# Your weekly Shawn Lane lick



## redstone (Jan 7, 2016)

Because it's winter, it's fun, and why not. I'll start with the long "Shawn Lane Compilation - Insane Licks" video and see what interesting I can extract from it.


=================


LICK n°1 - TIME 0.06s

19-12-----------12----------------------------------------------
-------15-12-------15-12------19-12---------12---------------
--------------19----------19-12------16-12------16-12--------
----------------------------------------------19----------19-12-
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------


Explanation :

It's a variation of a recurrent penta sequence in groups of fives that Lane used frequently. Starts with a downstroke and usually alternate-picked. It's easier to seize the variation once you approach it as simple groups of fives.

15-12-----------12---------------
-------15-12-------15-12-------- (and so on)
--------------14-----------14-12-


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## Emperor Guillotine (Jan 7, 2016)

Shawn Lane's old instructional videos were one thing that got me going when I was a kid and began really taking my playing seriously. I'd love to learn more of Shawn's licks and concepts. He was a big influence/inspiration on me years ago.

Hoping this will be a great thread that will yield some learning and productivity for some!


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## geese_com (Jan 8, 2016)

Thanks for doing this. Shawn really had some insane licks.


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## OmegaSlayer (Jan 8, 2016)

One thing that really got me, besides Shawn's speed, is how much faster the brain perceives notes when they have large intervals, something on whic Shawn relied a lot.
Playing 16th notes phrase of root, 2nd, 3rd (minor or major is the same) or root, 4th, 6th at the same bpm is perceived really different from the brain regarding perceived speed.


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## karjim (Jan 8, 2016)

Shawn always started his descending licks with an upstroke and do not pick every note...2 notes picked then two not picked then one not picked...anyway a brain nightmare...REH hot solos haunted me since 2002


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## Sonic Anomaly (Jan 8, 2016)

OmegaSlayer said:


> One thing that really got me, besides Shawn's speed, is how much faster the brain perceives notes when they have large intervals, something on whic Shawn relied a lot.
> Playing 16th notes phrase of root, 2nd, 3rd (minor or major is the same) or root, 4th, 6th at the same bpm is perceived really different from the brain regarding perceived speed.



I too have dwelled on that exact same thing, perhaps the brain somehow compensates for longer intervallic distances, expecting smaller intervals in between, for certain contexts (shrugs)
more over, when the phrases aren't strictly ascending or descending, but a slight mix (even one or two notes out of 'order') it further 'confuses' the brain into hearing it as faster--another tool Lane used constantly.

@redstone, I really appreciate this, I was watching (or slavering over) this very compilation a couple weeks ago... and even more coincidentally, the first lick is perhaps my favorite.


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## redstone (Jan 8, 2016)

karjim said:


> Shawn always started his descending groups of fours with an upstroke and do not pick every note...2 notes picked then two not picked then one not picked...



Fixed. There's no such rules for the rest.


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## onefingersweep (Jan 11, 2016)

My favourite fast lick by him is a lick from the song "The Way It Has To Be". 


24-19-16-------19-16-------19-16------------------------------
----------19-16-------19-16-------19-16------------------------
-------------------------------------------18-16-----------------
--------------------------------------------------18-16----------
---------------------------------------------------------18-16---
-------------------------------------------------------------------

-19-16-14--------------16-15-14-12---------14-12-9-11-9------
-----------16-14----------------------14-12----------------------
------------------16-14-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------
-12-9-------------------------------------------------------------
-------11-9----11-9----------------------------------------------
-------------11------11-9----------------------------------------
---------------------------11-9-----------------------------------
---------------------------------12--------------------------------


The sound he's creating in with this lick is out of this world, never heard anything even remotely similar to it on a guitar.


