Guitarists Who Shaped the '80s

Today's lick is another Angus Young "style" lick that combines his use of minor pentatonic licks, heavy vibrato and sharp pick attacks.  Angus played all over the world with his band, AC/DC, and utilized every note of the pentatonic scale in his solos.  The minor pentatonic (root, b3, 4, 5, and b7) is a 5-tone scale that is probably the most often used scale there is in rock music.  Notice the very first note of this lick as it is bent up a whole step and held for just a moment, and then vibrato is added.  This technique is a good example of "tension and release".  By bending the note up and holding it there without vibrato, the listener is expecting something to happen.  This technique adds tension.  As you add a heavy vibrato to the end of the bent note, it offers a form of "release or resolve".  Try adding this technique to any of your own licks once you've mastered it here.

Learn this lick and then practice to