Anatomy

of a Lick Volume 4

Pat Martino Minor ii V I


mattwarnockguitar.com

































Written by: Matt Warnock
Matt Warnock Plays Koentopp Guitars
© Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved
 Introduction and Practice Guide
Welcome to Anatomy of a Lick – Essential Jazz Lines Volume 4, where
you’ll study a Pat Martino style minor ii V I lick.

Before you begin, take a minute to learn why, how, and where to study
licks in order to get the most out of this eBook.

Learning licks is essential for any jazz guitarist, but you don’t want to
just repeat lines in your solos.

Check out these pointers to get the most out of every minute spent
studying lines in the woodshed.

Why Learn Licks?

There are many reasons why you should study, learn, and use licks.

Alongside scales, arpeggios, patterns, and chords, licks make up the
foundation of jazz performance techniques.

Here are some of the benefits of studying licks:


Ø Build soloing vocabulary.
Ø Sound like jazz from day one.
Ø Learn how legendary players thought about improvisation.
Ø Study jazz concepts in action.
Ø Expand your ear training.


Each of these items lift your playing to the next level, and they’re why
studying licks is essential for any jazz guitarist.

But, licks aren’t the end of your studies, they’re part of a balanced
approach to soloing that includes scales, patterns, and arpeggios.
 How to Learn Licks
Besides learning licks note-for-note, you want to dig into each phrase to
get the most out of that line.

When doing so, you practice the exact lick as well as personalize it in
your solos.

Working on the lick as a whole includes exercises such as:


Ø Soloing over tracks using the lick from time to time.
Ø Targeting specific bars in a song with that line.
Ø Combining two licks in your solos.
Ø Starting licks on different beats, keep lick note-for-note.


You can also vary licks in your solos. Some of the ways that you can vary
a lick include:


Ø Changing rhythms.
Ø Adding notes.
Ø Taking notes away.
Ø Mixing two licks together.
Ø Using part of the lick - beginning, middle, or end.


By varying licks, you maintain the sound without running them directly.

Make sure to practice exact lines and variations to adapt prescribed
lines to a soloing situation.

Where to Use Licks

Now that you’ve learned how and why you learn licks, you want to add
them to your solos.
When doing so, you want to avoid becoming a “line player,” which is a
guitarist who only plays prescribed lines.

Instead, you want to use bits of lines, as well as underlying concepts
from lines, to build your phrases.

This maintains the essence of the line, while injecting your personality
at the same time.

Though you want to avoid playing only lines, there are times when you
want to run a known lick in your solos.

These include:


Ø Solo breaks (first 2-4 bars of a solo at the end of a melody).
Ø Fills between melody lines.
Ø Short solos (i.e. Big band solos of 8-12 bars).
Ø Moments when you struggle for inspiration.


As you can see, using a lick gets you out of tough situations, such as
when you have a two-bar solo break.

By choosing your moments correctly, prescribed licks can be an
effective device; just don’t overdo it in your solos.

Building Your Own Jazz Licks

The biggest reason for studying licks is to build your own lines, both
beforehand and in the moment, to use in your solos.

By studying the Pat Martino lick and concepts in this eBook, you’ll learn
fundamental tools that you can use to create your own phrases.

As you learn each concept in this Martino style lick, write out 4-5 licks of
your own based on each concept.
This gives you practice constructing licks, as well as gives you more
vocabulary to use in your solos.

From there, create licks in the moment using these concepts as you
build lines in real time.

It takes time to create your own cool-sounding jazz licks, so the time to
start is now.

Don’t wait until you’ve covered every concept in this eBook, learn one
concept then write out licks based on that concept.

This type of practicing prepares you for creating lines in live musical
situations, such as jazz jam sessions and gigs.

 Pat Martino Minor ii V I Lick
To begin your study of this lick, built with concepts found in Martino’s
solos, you’ll learn about the concepts behind this line.

Each of these concepts is expanded in subsequent chapters, where you’ll
learn exercises to practice each concept.

The 8 concepts that are covered in this eBook, taken from the Martino
inspired line, are as follows:


Ø Locrian – Locrian Scale
Ø E7b9 – V7alt over iim7b5 Sub
Ø 3 to 9 – 3 to 9 Arpeggios
Ø Altered – Altered Scale
Ø Eaug – Augmented Triads
Ø MM – Melodic Minor Scale
Ø Dorian – Dorian Scale
Ø Mixed – Mixed Minor Concept (Minor Bebop Scale)


Now that you know what’s in the line, here’s the Martino-style lick to
learn and work in different keys.