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## redstone (Jan 11, 2016)

Yeah, I was planning to add it, while we're at it I see two notes are missing and one shouldn't be here. Here's how I tab it :


24-19-16-------19-16-------19-16--------------------------------
----------19-16-------19-16-------19-16--------------------------
--------------------------------------------18-16--------------------
-----d--------------------------------------------18-16-------------
---------------------------------------------------------18-16-h---
----------------------------------------------------------------19--

-19-16------------------16-15-14-12--------14-12------------
--------19-16--------------------------14-12--------14-16-14-
--u------------18-16-14-----------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------
-12---------------------------------------------------------------
----13-11----------11--------------------------------------------
-----------14-11------14-11-------------------------------------
------------------14----------11-9-------------------------------
-------------------------------------12---------------------------

The first missing note is probably hammered with the ring finger. From Lane's logic and due to the speed, I think he conserved the same hand shape right after so I changed the pattern. The others modifications also seem logical due to the notes added/removed and his phrasing/picking habits.


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## onefingersweep (Jan 12, 2016)

Cool, I just copied the tab I've found on the net. I never really tried to learn it. My two notes per string playing really sucks


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## Unleash The Fury (Jan 13, 2016)

I don't even know how one begins to try to figure out and then tab any of shawn licks. I bow down to you all!

I've been on a real shawn lane kick lately. particularly "The Way it Has to Be". 

So emotional it blows my mind. 

But I've always wondered one thing. Would his song be as emotional if he was still alive? or does the fact that he died make it that much more emotional. Because you can listen to the song and be like wow this is just mind blowing skill, talent, and emotional. But then of course you think about how his life was taken early and how sad that is, then the eyes start getting watery because of that............ because of the fact that he died makes that much more sad


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## redstone (Jan 14, 2016)

LICK n°2 - TIME 15.01s

It's a badass one, a bit long and dangerous though.

*If you aren't familiar with Shawn Lane*, he had what looks very much like an hypermobile index finger that allowed extreme stretches without damaging his hand. Please don't break all your ligaments to prove that you can stretch as much as him when you play fast. I translated that lick for the sake of knowing how it works and eventually giving you ideas for tapping.


e---------12------------------11------------------11-----------------12-------13-------13
b-19-15---------------18-14-----------11-18-14-------------20-16-------------20-17---
g------------19-12-15-----------18-14-------------18-12-15----------18-15-------------


e-------------------13-20-16-------12-21-17-------12--------13-------13-------13-
b--------13-20-16-----------20-16-----------21-17--------------20-16--------------
g-20-16--------------------------------------------------21-17-------------20-17----


e--------14-------15-------15-------15-23-19-------14-22-18--------14--------------13
b-21-17-------------23-19---------------------23-19-----------22-19----22-18----------
g-----------21-----------------23-19----------------------------------------------22-17---
d---------------17----------------------------------------------------------------------------


e--------13-----------------14-22-18-------13-21-17-------13-------13-------13-------12
b-21-17----------13-22-18----------22-18-----------21-18----21------21-17-------------
g-----------21-17----------------------------------------------------17-------------21-16--


e---------------12-??---------------13-20-16--------12-19-15-------12-19---12-------12
b-20-16-----------??----13-20-16------------20-16-----------19-15-------------19-15--
g--------19-16----??-16------------------------------------------------------15------------


Explanation :

Shawn often used some simple finger patterns to develop weird phrasings by coupling them with uncommon string patterns and intervals. This lick almost only consists in two finger and string patterns :

------------------index-
-pinkie--middle--------


-pinkie--middle-------------------
------------------pinkie--middle--


-----i--------i------------------i----p-m-----i----p-m-------
---------p-m---------i----p-m----------p-m----------p-m-
p-m-------------p-m-----------------------------------------


He probably didn't choose all the notes purposefully, rather, he repeated his finger patterns and had fun exploiting the string patterns, stretching his fingers and moving his hand from left to right to add more randomness.


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## Dyingsea (Jan 14, 2016)

Count me in as a watcher of this thread. Just now finding it. Huge Shawn fan here. What's amazing to me about Shawn is that there is still no one that can play like him.


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## onefingersweep (Jan 14, 2016)

Dyingsea said:


> Count me in as a watcher of this thread. Just now finding it. Huge Shawn fan here. What's amazing to me about Shawn is that there is still no one that can play like him.



And there will probably never be!


