Uploaded August 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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In this video, I analyze the solo to Smoke on The Water by Deep Purple.

The harmony: Gm F

Scales used to solo over this progression:

G minor pentatonic

G minor blues scale

G Aeolian

G Dorian

Why? G minor pentatonic is a minor scale with 5 tones. It goes very well with a minor chord, as does the G blues scale, which is the same scale with a b5.

Gm to F occurs in a few keys:

Bb: Bb Cm Dm Eb F Gm Adim Bb: vi V progression in Bb

However, it has a minor tonality, not a major tonality, so we need to refer to it as G minor or G Aeolian. Aeolian is the 6th mode based off of a parent major scale. Since the Gm sits on the 6th degree of Bb, we refer to it as G Aeolian.

F: F Gm Am Bb C Dm Edim F: ii I progression in F

However, it has a minor tonality, not a major tonality, so we need to refer to it as G minor or G Dorian. Dorian is the 2nd mode based off of a parent major scale. Since the Gm sits on the 2nd degree of F, we refer to it as G Dorian.

It's fun to mix all of these sounds together and create more interesting lines.

Have fun!

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