Important licks for jazz and blues?

[FattMusiek]

I have long known that my repertoire of licks is lacking, so I come to you today seeking guidance.

I think a lick is the execution of a tasteful, yet familiar pattern of notes that links ideas together. Most players, good and bad, know them. I don't know why I never really looked into it. Maybe I just heard too many people doing what seemed like gimmicks or tricks or something.

I've learned a lot about chords, their functions, what scales work over what, keys, and just a lot of theory stuff, but I believe I need to learn some of baddest licks out there to really elevate my playing.

Off the top of my head I can think of a couple ways I can go about learning licks: transcribing lead parts by great musicians and reading lessons and books on the topic. I've begun my own research, but I know many of you have struggled and found ways to overcome it. I was hoping that you could provide things that really work so I can minimize learning ineffective methods.

Thank you all.

[fep]

I'm with you, I need to increase my vocabulary of licks.

I've tried a lick diary of my own 'inventions', I've got to get back to that.

I've got a jazz and a blues lick encyclopedia by Marshall Wolf.

I do transcribe licks now and then, I need to do that more.

All those things are good I think...

One more thing, it's one thing to learn a lick it's another to incorporate into your playing...

And one more thing, that Gm7 lick might work over C7 and might work over Bbmaj7 and might work over Em7b5 and vice a versa.

[JimBobWay]

Both of the approaches you mentioned have worked well for me, and most of my 'jazz heroes' have quoted their heroes in their own improvisations. It's no disgrace to emulate the masters, who have gone through the process of copying licks, and ended up recognizing their own voice and improving the state of the art. One recording of a master is worth a hundred books if you have the ear and the patience, imo.

[cosmic gumbo]

If you hear it and like it, steal it. Just don't steal them all from the same guy.

[Goofsus4]

One thing not to forget though is that your own lines would sound a heck of a lot better over the comping that you hear going on in a master-class recording. Sometimes it's not the lick you are playing, it's the comping you are playing it over. It can make a huge difference. Remember that the masters are playing their licks and lines over world class comping.

[kaige]

Someone once said that if you steal an idea from one person it is plagiarism but
if you steal ideas from many people it is research.

[franco6719]

One thing not to forget though is that your own lines would sound a heck of a lot better over the comping that you hear going on in a master-class recording. Sometimes it's not the lick you are playing, it's the comping you are playing it over. It can make a huge difference. Remember that the masters are playing their licks and lines over world class comping.

That's why I use Aebersold backing tracks. It's not very dynamic, of course, but you will often have access to "world class comping." The tunes can get very stale after a while though. Don't get addicted too a few tunes, like anything else.

[franco6719]

You might want to check out: " David Baker, How to Play Bebop Vol 2. and Vol.3."

[Little Jay]

Study your Charlie Parker standards.... the themes contain lots of cool licks. Especially Donna Lee and Ornithology contain some nice licks over 7th, m7th and diminished chords and some cool II-V-I licks.

And then the master of cool jazzblues-licks: Grant Green. Studying his songs always delivers you some cool licks. I have a lot of him incorporated in my vocabulary already. The album Blues For Lou for example, I stole of lot of licks from that.

I never liked the lick-books. I have some, but I need to hear it being played in a song before it grabs me and only then I can realy place it and hear how I can apply it. So just play your jazz records and listen, preferably with your guitar on your lap, and whenever you hear something, play it. I like to write it down (in notes) because writing it down for me is memorizing it.

[franco6719]

If it comes to that, transcribe Wes solos!!

[gersdal]

Someone once said that if you steal an idea from one person it is plagiarism but if you steal ideas from many people it is research.

Research is not steeling, tho. In research it is always important to refer to the original source of the information. You can't yell "this one's from Kenny Burrell, 2nd phrase in the Chitlins Con Carne solo from the Midnight Blue album, issued by CTI" to the audience in the middle of you solo, so it won't be comparable with research. In research you would have to do just, or you would be doing plagarism... and loose your job and reputation quickly.

[franco6719]

"You can't yell "this one's from Kenny Burrell, 2nd phrase in the Chitlins Con Carne solo from the Midnight Blue album, issued by CTI" to the audience in the middle of you solo, so it won't be comparable with research."

Why not? That would definitely be original!! I see what you mean. That would be extremely tricky while continuing to play other ideas. Maybe it's a worth a try?

[gersdal]

Why not? That would definitely be original!! I see what you mean. That would be extremely tricky while continuing to play other ideas. Maybe it's a worth a try?

It would help if the licks are long then, or with a bit of space between them. I agree it would be original

[derek]

I agree with Little Jay. Parker heads are basically lick books in and of themselves. I have gotten a ton of mileage out of Corey Christiansen's In The Style Of series. I have his books on Grant Green, Wes, Pass, and Cannonball. Easily accessable, and useful.

I am constantly copping licks off recordings, radio, and with some students. Everything is useful.

[Goofsus4]

"You can't yell "this one's from Kenny Burrell, 2nd phrase in the Chitlins Con Carne solo from the Midnight Blue album, issued by CTI" to the audience in the middle of you solo, so it won't be comparable with research."

