"Black Magic Woman": Fleetwood Mac and Santana Versions on Guitar!

In this guitar lesson, we'll learn the Fleetwood Mac and Santana versions of Black Magic Woman. I put this down as a Santana song because his version is more widely known, but I actually prefer the Fleetwood Mac original! :)

This lesson is all about the chords and rhythm options - you gotta know this before you think about taking solos! :) The Santana version is great for a jam because it sticks to a standard blues format, whereas the Fleetwood Mac version is a bit more complex.

Black Magic Woman Chords: Santana and Fleetwood Mac Variations

The first chord you hear on the Fleetwood Mac version comes before the band begins. It's a mini Dm grip played way up the neck - it’s actually the top part of the Am shape moved up an octave. See the video if you’re unsure. :)

The chord progression for both versions is pretty simple and repeats throughout. It starts with Dm, Dm, Am, Am ; Dm, Dm, Gm, Gm, all for one bar.

Here's where it changes. On the Fleetwood Mac version, you then hear Dm, C, Bb, A, each for two beats. Santana plays Dm, Am, Dm, Dm, which is a standard 12-bar blues arrangement and is easier to jam with than the Fleetwood Mac version.

💡 Barre Chords: to play the Fleetwood Mac version, you'll need three barre chord shapes: the E minor, A minor, and A Major shapes. The two minor shapes are enough for the Santana version. :)

For the Fleetwood Mac version, we play a little riff then finish on the Dm triad from before. This adds an extra bar to make it a 13-bar progression. There's another variation of this later in the song! On the Santana version, we omit that riff and the progression lasts 12 bars.

Black Magic Woman: Rhythm Guitar

It’s tricky to hear exactly what’s happening on the Fleetwood Mac version, but I’ve come up with a 16th-note pattern that sounds close. :)

Though we don’t strum on all the beats, we still keep our hand moving consistently. It’s a great idea to mute the strings and practice the strumming on its own before you add chords.

Another trick is to relax your fretting hand after each strum. This mutes the strings, giving your chords a tight sound and adding extra groove to your rhythm playing.

Fleetwood Mac End Section

On the Fleetwood Mac version, they add an end section that has a shuffle feel and some awesome lead work from Peter Green. We look at the notes, but the count is complicated, so listen to the original to cop the groove.

Santana Version

In the Santana version of Black Magic Woman, there are vamp sections where the chords stay on Dm for a while and he plays some incredible riffs. The strumming also gets experimental at some points, so I encourage you to do the same. Listen to the original for inspiration! :)

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