Miniseries #007, Scruggs Licks Revisited II

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Miniseries #007, Scruggs Licks Revisited II

Hi Everybody,

Lets start out with the 4th String Position G chord to form our first licks as in this video. This lick is a very common Scruggs style lick, and is heard often in the Bluegrass Banjo. I'd like to mention as well, that this Lick is moveable...........pick any of the twelve major chords to play this lick in this 4th String Position.

We can also relate this lick to the Relative Minor series I did previously. In this video you can see that when we raise our ring finger to the 5th fret, on the second string, we are getting the relative chord of Eminor, that being the relative chord to G major. This is a common move, and its relationship can go along way in your backup and in your soloing as well. There are many ways to visualize the banjos fretboard, and seeing the relative minor within this lick is one way to approach some aspects of improvisation.

In the tablature associated with this video, you can see some roll patterns that can be used after this lick. It is a classic Scruggs style sounding lick. I'd like to make mention that.............always keep in mind that you can expand on , or change up any lick to make it different. Even the slightest change in noting, or timing, can change the way a lick will sound.... dramatically.

David