Why not? That would definitely be original!! I see what you mean. That would be extremely tricky while continuing to play other ideas. Maybe it's a worth a try?

Maybe the liner (if that concept even will exist in the future) for a CD should include a bibliography and end notes that cite the sources of various lines.

Yeah, everyone steals from everyone in music. Plus, who is really utterly original anyway? I mean, for you to be able to listen to something and say "that's bebop" or "that's blues" it automatically means you are playing lines that are common to the genre. There are definitely original styles, but not that many truly original lines. BB King is a great example of someone with a style that is instantly recognizable, yet his licks are same licks as all the rest of the blues guys are playing for the most part.

[FattMusiek]

And one more thing, that Gm7 lick might work over C7 and might work over Bbmaj7 and might work over Em7b5 and vice a versa.

This begs the question...how can I know what lick/scale/mode will work over multiple chords? There must be a relationship in the chords that a given lick works over.

One example I can think of is in a song like Comin Home Baby in the key of G minor. The melody is essentially the 1, b3 5, 4, 1, b7 of the G minor scale. When the chords move to the iv chord, the melody still works beautifully.

So I'd love to know intuitively what lead melodies work over what chords and why they work.

I still have to read a lot of the responses in this thread by the way. This is just one question I have.

[FattMusiek]

One thing not to forget though is that your own lines would sound a heck of a lot better over the comping that you hear going on in a master-class recording. Sometimes it's not the lick you are playing, it's the comping you are playing it over. It can make a huge difference. Remember that the masters are playing their licks and lines over world class comping.

That makes a lot of sense. If the accompaniment turns into a train wreck, your lead is not going to sound very good. This happens often in my ragtag jazz ensemble at the college I attend.

After a class recently, we had a Songo sort of backing track playing and I was improvising over it on guitar. I didn't know what the changes were, but I managed to do pretty well by my own standards probably due to the backing track being very solid. The knowledge I've gained in the last 8 months sort of came together and I was phrasing things abnormally well compared to in the actual class.

[franco6719]

This begs the question...how can I know what lick/scale/mode will work over multiple chords? There must be a relationship in the chords that a given lick works over.

One example I can think of is in a song like Comin Home Baby in the key of G minor. The melody is essentially the 1, b3 5, 4, 1, b7 of the G minor scale. When the chords move to the iv chord, the melody still works beautifully.

So I'd love to know intuitively what lead melodies work over what chords and why they work.

I still have to read a lot of the responses in this thread by the way. This is just one question I have.

Lines will generally work fine over chords that are diatonic to the key
center. In the example someone listed above, if something works over Dm7, it will work over Cmaj7, Em7, Fmaj7#11, G7, Ami7, Bmin7b5. There are also common chord subtitution relationships like Dm7b5=Fmin6 and viceversa, G7b9=Abdim=Bdim=Dim=Fdim. A7alt=Ebalt (tritone substitution). There's much more. You can get a good theory book, like Mark Levine's Jazz Theory, and learn all about the relationships and why they work out as they do.

[franco6719]

http://www.jazzguitar.be/files/jazz-...identities.pdf

Here are some common substitutions with explanations here. If you can interchange the chords, you can usually apply the same scales, modes, licks, etc...

[franamico]

I have long known that my repertoire of licks is lacking, so I come to you today seeking guidance.

I think a lick is the execution of a tasteful, yet familiar pattern of notes that links ideas together. Most players, good and bad, know them. I don't know why I never really looked into it. Maybe I just heard too many people doing what seemed like gimmicks or tricks or something.

I've learned a lot about chords, their functions, what scales work over what, keys, and just a lot of theory stuff, but I believe I need to learn some of baddest licks out there to really elevate my playing.

Off the top of my head I can think of a couple ways I can go about learning licks: transcribing lead parts by great musicians and reading lessons and books on the topic. I've begun my own research, but I know many of you have struggled and found ways to overcome it. I was hoping that you could provide things that really work so I can minimize learning ineffective methods.

Thank you all.

Hello Again,

Licks are important I know...
And you should study a few of them.

But I suggest that you forget about the need of playing those licks.

Don't become a lick Junkie!
Just learn those that you like the most...1, 2 licks a week.
Then stop...for a while.
And when you play, just play whatever comes from your fingers...

Play your music, forget about the need of sounding right, or jazzy or like whatever your favorite guitarist sounds like.

Learn and then play...it's easy...
Those licks will be in your head, no matter what. They are just waiting for you to give them a unique life...

Try this...it's fun I promise!!
Play your guitar upside down...that's right! as if it were a piano...

Notice how bad you sounded...and laugh about it!

Now, from the same state of mind, play a tune and try to sound as bad
as possible. Just embrace what ever comes out.
If you find yourself thinking that you should perhaps play a lick, stop...

then resume playing...

Relax and always check your body to detect any tension that might accumulate...

One last thing, if you sing while playing that will be a HUGE problem during recordings...

Just breath properly...

Good Luck!

[fordi]

Learning to play a lick from your hero is good. Knowing why your hero played that lick over those changes is better. Creating your own licks is best. Let the rest of the world decide whether they would like to learn from you!