Blues Licks

Eric Clapton is a modern but legendary guitarist with a knack for great blues hooks. While he may have gotten his big name fame with the release of his popular solo album Slowhand; true fans will remember him as the guitarist from the likes of The Yardbirds, Cream, and John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers.

This little C blues lick is classic Clapton blues shuffle. I emphasize shuffle because it is definitely the key to this lick. For a good example of this lick in use, check out Clapton’s solo in his Freddie King cover of “I’m Tore Down.”

B.B. was, well, the King when it came to the blues. It only takes about 30 seconds of the classic “The Thrill is Gone” to put to rest any doubts you may have had. This classic slow blues is originally in B minor, but I thought I’d show you a lick in that style in A minor instead. The lick is best served over a IV chord (the Dm in an A blues progression).

It starts with a root note before riding up in a chromatic fashion in the second bar. Be sure to play it nice and smooth with a straight feel, no swing here.

Today’s lick is one of Otis’ favorite. In fact, I doubt I’ve ever heard one of his tunes that didn’t at some point feature this little dity somewhere in it. It has a unique whip-saw feel to it, and sounds very ragged. Classic Otis.

The lick is in A blues, and works best over the I chord, or root chord. It has a lot of bending in it, and they are located a little bit away from the base of the lick, so if your hand strength isn’t up to snuff, this lick will call you out.