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## chris9 (Jan 21, 2016)

i agree shawn was just out of this world
only guy who comes close is Mr Govan as he can play anything and everything.


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## redstone (Jan 22, 2016)

Guthrie isn't as close as you think.

LICK n°3 - TIME 7.54

e-15-14-------------------------------------14-13---------------------------------
b--------15-12--------14-13----------------------14-11------13-12--------------
g---------------15-12--------14-11---------------------13-11------13-11--------
d-------------------------------------14-11---------------------------------12-10-

e-12-11-12--------------------------------------------------15-13---------------
b-----------10-------13-12--------------14-13--------------------15-12--------
g--------------12-10-------13-11--------------14-11--------------------15-12-
d----------------------------------14-12--------------14-12---------------------

e-17-14---------------18-15---------------18-15----------------/18-
b--------19-15---------------16-------------------18-15-------------
g---------------15-14-----------17-16-14----------------17-14------


Explanation : 

It's pretty much the same concept as lick n°2, using a 6-group penta pattern with odd finger placements to sound random. The main finger pattern is r-m-r-i-r-i. Alternate-picked, starting with a downstroke.

An easier way to play it, 3 notes per string approach. For the lazies. (and that's how Guthrie would trick you into thinking he nails Shawn  )

15-14-10----------------------------------
----------------------14-13-10------------
-----------16-15-12-----------------------
---------------------------------16-14-11-


I'll tab a more musical lick the next time.


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## ROAR (Jan 22, 2016)

yea if you could tab out parts of Abstract Logic that would be great


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## redstone (Jan 22, 2016)

^good idea, I always forget that album. Lots of good stuff there.


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## meteor685 (Jan 25, 2016)

great thread


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## onefingersweep (Jan 25, 2016)

redstone said:


> Guthrie isn't as close as you think.



Yeah, the absurd thing is that no one is actually close. Shawn was and will always be an enigma.


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## meteor685 (Jan 26, 2016)

what about Allan holdsworth, FG, derek taylor, or darryl gabel ??

there chops where pretty close to Lanes...


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## ROAR (Jan 27, 2016)

Can you do the melody for Abstract Logic?
I can't figure out what ....ing chords he's playing


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## redstone (Jan 27, 2016)

^He plays

-7----7--11--9------iii-----------9--7-------
----------9---7--9---iii--9----9--7--4--7----
-9----9--11--9------iii-----------9--6--4----
------------------9---iii--9----9---------6---
----------------------iii-----------------------
----------------------iii-----------------------




meteor685 said:


> what about Allan holdsworth, FG, derek taylor, or darryl gabel ??



Because they're not dead so you can ask them directly. 

And I don't find them instructive, challenging, and/or interesting enough. Sorry!


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## onefingersweep (Jan 29, 2016)

meteor685 said:


> what about Allan holdsworth, FG, derek taylor, or darryl gabel ??
> 
> there chops where pretty close to Lanes...



No they're not close. The difficulty of Shawn's licks was that he could play them alternate picked. Which is the most difficult technique to reach high speed and precision with.


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## redstone (Jan 30, 2016)

His left hand was much closer to perfection.


LICK n°4 - PART 1 - TIME 21:07

This one is full of informations so I break it in two parts and weeks.

-9/10\9-7-5-7----5----------5----------5-----5-------------5-7-----5----------------------------------------------------
----------------9-7--/10\9-7---/10\9-7-----7---/10\9-5-7-----9-7---7---7-----5---------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------9-----------(9?)--------------9---9-7--7--7-----6-7-----6-------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9--9-7-----9-7---7-----6----------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9-7---7--------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9-7-5-


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------i--m-i-r-----------------------6-----7----7------9-------9----------------------------------------------
---------6-7-------------7-------9---7-----9----9-----11-----11-------------9----------------------------------
-----4-7-----7---7----9------11---9----11---12---12-----14-----14-14-12------12-9--------9-14-11-9-14-
\4-5-----------9---10-----12----------------------------------------------------14------14-12-----------------


Explanation : 

Once again Shawn exploits a few finger patterns over various string patterns to develop a wide range of possibilities. The green and blue notes are the same pinkie-middle-index-middle pattern, the orange notes are pinkie-ring-index.

