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GMC Forum _ THEORY _ Challenge Lick Thread

Posted by: Matt Warnock Guitar Jan 12 2013, 10:22 AM

To try something new and fun in the forum, I'm going to post a lick each week that's a "Challenge Lick" for everyone to check out and learn.

If you learn it, post a recording of yourself jamming with the lick, audio or video, for everyone to check out.

So a fun challenge to learn the lick, and we'll get to hear how everyone is taking the lick in a different direction when applying it to their playing.

Here's the first lick, a slippery Am7 pent lick, have fun with it and post your results, be interesting to see where everyone goes with this lick in their solos!

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 12 2013, 10:59 AM

This is cool! I am curious to see how everyone interprets this lick in their own manner!

Posted by: Matt Warnock Guitar Jan 12 2013, 11:01 AM

For sure, hopefully we'll get different genres as well, Country, Rock, Blues, Funk, Jazz etc. Go for it everyone!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jan 13 2013, 02:36 AM

Great idea Matt!! Where is everybody's takes??

Posted by: klasaine Jan 13 2013, 06:55 AM

It's a cool lick/line. I hear that inside/outside technique referred to as side slipping sometimes(?). I just call call it 'inside/outside .
I'll play chromatically off a minor penta like that a lot. But more off the 1/b2 instead of Matt's 5/b6.
It made me re-think some stuff so besides soloing with the idea, I made a little 4 bar repetitive melody that incorporates the idea.
I used the 1/2 step movement idea as a main thematic idea throughout the solo. Ascending and descending as well as playing in and out of A mp and Bb mp
https://soundcloud.com/klasaine/slip-note-lines

*The DR000035 mp3 attachment below is the same the soundcloud above.

Posted by: ConnorGilks Jan 13 2013, 08:03 AM

Great lick man!! I modified it a bit and created my own variation of it that I really like. Your lick is really neat, that side-stepping concept is extremely helpful when first getting into "outside" sounds.

Posted by: Matt Warnock Guitar Jan 13 2013, 10:14 AM

QUOTE (klasaine @ Jan 13 2013, 05:55 AM)

It's a cool lick/line. I hear that inside/outside technique referred to as side slipping sometimes(?). I just call call it 'inside/outside

.
I'll play chromatically off a minor penta like that a lot. But more off the 1/b2 instead of Matt's 5/b6.
It made me re-think some stuff so besides soloing with the idea, I made a little 4 bar repetitive melody that incorporates the idea.
I used the 1/2 step movement idea as a main thematic idea throughout the solo. Ascending and descending as well as playing in and out of A mp and Bb mp
https://soundcloud.com/klasaine/slip-note-lines

*The DR000035 mp3 attachment below is the same the soundcloud above.

Nice one mate! Yeah that technique is called "side-stepping." Basically the technique is that you can move up or or down between two keys a 1/2 step apart in your lines/solos.

So over Am you could solo on Am, Bbm and Abm, as long as you resolve back to Am to end your phrase.

Loved it!

Posted by: derper Jan 16 2013, 02:58 AM

I first learned this "side step" move while conversing with a friend about this keys solo (at 25m 39s)

And my buddy says, "you know what he did, right? Just move a half step up/down and bust a chromatic lick, then resolve in the original key". Bam. Life-changed forever.

Posted by: klasaine Jan 16 2013, 05:36 AM

@derper ... dig your video game band. 'Contra' kicks a$$!

Posted by: Matt Warnock Guitar Jan 16 2013, 07:55 AM

For sure. It is a simple technique but it provides big results. Just need to make sure to resolve it at the right moment or it can end up sounding like a mistake rather than a cool lick.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 16 2013, 08:31 AM

I also talked about this idea last year in one of the video chat sessions - it's weird enough to cause a bit of 'brain wake up' to the listener! Gotta love it

Posted by: Matt Warnock Guitar Jan 23 2013, 06:23 PM

Hey Everyone

Here's another challenge lick for this week. It's a fusion sounding, slippery C7 line so give it a go and share your recordings, audio/video. for all to check out. Have fun!

