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Modern Legato Licks v2.0

15K views 14 replies 7 participants last post by  thefailshredder 
#1 ·
As requested by Chris, here's MG.org's answer to the 'modern legato licks' thread over on SS.org.:)

Same deal...post up any interesting legato licks or ideas you have!

To kick things off, here's a 'reverse angular' lick in B Dorian. All hammer-ons here, and four fingers per string!

e--12-10-9-7-10-12-10-7-----------------------------------------
b-------------------------10-9-7-14-12-10-9-12-14-12-9---------
G--------------------------------------------------------11-9-7---
D----------------------------------------------------------------
A----------------------------------------------------------------
E-----------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
--14-13-11-9-13-14-13-9----------------
---------------------------12-11-9--------
------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
 
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#2 ·
Nothing revolutionary technique-wise here, but I've been messing around with the modes of the Harmonic Major scale recently, and here's a Dorian b5 pattern that covers 3 octaves and would be pretty useful in a rock/fusion context.:) Tap the last note by the way...

e-------------------------------------10-11-14-17-----
b----------------------------10-12-13-----------------
G---------------------7-8-11--------------------------
D--------------7-9-10----------------------------------
A--------5-6-9----------------------------------------
E--5-7-8-----------------------------------------------
 
#3 ·
e--------------------------------10-----------------10-13-16-------------
b-------------------------------------------------------------------------
G----------7-9-10-9-7-10-13-16----16-13-10-13-16-----------13-16-19---
D--------9----------------------------------------------------------------
A---7-11------------------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------------------


e-13-----------------13-16-19-----------16-----------------16-19-22-24(22bend)
b------------------------------------------------------------------------
g----19-16-13-16-19-----------16-19-22----22-19-16-19-22--------------
D------------------------------------------------------------------------
A------------------------------------------------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------------------------

Derek Taylor inspired, first arp part is from a E7 lick of his, I just warped it to fit into an E phrygian riff. Still works over E7, gives an outside/altered sound because of the b9 and b6 that can act as a #5. Not TOO out there. The bend can also be a slide, both sound cool IMO.

I like bumpin'. I will try to write up some others I have come up with, most are DT licks that I just personalized :3

Also, try adding tapping to the lick, either adding a note a minor third higher after all the diminsihed arp ideas, or ad two notes, to continue the diminsihed shape. You ought to run out of tapping space, so either tap some harmonics, end 'early', or find a thimble and add some foot a la bumble to this lick. The lick could also descend dim arps, going down the neck and ending it there, or go down the neck and back up, or go up and doww the neck. What ever. Licks can be taken in all kinds of directions until it doesn't seem like the original licks at all. You could follow up with some sweep arps if you are into that, by sliding from the end of one of the dim arps into to a note of an arp, like E7 or G7. Woot.

Now to go write my essay that I have put off until the due date. :nono:
 
#4 ·
I've been playing around with this approach to extended arpeggios with three-notes-per-string string skipping recently... Kinda like the stuff Richie Kotzen used a lot in his shred days. Here's a D9 pattern...

e---------------------------5--8-10--8--5----------------------
b---------------------------------------------------------------
G----------------5--7--9--------------------9--7--5------------
D---------------------------------------------------------------
A----5--7--9------------------------------------------9--7--5----
E---------------------------------------------------------------
 
#5 ·
Here's one I was messing with last night, inspired by Devin Townsend. Basically it's just a three-note-per-string major scale that misses out the fourth, so it's root, second, third, fifth, sixth, seventh. Devin has the advantage of being able to play this all in one position due to his Open C tuning, but in standard it requires some shifting. Crank it up to speed with a ton of delay, and it sounds extremely Devy-ish.:)

e------------------------------------------12-14-16-t17----
b--------------------------------10-12-14------------------
G-----------------------9-11-13----------------------------
D----------------7-9-11------------------------------------
A---------7-9-11-------------------------------------------
E---5-7-9---------------------------------------------------
 
#6 · (Edited)
Here is one of my "pet scales," and I'm always mixed between legato and double-picking. What is it, exactly? I have no idea--I could figure it out, but that would destroy some of the fun. All I know is that I love consecutive whole-tones, and this hybrid scale has them.

Note: this is primarily for ascending runs. I usually substitute the 7th fret on the B string for the G string 11th fret on descending runs, due to ease of fingering. A lot of times I'll end up hitting just the 7th and 8th frets on the B string on descending runs, which gives a nice feel after the 7-8-11 on the high E. Due to the symmetry of the fingering, all of this works great for legato. It also makes you sound like you know what you're doing. :lol:


e------------------------------------------7-8-11----
b--------------------------------8-10------------------
G-----------------------7-9-11----------------------------
D----------------7-9-11------------------------------------
A---------7-9-11-------------------------------------------
E---7-8-11---------------------------------------------------
 
#7 ·
Here's a cool way of playing 9th arpeggios that works with legato or economy picking... If you got the legato route, only pick the first of each four note grouping ascending, and hammer everything descending.

e-------------------------------15--------------------------------
b----------------------10-12-13---13-12-10-----------------------
G-------------------12----------------------12--------------------
D------------7-9-10----------------------------10-9-7------------
A---------10-------------------------------------------10---------
E---5-7-8--------------------------------------------------8-7-5--
 
#8 ·
Here's an A Phrygian Dominant lick based on the Shawn Lane trick of picking one note, then hammering two on adjacent strings. Only pick the first note of each three-note grouping and hammer everything else.

e---5-------------------------------
b-----6---5------------------------
G-------7---6---6------------------
D-------------7---7---7------------
A-------------------8---8-------------
E-------------------------9--5------------

It also sounds cool if you play the same pattern ascending with a down-down-pluck motion, using the pick and your middle finger.:)
 
#10 ·
Here's a concept I've been messing around with a lot recently...

