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
The Spice Girls
Artists Greg Lester on how he crafted the classic nylon-string guitar solo in the Spice Girls’ 2 Become 1
The Power Station
Artists “The most expensive bit of drumming in history”: When stars of Duran Duran and Chic formed a decadent ’80s supergroup
Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts at the Kensington Gore Hotel, where they staged a mock-medieval banquet for the launch of their new album 'Beggars Banquet', 5th December 1968
Singles And Albums “This is where we had to pull out our good stuff. And we did”: Beggars Banquet – the album that made the Rolling Stones
Status Quo
Artists “I remember saying to Clapton, ‘You try playing that one riff for eight minutes!’”: The secret to Status Quo's riff power
John Mayer
Artists “It wasn’t anywhere close to being a single”: The classic track that defines John Mayer as a guitarist and a songwriter
Prince
Artists The fascinating music theory behind the kicked-around track that Prince shaped into a hit
steve cropper
Artists "One of the hardest things I ever had to do was mix that song": A music professor breaks down Steve Cropper and Otis Redding's (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay
Steve Cropper in 2007
Artists “My mom said, ‘I’ll lend you a quarter if you become a guitar player.’ I think I did!”: Steve Cropper dies aged 84
Jeff Beck 1954 Epiphone Oxblood Les Paul
Electric Guitars Jeff Beck's 1954 Oxblood Les Paul is the most expensive Les Paul of all time. This Epiphone version comes in at a fraction of the price, and with a further 20% off at Thomann, it may be an irresistible deal for the Jeff Beck aficionado
A PRS McCarty 594 on a hard case
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars 2025: Our pick of guitars to suit all budgets
Steve morse and Jon Lord play onstage together during a 1996 Deep Purple show in Amsterdam.
Artists Steve Morse on why he loved writing with Jon Lord and the Deep Purple track that started with a cup of tea
Mark Ronson and Michael Jackson
Artists How a teenage Mark Ronson convinced Michael Jackson to write him a bassline so he could make a hit song out of it
Van Morrison
Artists How Van Morrison recorded his greatest song
Paul McCartney
Artists “It's a sad song because it's all about the unattainable”: The ballad that sparked the breakup of The Beatles
Bon Jovi
Artists “When I brought up the talk box, everybody in the band laughed at me”: How Bon Jovi created their signature rock anthem
More
  • "The most expensive bit of drumming in history”
  • JoBo x Fuchs
  • Radiohead Daydreaming
  • Vanilla Fudge
  • 95k+ free music samples
  1. Tutorials
  2. Guitar Lessons & Tutorials

Quick licks: easy #4

News
By Guitar Techniques ( Guitar Techniques ) published 8 August 2011

A Robert Johnson-style blues ending and classic R&B basics

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

Easy lick 1: fingerstyle acoustic blues

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!

Page 1 of 2
Page 1 of 2
Easy lick 2: R&B guitar foundations

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.

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 Mayer
“It wasn’t anywhere close to being a single”: The classic track that defines John Mayer as a guitarist and a songwriter
 
 
Status Quo
“I remember saying to Clapton, ‘You try playing that one riff for eight minutes!’”: The secret to Status Quo's riff power
 
 
d'angelo
“In the hands of lesser musicians, this would simply sound sloppy”: A music professor breaks down the genius of D'Angelo
 
 
Steve Cropper in 2007
“My mom said, ‘I’ll lend you a quarter if you become a guitar player.’ I think I did!”: Steve Cropper dies aged 84
 
 
The Rolling Stone The Last Time cover
“It gave us a pathway of how to do it”: Sixty years of The Last Time – the Stones’ big breakthrough
 
 
Prince
The fascinating music theory behind the kicked-around track that Prince shaped into a hit
 
 
Latest in Guitar Lessons & Tutorials
Close up of a person playing guitar
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
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
 
 
Latest in News
ALM Busy Circuits Pamela's Disco module
ALM Busy Circuits new Pamela’s Disco module lets you sync a Eurorack rig to a CDJ or mixer
 
 
Text saying 'Just the way it is'
“It’s quite normal to be groped by men”: Harassment, low pay and exploitation all reported by young musicians and artists in new survey
 
 
Dirty Boy SilverBOY: This high-end all-analogue preamp pedal was inspired by a digital plugin
Dirty Boy turns the tables on guitar’s digital revolution with an all-analogue preamp pedal inspired by a plugin
 
 
tape double track
This $99 plugin recreates a classic studio technique invented at Abbey Road for The Beatles – and it's free for the next three days
 
 
Eric Clapton and Sheryl Crow perform at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007 held at Toyota Park on July 28, 2007 in Bridgeview, Illinois.
"They put it on hold so nobody else can record it. But he didn’t actually record it. That was when Don Henley said, ‘You need to quit giving your songs away’”: Sheryl Crow says that she once wrote a song for Eric Clapton that never saw the light of day
 
 
oxi
"We didn't want to make just another controller": OXI Instruments' E16 is a sleek and portable MIDI controller that's more powerful than it looks
 
 

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...