Chords for Smokin Hot Blues Licks on the Banjo!

_ [Eb] _ _ [Gm] _ _ [F] _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [Ab] In this lesson we're going to cover how to use the melodic [G] style which is that approach _ _ _ _
_ [Fm] cross-string playing but [Gm] using blues scales _ in _ _ _ _ _ _ [D] the melodic [N] style for the keys of G, C, D for all your popular
tunes as well as the keys of E and A so basically pretty much any song that you encounter in a jam [Gm] you'll have some
_ Some _ _ [G] _ _ _ [Fm] really cool [G] bluesy licks to throw in.
Let's get started _
All right our first melodic style blues lick is in G surprise surprise
And we're starting with an open fifth string
And we're taking what I call the blackberry blossom position
Where you normally [N] have a finger on the second string at the 10th fret and then a finger over here on the D string the 9th
fret right and we're going to move that up one fret so now we're [D] pressing at 11 _ and [Gm] 10
_ [C] And [G] then we reach over with the middle finger
Here's our disclaimer some folks like to thumb that fifth string like this
That's fine if you want to do that we're going to opt for [Gm] this because that's the way we were trained
But if you wish to thumb that
_ _ That's doable.
We're going to be [Fm] fingering it with the middle [Gb] finger [F] FYI.
So basically you're going to get that position
You're going to [G] play the start of the roll on [Gm] the fifth string
_ [C] Reach [G] _ over grab that [Dbm] 11 _ [D] and then pop the pinky down here at the 12
And that [G] basically tops off the first half of our mini scale [Bbm] here
_ [D] Which is a really [Ab] great lick any way [Gm] you cut the cake?
_ [G] It's got a great sound to it
_ _ [Fm] Right and then we're going to come back [Db] down
[Cm] _ [Gm] _ _ _ _
Beautiful so our first practice fragment will be from that open G at the beginning of measure one playing up the scale
_ _ _ [G] _ Back down and landing on that G at the beginning of measure two ready get your [Ab] position [F] after the count of two one [Gm] two
_ [C] again [D] _
_ _ [Gm] _ _ _ _ one two
_ [Cm] _ [A] _ _ [Gm] _ _
_ One more time one two [C] and [A] _ _ [Cm] _ [Gm] _ _ that's a great one to have in your pocket if you're picking along _ _
You _ find yourself up here
_ _ _ _ So _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ that's part [N] of learning these licks is to assimilate them into your everyday playing
Then for the second half of our G blues lick we're going to come back down that little scale
_ [Gm] _ And then shift down over here to the sixth [G] fret on the B string _ right
_ _ [Gm] And then move down to this [G] classic blues position with a C note here
And then the ring finger over here at the third [Gm] fret on the G string _ _
Then we [G] land on a G _ now a brief discussion of [N] our landing notes
You'll see each of the landing notes have a parentheses around them in the tab
That's because we're just giving you one suggested landing note.
It doesn't mean you can't land somewhere else
Let's say we're playing this particular lick to go to the key of [Gm] C
_ Then _ [C] _ _
_ _ we would land on a C note as [G] opposed to that G.
You [Bbm] could possibly even go to [Eb] a D after this _ _
[Gm] _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ So once again [N] keeping your options open
Remember these licks are designed to move from any chord you need them to at a moment's notice
We have to give you a certain example, [G] so that's why we put the parentheses notes at the end of the lick
Now we're gonna play [Gm] that whole lick together after the count of two get your first position here ready _ one _ two
[Cm] Very [D] _ _ _ [Gm] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ nice.
Let's try that again one two
_ _ [A] _ _
_ _ [Gm] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ Beautiful rewind that as much as you need get some flight time on that so it becomes a smooth flow
You're not too concerned with the fingering
All _ [G] _ _ _ _ [N] _ _ _
_ _ _ right, let's have some fun with these licks.
That's the whole point after all right
So let's say for the first blues lick in G.
What we're going to do is assume you have a song that [G] goes G _ C
[C] _ _
_ [G] Back to G
_ [D] D
_ _ _ [G] Just like about every other bluegrass song in the universe, so [N] let's say you were playing a lead to that
You might be playing regular scrunch style over the G one two three [G] four
_ _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ _ [G] _ _ So _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ that way we were able to put [Db] in [G] that blues lick in the second half of our lead right [N] now
We could also start right out the gate with that lick as well
Let's say you're playing along and that standard bluegrass progression
Which by the [G] way is the same as bury me beneath the willow and 12,000 other songs.
It'd be like this G _ _
[C] C _ you're picking back [G] up while the mandolin players going [D] crazy or whatever
_ [G] Your leads coming up next so you've [C] got your lick poised
There [G] we go
_ _ [D] Here [G] _ _
we go
[Gm] And _ _ _
[C] _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ _ _ [G] _
whatever you're gonna continue to play your lead
[A] But the cool thing about that example is you came out of the gate with this G [Gm] blues lick _
_ Okay, _ [N] _ it's also a great way to kick off a song as well
So let's say you're gonna play a faster bluegrass song and instead of going one two three [G] four in
_ [Fm] You could say hey, I've got a two measure kickoff, [Ab] and it's gonna be like this
_ [G] _ _ And as soon as you hit that G note and [A] measure three the song is started
[G] That's a great way to start a song let's say we're gonna kick it off in that fashion would sound like [Eb] this
_ _ [G] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Right so [N] the whole band is gonna come in basically after those two measures.
Let's try that again one two three four
[G] And _ _ _ _ [C] _ _ _
_ [G] _ _ _ _ [Dm] _ _ _
[D] _ [G] _ _ so on and so forth so [F] once again this [N] G blues lick is really useful for kickoffs
You can use it for inside the song you can use it to land the break these licks are really really useful
They're the building blocks of banjo improvisation basically until you move on crazy stuff like single string [G] style where _ _ _ _ _
Where everything is pretty much just a note by itself without any filler
So let's give you a chance to practice this G blues like to start off your solo for example
We're gonna count to four one two three four you're gonna play the lid _
But _ _ _ as soon as you get that open G note and measure three
You're gonna have [Em] your C chord already there and that G note right here [Ab] is the [C] beginning of a C roll
_ Okay, _ _ _ [G] and then you're gonna play [Gb] the rest of your solo, so we [Fm] don't want to hold you by the hand [Gm] all the way
So basically what's gonna happen is you're gonna play the lick _ _ _ _
[Em] And we're [N] gonna keep the backup going and you're gonna finish out the rest of one [C] break which will be C
_ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
_ [G] _ So
Like that so basically we're gonna give you the lick and then we're gonna play [Bb] backup [Em] for you from the C chord [G] back to the G
_ _ Gonna [D] _ _ _ _ _ [N] stop there because by then you're launched into your solo all right
So let's play it together
And then as soon as [Abm] we're done with that lick we're going into backup and you keep the Scruggs tile going [Gb] after two one
_ [Gm] _ _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
two
Very nice now that you get the idea
Let's [N] try that again after two as soon as you're done with that lick start picking the banjo one [Gm] two _ _ _ _
[C] _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _
_ [C] _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ Very awesome _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [C] _ [Em] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [Gm] _ [D] _ _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _