Having a few easy jazz guitar licks up your sleeve is super helpful when you’re improvising. Guitar teacher Samuel B. shares a few of his favorite licks…
Every guitarist, no matter your level, should learn guitar licks. Licks are short phrases or series of notes that are used in various contexts. Knowing these will help you improve your rhythm, have better phrasing, and make stronger melodies.
I’ve heard jazz called “the American classical music,” and here’s why I agree: its chord structures are more complex than those in blues, rock, and country. Sixth, ninth, eleventh, augmented, and diminished chords are all common to it. Solo licks feature a level of intricacy comparable to that of their chord counterparts, allowing you to be a unique musician. So, let’s get down to it!
5 Easy Jazz Guitar Licks
Today, we’re going to talk about the top 5 best jazz guitar licks to help you take your abilities up a notch.
Before we begin playing these guitar licks, it’s a good idea to look at the pentatonic scale.
The pentatonic scale is more versatile and valuable than you might think. While it’s easily recognized for blues, rock, and country solos, it can be (and frequently is) a scale used for jazz solos, too. Adding a few accidentals (notes other than the baseline ones indicated below) can make for some memorable moments in jazz guitar licks.
Get ready to learn jazz guitar licks, each in less than a few minutes!
Lick One
The first lick covers the segment between the fifth through eighth frets. Notes 2, 5, and 12 are the only ones foreign to the scale itself:
Lick Two
The next one is grounded in the second-through-fifth-fret territory. It features three open-string notes and only one otherwise “outsider” (the note that’s both ninth and twelfth):
Lick Three
Lick three is a different animal entirely. It’s plucked with an open hand (not a pick) and is based on notes comprising a moving triad. As indicated, the first, fourth, seventh, and tenth notes are pairs (not single notes) and you play them simultaneously with the thumb and index finger. Play the remaining ones with an index-and-middle-finger alternation:
Lick Four
Like the first two, the fourth and fifth jazz guitar licks are based once again on pentatonic segments (the highest and the lowest ones, respectively). This one is sure to step up your guitar-playing skills!
Lick Five
While the fourth lick involves four accidentals (the second, fifth, ninth, and eleventh notes to be exact), this fifth lick is comprised entirely of notes that are pentatonic:
For more, check out this video for a jazz guitar licks lesson:
Have Fun Learning Jazz Guitar Licks!
As seen above, these licks are intricate and unique creations that can make any jazz guitar solo an instant hit. Learning the pentatonic scale on the guitar is essential for jazz guitar licks, and once you do, you can also apply it to other genres.
Be creative, have fun, and if you’re looking for further practice with your jazz guitar, ask your guitar teacher to help you out with some new moves and grooves!
Post Author: Samuel B.Samuel B. teaches beginner guitar lessons in Austin, TX. He teaches lessons face-to-face without sheet music, which is his adaptation of Japanese instruction (involving a call-and-response method). Learn more about Samuel here!
Photo by Larry Johnson
Madalyn Danielson