Tag: telecaster

Blues Lick Lesson #04

In this 4th blues lick lesson, I show you how to play this OUTRO blues lick in the E major blues scale. This lick uses some concepts, like the use of double time and rock & roll patterns. Recommended playing level: intermediate and up.

E major Blues scale

This is mostly an E major blues lick that is used as an outro, but you can use it in other places as well. It is a very rhythmic lick played in the 12th position on the guitar neck.

E major blues
E major blues diagram

You can download the full E major blues scale here.

Concepts in this blues lick lesson

In this blues lick lesson, you get the guitar tabs on screen, a detailed explanation of the picking technique, 3 variations on a common blues lick pattern, a bit of background on where I got these guitar licks

Concepts that are present in this video

  • E major blues scale
  • sixteenth notes (double time)
  • 3 note per string ‘roll pattern’
  • alternate picking and legato (hammer-on, pull-off)
Backing Track

Shuffle blues backing track (115bpm) here.

Gear
The guitar used is my (brand new) Fender Telecaster Vintera (Lake Placid Blue). A great, fun telecaster that combines vintage tone with a modern feel to the neck. Everything is recorded through the Fractal Audio Systems AX8.
Practice Tips

Practice this lick slowly first, then with the backing track on my channel. Try to use it in different places of a 12 bar blues, for example, to connect the I to the IV chord in bar 4 of a blues. The lick is also easily transposable to other major blues songs, so I hope you’ll get some mileage out of this one.

In any case, try to make the double-time part of your improvisation. I love this concept because it adds another rhythmic dimension to the story you’re trying to tell with your instrument.

Keep on playing that guitar!

Hope to see you again next time,

Maarten