From there, add this line to your solos over minor ii V I chord changes.

Once you can play this phrase from memory, in a few keys, move on to
the concepts section of this eBook.

There, you’ll learn about each concept behind this Martino-style phrase,
as well as how to study each of those concepts.






Audio Example 1

 Concept 1 – Locrian Scale

The first concept from the Martino lick uses one of the most common
jazz scales to solo over a m7b5 chord.

The Locrian scale is the 7th mode of the major scale system, which
means it’s like playing a C major scale from the notes B to B.

When doing so, you create the interval pattern:


R b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7


Because it contains the intervals R-b3-b5-b7, you use this scale to solo
over m7b5 chords, which are built with those intervals.

To take this scale onto the fretboard, here are two Locrian fingerings to
practice in 12 keys.

As well, put on a m7b5 backing track and use this scale to outline that
chord in your solos.















Audio Example 2

To help you work this scale further, here are two Locrian fingering from
the 5th string.

Once you can play either of these shapes, solo with them over a backing
track to work them in a musical situation.











Audio Example 3

Here’s a scale pattern built from the first 2 beats of the Martino lick.

This pattern is built by starting on a scale note, going up a note, and then
down two notes from there.

This creates the intervals 2321, 7176, etc. as you work down the scale.

Work this pattern over B Locrian before taking it to other keys and
adding it to your solos.







Audio Example 4

You can now build a scale pattern from the second half of Martino’s
Locrian line.

In this case, Martino uses a favorite concept, the pedal tone.

Pedal tones are where you play one note in the scale, then another
(often the root), then another scale note, then the same second note.

Doing so allows you to alternate a moving scale between a static note.

Here’s an example of a B Locrian scale with a B pedal tone.

You switch octaves in the second half to accommodate the shift in range.

After you can play this pattern, work it in other keys and bring it into
your solos over various chord changes.


Audio Example 5

 Concept 2 – V7alt over iim7b5 Sub
In this concept, you use anticipation to create a sense of tension and
release over the first two chords of the ii V I progression.

When soloing over any ii V progression, major or minor, you can outline
both chords, just the ii, or just the V chord in your lines.

In this example, you bring the V7alt chord into play over the iim7b5.

Doing so creates tension over that first bar, which is then released when
the rest of the band catches up in bar two.

In order to get this sound into your ears, here are three licks that use
different versions of E7alt in anticipation over Bm7b5.

Here’s a lick that uses V7alt over the second half of the iim7b5 chord.

In this case, you use an arpeggio to outline that anticipation, which
directly outlines the E7alt chord in the first bar.

After you’ve worked this lick, solo over minor ii V I chords as you
anticipate the V7alt chord in the first bar with its arpeggio.


Audio Example 6

Here’s a lick that anticipates the E7alt chord by two beats, and uses a
scale to outline that chord.
Scales are more difficult to use when outlining chord subs such as this,
as they don’t sound the chord as closely compared to arpeggios.

After you’ve learned this lick in a few keys, solo over minor ii V I chords
and anticipate the V7alt chord with its related scale.


Audio Example 7

In the final lick, you use the E7alt all chord over the entire first bar.

This means that you ignore Bm7b5 and play E7alt for two bars, creating
a different sound as compared to the previous lines.

Because of this, it takes longer to get this concept under your fingers, so
spend time with this line in your studies.

Once you can play this lick in a number of keys, play the V7alt chord
over both iim7b5 and V7alt chords in your solos.


Audio Example 8

 Concept 3 – 3 to 9 Arpeggios

With this third concept, you see one chord and play another.

In this case, you see a chord on the page, and you play a different
arpeggio that outlines the 3-9 intervals on that chord.

When applying this concept to a minor ii V I progression, you only use it
over the V7b9 and Im7 chords.

The iim7b5 chord doesn’t sound that great when you add a b9, so you’ll
avoid that in this lesson.

To begin, here are the 3-9 arpeggios over E7b9, which is a G#dim7
arpeggio from the 3rd of an E7 chord.

