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  Licks & Tricks
Stevie Ray Vaughan

This lick from blues great Stevie Ray Vaughan is not taken from a solo, but from the main riff of the song "Couldn't Stand the Weather". In this song Stevie is tuned down a half step and is playing the key of D. I have notated this lick in the key of Db and have my guitar in standard tuning. So it sounds like the same key as the original, but without having to tune down. You can play this lick in any major key with a blues feeling over the I chord of the key. That would be a Db major in this case.
 

E:--12-12-12-12-12--9----11---9------x-------------------
B:---x--x--x--x--x--9----11---9------9------x-11-11--9---
G:---9--9--9--9--9--9----11---9---x--9h10---x-11-11--9---
D:---x--x--x--x--x--x-----x---x--11--x------x--x--x--x---
A:--------------------------------x----------------------
E:-------------------------------------------------------


The red number in the tab above is the note that you should use as your guide when playing the lick in other keys. In this case that note is a Db If you wanted to play this lick in D, you would just move everything up 1 fret so that the number in red would be at the 10th fret on the first string.

For more information on how to read this, check out the lesson on reading Internet tablature.

Part of the sound of the lick comes from the percussive sound that is created by the muting the strings around the notes that are played. This is indicated by the x's. So for instance on the first notes that are played, you would take your first finger and lightly touch the 4th and 2nd strings (not pressing down), while pressing down the note on the 3rd string. With your right hand, you are basically strumming the top 4 string for most of the lick.

E:--12(4)--
B:---x(1)--
G:---9(1)--
D:---x(1)--
A:---------
E:---------

* fingers used in parentheses

This lick comes out of a Db minor pentatonic scale with a couple of notes from a Db major pentatonic thrown in.

Db minor pentatonic
suggested fingering indicated

|-1-|---|---|-4-| -1st string
|-1-|---|---|-4-|
|-1-|---|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|---|-4-| -6th string
  |
9th fret

Red numbers are the roots of the scale.


Db major pentatonic
suggested fingering indicated

|---|-1-|---|-3-| -1st string
|---|-1-|---|-3-|
|-1-|---|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|---|-4-|
|-1-|---|---|-4-|
|---|-1-|---|-4-| -6th string
      |
    9th fret


Db minor pentatonic
(with added notes)
suggested fingering indicated

|-1-|---|-3-|-4-| -1st string
|-1-|---|-3-|-4-|
|-1-|-2-|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|-3-|---|
|-1-|---|---|-4-| -6th string
  |
9th fret

Blue numbers are the added notes from the Db major pentatonic.

This lick works best over the I chord in the key....Db major in this case because of this part of the lick.

E:--------x-----
B:--------9-----
G:------x-9h10--
D:-----11-x-----
A:--------------
E:--------------

These notes come from a Db major chord.

Db major barre chord

|-0-|---|---|---| -1st string
|-0-|---|---|---|
|---|-0-|---|---|
|---|---|-0-|---|
|---|---|-0-|---|
|-0-|---|---|---| -6th string
  |
 9th fret

The notes Red are the notes that are used in that part of the lick.

 




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