# The Modern Legato Licks thread.



## distressed_romeo (Sep 20, 2008)

Post up your craziest legato licks! 313s, 4 notes per string, hybrid-legato, eight finger, hammer-ons-from-nowhere, travelling in octaves...

Here's a crazy-sounding TJ Helmerich-inspired eight-finger lick I just came up with...

e----------------------t12-t13-t15-t13-t12--8--5-------------------
b----5--8--t12-t13-t15---------------------------t15-t13-t12--8---
G-------------------------------------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------------
B--------------------------------------------------------------------

e----------------------t12-t13-t15-t13-t12--9--6-------------------
b----6--9--t12-t13-t15---------------------------t15-t13-t12--9---
G-------------------------------------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------------
B--------------------------------------------------------------------

Loop it at high speeds and it sounds nuts...


Fire away!!!


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## Maniacal (Sep 21, 2008)

Liking the look of this thread. 

I think I will pick up my guitar for the first time in 2 weeks and write some lines.


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## Unknown Doodl3.2 (Sep 22, 2008)

I dunno how I could get it to work in a song, but I was noodling on this last week. its played over B. Its sorta Chris Broderick inspired in the sence that the right hand has to be over the fretboard (it's all tapped!). (f = fret hand tap, p = pick hand tap)


```
p p  p  f  f  f    p  p  p   p
e------------------12/15-------
b--------------------------------
g----------7-11-12-------15~~-
d--------9-----------------------
a------9-------------------------
e-7-10--------------------------
B-------------------------------
```

here's another variation (add 9)


```
p p p  p  f  f  f  f  p  p  p   p
e-----------------------12/15-------
b--------------------------------
g---------------7-11-12-------15~~-
d----------9-11----------------------
a--------9-------------------------
e-7-9-10--------------------------
B-------------------------------
```


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## -Nolly- (Sep 23, 2008)

Pretty nuts licks!

I finally tabbed out Martin Goulding's solo on The Safety Fire's _Groove in A_ the other day, with drums and backing etc. I was playing it pretty wrong in my video. Anyway, it's built up around 3 very cool tapping licks, of varying difficulty. I've uploaded it (as a GP4 for those not with the times) here: 

http://www.mediafire.com/?kd5ytuwzj2d

Also, this quite a tricky, but pleasant sounding tapped arpeggio. It's in Drop D:







Up to you whether you slide between the top two notes, or tap both (with your middle and ring fingers).


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## Maniacal (Sep 23, 2008)

I wont bore you with the theory. I play this over Fm (2 bars) Gm (1 bar) and A7 (last bar)
Its all 16th note triplets and it took me ages to learn. I should also mention, no notes are tapped and pick only the first notes of strings when you ascend.

E||-------------------------------------------------------|
B||--------------------------------------------------5-11-8-|
G||------------------5-11-8-5----8-5----------------------|
D||----5-8-10-5-9-11----------11-----11-5-9-5-8-11--------|
A||-------------------------------------------------------|
E||-------------------------------------------------------|



---------------4-7---------------------7-10------------|
-----------5-6-----8-4---8-4-----4-7-8------11-7----11-|
--11-8-5-8-------------7-----6-5-----------------10----|
-------------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------------|



----14-10-7-6-----------------------------13~-------|
--7---------------------15-9-5-16-12-9-10-----------|
--------------14-10-7-6-----------------------------|
----------------------------------------------------|
----------------------------------------------------|
----------------------------------------------------|



--17-----18----15-14--------------------------------|---||
---------------------18-16-15-18-16-15--------------|---||
---------------------------------------17-16-19~----|---||
----------------------------------------------------|---||
----------------------------------------------------|---||
----------------------------------------------------|---||


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## CrushingAnvil (Sep 25, 2008)

*Takes Deep breath* 

Here's a minor 2nd diminished kind of thing I like to use:

|E|-------------------------------------------------------------10^-11-13
|B|----------------------------------------------------9-1h0-12h---------
|G|-----------------------------------------7^-8h-10h-------------------
|D|--------------------------------6-7h-9h------------------------------
|A|---------------------5^-6h-8h----------------------------------------
|E|------------4-5h-7h--------------------------------------------------
|B|--3^-4h-6h-----------------------------------------------------------


Key: H = hammer-on
^ = down-stroke (dont argue with me)

shit I forgot. ya know, couldn't be bothered tabbing it out for different ways of playing it so just obviously use whatever you please.


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## distressed_romeo (Sep 25, 2008)

Here's a stretchy A Minor Pentatonic run that incorporates some hybrid picking to make it sound a bit fresher.

e-------------------------------------------------------------------(10)------------------
b-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G-------------------------(7)----------------------7-9-12-9-7-9-12------12-9-7-9-12-14--
D------------------------------------------7-9-10-----------------------------------------
A--------5-7-10-7-5-7-10----10-7-5-7-10-------------------------------------------------
E--5-7-8----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pluck the bracketed notes with your 'm' finger and slur everything else.


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## distressed_romeo (Sep 25, 2008)

This thread delivers by the way!


