10 Must Know Jazz Guitar Licks

Building A Vocabulary From Studying What The Masters Play

Written By: Jamie Holroyd

Edited By: Jamie Holroyd and Britt Reed

©2012 Jamie Holroyd

http://www.jamieholroydguitar.com/ 1
 Introduction

Thank you for subscribing to my weekly jazz guitar newsletter, I am glad to have you
on board!

Building a well rounded and solid jazz vocabulary should be part of every guitarists
practice routine and this book aims to help get some of the signature sounds of the
jazz language into your ears and fingers.

Jazz guitarists need many different licks and ideas to improvise over the different
chord progressions found within the idiom so I’ve chosen licks that are based of
common jazz progressions found throughout the jazz repertoire so that you can apply
them to the tunes you’re working on.

Because the lines are over different progressions you will be able to see how different
jazz guitarists approach the same progressions and also how you could use small
fragments from one lick in different circumstances.

For example there are some progressions such as rhythm changes where you only
have half a bar on each chord so you can’t always use a full II-V-I lick, but you may
be able to use fragments of them.

The types of licks that are covered in this ebook are:

• Jazz Blues Licks

• II V I Licks
• V I Licks
• Pattern Licks
• I VI II V Licks

I hope that you enjoy playing and studying the licks in this ebook. They have been of
great use to me over the years, and I am now happy to pass them on to you, my
newsletter subscribers.

Remember that this is a PDF so that you can always print it off and study away from
the computer if you wish or download it onto your mobile phone and tablet. I only ask
that you don’t share or upload it to any other websites.

If you wish to share this ebook with a friend please send them this link and I will them
a copy: http://jamieholroydguitar.com/free-guitar-ebook

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 Jazz Blues Lick
The blues genre came first so it seems appropriate that we start this study of licks by
checking out some jazz blues language. These licks will work in both traditional and
jazz blues contents.

The first lick is the definitive jazz blues lick because it is used by so many guitarists,
everyone from Charlie Christian, Grant Green, Wes Montgomery, BB King and Pat
Metheny has used this lick in some way or form and there are many variations that
you can apply to it.

To view a video lesson about how to play this lick and learn some variations that you
can apply, follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKOiCQUrZ6w

The lick is based off a root position Bb triad. To learn more about how to practice
and use triads across the guitar neck, follow this link:
http://jamieholroydguitar.com/how-to-play-triads-on-guitar

The syncopated start to this lick provides a nice bouncy feel and using the minor 3rd
(C#) as a passing note to the major 3rd gives a good aesthetic bluesy feel. Scale wise
the lick comes from Bb major pentatonic.

George Benson Jazz Blues Lick

This next lick is a classic George Benson lick that has been adapted by many
guitarists over the years.

This lick starts in almost the same way as the first example, based off triads which is
demonstrated in bars 1 and 2. Like the first example the minor 3rd is used as a passing
note like providing a classic blues feel.

This lick can be applied over the first two bars of a jazz blues progression and it can
also be applied over a diatonic I-V-II-V.

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 II V I Bebop Lick
Learning to play jazz guitar means studying the bebop language, so here’s a great
bebop lick that uses a common jazz guitar technique called enclosures.

Enclosures are used here in bar 2 over the G7 chord where the 7th (F) is approached
from a scale step above then below. This enclosure technique is later reversed over
the 3rd (B) in the same bar where instead of approaching the note from a scale step
above then below, this time the 3rd is enclosed by going a scale step below then above.

4ths are also used throughout the line which gives it a nice intervallic feel. This lick is
over a very common jazz chord progression, the II-V-I but you could also shorten the
lick and use the last two bars over a progressions where the II-V is condensed into one
bar instead of having one bar of each chord.

Click the following link to watch the video lesson for this lick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw7s7KJdKiY&feature=player_embedded

Dominant Bebop Scale II V I Lick

This lick demonstrates a cliché jazz lick called the ‘Honeysuckle Rose’ lick which
comes from the Fats Waller composition ‘Honeysuckle Rose’. This lick is used
extensively by bebop jazz musicians so it’s worth having under your fingers.

The dominant 7th bebop scale is used in bar 2 which provides an effective form of
tension and release. To learn more about bebop scales and how they are used click on
the following link: http://jamieholroydguitar.com/how-to-play-bebop-scales-on-guitar

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 Minor Bebop Scale II V I Lick

This lick demonstrates another commonly played minor bebop scale lick pattern, this
time demonstrated over the II chord, D-7. There is also a dominant 7b9 arpeggio in
the second bar which is a used device by jazz musicians.

