Blues licks - Keeping It Simple

[Pablo]

OK I'm not a great guitarist but here's a nice Buddy Guy lick in A

E------------------------------------------------
B----------------------------------------8-7-5-
G-----------------------7-6-5------------------
D---------------7-6-5---------7-6-5-----------
A-------7-6-5-----------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------


Also a nice Paul Gilbertesque lick in E

E---------------12-----------------17------
B-----12-15-17-----17-15-12-15-17---------
-----------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------
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[Pablo]

A Jake E Lee lick in A

E--12-17-12---------12-17-12---------12-14-12-----------12-14-12-
B-----------15-13-15---------15-13-15----------13-15-13-----------13-15-13
G
D
A
E

[Pablo]

I guess this should be guitar licks from the stars that work in blues.

Steve Vai lick (This is tricky to fit in but technically still blues)

E-------19------------------------------------------------------------
B----------------17---------------------------------------------------
G------------16----------16-------------------------------------
D---------------------14-----------14----9--------------------------
A-------------------------------12------------------------
E----------------------------------------------------------------

[RSVampire]

alright I have a question. I know the Minor and Major Pentatonic scales. And my solos sound....plain...boring....can anyone help out? I have tried overlaping some scales in the same key but I still can't get them out nicely....I practice a ton. please....I'm beggin for help here

[jem7vwh]

try mixing it up a little. *If you're looking to remain bluesy but more interesting, use Mixolydian (Major scale with a flat 7). * It's the scale Vai uses during parts of the solo from "Juice" and Satch uses it often as well. *It can sound bluesy without trapping you into the "pentatonic box". *Also, remember your Relative Minor. *If you're playing in C, remember that you can use your relative minor also. While the notes don't change, this may help you get a picture of where else on the fretboard you can go.

[ripl3y]

with blues I find thinking more about phrasing as opposed to theory works really well.
you don't have to play fast, just try to spice it up a little, throw in the odd AH and work at your vibrato, a lot of blues players tend to get stuck in either a couple of their favourite pent shapes or moving up through the shapes in too ordered a fashion.
mix 'em up, introduce more sliding and don't work totally strictly within the shape, if it sounds good it works.

Steve

[Pablo]

It also depends on which blues 'mode' you are on.

For example I find my blues playing is divided into PG and SRV blues.

I rarely play fast when in SRV mood and conversly rarely play slow in PG mood

Here's another two PG blues licks ( From the videos) which will spice up a solo. in A

E------------------------------------------------------11-12-15--
B------------------------------------------10-13-15-------------
G--------------------------------8-9-12--------------------------
D---------------------7-10-12-----------------------------------
A------------6-7-10----------------------------------------------
E---5-8-10------------------------------------------------------



E------------------------------------------------------------------5
B-------------------------------------------------5------8-5---5-8---8-5
G-------------------------------5------7-5---5-7---7-5------7
D--------------5------7-5---5-7---7-5------7--------------
A----7-5--5-7---7-5-------7--------------------------
E--------8-----------------------------------------------

[Christopher Chen]

I got a couple of pretty good PG style blues inspired licks...but I don't know how you guys do that TAB thing. Can someone recommend me a program of some sort? I'd like to share as well

Chris.

[Pablo]

You painstakingly use the minus (-) sign and preview before posting to get it right.

[Josh Blagg]

There are different flavors for the blues scale. *I don't even know where a lot of them come from. *But a lot of times, you will see a major scale mixed with a minor scale, almost like a melodic minor effect, but not quite. *There is also a scale called the mixo-blues scale, which is a blues scale with an added major third. *Try it out.