Chords for B.B. King Licks | Reverb Learn to Play

Tempo:
130.6 bpm
Chords used:

E

A

Am

Gm

G

Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
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B.B. King Licks | Reverb Learn to Play chords
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[D]
[E] [A]
Hey everybody,
[Am] [E]
[Gm] this is Jeff [A] with Reverb, and [Gb] today I'm going to show you some guitar licks
inspired by the King of the Blues, of course, Mr.
B.B. King.
B.B. King primarily played hollow body guitars, Gibsons, 355s, 345s, Lucille was a 355.
Of course, we have a 335 here today that they had at Reverb that I'm going to demonstrate on.
When B.B. King was playing Lucille, the 355, the Gibson 355, it had a varitone on it, so
he could get a lot of different sounds out of that guitar, both highs and lows that were
coming through really well.
So today, to try and mimic that, I've got the 335 in the middle position using both pickups.
You're getting a nice low end and a nice high end.
[N] And one thing about B.B.'s playing that is very distinct is the vibrato.
B.B.'s. got this thing where his fingers come off the neck except for the index finger, and he's got this real fast stinging vibrato at times. Other times he'll do a nice slow vibrato, but the one I'm speaking of now would be [G] [A] That. Almost sometimes he's using the side of his finger, other times the tip of the index finger. [Cm] And the first lick I'd like to show you, we're in the key of C, [Eb] is based on mixing major pentatonic into [Bb] your blues scale. Because if you're in the key of C, you know you've got your [G] blues box right here, [Eb] but a lot of times B.B. would opt for the [Am] major, which you can find right in the middle of your blues box here. And he [A] would shift in and out of them. But the lick that I'm speaking of now, you could use as an intro or you could use it inside a solo, would be [Gm] If you see what I'm doing, I'm just taking four notes here. Instead of doing the minor, [Eb] I'm bringing these notes down a half step. So I'm actually at the eighth fret, to the tenth fret, eight [Gm] to the ten, and then going back to that [N] eighth fret, from the B string to the E [G] string. [A] And also giving a little bend there on the high E string. [Eb]
[A] You can also expand that concept when you're coming out of the blues scale here, [Gbm] [G] [Bb] in this area, kind of the extension I call it, next to the box here. Again, you know, the typical, which is [Cm] cool, typical blues lick like that, B.B. would like to throw in that major again, and it's real distinct. So instead of something like He would [E] do And then back to the minor. And that would be very typical of B.B. [Am]
So if you were to combine that combination of licks, it would sound something along the lines of this. [D] [A]
[E] [A]
[Bb] Another thing that B.B. would do often that sounds really cool is he would stick in that major pentatonic, we're still in the key of C, and he would vary how deep his bends were going. Sometimes he would do a full bend, sometimes a full and a half, and kind of play around with the pitch, something like You can see here, [B] I'm doing about a full and a half step away, [Bb] then a full, [A] and then coming down full here. [Db] And then even there sometimes he [A] would [E] Sliding up to about the 14th fret on the G string, [A] then the 13th fret on the B string, and then I'm bending at the 15th fret on the E string, a little bit past a full bend, full and a half, and then a full bend. [B]
[Gb] And then a full bend on the B string at the [A] 15th, and then kind of coming down with a pull-off to the 13th, hitting the 14th here, and then trying to do that very identifiable B.B. vibrato there. And then a lot of times, just icing on the cake, he'd do one of these, which is very [E] B.B. And I guess, [A] where am I at here? I'm at the 18th fret. Another lick that I'd like to talk about of B.B.'s that probably isn't as common, but I caught him doing it on some old recordings and some old videos I was checking out. [Am] [E]
[C] [Am] So there [Gb] you can see, the note selection is [Eb] really tasty here. He's throwing in some chromatic ideas here, because you're still kind of looking at your blues box, [E] but now he's throwing in this note, [Abm] which is actually a G sharp, but he's using it [G] as a passing note into the major [Em] thing. Really cool. See, I'm starting out at the 8th, and I'm rolling hammer-ons up to the 10th, 8th on the E string, back to the 10th. [B] And [C] then, coming down to the G string, he's adding this note, which you would find in a 7th chord, [E] and it also [G] gives it more of that [E] major feel. [A] [E] [Am] [D]
[C] Really playing major pentatonic more [A] here than blues scale. [A] [D] [Em] Here I'm doing 7 to 10, 7 to 10 is the spread here. Or 10 on the D [A] string, 7 on the G string, [C] 7, 10. And he's doing a [E] real tasty hammer-on pull [Am]-off, [F] [Bb] and then a really cool little slidey [E] thing. So when you put that [Am] [Dm] [Am] together [E] [C] And then, again, how B.B. said he didn't know any chords, [Gm] he's really playing off a C9 chord here, because he slides from [E] the 2nd into the root note, and then picks each note of the chord and ends up a whole step above the chord on the E string. [C] [Gm] [A] [B]
[Gm] [Dm] [Am]
[E]
[C] [A]
[E] Thanks for tuning in today. Be sure to check out some of the other lessons on reverb, [Ab] and we'll see you next time. [Cm] [Dm] [G] [Am]
[E] [Gm]
Key:  
E
2311
A
1231
Am
2311
Gm
123111113
G
2131
E
2311
A
1231
Am
2311
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_ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ [A] _ _ _
Hey _ _ _ _ _ everybody, _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [Am] _ _ _ _ _ [E] _ _
_ [Gm] this is Jeff [A] with Reverb, and [Gb] today I'm going to show you some guitar licks
inspired by the King of the Blues, of course, Mr.
B.B. King.
B.B. King primarily played hollow body guitars, Gibsons, _ 355s, 345s, _ Lucille was a 355.
