On one hand, I’ve got a great lick for you today if you’re a blues/rock kind of player.

On the other hand, if you change this from straight feel and fast to swing feel and slower, you could use it over a more traditional feel as well.

But mostly, this is about how to look at a lick with a lot of notes in it so that you can remember it better.

And once you have it memorized, you can practice it and get it under your fingers faster and faster.

Because remember this – if you don’t have something like this memorized, you’re reading it, not practicing it.

Downloads – MP4 | WMV

And here’s the TAB for it:JoeBGoingDownLick

Will it be easy? Probably not…

Will it sound cool when you can do it? Yes it will!!

Oh yes, and here’s a link to the Pentatonic Scale And Technique Mastery course I mentioned in the video.


    20 replies to "How To Learn Fast Blues/Rock Licks"

    • I’ve got to say Griff.
      I have learned everything I know from you with many of your courses.
      Is the a better teacher than you I don’t think so not online in this format.
      But this to me is just a jumble of notes and is not musical and has no feeling in rock or blues and in my opinion any kind of music.
      Now playing fast and load as no feeling it sounds awful I know I used to do it there’s no space even if your in time.
      And the best music as space and feel.
      Rythum,melody and harmony makes a song.
      Must be why I don’t have any joe bonnamassa CDs
      If you want fast with feel try Gary Moore now there’s a player

    • Ian Robins

      Great lesson, Griff. Been wanting to get into this side of things for a while. It’s a little difficult when you don’t use a pick. I will need to practice those pull-offs a lot!

    • Dr. Kingman

      I am not a fan of the Joe B style…dos not sound lyrical to me..I prefer your slow blues anyway.
      Besides my old fingers and brain do not compute with the fast stuff…
      You are the man!

    • Tom Ward

      The close-up of your picking hand in this video revealed to me as words have not so far how to lower the hand toward the floor slanting the contact of the pick on the strings to speed up alternate picking as you so aptly demonstrated. Your lessons are always enthusiastically received here.

      • PAUL

        like a roller coaster lick picking. :-)already have it playing in my head. very commercial. good one Griff. thanks.

    • Chris W

      Griff, Your ideas of using the scales and shapes against individual notes were very good. However I did not latch on to a good sounding solo there. The playing of pure fast scales is very much in Steve Vi style which does nothing for me. Chris

    • Michael Chappell

      Hey Griff,
      As usual, great lesson and sure amplifies that learning the Pentatonic Scales and Box 1 & 2 will pay off in the long run… I practice all 5 Boxes as a warm up in Am every time.. just need to practice more in other Keys.

      Thanks
      Michael-Sydney-Australia August 2016.

    • Raul

      Thanks. This is cool to see what has to be done on fast licks. Great stuff.

    • Butch Hanslip

      Your a great teacher and I love your Blue Burst flame Gibson shown but my fingers just can’t play that fast. I cut my left arm nearly off when I was 16 and my fingers just can’t play fast. I’m 63 now and while my right fingers can move quick, I am right handed. I want to learn blues, but it has to be slow blues. One of my favorite blues artist is Gregor Hildon. I love those slow great blues songs.

    • BB

      Its great video and sounds good . Since you have shown in broken pieces it becomes interesting to practice . Great Griff has done things easier for us . Thankyou.
      I have a little doubt how good it will be while playing on Acoustic Guitar. Your videos are played mostly with electric one . Please add some hints for players like me i.e. acoustic only .I love your daily feed of video to keep us satisfied. So A Big Thanks .

    • John Christiano, M.D.

      “I am not worthy!”

    • Kevin Rogers

      Brilliant loved it thanks again

    • Michael Mason

      Practical wisdom. Thanks.

    • Jack Donoghue

      Hi, Griff.

      Thanks VERY much for this lesson. I can’t execute yet, but I DO know WHAT to execute and HOW to execute.

    • Bob L.

      Getting a little bit better every day!
      Thanks to you Griff.

    • Babette

      Yes! Thanks Griff. Now show us how to get our fingers to play FAST!! Please, please, please?!

    • Tom

      Griff, I really appreciate your daily videos!

      This one was a lot of fun to play with!

      As you mentioned, this lick opens the doors to a lot of possibilities and variations.

      YMMV, but what works great for me playing this lick is to bar the first four strings descending, then, keep keepini keeping a half bar, shift up to box two when arriving at the tonic note on the fourth string, and play the rest of the lick in box two.

    • Bob Smith

      Hi Griff, Hey! it works! and has helped my left hand right hand coordination, thanks. Which strings are you using on the Gibson in the video please?

    • tony

      I am sure that this is a minor scale since You said box one right. Box two would be a major scale . Its brief at that point the way back would be to go back to a minor scale. Since it is a D minor would it right to assume this would a 1 4 5 should be it is the blues. I assume it would break down as D G A . I dont play blazin fast but willing to try ,this seems not so hard to do . sort of stacking the notes is how I see it. 🙂

    • Graham Hutcheson

      Great video Griff.Breaking it down makes it so much easier.If there is a better guitar tutor on the Planet I have yet to meet him.
      Many thanks.

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