Golden Age of Guitar Instrumentals

Blues/Rock Guitar Instrumentals
Our final lick for the month is a "take-off" or intro phrase in E. It is intended to be played unaccompanied, either as a solo break or to begin a tune.  Position-shifting is a crucial component of this lick.  The position changing occurs during the slides on the first string from the 7th to the 10th position in the second and third bars-a particularly slippery section.  Note the use of bluesy mixed modes in the phrase.  In the third measure the E Major Pentatonic Scale (E-F#-G#-B-C#) is augmented by the G note, the minor third step and a defining tone of blues melody.  The concluding section is by contrast in the E Minor Pentatonic Scale (E-G-A-B-D).  The final note of the phrase restores the major sound with a G to G# melody, a typical leading-tone figure used frequently in blues melody.

Learn this lick and then practice to