Twelve "D" Licks for Classic Bluegrass Tunes

Plug and Play Banjo Vocabulary

This learning path will teach you Twelve different licks that work great whenever a D major chord is being played. There will be classic Scruggs, Melodic and Single String licks. Most of them are two measures long. Multiple examples will be given for different songs that each lick could be used in. Most of the vocabulary you will learn here is foundational Scruggs, and simplified Single String and melodic licks. Using basic repeating patterns from D major and D major blues scale will help you gain better understanding of how to use those foundational scales and skills in a musical context.

1

Overview

What You'll Get Out of This

Watch the vids, listen to the Tunefox player, study the tab, use those Tunefox tools when practicing, and get ready to learn a bunch of fun licks.
2

Starting Simple

A Classic D Lick for All Occasions

This lick is a simple D major Pentatonic Walk. It's foundational. We are playing right out of the chord shape. As we learn these different licks, be thinking about the chord shapes or scales that a...
3

Vampin' Fancy

The Best D Fill Money Can Buy

This lick is built from that simple D major pentatonic walk you just learned. It's foundational Scruggs Style vocabulary. You can hear it near the end of the A & B sections of Groundspeed and in a ...
4

Syncopation City

Using the Lick from "Groundspeed" in other Contexts

This is a foundational Scruggs Lick. It can be clearly heard in John Hardy and in the B section of Groundspeed. It's more versatile than that, and a lot of fun to play.
5

Foggy Mountain Breakdown

The Lick that Started a Revolution

This is a foundational Scruggs Lick. Top 5 for sure. It doesn't get more banjo than this. It can be clearly heard in Foggy Mountain Breakdown.. It's more versatile than that, and a lot of fun to pl...
6

Another Lick From "Groundspeed"

This Time It's Up the Neck

Here's another great Scruggs Lick. It can be clearly heard in the B part of Groundspeed, but It's more versatile than that, and a lot of fun to play. This one is using a piece of the "second invers...
7

A Classic "Up the Neck" Fill

Scruggs Style

Here's a great up the neck fill that Earl Scruggs used a lot. It can also be used in basic backup. Feel free to slide into and out of this lick to accommodate position shifts.
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A More Modern Take

Vestal Style

You can hear Scott Vestal use this lick concept on the intro to Whiskey Before Breakfast on the album "Bluegrass '95". Those records are a amazing. They are like the instrumental equivalent to the ...
9

Single String Chromatic Lick

Is a One Measure Lick Used Twice a Two Measure Lick?

Here is a basic single string chromatic lick. It's a one measure lick, but we're using it twice so is it now a two measure lick? In this case yes, cause it makes it easier to think about other song...
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Single String Chromatic Lick #2

Definitely a Two Measure Lick this Time

Here is a basic variation on a single string chromatic lick. It's a two measure lick, but we're using it once.
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A Simple Descending Melodic Scale Pattern

Can Be Use a Lot of Different Ways

This is actually working out of a G melodic scale, but starting on the D note. It works so good over a D chord when playing in the key of G(G A B C D E F#) If you are in the key of D(D E F# G A B C...
12

A Simple Melodic Scale "Run"

Can Also Be Use a Lot of Different Ways

This is actually working out of a G melodic scale, again, but starting on the D note, again. It works so good over a D chord when playing in the key of G(G A B C D E F#). We're just running up and ...
13

Just One More

Melodic Variation

It's the same thing but backwards...kind of.
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Closing Time

That's All for Now Folks

That about wraps things up for this lick lesson. Here's some ideas of how to put these licks to work and a few suggestions for what you might want to check out next.