Rock music has it’s roots in blues, and blues licks are a key component to many guitar solos, as well as riffs. This blues guitar lick has many different elements crammed into it. Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Focus on intonation (tuning the bends). If you haven’t done so already, practice this lesson on tuning bends. Out-of-tune bends will destroy any solo – I don’t care how much cool shredding is involved, an out of tune bend really kills the sound. Practice the tuning bends lesson, focus on proper bending technique (YES – there is a proper technique to bends and not just pulling or pushing on the string!), and you’ll hear a significant improvement in your soloing.
- Watch out for the rhythm of the bends. Some bends happen gradually, some happen with a specified rhythm, others happen right away off of the pick and need a quick snap to fit into the rhythm. Know which one you’re performing, and work it into the rhythm.
- Practice strict alternate picking in measure 3. Focus on alternating the pick in a triplet rhythm. Each beat will use the opposite alternating pattern. So, for example, to maintain strict down-up picking, the first group of triplets is DOWN-UP-DOWN, the second group UP-DOWN-UP, the third DOWN-UP-DOWN and so on. You’ll need to feel the beat and tap your foot on DOWN on beat one, UP on beat 2, and so on.
Nate from Richards Guitar Studio shows you how to play a blues guitar lick. This lick uses the A Blues Scale, Blues Dorian Scale, bends, hammer ons and pull offs, and picking.
Richards Guitar Studio offers professional guitar lessons in Aston PA. We serve Delaware County PA towns such as Swarthmore, Media, Springfield, Ridley Park, Garnet Valley, and Brookhaven.