How to Add Licks to a Blues Riff
Recognize and review the basics of the blues., Experiment on the pentatonic blues scale to start adding lead licks., Play your licks to fill in spaces left by the singer or other instruments, not on top of them., Follow the chord changes when...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Recognize and review the basics of the blues.
Playing guitar licks is not necessarily the first skill you need to pick up when playing the blues.
Before launching into the nitty-gritty of improvising your own licks, you should consider reviewing:
Twelve Bar Blues Blues Guitar Phrasing & Scales Choosing Notes in the Pentatonic Blues Scale -
Step 2: Experiment on the pentatonic blues scale to start adding lead licks.
At the end of the day, anything played in the right key in the pentatonic blues scale, will sound good over a basic blues track.
If you're first starting out, simply play a blues track and start fiddling around with your scale.
What note combinations sound good to you? Where are good places for big, dramatic bends or slides? Remember
-- the blues is about personal expression, so just be yourself and start playing.
If you've never improvised before, try to erase the desire to make everything sound good.
This process is about making mistakes and taking risks, then keeping the bits and licks that sounded great. , A great guitar lick slides into the song and gets out without muddling other instruments or the singer.
A good way to think about this is the classic "call and response" blues format, where you use your guitar to "talk" with the singer or other players.
Just like you would never talk over someone else, try not to play over them.
In the twelve bar blues, you most frequently have space during the 4th, 8th, and 11th & 12th bars, as they are the turnaround measures., Take a standard 12-bar blues in E, for example.
The progression, through the twelve bars, is E-E-E-E-A-A-E-E-B-A-E-B.
Knowing this, you should try and hit the root notes whenever that measure begins, basing your riff around the chord in the measure.
Find all the root notes of your song before beginning, using them as a road map for the rest of the song.
Learn the rhythm guitar part for your song as well
-- knowing the chord changes forwards and backwards will make you a much better player overall. -
Step 3: Play your licks to fill in spaces left by the singer or other instruments
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Step 4: not on top of them.
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Step 5: Follow the chord changes when beginning riffs
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Step 6: matching your first note to the chord.
Detailed Guide
Playing guitar licks is not necessarily the first skill you need to pick up when playing the blues.
Before launching into the nitty-gritty of improvising your own licks, you should consider reviewing:
Twelve Bar Blues Blues Guitar Phrasing & Scales Choosing Notes in the Pentatonic Blues Scale
At the end of the day, anything played in the right key in the pentatonic blues scale, will sound good over a basic blues track.
If you're first starting out, simply play a blues track and start fiddling around with your scale.
What note combinations sound good to you? Where are good places for big, dramatic bends or slides? Remember
-- the blues is about personal expression, so just be yourself and start playing.
If you've never improvised before, try to erase the desire to make everything sound good.
This process is about making mistakes and taking risks, then keeping the bits and licks that sounded great. , A great guitar lick slides into the song and gets out without muddling other instruments or the singer.
A good way to think about this is the classic "call and response" blues format, where you use your guitar to "talk" with the singer or other players.
Just like you would never talk over someone else, try not to play over them.
In the twelve bar blues, you most frequently have space during the 4th, 8th, and 11th & 12th bars, as they are the turnaround measures., Take a standard 12-bar blues in E, for example.
The progression, through the twelve bars, is E-E-E-E-A-A-E-E-B-A-E-B.
Knowing this, you should try and hit the root notes whenever that measure begins, basing your riff around the chord in the measure.
Find all the root notes of your song before beginning, using them as a road map for the rest of the song.
Learn the rhythm guitar part for your song as well
-- knowing the chord changes forwards and backwards will make you a much better player overall.
About the Author
William Coleman
Specializes in breaking down complex cooking topics into simple steps.
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