Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Seven Nation Army
  • Avril Lavigne
  • Prince and The Beatles
  • 95k+ free music samples
Don't miss these
Harley Benton ST-80 FR MN
Electric Guitars “Some might say a guitar at this kind of price point has no business resonating so well”: Harley Benton ST-80 FR MN review
Man holding acoustic guitar in front of a silver laptop
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials What are the best online guitar lessons in 2025? I review guitar gear for a living and these are my favourite lessons platforms
John McLaughlin
Artists “I don’t have many guitar players’ albums on my iPhone, but Jeff is there”: John McLaughlin on the magic of Jeff Beck
Paul Gilbert
Recording Four big-name guitarists spill their recording secrets
A composite image of Steve Vai [left] playing his green PIA Ibanez signature guitar onstage with the Satch/Vai band, and right, the late, great Allan Holdsworth playing an S-style with a cigarette smoking wedged on the strings.
Artists Steve Vai on why Allan Holdsworth – the fusion virtuoso who wrote his own rules – was the GOAT
Jackson American Series Rhoads: the Rhoads is now officially being made in the USA again, and is offered with a choice of a hardtail or Floyd Rose, with the hardtail finished in Satin Black and Snow White, and the Floyd in Satin Black, Matte Army Drab and Snow White. Note the reverse headstock.
Guitars All Rhoads lead to California as Jackson brings one of its most-iconic metal guitars home for a high-end upgrade
Derek Trucks takes a slide solo on his Gibson SG as Tedeschi Trucks Band performs live at Madison Square Garden.
Artists Derek Trucks is one of the greatest slide players of all time – here’s how he decides when to use it
Carlos Santana and Jeff Beck
Artists Carlos Santana on what made Jeff Beck a guitar great, and getting into character to cover Michael Jackson
Jackson Pro Origins 1985 San Dimas: these retro S-styles take the high-performance electric guitar brand back to the '80s, offering single and dual-humbucker platforms for shred with the choice of rosewood or maple fingerboards – and what about that "Two-Face" black-and-white finish?
Guitars “These guitars empower metal artists with the authentic, crushing tone that built Jackson’s legendary reputation”: Jackson takes us back to the heyday of shred with the Pro Origins 1985 San Dimas series – and what about that Two Face finish?
Andy Fraser in 1971
Artists “The notes he didn’t play were more important than the notes he did play”: A salute from one great bassist to another
Jimi and Billy in 1968
Artists “I was playing the Fender Strat that Jimi Hendrix gave me”: Billy Gibbons on the making of ZZ Top's greatest blues song
Wolfgang Van Halen
Artists “Usually I’ve done the demos on my laptop, which can be a bit creatively stifling”: Wolfgang Van Halen on his new album
David Gilmour plays a Black Stratocaster onstage in New York, on a moody stage lit in dark blue.
Artists David Gilmour shares an essential tone tip for guitarists using a whammy bar with a delay pedal
Wolfgang Van Halen
Artists “My dad would say the best solos are the ones you can hum and sing”: Wolfgang Van Halen on the art of soloing
Steve Morse plays live with Deep Purple and takes a solo on on his signature Ernie Ball Music Man, with the band's logo visible in the background
Artists Steve Morse on the time he took power tools to his guitar so he could play a Deep Purple show with a broken wrist
  1. Tutorials
  2. Guitar Lessons & Tutorials

Quick licks: advanced #10

News
By Guitar Techniques ( Guitar Techniques ) published 13 January 2012

Eric Johnson and Wes Montgomery-style

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Advance lick one: Eric Johnson lead

Advance lick one: Eric Johnson lead

A Pentatonic line based around Eric Johnson's trademark lead style. The line is based around a G major chord using both the G major pentatonic (G, A, B, D, E, G) and D major pentatonic (D, E, F#, A, B, D) scales similar to Johnson's approach. Follow the position shifts and picking carefully (Eric may favour crossing strings with the same stroke where possible, though). A thick sustaining lead tone with a good bit of analogue delay works just fine here.

Page 1 of 2
Page 1 of 2
Advanced lick two: Wes Montgomery octaves

Advanced lick two: Wes Montgomery octaves

Here's a workout for octaves playing in the jazz genre using your picking hand's thumb with all downstrokes - watch out for blisters! Harmonically this line features Wes-approved arpeggios and the use of a dominant diminished scale in bar 2 over the G13b9 chord (G, Ab, Bb, B, C#, D, E, F, G). Watch your timing as this is at a ballad tempo (46bpm) and use a clean, dark neck pickup sound. You could use a pick (downstrokes) but thumb is more warm toned.

Page 2 of 2
Page 2 of 2
Guitar Techniques
The worlds best high-quality guitar tuition from the UKs foremost teachers and players image
The worlds best high-quality guitar tuition from the UKs foremost teachers and players
Subscribe and save today!
More Info
Read more
John McLaughlin
“I don’t have many guitar players’ albums on my iPhone, but Jeff is there”: John McLaughlin on the magic of Jeff Beck
 
 
Paul Gilbert
Four big-name guitarists spill their recording secrets
 
 
A composite image of Steve Vai [left] playing his green PIA Ibanez signature guitar onstage with the Satch/Vai band, and right, the late, great Allan Holdsworth playing an S-style with a cigarette smoking wedged on the strings.
Steve Vai on why Allan Holdsworth – the fusion virtuoso who wrote his own rules – was the GOAT
 
 
Jackson American Series Rhoads: the Rhoads is now officially being made in the USA again, and is offered with a choice of a hardtail or Floyd Rose, with the hardtail finished in Satin Black and Snow White, and the Floyd in Satin Black, Matte Army Drab and Snow White. Note the reverse headstock.
All Rhoads lead to California as Jackson brings one of its most-iconic metal guitars home for a high-end upgrade
 
 
Derek Trucks takes a slide solo on his Gibson SG as Tedeschi Trucks Band performs live at Madison Square Garden.
Derek Trucks is one of the greatest slide players of all time – here’s how he decides when to use it
 
 
Carlos Santana and Jeff Beck
Carlos Santana on what made Jeff Beck a guitar great, and getting into character to cover Michael Jackson
 
 
Latest in Guitar Lessons & Tutorials
Close up of a person holding an acoustic guitar bathed sunlight
Ignite your inner guitar god for just 27 cents a day with TrueFire’s July 4th sale - save 60% on online lessons
 
 
MusicNomad fret tuition
Can you fix your guitar's frets yourself? We try three innovative approaches from MusicNomad to investigate how they might conquer a major cause of fret buzz
 
 
George Harrison
How to play like George Harrison on The Beatles' Abbey Road
 
 
MusicNomad guitar fret cleaning
"You owe your guitar the chance to be its best": How to clean and polish your guitar frets a better way
 
 
Jimmy Page
Play like Jimmy Page! Exclusive video lesson
 
 
Music Theory
How learning and understanding chord symbols can prove a major benefit for sharing your musical ideas
 
 
Latest in News
Ritchie Blackmore and Jeff Beck
“He would always put himself down”: Ritchie Blackmore remembers Jeff Beck
 
 
Harley Benton Halloween raffle
If you could have €500 worth of Harley Benton gear, what would you choose?
 
 
Armin Van Buuren piano
“I feel a freedom behind the piano”: Armin Van Buuren on his surprising new musical direction
 
 
slower fragments
This free plugin captures the "evocative warmth and warped textures" of half-speed tape recordings
 
 
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: The early Black Friday sales are here - score big on Gibson, PRS, Universal Audio, Casio and more
 
 
Loveday
"Artists have always been resourceful”: Emerging artist Loveday on why she’s turning to OnlyFans
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...