Betcha Can't Play This: Bill Hudson's Lydian Cascade

This is a scalar run based on the F Lydian mode [F G A B C D E], which is the fifth mode of C major. It incorporates several different lead-playing techniques and sounds cool when played over an F or F5 chord.

I start off with an ascending F major triad [F A C] sweep across the top four strings, played in a rhythm of 16th-note triplets.

Once I hit the high E string, I switch to legato phrasing, continuing the triplet rhythm and using all four fret-hand fingers, spread out wide, to perform "stacked" hammer-ons and pull-offs, capped off by a pick-hand tap with the middle finger.

Once I come back down to the F note at the 13th fret, I skip over to the G string, where I play another legato sequence, this time incorporating a descending finger slide followed by two hammer-ons and three consecutive taps with the pick hand, using the first, second and fourth fingers.

When performing this tapping sequence, I temporarily clamp the pick between my thumb and the top side of the fretboard. I then jump back up to the high E string and perform another ascending legato sequence, incorporating taps with the first and third fingers.

After the last tapped note, I switch to straight alternate picking and play a descending sequence of cascading 16th notes and 16th-note triplets across the top four strings, followed by an ascending climb that finishes with a high bend. When practicing this lick, be mindful of the different rhythmic subdivisions used.”