (2 bars)

In the Santana version, the band often breaks on beat 1 in the final bar. 

Black Magic Woman Strumming Pattern

The strumming pattern used in Santana's version of "Black Magic Woman" is a rhythmic pattern that combines elements of Latin rhythms and rock guitar playing. While there is no definitive standard strumming pattern for the song, here is a common approach that captures the essence of the song:

The song is in a 4/4 time signature. The basic strumming pattern here starts by hitting the root note on the 5th fret of the 5th string. Then on beat 2, drag your pick through the strings going down and then up. After that immediately rest (by releasing the pressure of your fretting hand) and then play an upstrum on Dm on the “and” of 3. Then repeat beat 3 again for beat 4.

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

d    d u    u    u

The combination of resting and using pressure and release with the fretting hand helps to create that syncopated Latin groove. 

Quick tip: this is also why you’ll want to use bar chords for the rhythm on this song. Playing open-position chords will create too much “ring” to fit the style. 

It's important to note that this is just a general guideline, and many guitarists may add their own variations and improvisations to suit their playing style. Feel free to experiment and adapt the strumming pattern to your preference while staying true to the song's groove and feel.

Black Magic Woman Guitar Solo Lesson 

If you want to improvise solos over “Black Magic Woman”, I would recommend practicing the D natural minor scale.

The D natural minor scale (Sometimes called the D Aeolian scale) is a seven-note scale that follows a specific pattern of intervals. It is the same notes as the F major scale but it starts and ends on D. Here is the D natural minor scale in ascending and descending order:

Ascending: D - E - F - G - A - B♭ - C - D

Descending: D - C - B♭ - A - G - F - E - D

The intervals within the D natural minor scale are:

Root (D) - Whole Step (W) - Half Step (H) - Whole Step (W) - Whole Step (W) - Half Step (H) - Whole Step (W) - Whole Step (W)

This can also be expressed in terms of the formula: 1 - 2 - b3 - 4 - 5 - b6 - b7 - 1.

This scale can be played on guitar starting on the 10th fret of the 6th string like this:

Those same strings and frets would be:

6th string = 10, 12, 13

5th string = 10, 12, 13

4th string = 10, 12

3rd string = 9, 10, 12

2nd string = 10, 11, 13

1st string = 10, 12, 13 

Here is an example in the style of Santana's “Black Magic Woman” solo. This lick uses notes from the D natural minor scale. It starts on the 2nd string and combines a number of other signature Santana guitar techniques like hammer-ons, pull-offs, and string bending.

This next example shows how Santana would not just play scales. But he also used arpeggios in his soloing. For example, he might use the notes of a Dm chord at the 10th fret like this:

Santana also very commonly would use the blues scale and the pentatonic scale in his solos. The best blues scale and pentatonic scale to fit “Black Magic Woman” would be the Dm blues scale and the Dm pentatonic scale played at the 10th fret like this:

Here is an example of how Santana would create bluesy licks by combining these scales:

There have been many great covers of “Black Magic Woman” and so next I want to take a look at...

Black Magic Woman Guitar Lesson (Eric Clapton 12 String Acoustic Version)

Eric Clapton's acoustic version of "Black Magic Woman" is a live recording from his 2021 album, The Lady In The Balcony: Lockdown Sessions. The album was recorded at Cowdray House in West Sussex, England, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The acoustic version of "Black Magic Woman" is a stripped-down interpretation of the song, with Clapton playing 12-string guitar. The song is played at a slightly slower tempo than the original, and Clapton's vocals are soulful and expressive.

The acoustic version of "Black Magic Woman" has been praised by critics for its simplicity and beauty. The song has also been a popular choice for cover versions by other artists, including Carlos Santana, Fleetwood Mac, and Joe Bonamassa.

Eric Clapton’s version is played in the key of Em. The chords he plays are Em, G, Am7, Bm7.

At the end of the tune, the band breaks, and then they go into a blues shuffle rhythm pattern like this:

Conclusion:

"Black Magic Woman" is a captivating and influential song that has its roots in the British blues rock scene with Fleetwood Mac's original version. But it was Santana's iconic cover that propelled the song to legendary status. Santana's rendition introduced a fusion of Latin rock and blues, featuring Carlos Santana's mesmerizing guitar work that has become synonymous with the track.

Remember to take it slow, start with the chords and rhythms. Then from there move on to the solos. And when you’re ready try to play it along with the recording. Have fun! And for another great similar style lesson check out “Witchy Woman” next!