Not much picking here, he's just accentuating the weak hammer-ons. The ascending triads section is often hybrid picked (down-down-finger), though in this case he seems to play hammer-down-up or something like that.

Your middle and pinke fingers will be the main speed limiter, as the interlocked p-m-i-m patterns create some highly frequencyvorous trills. The raw finger speed here is about 7+ hammers per second and there's no way to avoid it, like most of his licks, which is why he played so fast. There are some guitar skills we can't approach gradually, either we do it and progress, or we turn around it forever, just as we can't tremolo pick by dint of sweep picking.

-i---------------
--m---m------i-
-----p----p-m--

You can watch him play a similar pinkie-middle-index-middle lick in slow motion, there.


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## meteor685 (Jan 31, 2016)

Lol I didnt know he altnerate picking everything, yeah his 2 note stuff is ridicously hardd.

This is a great thread though !


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## meteor685 (Jan 31, 2016)

redstone said:


> ^He plays
> 
> -7----7--11--9------iii-----------9--7-------
> ----------9---7--9---iii--9----9--7--4--7----
> ...



I was only saying that because someone said no one is close, and i thought they were.
until i found out Lane picks everything which i didnt know.


Especially this one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q_r8DD1GCE


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## redstone (Jan 31, 2016)

^ he didn't pick all the notes, but his technique was complete enough to potentially pick most of what he played, with some imperfections. His alt-picking technique has a few drawbacks, the man wasn't omnipotent.


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## meteor685 (Feb 1, 2016)

yeah i got some practicing to do, i would love to have chops like lane..or close...

I guess Get you back is a start..


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## TelegramSam (Feb 1, 2016)

Fantastic thread, haven't been on here in a while but looking forward to trying my hand at these later on


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## Dyingsea (Feb 16, 2016)

Need moar Shawn


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## redstone (Feb 16, 2016)

Hopefully tomorrow; I've been busy lately.. But it's still ongoing!


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## Ralyks (Feb 20, 2016)

I'm definitely going to work on some of these. Shawn was one of those players where his hand literally was a blur when playing.


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## Simic (Feb 20, 2016)

I love this thread, these licks are insane. I'm gonna try to approach them in a way Shawn suggested in a video I watched a while ago - once you get the basic feel for the lick just speed it way up and then try to perfect it. 

Keep up the good work!


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## phrygian12 (Mar 16, 2016)

meteor685 said:


> what about Allan holdsworth, FG, derek taylor, or darryl gabel ??
> 
> there chops where pretty close to Lanes...



There's a video of Lane meeting Holdsworth. I really wish someone could transcribe what they're talking about because of how old the video is along with them being in the middle of a busy show room (NAMM?) it's hard to make out everything they're saying. He was kinda fanboying over Holdsworth if I can remember correctly. 

I know Holdsworth was a huge influence on Lane. Some of his licks are pretty up there on the " wtf is he doing?" WhiteLine is a solo I've been trying to learn along with the beautiful acoustic solo on Home. 

Lane is a beast. A lot of his crazy stuff sounds pretty bland at a slow tempo. But then once you speed it up it becomes something else. 

I like those moments he throws in some Charlie Parker-esque licks.


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## meteor685 (Aug 26, 2016)

phrygian12 said:


> There's a video of Lane meeting Holdsworth. I really wish someone could transcribe what they're talking about because of how old the video is along with them being in the middle of a busy show room (NAMM?) it's hard to make out everything they're saying. He was kinda fanboying over Holdsworth if I can remember correctly.
> 
> I know Holdsworth was a huge influence on Lane. Some of his licks are pretty up there on the " wtf is he doing?" WhiteLine is a solo I've been trying to learn along with the beautiful acoustic solo on Home.
> 
> ...



Yeah HOldsworth licks and solos are pretty damn hard...at least the stuff on the REH video....

I like how with HOldsworth and Lane the licks are like keyboard lines, horn lines etc...kinda like art tatum oscar peterson, charlie parker, etc


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