By Ken Volpe
This is Lesson #10 in a series on Guitar Improvisation. Last week in Lesson #9 we worked on rhythm. In this week’s lesson we are learning our first licks.
A lick is a group of notes that is played in a melodic fashion. A lick can be played repeatedly or it can be played one time as part of another melodic idea. Guitarists can play a lick in a melody, in a solo, or as a fill. A lick often originates from a specific scale. Certain scales work well with certain chords hence, certain licks work well with certain chords. That being said, we need to set the groundwork for applying these licks. You will need to practice yours licks with some backing tracks. Preferably, backing tracks that don’t contain any lead guitar or other solo instruments. Drums, bass, and rhythm guitar make up an ideal backing track for jamming. You can record your own tracks or obtain pre-recorded tracks from a number of sources. For this lesson, your backing track should be an A Blues. The chords will be A7, D7, E7. In an upcoming lesson, I will be going into greater detail about chords and their relationship with scales, licks, etc.
The licks you will be playing will all originate from the A minor Pentatonic Scale. (See diagrams.)
Here’s how it works. Play the recording of your backing tracks and start playing along with the track using these new licks. At this point, I’m throwing you to the wolves. In other words, use your musical instincts to work this out. Work hard at it but try to have fun as well. Later on, I will give you more guidance on applying these and other licks to your backing tracks. One last thing, you should also practice these licks by themselves to continue to build up your chops.
In next week’s lesson we will continue working with licks. I’ll see you all at the next lesson.
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