5 Blues Licks from Pattern 1

Intermediate Grade 5 Essential Blues Lead Guitar
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this page i’m commenting on:

linked here:

ack from my Jam Blues 4 collection, a Heavy Shuffle Blues in A.

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Thanks Will.

The web page contains an old link to an old url for the JustinGuitar store.
It isn’t dangerous but is wrong. I have reported it.

The link should take you here: Jam Blues Vol. IV: Guitar – JustinGuitar Jams

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Is it OK to change the rhythm of the licks before I can play them at full speed over a decent bpm backing track? e.g. the four notes in lick 3 is counted as 1-trip-let 2. Is it ok to play it as 1 & 2 3 so I can start using it say with a 90 bpm backing track, rather than a 40bpm drum beat (which is as fast as i can go if i play the first 3 notes as triplets)?

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That’s exactly how I do it Sajid👍

  • Get the notes in order so fingers know where they are going

  • Try the rhythm but really slowed down

  • speed up gradually

  • Try and play them over different backing tracks or incorporate when noodling

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I have the exact same issue with lick 5. No issues playing it, but I can’t play it along to the backing track at all. Timing just feels really off. It would be great if Justin gave an example of playing it along with a track to understand how it should sound.

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Why are we supposed to use the ring finger to stretch to the 8th fret instead of just using our pinky?

I find that using the pinky more natural, and I can bend with my pinky just fine to execute these licks.

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Hey @JesseLGoulet, Justin explains his thinking here on his lesson on the pentatonic scale:

It seems to me a matter of personal choice, though. If you’re happy to do the bends with your pinky, then no problem. I will note that later on when you apply vibrato to a bent note, that will require even more strength and coordination of the pinky, so you may want to keep that in mind.

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Hello @Jabba @jjw @sdndr check my next post

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Several people have been asking what the licks sound like over a backing track. Never one to shun such a challenge I have created something for you all.

Licks 1 to 5 inclusive.
Each is played repeatedly over a 12-bar shuffle. I altered the licks a small amount for some or all of the final 4-bars of the 12-bar sequence most times. I won’t put the TAB for those altered licks - see if you can figure them out yourself! :slight_smile:

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Awesome @Richard_close2u, thank you.

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Wow… that is so useful @Richard_close2u . I had all the notes down OK, but playing along with you I realised my timing was way off. Thank you. :clap:

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A big thank you Richard for preparing this, and for all the other great work you do for the Community.

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Hey @Richard_close2u - I have converted your sound file to wav and loaded it into a memory slot on my Boss RC-5 so I can now pull it up with the tap of a footswitch.

If you ever get bored and want to do the same with other sets of licks that Justin covers, I’m sure there would be many appreciative people.

(I believe the relevant term here is making a rod for your own back :smile: )

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Was that an easy task? From the software that I used to create mp3 I could just as easily have created WAV also and shared via a host site.

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Yes, just opened it in Audacity and then saved as wav. I would probably have had to do it anyway, as the Boss is very particular about the file format parameters. Took me a while to find how to make it recognise a file.

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8 posts were split to a new topic: How often do you break strings when vending?

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Thanks.

Yeah I figured it’s a matter of personal choice, which seems to be guitar rule of thumb: whatever works!

I find using my pinky in most spots are natural, those particular spots where it isn’t I can resort to the ring finger.

Vibrato on bends I don’t find too hard using my pinky either.

Cheers.

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Should I practice these licks with metronome or just play them by feel? Generally how do I practice licks using backing tracks?

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If you can get the rhythm by feel, then I think that’s best. If you’re having trouble with getting the rhythm right, you can try with the metronome. Once you have the lick down, you can use the metronome to help speed it up, if necessary.

Regarding playing using backing tracks, for me it was important to find a backing track that was slow enough, so I could play the licks in time. I found the backing track linked to this lesson too fast at first.

Here is an old video of Justin playing these licks over a backing track:

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Hope this makes sense.
I’m learning the 5 licks on the A minor pentatonic scale, using backing tracks for AM.
But I’m also learning the 3 G major scales Justin teaches. would I do these blues licks over the G major scales I’m learning? Or are there different licks for the G major scales I’m learning?