Danny Gatton - Licks and Tricks. Instructional Video Danny made before the Hot Licks Series. Excerpt from VHS. Put out by Pro Video. Believed to be out of print. One of many reunions that took place over the years, after a teenaged Evan Johns provided vocals and rhythm guitar on Danny Gatton’s legendary Redneck Jazz album in 1978. This was recorded live at Baltimore’s 8×10 club in March of ’84, just a month before Johns disbanded D.C.’s H-Bombs and joined Austin’s LeRoi Brothers, and shows that Johns’ own guitar style was, in part, a.
OK, so you want to add some twang, but not TOO much twang. How do you do it? Here’s the absolute, most important, most used, most essential lick in country music.
- DANNY GATTON: The Simpsons: 1990 US: ELEKTRA # (promo-CDS) DANNY GATTON: Funky Mama (4:01 edit of LP version) 1991 US: BIG MO SGBOT01 (CDS) DANNY GATTON'S REDNECK JAZZ EXPLOSION: When Sunny Gets Blue (version 1) / When Sunny Gets Blue (version 2) 2004 US.
- The Country Guitar Lick – Version 3 Our final version of the country guitar lick is from a Danny Gatton solo. Gatton was an incredibly fast player and would frequently span all of the American genres in one solo. He starts with a bend from the 5 th of the chord here, then moves to bending the 2 nd of the chord up to the 3 rd.
This country guitar lick has its origins in the folky mountain music. It has been integrated into bluegrass and classic country. Now you’re just as likely to hear this one in a song by the Carter Family, Doc Watson, and Lester Flatt as you are to hear it by James Burton, Brad Paisley and Brent Mason.
The Country Guitar Lick
The first version of the country guitar lick is from Ricky Skaggs. While he is known more for playing the mandolin, he played guitar on a great live album from the early 80s called Live in London.
There are tons of great country guitar/chicken pickin’ moments on this album. The country guitar lick played is over a G chord. The main idea here is moving down the G mixolydian scale, using the flatted third (Bb in this case).
This first version uses pull-offs on the G and D strings to get both the mixolydian scale and the flat third.
The Country Guitar Lick – Version 2
This version comes from Brent Mason on an Alan Jackson song. Mason uses pull-offs from the 6th of the key to the open string here. He also chromatically leads into the 3rd at the end.
Check out how he surrounds the B in the last beat of the bar. He plays the C, one half step above the note. Then chromatically leads into the B from the Bb. This is similar to the way jazz players highlight a key note.
The Country Guitar Lick – Version 3
Our final version of the country guitar lick is from a Danny Gatton solo. Gatton was an incredibly fast player and would frequently span all of the American genres in one solo. He starts with a bend from the 5th of the chord here, then moves to bending the 2nd of the chord up to the 3rd. He surrounds the low 3rd of the chord similar to Brent Mason, but resolves it up to the open G instead of down to the low G.
Vocabulary
Learning country guitar licks like these is very similar to learning different ways to use a word while speaking.
In fact much of playing a style of music is similar to learning to speak. Check out more of these country guitar licks and the idea of contextual playing in my book Chicken Pickin’ – The Vocabulary of the Country Guitar Masters.
A reference of 100 country guitar licks with audio examples, written in standard notation and tab.
more... Lessons • Country • Lead • Tab • Twang 101 • Sound SamplesChops: Intermediate
Theory: Beginner
Lesson Overview:
• Learn how to play double-stop phrases in the style of Brent Mason and Johnny Hiland.
• Improve your hybrid picking.
• Create longer phrases that move through different positions using the CAGED system.
Theory: Beginner
Lesson Overview:
• Learn how to play double-stop phrases in the style of Brent Mason and Johnny Hiland.
• Improve your hybrid picking.
• Create longer phrases that move through different positions using the CAGED system.
One of the greatest things about the guitar is that unlike the saxophone, flute, or oboe, we play a truly polyphonic instrument. This means that we’re able to play single-note phrases (monophonic) and chords. Sadly, this is a feature that’s often underutilized by our kin, and that’s a true shame.