Posted by: klasaine Jan 23 2013, 09:03 PM

Is it 'legal' to do it in Bb?

Posted by: Matt Warnock Guitar Jan 23 2013, 09:03 PM

Any key or tempo is totally legal!

Posted by: klasaine Jan 25 2013, 09:30 PM

So here's my contribution to 'Challenge Lick # 2'.

I did it in Bb and over jazz blues progression.
I use it two times. The first time getting to the IV chord in measures 3 and 4 and then again in measures 7 and 8 an octave lower (In measures 7 and 8 I also change the last three notes in order to get me to a Cm7 chord).

Posted by: The Professor Jan 25 2013, 10:40 PM

Sounds great man! Like how you used it in more than one place in the solo, very hip!

Posted by: klasaine Jan 26 2013, 12:02 AM

It's a very hip lick and definitely now added to the arsenal. Thank you!
When I first played through it I instantly heard it as a dominant resolving. So, because I'm lazy, I'll always find at least three chords that any given lick can work over (again relating to that Jim Hall quote).

Posted by: The Professor Jan 26 2013, 03:33 PM

For sure. Whenever I learn a 7th chord lick, say over C7, I always try it out over C7, Gm7 and F#7 right away to see how it fits on those three chords, then take it from there.

I had a teacher give me a cool exercise once where I took one lick, like this one, and then practiced resolving it to all 12 keys.

So C7-Fmaj7, C7-Gbmaj7, C7-Gmaj7 etc just to see how I could fit it into unconventional places. Very fun workout.

Posted by: klasaine Jan 26 2013, 05:02 PM

QUOTE (The Professor @ Jan 26 2013, 02:33 PM)

I had a teacher give me a cool exercise once where I took one lick, like this one, and then practiced resolving it to all 12 keys.

An older and more experienced player once said to me, "if you know where you're going chances are you'll get there"

Posted by: The Professor Feb 2 2013, 02:45 PM

Here is a new Challenge Lick for you. This one digging into a Melodic Minor Scale over Am. If you learn it, post your audio/video in this thread for us to check out. Good luck!

Posted by: MGranada Feb 3 2013, 01:38 PM

Hi
My recording of Matt's lick

https://soundcloud.com/mgranada/matts-lick-02-02-2013

Posted by: The Professor Feb 3 2013, 01:41 PM

Nice one mate! Thanks for sharing.

Posted by: clamps Feb 4 2013, 07:15 AM

QUOTE (The Professor @ Feb 2 2013, 01:45 PM)

Here is a new Challenge Lick for you. This one digging into a Melodic Minor Scale over Am. If you learn it, post your audio/video in this thread for us to check out. Good luck!

I am presenting my version using the challenge lick. I also wrote two of my own licks, and improvise on them as well.

https://soundcloud.com/tomas-bouda/a-melodic-minor-track4

here's another take. I think the licks are a lot more clearly presented in this one..
https://soundcloud.com/tomas-bouda/a-melodic-minor-track3

Posted by: The Professor Feb 4 2013, 09:24 AM

Very cool man, some nice variations in there!

Posted by: The Professor Feb 9 2013, 02:23 PM

Hey everyone!

Here is this week's challenge lick. I wrote it over an Am chord, using some Dorian sounds. Check it out and post your audio/video results.

Posted by: klasaine Feb 11 2013, 08:09 PM

Alright, for this one Dorian is taking a ride on the Mystery Train.

DR000056.mp3 ( 409.04K ) : 94

I re-aligned the phrase to fit my chord pattern (A to D7 - I hope that's OK?). And I also realize I didn't get the 1/16 tied to the first 1/8 note triplet. I doubled the A (after listing to it a bit I like your written way with the tied note better - mine's a little too deliberate). I also wasn't clear on the bend at the end of the phrase. I bent a final A up and released.

Posted by: The Professor Feb 12 2013, 01:08 AM

Nice man, yeah totally rearrange it. That's the best part of learning a lick. Getting it down, then taking it to a new situation to make it your own. nice work!