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
Musician Pat Benatar and husband Neil Giraldo leaving 24th Annual Grammy Awards on February 24, 1982
Singles And Albums "The record company went berserk”: How Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo had to fight to release Love Is A Battlefield
Mark Morton of Lamb Of God takes a solo onstage with his prototype signature Les Paul
Artists Mark Morton on the chemistry behind Lamb Of God's twin-guitar groove and what he owes ZZ Top
Zakk Wylde cups his hand to his ear as he asks the crowd for more during a 2026 Black Label Society performance.
Artists “Look at AC/DC. Whatever was popular, it didn’t matter. It’s like McDonald’s. ‘We make the Big Mac and we make fries and we don’t care about doing sushi’”: Zakk Wylde on musical identity, jailhouse rocking with Ozzy and the return of Black Label Society
Lindsey Buckingham
Artists "Oh, wow!": Lindsey Buckingham reacts to TikTok covers of Fleetwood Mac’s Never Going Back Again
Harley Benton goes for the '80s vibe as it refreshes its ST-80FR shred guitars in six Sparkle Burst finishes – including Hologram.
Guitars Harley Benton takes on the high-performance heavyweights with a Sparkle Burst refresh of its $400 Floyd-equipped S-style
ANGINE DE POITRINE
Guitars “They describe themselves as a Mantra-Rock Dada Pythago-Cubist Orchestra, and the band name translates to ‘angina of the chest’”: The microtonal music theory behind viral math-rockers Angine de Poitrine
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
The Clash
Artists “On the spur of the moment I said, ‘I’m going to do the backing vocals in Spanish’”: How The Clash created their biggest hit
A PRS McCarty 594 on a hard case
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars 2026: Our pick of guitars to suit all budgets
Chic in 1992
Artists The influential Chic classic that spawned one of the most recognisable basslines of all time.
Close up of a Taylor GS Mini acoustic guitar lying on a wooden floor
Acoustic Guitars Best acoustic guitars 2026: Super steel string acoustics for all players and budgets
Woman in orange hat plays classical guitar in front of a laptop
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials What are the best online guitar lessons in 2026? I’m a professional guitar gear reviewer and these are my highest-rated lessons platforms
Harley Benton TE Tremolo Series
Guitars Harley Benton unveils three entry-level T-styles with Bigbsy-style vibratos and vintage mojo to burn
The Rolling Stones
Artists “Brian Jones was the first steel slide player I heard”: Keith Richards pays tribute to Stones guitarists past and present
Taylor Academy 10E
Acoustic Guitars Best acoustic guitar for beginners: Strum your first chords with our choice of beginner acoustic guitars
More
  • Sly and Survivor
  • In My Life
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • One chord Diamond
  1. Tutorials
  2. Guitar Lessons & Tutorials

Quick licks: intermediate #5

News
By Guitar Techniques published 3 September 2011

Bluegrass flatpicking and an Allman Brothers-inspired run

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

Intermediate lick one: Bluegrass flatpicking

Intermediate lick one: Bluegrass flatpicking

Keep the acoustic in hand and break out the plectrum for this one. This bluegrass breakdown's overall tonality is G major, using elements of the G blues scale (G, Bb, C, C#, D, F, G) and the G Mixolydian mode (G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G). It's all alternate picking except for the penultimate beat where the Bb is pulled off to an open A. Work your way up slowly to the 112bpm metronome marking and make Tony Rice and The Kentucky Colonels proud!

Page 1 of 2
Page 1 of 2
Intermediate lick two: Allman Brothers run

Intermediate lick two: Allman Brothers run

Dicky Betts' playing in the Allman Brothers was the inspiration here. Betts' characteristic sound is achieved through the use of the major pentatonic with an added 4th scale degree (in this case A major pentatonic with an added 4th: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, A) that fits snugly over the I IV progression (A major to D major over an A bass). Watch that your hammer-ons and pull-offs are cleanly executed and use a medium amount of singing valve amp overdrive!

Page 2 of 2
Page 2 of 2
Guitar Techniques
Read more
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 in 1992
Artists The influential Chic classic that spawned one of the most recognisable basslines of all time.
 
 
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
 
 
Beck Wow
Artists A decade on, we analyse the inner workings of one of Beck’s most potent bangers
 
 
Paul Gilbert wears a tricorn and period dress as he poses in shred mode with his signature Ibanez guitar
Artists “I’ve got to compete with Bach and Beethoven and Mozart and The Beatles!”: Inside the mind of guitar hero Paul Gilbert
 
 
Harley Benton TE Tremolo Series
Guitars Harley Benton unveils three entry-level T-styles with Bigbsy-style vibratos and vintage mojo to burn
 
 
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
jimmy douglass
Producers & Engineers “There was a back door to the studio that led out to the street. I went out and I'm not kidding you, but this guy pops out of a trash can – it was Ginger Baker!”: Jimmy Douglass on his early days working for Atlantic Records
 
 
Gary Numan in 2024 playing a live show dressed in black with red stage lights behind and holding a Les Paul guitar
Artists Gary Numan claims to be “90% deaf”
 
 
A close-up of James Gadson playing drums
Drummers “The beat goes on, but the pocket will never be the same": Stars pay tribute to James Gadson
 
 
christopher cross
Samples SampleRadar: 142 free yacht rock samples
 
 
John Oates and Michael Jackson
Artists John Oates agrees with Daryl Hall that I Can’t Go For That was the inspiration for Billie Jean
 
 
Dio, 1983: Ronnie James Dio, Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain, Viv Campbell
Drummers "We were just having a great time”: Vinny Appice remembers his time with Ronnie James Dio
 
 

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...