Blues Guitar Licks

When you hear the phrase “guitar licks,” what comes to mind? Despite what you are thinking, a guitar lick is simply an improvised solo, part of a melody or a musical phrase. Blues guitar licks are played by guitarists to climax the solo, or break–away from the chorus. Playing a lick allows the person to add flavor to the song, bending and sliding along the fret board with ease. The three licks below are some of the most popular licks that are played by the best, B. B. King, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn and so on. Incorporate these licks into your music for some extra flavor!

Now if you do not know how to read tabs, a previous article fully explains every aspect of guitar tablature (Great Beginner Guitar Tabs). These licks, however, are self–explanatory and very easy to read.

The first example is a classic blues guitar lick, very appropriately called, “The Classic Lick.” Use your free fingers for support when you bend the beginning note. Now, the bend is a full bend, and this means you will have to bend the D note to the point of playing the E. Then, drop the bend back down and play the last three notes, creating a vibrato on the last note (bending the string slightly, but rapidly; it should sound “wavy”).

This lick is just as widely used as the first, and it is just as straight–forward to play. Similar to the first lick, it incorporates full bends, but instead of letting the bend go after the first note, you hold it and play the following 2 notes in a bend as well. Then, you drop it back down and start yet another bend on the 7th fret. Drop the bend down and pluck the 7th fret one last time. Finish out the last notes with a full bend on the 8th fret, 2nd string.

The last lick is the “Albert King Style Lick.” Albert King was a pioneer in blues music, writing some well–known songs like “The Big Blues” and “Born under a Bad Sign.” (Fun fact about Albert King: since he was such a large, but gentle man, his nickname was the “Velvet Bulldozer”). Now, back to the Albert King Lick. You will play this lick almost like the classic blues lick; start off with a full bend. However, on this lick, you start on the 15th fret on the 2nd string. This lick will be harder to accomplish if you have either a short neck on your guitar or no cutout, as the 15th fret is pretty far up on the fretboard. Nevertheless, it is possible, though it could be tedious to accomplish at first. Finally, finish the lick with some vibrato on the last note, 14th fret.