Basically, when you play a three-note-per-string scale, there'll usually end up being a position shift of some sort due to the tuning of the guitar. My idea is to incorporate a chromatic note at this point, and stay in position.

For example, if we add a passing b6 to a regular A major scale, we get...

e-----------------------------------5-7-9---
b----------------------------6-7-9-----------
G---------------------6-7-9-----------------
D---------------6-7-9-----------------------
A---------5-7-9-----------------------------
E---5-7-9------------------------------------

This is a totally non-academic approach compared to how bebop players construct licks like this, but I've come up with some really cool fusion-sounding runs this way.

Here're a few more...

A Aeolian with a passing major 7.

e-----------------------------------5-7-8---
b----------------------------6-8-9-----------
G---------------------5-7-9-----------------
D---------------5-7-9-----------------------
A---------5-7-8-----------------------------
E---5-7-8------------------------------------

A Dorian with a passing b5.

e-----------------------------------5-7-8---
b----------------------------5-7-8-----------
G---------------------5-7-8-----------------
D---------------5-7-9-----------------------
A---------5-7-9-----------------------------
E---5-7-8------------------------------------

A Melodic Minor with a passing b6

e-----------------------------------5-7-8---
b----------------------------6-7-9-----------
G---------------------5-7-9-----------------
D---------------6-7-9-----------------------
A---------5-7-9-----------------------------
E---5-7-8------------------------------------

A Mixolydian with a passing maj7.

e-----------------------------------5-7-9---
b----------------------------7-8-9---------
G---------------------6-7-9-----------------
D---------------5-7-9-----------------------
A---------5-7-9-----------------------------
E---5-7-9------------------------------------

A Harmonic Minor with a passing b5.

e-----------------------------------5-7-8---
b----------------------------5-6-9-----------
G---------------------5-7-8-----------------
D---------------6-7-9-----------------------
A---------5-7-8-----------------------------
E---5-7-8------------------------------------
 
#11 ·
Gathered this riff from The Human Abstract..more Classical. Nice workout though.
D|-19-17-15-----------------------------------------------------
A|---------------------18-16-14---------------------------------
F|-----------17-15-13---------------------17-15-13-------------
C|-------------------------------16-14-12-----------------------
G|---------------------------------------------------15-13-11---
C|---------------------------------------------------------------
 
#12 ·
Another approach to chromatics here. This time it's four-notes per-string, and taking advantage of the fact that bebop scales have eight notes, so you can move a fingering pattern across the neck in octaves.

Here's a G Dominant Bebop (R 2 3 4 5 6 b7 7) scale...

e--------------------------------------------------10-12-13--
b---------------------------------------8-10-12-13-----------
G-----------------------------7-9-10-11----------------------
D--------------------5-7-9-10--------------------------------
A------------5-7-8-9-----------------------------------------
E----3-5-7-8--------------------------------------------------

A few pointers...

1) For this particular scale, I prefer to slide with my index finger between the first and second note of each eight-note grouping, as I find I can get the tone a lot more even that way. This probably won't be an issue for those with enormous hands however.

2) These sorts of scales generally sound better played straight up or down rather than broken up into sequences.

3) A common approach in bebop is to ascend with an arpeggio, then descend with a bebop scale, so it'd be quite easy and effective to combind this approach with your regular sweeping licks...
 
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#13 ·
Here's a new trick I've been messing with today...

Basically the idea is to use the regular diatonic 3-note-per-string style, but move across the neck in fifths rather than across the strings in fourths, like so...

(Amin)

e-----------------------------------------15-17-19---
b--------------------------------13-15-17------------
D-----------------------10-12-14---------------------
G---------------9-10-12-------------------------------
A--------7-8-10---------------------------------------
E--5-7-8----------------------------------------------
 
#14 · (Edited)
I've been fooling around with this...it's got a couple slurs at the end of each section, but as long as you're getting the pattern STARTED at the right spot, you should be okay.

The thing with this run is that the last 2 notes of every 3 string pattern are basically double speed, and slurred/skipped/slopped as fast as possible to start the next run on the right beat. essentially cramming 2 notes into the space that one note would normally occupy, but ONLY the last 2 noted of each bar.

e |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
b |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
D |--------------------------------|----------------8-9-11-9-8------|
G |----------------7-9-10-9-7------|---------7-9-10------------10-9-|
A |--------7-9-10-------------10-9-|-7-9-10-------------------------|
E |-7-8-11-------------------------|--------------------------------|

e |-----------------------------------|-------------------8-11-12---|
b |-----------------8-10-12-10-8------|---------8-10-12-------------|
D |---------8-9-11---------------11-9-|-8-9-11----------------------|
G |-7-9-10----------------------------|-----------------------------|
A |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------|
E |-----------------------------------|---------------------------0-|

It's a triplet style ubershred run, but it's pretty simple. If you're having trouble figuring out what the fuck I'm talking about, just ignore the last note of every bar, except the last bar.
 
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