Blues - Rock Licks I

by Meinrad Litterst (18 Apr 02)

Licks are small musical vocabularies that function as the basis for your
improvisation - we can also call it a 'little idea'. A solo is made up of a
combination of many licks, that are rhythmically or melodically adapted
to a certain musical context.

It is important to remember that simply learning Licks by heart is not

enough. It's more important to understand how they work and where it
is appropriate to apply them.

Have a look at the 6 licks below. Learn them, try to use different
rhythms, try to transpose them, think about what you like about them -
what you don't, and add them to your vocabulary.

Have fun!

Ex.1 : A Blues. Note that 1/4 note bend at the end.

Listen

Ex.2 : Another nice Blues lick in the key of E with some open strings
incorporated. Again mind that 1/4 bend.
Listen
Ex.3 : It's a more Rock orientated kind of lick in the key of E. It starts
off with the E minor pentatonic and ends with the major pentatonic.
Listen

Ex.4 : Again another Blues-Rock lick, this time in F. It uses the minor
pentatonic but incorporates the major 3rd (it creates that "Major
sound") of the major pentatonic.
Listen

Ex.5: And another idea using the A Blues scale. You can play it over a
major or minor chord.
Listen
Ex.6: A Rock lick with the G minor pentatonic. Mind that slide from the
3rd into the 5th position and the bends.
Listen

Recordings by Gunharth Randolf