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## Trespass (Sep 28, 2008)

> |E|----------------------------------------------------------------------
> |B|--------------------------------------------------------5-8-12-15-17--
> |G|-----------------------------------------------5-7-12-14--------------
> |D|------------------------------------5-7-12-14-------------------------
> ...



Basically, left hand ghost hammers the left pentatonic box, the right hand continues the hammer onto the left. This can be synced up to tap and pentatonic boxes in intervals you want. I harmonise to the fourth, fifth, and nineth depending on the sound I want. 

I love the sound of large legato intervals, phrased as if the notes were clustered together. I do the same with my exotic pentatonic scales, using more than 2nps with a wide interval sounds awkward (like your legato string skipping... but its not right/or the sound Greg Howe gets when he does the real thing)


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## Unknown Doodl3.2 (Sep 28, 2008)

```
|---------9-------------||---------9-------------|        
----------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6(15)8(15)10(15)-
----------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6(15)8(15)10(15)---------8(15)6(15)----------------------------6(15)8(15)10(15)------------------------------------
----------------|-----------------------------------6(15)8(15)10(15)8(15)6(15)---------------------------------6(15)8(15)10(15)------------------------------------10(15)8(15)6(15)8(15)10(15)-----------------------------------------------------
----------------|------------------6(15)8(15)10(15)---------------------------10(15)8(15)-----6(15)8(15)10(15)-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6(15)8(15)8(15)-|--6(15)8(15)8(15)-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
```



I stole this lick from Dan Mongrain of Martyr. Just bar the 15th fret harmonice with the pick hand and legato your way through the rest of the notes. It sounds fucking awesome. It's all 32nd notes including the two groups of 9 I showed. The first pause is a dotted quarter note long, the second is a dotted eight and the third is a half note + sixteenth. The lick is in 5/4 and Original tempo is 190


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## distressed_romeo (Sep 28, 2008)

Unknown Doodl3.2 said:


> ```
> |---------9-------------||---------9-------------|
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6(15)8(15)10(15)-
> ...



Nice! Very Ron Thal-ish.


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## Unknown Doodl3.2 (Sep 28, 2008)

^ I know! It sounds really cool  It's the song "Retry Abort Ignore" by Martyr if you want to check it out. That's only an excerpt of the solo, the whole thing is umm... weird but highly effective to say the least!


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## distressed_romeo (Oct 3, 2008)

Here are two tapping things I've been dicking around with this evening...

The first one's meant to be a Thordendal-ish interpretation of Steve Vai's 'Building the Church' tapping lick. Just bear in mind that the right hand repeats in three groups of four note, and the left in four groups of three, and it'll seem quite logical.






The next one requires your left hand to jump back and forth across your right. I'm pretty sure there's an easier way to play this, but it looks really fucking cool this way.


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## -Nolly- (Oct 3, 2008)

Unknown Doodl3.2 said:


> ```
> |---------9-------------||---------9-------------|
> ----------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6(15)8(15)10(15)-
> ...



That's a really neat trick, I'll be using that a lot I think! Very cool on the recording as well, fair play to you for taking the time to transcribe it properly!



distressed_romeo said:


> The next one requires your left hand to jump back and forth across your right. I'm pretty sure there's an easier way to play this, but it looks really fucking cool this way.



Cool lick, I used to mess around with hand swapping licks, will probably try to develop a few now you've jogged my memory hehe.


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## TonalArchitect (Oct 24, 2008)

Here's some sliding ones I made

e------------15/19-24\20-19-------------------------
B------------------------------------------------------
G---16/17----------------------17\16---------------
D-----------------------------------------17\14-------
A-------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------
(Fingering)
-----3/3----1/1-----4\4---3---2\2------4\4

e--19/20-19\15-13\10-8\10-13\12----------------------
B----------------------------------------13\10-8\6-5\3-1-
G-----------------------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------------------
A------------------------------------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------------
(Fingering)
----4/4----3\3---2\2----1/1----3\3---4\4----3\3-2\2--1

Use hammers and pulls where things aren't slided (or pick if you want).


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## Unknown Doodl3.2 (Nov 9, 2008)

*bump* for an awesome thread. DR, I've been working on your 3 in 4 tapping lick and its pretty kickass! good practice for hand independence also


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## JoryGriffin (Nov 9, 2008)

-Nolly- said:


> Pretty nuts licks!


=


-Nolly- said:


> Pretty licks nuts!



i lol'd. I also like the look of this thread. I can see just how bad I am compared to you people


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## Unknown Doodl3.2 (Apr 12, 2009)

I'm bumping this thread with a cool Dave Martone hybrid picked legato lick


```
|---------------------------------------------------------------------(17)
|---------------------------------------------------(17)---------13-17----
|---------------------------------(17)---------14-17----17-14-17----------
|---------------(19)---------14-17----17-14-17-----------------------------
|----------15-19----19-15-19------------------------------------------------
|-17-15-17------------------------------------------------------------------
   ^       ^        ^        ^        ^        ^        ^        ^

^ = picked notes
() = picked w/ mid finger
```

Dave Martone =


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## distressed_romeo (Apr 12, 2009)

Not really a lick, but here's a fingering for an A Minor Bebop scale that lends itself beautifully to legato phrasing! 

e----------------------------------------------------------12-14-15-16-17
b---------------------------------------------10-12-13-15----------------
G---------------------------------9-11-12-13-----------------------------
D-----------------------7-9-10-12----------------------------------------
A------------7-9-10-11---------------------------------------------------
E---5-7-8-10-------------------------------------------------------------

To finish, you can tap the high A at the seventeenth fret or slide up to it with your pinky.


