© Bluestronomical Publishing Inc. 2006

By Jackie Don Loe

~ Fat Tuesday Blues ~

In celebration of Mardi Gras this month, here are a couple of New Orleans type piano licks transcribed for the guitar in the style of Professor Longhair. They are repetitive pivot licks in the key of E major that both slide in and out of a major third note (G#). The first example includes the sixth note (C#); while the second example contains the flat seventh note (D), respectively.

Standard Guitar Tablature
Top Number = String
Bottom Number = Fret

Example 1 – Piano Lick with the 6th

2 2 1 2 2 1    (repeat X 3)   1 1 1   2 2 2 3
8 9 7 8 9 9                      10 9 7 10 8 9 9

Example 2 – Piano Lick with the b7th

2 2 1 2 2  1   (repeat X 3)    2 2 2 3   4 4
8 9 7 8 9 10                       7 8 7 9 11 9

The first six notes in both examples contain only four different chord tones.

Ex.1) G - G# - B - C#
Ex.2) G - G# - B - D

This first phrase repeats three times before the final phrase lick in each example and is the same except for the last note. Mix and match these piano style licks, they are very simple yet show a lot of flash! Also, try these licks over a funk groove in the key of E and as they say down on Bourbon Street ‘Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler!’
Enjoy, and always keep your ears open.

     - Jackie Don Loe -

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