Now while these licks may have a strong country vibe, the concept isn’t just for hoedowns and barn dances. Double-stops and chords can be used in any musical context—guitarists as diverse as Brian Setzer and Kirk Hammett embrace them—but it’s important to know which sounds work and which don’t.
If you’ve read my previous lessons, you’ll know I’m a big advocate of the CAGED system, so expect these licks to fit easily into those chord forms. For those unfamiliar with this approach, each of these licks will fit neatly around basic positions of bigger chords that you probably know in barre form. This really allows us to play licks all over the fretboard because if you can picture the chord, you can play the licks. Check out “The Guitarist’s Guide to the CAGED System” if you need a refresher.
Our first example (Ex. 1) fits around an A7 chord using the “E” shape. When using the CAGED system, pay attention to how the lick fits within the chord shape—that’s an essential concept. It begins with a half-step slide into the chord before descending down an A7 arpeggio. The next little double-stop could be considered part of a D triad (creating a D/A sound). However, it’s actually a lot better to think of it as two notes from the A Mixolydian scale (A–B–C#–D–E–F#–G). As with all the double-stops in this lesson, it helps to use hybrid picking. In the audio examples I’m using my middle and ring fingers in addition to my pick.
Click here for Ex. 1
Our next lick in Ex. 2 features a position shift and is a great way to get from an open A chord to the 5th position. After starting with a typical boogie rhythm pattern, the phrase moves up the neck via some diatonic thirds. Riffs like this are very common in the country idiom, and you’ll hear them on everything from Alan Jackson to the Dixie Chicks.
Click here for Ex. 2
We’re stepping it up a little in Ex. 3 with the introduction of a triplet to kick things off. We shift positions again, but this time it’s from the 5th position down to the open position. You’ll notice a bit of chromaticism leading into beat 3 of the first measure before it resolves to an open A chord.
Click here for Ex. 3
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Ex. 4 begins with a similar triplet idea, but this time it moves from an open A chord back up to the 5th position. It’s worth noting that the second double-stop in the first measure isn’t made up of thirds like most of the others. It’s simply the 3 and b7 from an A7 chord. Aside from sounding a lot like Brent Mason, it adds a touch of heart to what we’re doing. If you limit all your double-stops to one interval, it will start to sound very boring.
Click here for Ex. 4
There are plenty of position shifts in Ex. 5 as it moves from the 12th fret all the way down to the open position. It starts with a slide into an A7 idea (using the “C” shape) before shifting down two frets and repeating a similar phrase. Next up is a riff that snakes through the A blues scale (A–C–D–Eb–E–G) before moving down to the open position via a hot single-note line. This actually works great when played as a 16th-note passage and is the sort of thing you’d expect from country-shredder Johnny Hiland.
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Click here for Ex. 5
Ex. 6 features Brent Mason’s favorite triplet again. This time it moves up the neck from the 5th to the 9th position. The real trick here is in the final measure. The double-stop has a 3 on the bottom, but instead of hitting the root it goes to the b7—a very cool diminished triad substitution I picked up from Scotty Anderson.
Click here for Ex. 6
Ex. 7 stays almost entirely in the 12th position. Heading into the last measure, check out how the bottom note descends chromatically while the top note remains the same. It finishes with a little bluesy phrase—perfect for those soulful moments.
Click here for Ex. 7
Our final lick (Ex. 8) is tricky. It moves up the neck with a combination of chicken pickin’ and double-stops before resolving to a sneaky double-stop lick that would sit nicely in the lick bag of Danny Gatton. The key here is to see the underlying chord shapes so you have references to keep you from getting lost in the position-shifting mayhem.
Click here for Ex. 8
Danny Gatton Video
I’m certain you’ll get something from these, just try them in as many settings as you can and experiment with swing feels—many of these licks sound even better when swung—and in double time. It’s all about experimentation and finding a way to adapt the ideas to your own playing.