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
Don't miss these
Bowie and Queen
Artists The tense night David Bowie and Queen spontaneously came up with a classic
Texan guitar phenom Eric Johnson plays a Fender Stratocaster in a Tropical Turquoise finish during a 2016 performance with the Experience Hendrix Tour.
Artists “It would be way better if drummers weren’t reduced to nothing”: Eric Johnson on the one thing he doesn’t like about modern pop music
Prodigy
Artists How to replicate the sample-based sonics of a gnarly Prodigy classic
Michael McDonald
Artists “When we went to collect the Grammy for Song of the Year, I was thinking, ’How did this happen?’”: This No.1 hit is the pinnacle of yacht rock
Joe Bonamassa [left] wears a dark blue suit and shades as he performs with a Gibson Les Paul in 2024. BB King [right] has a mischevious look on his face as he performs seated with Lucille.
Artists BB King was the undisputed King of the Blues – but Joe Bonamassa says he also taught him how to use an iPod
Joe Satriani and Steve Vai perform onstage during the Satch/Vai Tour.
Artists “I’m watching this genius develop right in front of me”: Joe Satriani on what it was like to teach a teenage Steve Vai
John 'Cougar' Mellencamp
Artists “It was a terrible record to make. The arrangement’s so weird”: How John ‘Cougar’ Mellencamp created a classic '80s No.1
Robert Smith
Artists “People who like that song aren’t actually fans of The Cure”: How Robert Smith created one of The Cure’s greatest hits
Paul McCartney
Artists “It's a sad song because it's all about the unattainable”: The ballad that sparked the breakup of The Beatles
Mark Tremonti throws the horns and points to something during a live performance with Creed. His signature PRS singlecut is strapped on his shoulder.
Artists “I had no idea that he was that good”: Mark Tremonti on Alter Bridge’s “secret weapon” and his soloing strategies
A PRS McCarty 594 on a hard case
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars 2026: Our pick of guitars to suit all budgets
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Artists “The record company said, ‘It’s too long.’ But we said, ‘We don’t care!’”: How Lynyrd Skynyrd created a legendary epic
Robben Ford [left] wears a dark suit jacket and v-neck t-shirt as he plays a blonde Telecaster onstage. Photographed in 1975, Joni Mitchell [right] plays her Martin dreadnought live onstage at Wembley Stadium.
Artists Robben Ford reveals the Joni Mitchell tone tricks that helped him nail his guitar sound in the studio
Pink Floyd
Artists “In terms of the guitar solo, he just keeps going!”: The genius of David Gilmour – by Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett and more
New Radicals
Artists “I walked in… and Joni Mitchell was in baby blue pyjamas”: How a weird dream inspired the New Radicals’ classic ’90s hit
More
  • Sly and Survivor
  • In My Life
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • One chord Diamond
  1. Tutorials
  2. Guitar Lessons & Tutorials

Quick licks: easy #12

News
By Guitar Techniques ( Guitar Techniques ) published 1 March 2012

James Brown and Fleetwood Mac style

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

Easy lick one: James Brown-style funk

Easy lick one: James Brown-style funk

Make it Funky! Turn it loose with this classic Jimmy Nolan and James Brown inspired riff. Watch getting to the D9 chord in time, and remember the key here is completely in the feel - it's the syncopations, not the technical requirements, that may require extended practice.

Page 1 of 2
Page 1 of 2
Easy lick two: Fleetwood Mac attack!

Easy lick two: Fleetwood Mac attack!

This one uses fingerpicking and is modelled on Lindsay Buckingham's hit-making guitar style. The example is in A minor using a constant open fifth string against thirds on the third and fourth strings. keep it relaxed and melodic at 120bpm using a warm, clean valve amp sound.

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
Chic in 1992
Artists The influential Chic classic that spawned one of the most recognisable basslines of all time.
 
 
Stevie Wonder
Artists Dissecting the musical magic of Superstition, the song Stevie Wonder just couldn’t let go
 
 
Cory Wong
Artists “My advice is play the song. Can you find a part that is tailored to the music”: Cory Wong’s tips for better rhythm guitar
 
 
Buddy Guy [left] smiles as he takes a solo on his Fender Stratocaster. He wears a red jacket and black hat. Billy Gibbons [right] wears shades, a wide-brimmed hat and a red blazer as he plays his custom SG-style electric with the V-style headstock.
Artists Billy Gibbons on the tip Buddy Guy gave him after they jammed a T-Bone Walker classic
 
 
Chic Bass and Drums
Music Production Tutorials How close listening to Chic can teach us about the integral relationship between the kick and bass
 
 
Prodigy
Artists How to replicate the sample-based sonics of a gnarly Prodigy classic
 
 
Latest in Guitar Lessons & Tutorials
Tom Morello
Artists How Tom Morello used his guitar to drill into the off-limits domain of the turntablist
 
 
Close up of a person playing guitar
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials With a massive 89% discount, $99 for a year's worth of Guitar Tricks online lessons is the best way to upgrade your guitar playing this Black Friday
 
 
Close up of a person holding an acoustic guitar bathed sunlight
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials 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
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials 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
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials How to play like George Harrison on The Beatles' Abbey Road
 
 
MusicNomad guitar fret cleaning
Guitars "You owe your guitar the chance to be its best": How to clean and polish your guitar frets a better way
 
 
Latest in News
A display with exclusive edition vinyl's for Taylor Swift's new album, Life of a Showgirl
Music Industry “Fans are consuming music in more ways than ever”: US vinyl sales hit $1 billion for the first time since 1983
 
 
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 11:  Recoding artist Josh Groban and honoree Rick Rubin attend the P&E Wing Event honoring Rick Rubin at The Villiage Studios on February 11, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by Michael Kovac/WireImage)
Artists Josh Groban says he has no regrets about his “ballsy” decision to make an album with Rick Rubin
 
 
Derek Trucks [left] plays his Dickey Betts SG live onstage; [right] a portrait close-up of Jerry Garcia's Tiger guitar, which recently sold for $11,560,000.
Artists Derek Trucks reveals what it’s like to play Jerry Garcia’s record-breaking $11.6mn Tiger guitar
 
 
Thom Yorke, Philip Selway, Jonny Greenwood, and Clive Deamer of Radiohead perform at Madison Square Garden on July 10, 2018 in New York City
Gigs & Festivals “We’re going to do 20 shows each year”: Radiohead suggest they’ll play short term residencies in other continents
 
 
Taylor Swift
Music Industry "The numbers are going backward": New report finds that 2025 saw "no progress" for women in music
 
 
(L-R) Kerry Katona, Natasha Hamilton and Liz McClarnon of English girl group Atomic Kitten, 2000. (Photo by Roberta Parkin/Redferns/Getty Images)
Artists OMD’s Andy McCluskey says it was a Kraftwerk legend who advised him to form girlband Atomic Kitten
 
 

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 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...