Kerry's R&B Guitar Licks Vol. 1

Becoming a great R&B/neo-soul guitarist is more about emotion and feel than repeating a lick verbatim.

Think of these as concepts rather than simple phrases to copy – for each one, you’ll learn the broader context of where and how to use it.

Difficulty: 2/10

This song features:

• The “sing-song likeability” concept
• Licks crafted from the A minor pentatonic scale
• The chordal walk-down concept heard in gospel quartet

Lesson

Inject lots of feeling into these next licks and enjoy yourself!

1. Minor 7 R&B concept

Let's get started with a simple R&B concept. Use this lick over a Dm7 chord.

2. The "sing-song likability" concept

Think in terms of playing like a singer or having a "sing-song likability" when you play any of these licks.

"Sing-song" licks 3 & 4

Lick 3. Here's another "sing-song" lick.

Lick 4. This lick builds on the previous one.

5. Am pentatonic concept

This is a great A minor pentatonic lick to add to your bag.

6. Ascending minor 7 "sauce lick"

This classic R&B lick is definitely a must-know.

7. Quartet chordal walk down

This lick pulls from gospel quartet music.

8. Gospel chord

This lick is from an old gospel song.

9. Blues R&B lick

Another great R&B lick with some bluesy twang to it.

10. Slide up lick

Hone those slides!

Your turn

Now it's your turn to shine! Adapt these licks to the groove played by the Pickup Music neo-soul backing band.

• Once you’re done here, you can learn another song or send us a video of yourself playing for personalized feedback on your playing.
• You’ll need to complete at least two performance pieces and pass the final quiz to move on to the next grade.