Analyzing What You Play
Here is a lick created from the C minor pentatonic scale. The scale degrees are written above the notes. This is a useful way of analyzing a lick to see which notes were used to create its particular sound.
Once you know the degrees of a scale you are using, it is a good idea to analyze many licks using that scale, so you become thoroughly familiar with the sounds available from that scale and you can re-create them at will. Let’s look at the previous example. It begins with the b7 degree being bent up to the root note (1).
The root note is then played again, followed by the b7. A pull-off is then used to get to the 5th degree, which is then followed by the 4th degree bent up to the 5th degree. This is followed by the 4th and b3rd degrees, and in the last bar the 4th degree is followed by the root (1) an octave lower than at the beginning of the lick.
Analyzing licks in this manner may seem dull at first, but the more you know about what you are playing, the more control you have over what you play, and the more you can interact with other musicians.
So stick with it, and in time you will instantly know what you, or anyone else are playing as soon as you hear it. In fact, to be a good player it is essential to be able to hear in your mind what you want to play first, and then produce that sound with your hands.
A good way to practice this is to sing a lick (improvise with your voice) and then play what you sang. Keep working at this until you can do it easily. If you are unable to come up with many licks, sing and analyze licks from books and recordings. Everything you learn will rub off on your own playing.
Here is another example derived from the minor pentatonic scale, this time in the key of G. Learn to play it and then analyze it using the method just discussed.