Of course, we have a 335 here today that they had at Reverb that I'm going to demonstrate on.
When B.B. King was playing Lucille, the 355, the Gibson 355, it had a varitone on it, so
he could get a lot of different sounds out of that guitar, _ _ both highs and lows that were
coming through really well.
So today, to try and mimic that, I've got the 335 in the middle position using both pickups.
You're getting a nice low end and a nice high end.
[N] And one thing about B.B.'s playing that is very distinct is the vibrato.
B.B.'s. got this thing where his fingers come off the neck except for the index finger, and he's got this real fast stinging vibrato at times. Other times he'll do a nice slow vibrato, but the one I'm speaking of now would be_ [G] _ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _ _ That. Almost sometimes he's using the side of his finger, _ other times the tip of the index finger. _ [Cm] And the first lick I'd like to show you, we're in the key of C, [Eb] is based on mixing major pentatonic into [Bb] your blues scale. Because if you're in the key of C, you know you've got your [G] blues box right here, _ [Eb] _ _ _ but a lot of times B.B. would opt for the [Am] major, _ _ _ _ which you can find right in the middle of your blues box here. _ _ And he [A] would shift in and out of them. _ _ _ But the lick that I'm speaking of now, you could use as an intro or you could use it inside a solo, would be_ _ _ _ _ _ [Gm] _ If you see what I'm doing, I'm just taking four notes here. Instead of doing the minor, _ _ [Eb] _ _ _ I'm bringing these notes down a half step. So I'm actually at the eighth fret, to the tenth fret, eight [Gm] to the ten, and then going back to that [N] eighth fret, from the B string to the E [G] string. _ [A] _ _ _ _ _ And also giving a little bend there on the high E string. _ _ _ _ _ [Eb] _ _ _
[A] You can also expand that concept _ when you're coming out of the blues scale here, _ [Gbm] _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ [Bb] _ in this area, kind of the extension I call it, next to the box here. Again, you know, the typical, which is [Cm] cool, _ _ typical blues lick like that, B.B. would like to throw in that major again, and it's real distinct. So instead of something _ like_ He would _ [E] do_ _ _ _ And then back to the minor. _ _ And that would be very typical of B.B. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Am] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ So if you were to combine that combination of licks, it would sound something along the lines of this. _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _
[Bb] Another thing that B.B. would do often that sounds really cool is he would stick in that major pentatonic, we're still in the key of C, and he would vary how deep his bends were going. Sometimes he would do a full bend, sometimes a full and a half, and kind of play around with the pitch, something _ _ _ _ _ _ like_ You can see here, _ _ [B] I'm doing about a full and a half step away, _ [Bb] then a full, _ [A] and then coming down full here. _ [Db] And then even there sometimes he [A] would_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [E] Sliding up to about the 14th fret on the G string, [A] _ then the 13th fret on the B string, _ and then I'm bending _ at the 15th fret on the E string, a little bit past a full bend, full and a half, and then a full bend. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [B] _
_ [Gb] _ _ _ And then a full bend on the B string at the [A] 15th, _ _ _ _ and then kind of coming down with a pull-off to the _ 13th, hitting the 14th here, and then trying to do that _ _ very identifiable B.B. vibrato there. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ And then a lot of times, just icing on the cake, he'd do one of these, _ which is very [E] B.B. And I guess, [A] where am I at here? I'm at the 18th fret. _ _ _ Another lick that I'd like to talk about of B.B.'s that probably isn't as common, but I caught him doing it on some old recordings and some old videos I was checking out. _ _ _ _ [Am] _ _ _ _ [E] _ _
[C] _ _ _ [Am] _ _ _ So there [Gb] you can see, the note selection is [Eb] really tasty here. He's throwing in some chromatic ideas here, because you're still kind of looking at your blues box, [E] _ but now he's throwing in this note, _ [Abm] which is actually a G sharp, _ but he's using it [G] as a passing note into the major [Em] thing. _ _ _ _ Really cool. _ _ _ See, I'm starting out at the 8th, and I'm rolling hammer-ons up to the 10th, _ 8th on the E string, back to the 10th. _ _ [B] _ _ And [C] then, coming down to the G string, he's adding this note, which you would find in a 7th chord, [E] _ and it also [G] gives it more of that [E] major feel. _ [A] _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ [Am] _ [D] _ _
_ [C] _ _ _ Really playing major pentatonic more [A] here than blues scale. _ _ [A] _ _ [D] _ _ [Em] _ Here I'm doing 7 to 10, 7 to 10 is the spread here. _ _ _ Or 10 on the D [A] string, 7 on the G string, [C] 7, 10. _ And he's doing a [E] real tasty hammer-on pull [Am]-off, _ [F] _ _ _ _ _ _ [Bb] and then a really cool little slidey [E] thing. So when you put that _ [Am] _ _ _ _ [Dm] _ _ [Am] _ together_ _ _ [E] _ _ [C] And then, again, how B.B. said he didn't know any chords, [Gm] he's really playing off a C9 chord here, because he slides from [E] the 2nd into the root note, and then picks each note of the chord and ends up a whole step above the chord on the E string. _ [C] _ [Gm] _ _ [A] _ _ _ _ _ [B] _ _ _
[Gm] _ _ [Dm] _ _ _ [Am] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [E] _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ _ [A] _ _ _
_ _ [E] Thanks for tuning in today. Be sure to check out some of the other lessons on reverb, [Ab] and we'll see you next time. _ _ [Cm] _ _ [Dm] _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _ [Am] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ [Gm] _

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