The final bit works around the 9th, another popular dominant extension, before landing on a classic minor 3rd. This lick doesn’t even touch a major 3rd, its minor pentatonic/blues to the core! That slightly unusual for Clapton, who loves to add those major flourishes.

If you’ve ever heard the intro to the SRV tune Pride and Joy (you’re at a blues lick site, so that question should be a little redundant…) you’ll likely remember the awesome turnaround lick Stevie played right before the first verse. If you need a reminder, just check out the blues licks love at Last.fm.

Remember that these sort of licks are blues shuffles, so each eighth note should be heavily swung. This is also one of those blues licks that should be repeatedly played until you have the feel, there are no real good tips for playing it.

Pretty much every guitarist knows about and appreciates Stevie’s work on guitar. He was a genuine guitar god with real soul. His solo in Mary Had a Little Lamb, originally by Buddy guy, shows his wonderful prowess on guitar.

The great thing about SRV was that he used unique, groovy, and sometimes funky flavors in his licks. A lot of blues is composed of single note lines, but this lick features a high E drone and a moving melody line that was just killer. Check out the solo in the actual song to get a feel for the lick.