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Guthrie Govan

20 ESSENTIAL
LICKS
LICK 16
JTC SAYS
This melodic solo consists of everything you would expect in a slower tempo tune. It
incorporates lots of short phrases, a heavy use of chord tones as well as vocalist style
bends. But as usual per Guthries standards, he stretches beyond what might be
customarily expected by throwing in some nice arpeggios and chromatic lines to offset and
contrast with the smooth melodic passages.
The first chromatic idea is played over a Db major 7th chord. He starts by playing three
descending chromatic notes on the G string then he skips stings and plays the same
descending three note chromatic pattern on the E string. He then plays the same three
note pattern on the B string but this time proceeds the pattern with a single note on the 9th
fret.
Then Guthrie goes down an arpeggio pattern that could be somewhat difficult to discern
exactly what he is doing because it ends up being a shape that most of us dont typically
play. But this is yet another way Guthrie brilliantly disguises simple arpeggios or licks. In
this case he is running down a simple Db Major 7th arpeggio but he eliminates the Major
3rd from the pattern. He plays the Major 7th to the 5th to the Root to the Major 7th to the
5th. If you were to throw in the Major 3rd in between the 5th and the Root the arpeggio
shape would suddenly become easily recognizable to most.
He follows this up with more melodic phrasing including some cool phrasing with chromatic
notes.
Guthrie then gets into some arpeggio ideas over the Bb11 chord and the G7 chord. Notice
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how he phrases by doubling up each note over the Bb11 chord while over the G7 chord he
approaches the Major 3rd interval in both octaves of the G7 arpeggio with the Minor 3rd
a half step below. Again proving ... Guthrie hardly ever opts for the typical way of playing
things. Some might refer to this as creative genius!

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LICK 16
As recorded by jamtrackcentral.com
(From the 2014 Album GUTHRIE GOVAN'S 20 ESSENTIAL LICKS)

P = 68

V P V V V V V V
g
V
V
V V
z

Fm9

e
Ie e 44

D maj7

Cm9

V V V V V P V V V V V l V V
z

T
A
B

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sl.

D maj7

e
3
Ie e e V

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V f V e V V V gV f V
V V V
V
f
V
V V V V V
V
V
V
V V
eV V V V V V V V
8

T
A
B

10

sl.

`
G7/B
V fV V
V
V
g
V
f
V
V
V
V
e
V
V
V
V V V P V V V fV
4
Ie e V V V V V V V V V V V V V l
z
3
3
1/2
MO
A maj7

T
A
B

B 11

10

e
Ie e
T
A
B

10 10 8

V V V bP V V
V V V P V V V V
z
z
3

Cm9

10

D maj7

V V V V V

Full

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JamTrackCentral Ltd 2014

Generated using the Power Tab Editor by Brad Larsen. http://powertab.guitarnetwork.org

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