IT’S HARD TO THINK of anything more embracing to the worldwide guitar community than licks. We all love them for their immediacy, brevity, and audience appeal. This issue we’ve 40 great licks based in that most fundamental of all harmonic terrains; the world of the Pentatonic scale. This five-note wonder comes in various forms (Major, Minor, etc), and with varying intervals (2nds, 3rds, 5ths, 6ths, 7ths). But for many, talk of Pentatonics tends to mean Minor Pentatonic (R-b3-4-5- b7), and Major Pentatonic (R-2-3-5-6).
Drawing upon the CAGED system as a backdrop - afundamental framework to understanding the fretboard, based upon the simple chord shapes of E, G, A, C, and D - our 40 licks cover five short examples in the Major and Minor versions of the keys E, G, A and D. We’re sorry that we didn’t get into the key of C (featured in songs like ZZ Top’s Sharp Dressed Man) but we’ve only so many pages available. Besides, we’ve likely gifted you a few weeks’ less studying!
With his vibrant backing tracks, David Gerrish has crafted a treasure trove of sonic stunners for you as he bends, hammers, pulls and picks through a wealth of gorgeous licks. Think Gary Moore, Eric Johnson and Jimmy Page. Eric Clapton, Joe Bonamassa and Billy Gibbons. Joe Walsh, Rory Gallagher and Robin Trower. I could continue but you get the jist - awesome blues-rock licks that you can use at home, on stage or in the studio. So get stuck in and enjoy powering up your chops!
Still on a blues-rock vibe, we’ve an array of tutorials that range from two blues solos in the style of Jimi Hendrix (p54), to tasty phrases that evoke today’s blues hero, Eric Gales (p66); and brilliant contorting of the Pentatonic in our Greg Koch feature (p40). To top things off we’ve a new Modern Blues Soloing series from Josh Smith (p74), who shows why his