When playing G#dim7 from the 3rd of E7, you outline the 3-5-b7-b9
intervals of the underlying chord.

This gives you every chord tone minus the root, which helps keep the
root out of your lines over 7th chords.

In this lesson, you’ll apply a 3-9 arpeggio to a 7b9 chord symbol.

But, you can also use this technique over any 7th chord when you want
to bring a 7b9 sound to that chord change.

Here’s how those two chords look side-by-side for comparison.









Audio Example 9

Now that you know how to build 3-9 arpeggios over 7b9 chords, here
are two G#dim7 arpeggios to practice.

After you can play these shapes, use them to solo over an E7b9 chord
and take them to other keys in your studies.










Audio Example 10

You can also use the 3-9 arpeggios over m7 chords, as in the Im7 of a
minor ii V I progression.

In this case, you play a maj7 arpeggio from the b3 of any m7 chord,
which you can see here as you compare Am9 and Cmaj7.

Play through each of these shapes in order to get this sound into your
ears before you work it through the exercises below.








Audio Example 11

Here are two Cmaj7 arpeggio fingerings that you can memorize, move
around the fretboard, and add to your Am7 soloing lines.

Once you can solo with these shapes over Am7, apply it to other m7
chords in your jazz guitar improvisations.










Audio Example 12

Now that you know what 3-9 arpeggios are, you can work four exercises
that will take these shapes onto the guitar.

In these examples, you work four arpeggio variations that use 3-9
shapes over the V7alt and Im7 chords in a minor ii V I.

After you’ve worked any of these exercises, put on a backing track and
solo over those chords with these arpeggios.

To begin, you’ll play each arpeggio ascending over the progression.




Audio Example 13

The next example reverses the first, as you now descend each shape.

As well, there are 3-9 arpeggios over bars 2 and 3 of the progression.


Audio Example 14

After working on one-direction arpeggios, you’ll work on alternating
these shapes over the changes.

Here, you ascend the first shape, then alternate through the arpeggios
from there, including 3-9 shapes in bars 2 and 3.






Audio Example 15

In the last variation, you play down the first arpeggio and alternate
through the changes from there.

Again, the 3-9 arpeggios are used in bars 2 and 3 of the progression.


Audio Example 16

 Concept 4 – Altered Scale

One of the most famous scales in jazz, the altered scale is found in many
of Martino’s solos.

The 7th mode of melodic minor, the altered scale outlines the b9, #9, b5,
and #5 of the underlying chord.

Here’s the melodic minor and altered scale back to back for comparison.

Notice that the altered scale is the same as melodic minor, you just
started a fret lower than the melodic minor root note.


Audio Example 17

Now that you know how to build the altered scale, take it to the
fretboard and into your solos.

Here are two fingerings for the altered scale to learn, move to other
keys, and add to your 7th-chord soloing lines.


Audio Example 18

With the altered scale under your fingers, you can study a number of
famous licks built from this scale.

Here, you learn one lick, and then a number of variations of that line
that Martino, Emily Remler, Benson, and Wes used in their solos.

To begin, here’s an altered scale line that you can learn and add to your
solos over 7th and 7alt chords.

Take this line to other keys on the guitar after getting this example
under your fingers.

As well as being used by Martino, Emily Remler often used this line in
her solos.


Audio Example 19

Here’s another famous variation of this lick that Martino and others use
in their altered scale lines.

Once you have this version under your fingers, play it back to back with
the first line to hear the difference between these variations.


Audio Example 20

You’ll now add a trill to the altered scale, something Martino, and later
George Benson, loved to use with this scale.
Go slow and make sure to use a metronome to ensure that the trill is
accurate and “snaps” off the guitar in your playing.


Audio Example 21

In this next example, you learn a rhythm that Wes Montgomery loved to
use in his altered lines.

The quarter and two-8th notes at the start of the line are typical of Wes’
altered lines.

It’s also a rhythm that Martino loved to use in his solos, as he was a huge
admirer of Wes’ playing.


Audio Example 22

The final example brings triplets into the altered scale as you play a
variation of previous licks.
Triplets can be tough at faster tempos, so work this lick slowly at first
with a metronome before adding it to your solos.


Audio Example 23

 Concept 5 – Augmented Triads

One of the simplest approaches to soloing over altered chords is the
augmented triad.