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## Excalibur (Apr 12, 2009)

Is it cool if I upload it in GP format?


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## distressed_romeo (Apr 12, 2009)

Excalibur said:


> Is it cool if I upload it in GP format?



Sure.


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## Excalibur (Apr 12, 2009)

distressed_romeo said:


> Sure.


Do you have version 5.2 ?


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## Scar Symmetry (Apr 12, 2009)

a neat sweep/legato trick I wrote in D major

E -----------10-14-21t-22t-21t--------------------------------------
B --------10--------------------14-22t-14-10------------------------
G ----11--------------------------------------14-11-14-23t----------
D -12----------------------------------------------------------------
A -------------------------------------------------------------------
D -------------------------------------------------------------------

get it up to 16ths in about 180 bpm and it sounds sweet


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## ShadyDavey (Apr 12, 2009)

Unknown Doodl3.2 said:


> I'm bumping this thread with a cool Dave Martone hybrid picked legato lick
> 
> 
> ```
> ...



Greg Howe (amongst a few others ^^) uses that same barre approach in a lot of his legato licks rather than playing them in a more linear fashion - try skipping over a string while barring, or barring with other fingers to really come up with some cool stuff


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## vontetzianos (Apr 13, 2009)

Here's a legato, string skipping and tapping lick rolled into one.


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## ShadyDavey (Apr 13, 2009)

Nice 

For more of that kind of deal, just go steal Derryl Gabel licks - there's loads on the 'net to keep people busy.


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## vontetzianos (Apr 13, 2009)

ShadyDavey said:


> Nice
> 
> For more of that kind of deal, just go steal Derryl Gabel licks - there's loads on the 'net to keep people busy.


 
That one actually is a derryl gabel lick. I tried to find a really difficult one and his seemed to be damn near impossible.


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## Excalibur (Apr 13, 2009)

The lick I've made is mega difficult, you'll have to be up on your Holdsworth or Garsed to play it


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## ShadyDavey (Apr 13, 2009)

vontetzianos said:


> That one actually is a derryl gabel lick. I tried to find a really difficult one and his seemed to be damn near impossible.



He's got an awful lot of chops. If you see any of his vids on Youtube there's a host of ideas to steal but he really is the epitome of smooth legato - you just don't hear how many notes he's actually playing because its so flowing and there's some advanced theoretical approaches contained within each lick.


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## vontetzianos (Apr 13, 2009)

ShadyDavey said:


> He's got an awful lot of chops. If you see any of his vids on Youtube there's a host of ideas to steal but he really is the epitome of smooth legato - you just don't hear how many notes he's actually playing because its so flowing and there's some advanced theoretical approaches contained within each lick.


 
Everytime I see that guy play some of the most challenging legatos I've ever seen, he's smiling away likes its a walk in the park. I guess he's devoted quite a bit of time to it, and that's pretty much the only way to get it down well.


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## shaun_ng (Apr 30, 2009)

Here's one that combines legato, tapping and tap-sliding (whatever you guys call it hehe)

t t t t
E --12p7p4p0h4h7--11s12s11p7p4p0h4h7--11s12s11p7p4p0h4h7--12s11--

Basically it's just a EMaj7 (E, G#, B, F) arpeggio played over one string. You tap at the 12th fret (as noted above and slide using your tapping finger). I might record a video of this some time in the future. 

Best when used on the high E string (1st from bottom) and B string (2nd from bottom) and played over a E Major Add 9 or E Major 7. I think if you play it over Asus2 it will give you quite a lydian-ish sound.

Let me know how it worked for you! Cheers!


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## ShadyDavey (Apr 30, 2009)

There are a couple of Derek Taylor .pdf's floating around and I would hugely recommend Derry Gabel's work. I shall review those two next in the thread I started for the purpose - while similar, both artists are worth studying if you love legato


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## Zamm Bell (Oct 12, 2009)

The first lick in this vid is a legato/tapping thingy in E



The first lick is based around E minor pentatonic in the style of the legendry Derek Taylor using legato and two finger tapping, however you can play it any way you want to. Break down the lick string by string, and make sure the notes flow together best as possible (although I do not seem to demonstrate that in the video)

Hope you enjoy!


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## hanachanmaru (Oct 22, 2009)

would like to share the exercise i been learning perhaps is been too traditional but maybe if guys out here would wanna add more to it and altered it to make it more sick and tedious? ie taps, diminished and etc? thanks


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