Today's Lick of the Day by Keith Wyatt at the Musicians Institute is a tribute to blues great Freddie King.
A 12-bar blues progression consists of three four-bar phrases that correspond to the three-line AAB lyric structure. A consistent challenge for soloists is what to play over the final four bars, when the chords move quickly toward the turnaround and the conclusion of the chorus. There are as many solutions as there are players, but among the most influential architects of blues phrasing is Freddie King.
Today's lick is an example of a King-style approach to the final four bars that artfully outlines the harmony while moving along the length of the neck. Begin with the B7 arpeggio in seventh position (based initially off of a B chord shape), then move rapidly through fifth and third positions before sliding down the third string to open position and concluding with a classic open-string turnaround.