Having only three notes, and easy to finger on the fretboard, augmented
triads bring tension to your 7th-chord soloing lines.

Martino, as well as Wes Montgomery before him, loves to use
augmented triads over 7th chords.

When doing so, you outline the R-3-#5 of that 7th chord, hitting two
inside and one “outside” note in the process.

It’s the #5 that brings tension to this triad, and the note you want to
both highlight and resolve in your lines.

To begin your study of augmented triads, here’s how it looks on paper.

Play through both the solid and broken versions of this triad before
exploring it further.


Audio Example 24

Now that you know how to build an augmented triad, and how it fits
over 7th chords, you can learn augmented shapes on the guitar.

To begin, here are three inversions of the E augmented triad, played on
the 654 string-set.

This string set can sound muddy when played in a soloing situation, as
you’re using the two lowest strings to play these shapes.

Because of this, you may or may not use this string set very much in a
musical situation.

But, it’s worth working on for those moments when low-string triads
are needed in an improvised phrase.

Also, notice that every inversion of the augmented triad is the same
fingering, on this and every string set.

This is because the augmented triad divides the octave into 3 equal
parts, 4 semi-tones between each note.

This makes learning augmented triads easy on guitar, as once you learn
one position, you just repeat that shape on each chord tone from there.


Audio Example 25

Moving up, you’ll now work augmented triads on string set 543.

Work them in the given key, then take them to other keys and into your
solos as you dig into this string set in your practicing.


Audio Example 26

Next, you’ll play augmented triads on the 432 string-set, shown here
over an Eaug triad.

This is the “goldilocks” range for triads on the guitar.

They’re note too low so they don’t sound muddy and they’re not too
high that the tone thins out.

They’re in that sweet spot where they sound good and are easy to finger
on the fretboard.

Spend time on these triads, in this key and others, to get them under
your fingers and into your guitar solos.


Audio Example 27

The final string set is the top-3 strings, which you can see here.

Start by practicing Eaug on this string set, and then work other keys on
the top-3 strings.

From there, combine all of the string sets that you’ve learned so far to
see how this triad sits across the entire fretboard.


Audio Example 28

As well as practicing up each triad, you can work three variations in
your triad workouts.

The first variation plays down each triad through the inversions.

Once you can play this example, move it to other string sets and keys in
your practicing.


Audio Example 29

You’ll now alternate up and down each inversion, starting with going up
the root position and alternating from there.

Doing so breaks you out of playing in one direction all the time, and
helps you clearly see the fretboard.

After you’ve worked this variation in a few keys on different string sets,
take it to your solos to hear this pattern in a musical situation.


Audio Example 30

The final exercise plays down the first inversion, and alternates from
there through all three Eaug triads.

Once you have this variation down, take it to other string sets, other
keys, and add it to your soloing practice routine.


Audio Example 31

 Concept 6 – Melodic Minor Scale
Melodic minor is a scale you hear a lot about, but might not have seen in
a lick before today.

This scale, which has a major 7 interval, creates tension over m7 chords
in both a iim7 and Im7 context.

Because it creates tension, you need to practice soloing with melodic
minor before your ears become accustomed to the sound.

The easiest way to think of melodic minor is as a Dorian scale with the
7th note raised by a half step, one fret.

Here are those two scales to compare how they’re similar on guitar.


Audio Example 32

Here are two fingerings for melodic minor that you can learn, practice in
multiple keys, and add to your minor key solos.

Make sure to solo with these fingerings, not just run them with a
metronome, to ensure you’re prepared to use this scale in real time.


Audio Example 33

Now that you know how to play melodic minor, you can use the Martino
lick to develop a pattern for this scale.

Martino originally plays the notes A and E then up the MM scale.

From there, you move up to the next chord tone, jump down, then run
up the scale just as Martino did in the first bar.

Continue that pattern to the next chord tone, and the next, until you’ve
covered the fretboard.

Building scale patterns from licks helps build your vocabulary and
chops at the same time.

After you can play this example, take it to other keys and add this
pattern to your solos over minor progressions.


Audio Example 34

Here’s the descending version of that scale pattern to explore.

Again, you’re playing two chord tones, this time ascending, then the
melodic minor scale, this time descending.

