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Quick licks: intermediate #19

By Guitar Techniques
published 6 April 2013

Take inspiration from '70s Lou Reed and proto prog outfit Patto

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Intermediate lick one: Dick Wagner lead

Intermediate lick one: Dick Wagner lead

Wear a black top hat and get your Les Paul and Plexi hot for this one! It’s a tribute to Wagner’s onstage work with Lou Reed in the 1970s. Make sure the bends are in tune and concentrate on making the vibrato sing as vocal-like as possible. Check out Dick’s work with the Alice Cooper Band as well!

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Intermediate lick two: Ollie Halsall lead

Intermediate lick two: Ollie Halsall lead

This example uses legato phrasing with a very gritty tone, similar to Ollie Halsall’s sound - Ollie was the hugely influential guitarist in proto-prog band Patto. The run is entirely in D Dorian (D E F G A B C) except for the last beat, which uses the D blues scale (D F G G# A C). Get your hand strength built up slowly to nail 125bpm and faster!

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