Quick licks: easy #4

Easy lick 1: fingerstyle acoustic blues

This is a Robert Johnson-style blues ending. Make sure you use the thumb of your picking hand to strike the low notes and mute them with your palm at the bridge to make them jump out a bit. Pay attention to the feel and swing to make this one 'sing'. The Mississippi Delta will thank you for it!

Easy lick 2: R&B guitar foundations

These staple licks emanate from the R&B, Motown and Gospel guitar tradition. Think Dobie Gray's Drift Away. The trick is to nail the slides and hammer-ons/pull-off s to make it sound authentic. The chords outlined are supplied above and notice the use of 4ths and 6th intervals derived from the major pentatonic scale of the chord of the moment. Use a Fender Twin type clean tone to put it all together.