It seems like a simple idea, but patterns like this break up your scale
runs, and brings interest to scale-based lines in your solos.


Audio Example 35

To finish your study of the melodic minor scale, here’s a Martino style
lick that focuses on MM in the last two bars.

Learn this lick, then take it to other keys as you expand it in your
practice routine.

As well, add it to your minor key solos as you bring this phrase into your
soloing vocabulary in real time.


Audio Example 36

 Concept 7 – Dorian Scale
As Dorian is one of the most popular jazz scales, its no surprise that
Martino uses it in his soloing lines as often as he does.

Because it’s an essential scale, it’s important to spend time learning or
refreshing this scale in your practice routine.

Dorian is the second mode of the major scale, and is used to solo over
both iim7 and Im7 chords in jazz.

When doing so, you use the natural 6th interval, which is the note that
differentiates Dorian from relative minor, which has a b6.

Here are two Dorian fingerings to get you started with this scale in the
practice room.

Audio Example 37

One of the best ways to practice any scale is to pair it with its related
arpeggio, as you’ll do in the next four exercises.

To begin, play up an Am7 arpeggio then down A Dorian.

This brings these two soloing devices together in your practice routine.

As well, it highlights chord tones within the Dorian scale shape, allowing
you to target those notes in your solos when needed.


Audio Example 38

You’ll now play down the arpeggio and up the scale.

Playing from the top down breaks you out of starting your lines from
the lowest note when soloing.

This is one of the biggest roadblocks for any jazz guitarist, always
starting lines on the root note.

Exercises such as this one go a long way to breaking you out of that
habit while internalizing scales and arpeggios at the same time.







Audio Example 39

Here, you’ll play the scale down and then the arpeggio up.

Seeing the scale from the top down is tricky at first.

So, take your time, and work without a metronome if needed.

From there, bring tempo into the equation as you work this exercise
from slow to fast tempos with your metronome.


Audio Example 40

The final pattern involves playing the scale up and the arpeggio down.

Once you’ve worked these four variations, play them back to back as
you combine them in your practicing.



Audio Example 41

 Concept 8 – Mixed Minor Scales
Now that you’ve learned melodic minor and Dorian, you’ll combine
them in a mixed minor scale.

This scale, which is commonly called the minor bebop scale, is built by
playing both Dorian and melodic minor together.

When doing so, you create the intervals:


R-2-b3-4-5-6-b7-7-R


This extra note, the 7, adds a bebop flavor to your minor soloing lines.

Though it’s a combination scale, the easiest way to think of it is as a
Dorian scale with an added 7th interval, as you can see here.




















Audio Example 42

Now that you know how to build the mixed minor scale, referred to as
minor bebop below, you can take it to the fretboard.

Here are two minor bebop scale fingerings to learn and work in
different keys.

Once you have one or both of these fingerings down, put on an Am7
backing track and solo using these shapes.

This gets the sound of this scale into your ears, as well as the shapes into
your fingers, in your practice routine.





Audio Example 43

To help you take this scale into a practical situation, here’s a famous
minor bebop scale lick to practice.

This lick is a variation of the Honeysuckle Rose melody, and therefore is
called the Honeysuckle lick.

The lick is built by playing down the minor bebop scale, R-7-b7, and
then a minor triad from the 2nd of the scale, 2-4-6.

What you’re doing is creating a diversion.

Instead of playing 8-7-b7-6, you play 8-7-b7, and then the 2-4-6 diverts
the line from being a straight scale.

Here’s how this lick looks from two different A root notes.

Practice these examples before applying this lick to the minor bebop
scale as a whole in the next section.


Audio Example 44

Here’s the Honeysuckle lick played through a two-octave minor bebop
scale that you can practice in 12 keys.

Once you can play this lick through even one scale shape, in one key, put
on a backing track and add the lick to your solos.

This ensures that you’re not only building your chops, but also
increasing your solos ability with this essential lick.


Audio Example 45

 Pat Martino Minor Blues Solo Study
Now that you’ve broken down the Martino lick, you can learn a solo
built with the concepts from that lick.

Start by learning each phrase, and then combine them to play the solo as
a whole.

As well, there’s a backing track that you can practice with and jam over
as you practice using Martino concepts over a minor blues progression.


Backing Track 1

Audio Example 46