If you’re looking for an easy solo to learn that’s also genuinely useful, the guitar solo from “The Last Time” by the Rolling Stones is one of the best places to start. It’s based on the E pentatonic minor scale, it uses techniques you’ll find in hundreds of other songs, and it’s a solid entry point into the world of easy songs to learn on guitar.
Even if the Stones aren’t your thing, this riff is worth learning. The techniques in it show up everywhere.
The Scale Behind the Solo
This solo lives in the E pentatonic minor scale — the same scale that’s the foundation for a massive chunk of rock and blues guitar. If you know the open-position E pentatonic, you’ve already got the raw material. The solo just arranges those notes into a specific, musical pattern.
Breaking Down the Riff
Part 1: The Slide and Double Stop
Start with your 3rd finger on the 2nd fret of the 3rd string (a B note). Slide up two frets to the 4th fret. While that note is still ringing, drop your 2nd finger onto the 3rd fret of the 2nd string. You’ve just created a double stop — two notes ringing at once. That harmony is the hook of the whole riff.
Part 2: Adding the Fifth Fret
Keep your 2nd finger down and use your pinky to reach the 5th fret on the 2nd string (an E note). Pick down on the 3rd string, then up on the 2nd. Let both notes ring together. The picking pattern is all alternate picking: down, up, down, up.
Part 3: The Second Phrase
Now slide your 1st finger up from the 1st fret on the 3rd string. Keep your hand ready — almost like a mini bar — because right after the slide, you need to catch the 2nd fret on the 2nd string quickly. The two notes should nearly ring together, creating another double-stop effect.
The Chord Progression
The song uses an E – D – A progression. Even though those are all major chords, the solo works in E pentatonic minor. The E is the focal chord — the progression always cycles back to it. Practice the riff over those three chords, and you’ll feel how the solo locks in.
Why This Riff Matters
The techniques here — slides into double stops, alternate picking across two strings, and positional playing within the pentatonic scale — are building blocks for rock guitar soloing. Once you have this under your fingers, you’ll start hearing the same moves in dozens of other songs and solos.
If you’re working through the beginner guitar scales and want to see how they turn into actual music, this is a perfect bridge. The riff is short enough to memorize in one sitting, but musical enough to play over and over without getting bored.
Get the picking clean, keep the timing steady, and have fun with it. That’s what it’s there for.