The lick also resolves nicely to E, the third of the C major 7th chord using enclosures,
and finally the root which gives the line a clear ending. The enclosure technique used
on the E natural in the last bar is the 1 above, 2 below enclosure pattern.

3-9 Arpeggio V-I Lick

Playing on the 9th of chords produces a sweet and effective sound that is used by jazz
guitarists. The beginning of this lick starts with a 3-9 arpeggio which is also a
descending B-7b5 arpeggio. The last note at the end of bar 1 which is F# provides a
nice hint of the bebop scale before resolving.

To learn more about how to use 3-9 arpeggios click the following link to view an
article on my site which explains them: http://jamieholroydguitar.com/chord-
substitution-vs-chord-superimposition

The reason the F# works against the G7 chord is because it’s on the off beat of the
bar. If the major 7th which is F# in the case of G, was on a down beat it might not
sound as pleasing.

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 Tritone Substitution V-I Lick
This lick demonstrates a common technique used by jazz musicians called tritone
substitution. To learn about what tritone substitution is and how to use it follow this
link: http://jamieholroydguitar.com/how-to-get-altered-sounds-using-tritone-
substitution

The lick begins on F, the 7th of the G7, and then moves to the Eb, which is the b13 of
the G7. The b13 adds some nice crunch to the line; notice again that this ‘spicier’
interval is on the off beat. The tritone sub Db7 is more noticeable is the second half of
the first bar due to the B (b7th), Ab (5th) and F (3rd). Finally the third of the I chord, E
is approached by a scale step above, F.

Whole-Tone Scale Lick

Now that we have got some solid language over common chord progressions down,
let’s check out some different pattern based licks to add some variety to our language.

One symmetrical scale that is often used by guitarists but forgotten in the practice
room is the whole-tone scale. You only need to know the whole-tone scale in two
keys a half-step apart to be able to use it over any chord, because the notes repeat
themselves. This lick uses G, F, Eb, and Db augmented triads found within the scale.

Not only will the lick work over a G7, but also over A7, B7, Db7, Eb7, and F7. The
constant triplets give the line a nice bouncy feel, and the way it lays on the fretboard
makes for a great sweep-picking exercise. This line is ideal for altered chords that are
resolving so it can be easily applied to II-V-I situations.

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 Tritone Triplet Lick

Our next pattern lick uses two triads that are a b5 or tritone apart which in this
example are A7 and Eb. A7 is the chord in content and Eb is the tritone substation of
A7. Each triad starts on the root so it’s not too tricky to visualize on the fretboard.

The triplets give the lick a nice bouncy feel, but make it technically tougher to play at
faster tunes, but it works great on ballads and medium tempo tunes. Just remember
that you might have to change the rhythmic values if you are using at different
tempos.

Joe Pass I VI II V Lick

Besides being a great solo jazz guitarist, Joe Pass was also a great single line
improviser and had a ton of great language. This lick demonstrates how Joe would
solo over a I VI II V progression by treating the V chord which is in this case, G7 as a
#Io, a very common substitution used in jazz.

This substitution provides great voice leading from the I chord, Bb major 7 to the #I
chord because there is only one note difference in the triads, the root, which
highlighted in this lick.

To learn more about the I VI II V and the various substitutions and superimpositions
follow this link: http://jamieholroydguitar.com/10-must-know-i-iv-ii-v-substitutions

To learn more about soloing over the rhythm changes progression follow this link:
http://jamieholroydguitar.com/rhythm-changes-soloing-guide-part-1-two-approaches

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 How to Practice Licks
Like anything you learn on guitar you must practice licks in the right way so that they
can be internalized and you can use them in your own way without even thing about
them.

Here’s a few ways that I teach my students to practice new licks so that they get the
most benefit from them

• Work each lick out so you can play over the 4 different chord types:
http://jamieholroydguitar.com/how-to-play-one-lick-over-four-chords
• Apply the lick to all the tunes you are currently working on
http://jamieholroydguitar.com/5-effective-ways-to-learn-a-jazz-standard
• Try displacing licks by eight notes and quarter notes across the bar to work on
rhythmic variety
• Piece different part of licks together to form new ones:
http://jamieholroydguitar.com/double-your-jazz-vocabulary-by-100-without-
learning-a-new-lick
• Create motifs from each lick by using small fragments instead of the full lick
• Practice each lick in all 12 keys and in different positions across the guitar
neck

Recommended eBooks for Further Study

• 30 Days to Better Jazz Guitar Comping: http://tinyurl.com/cf66zy9
• 30 Days to Better Jazz Guitar: http://tinyurl.com/bub3jeb
• Modern Time: http://tinyurl.com/brjfr8o
• Building Bebop Guitar Vocabulary: http://tinyurl.com/c26y69v

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