This is probably not a new concept for those of you that come from a blues and/or rock background. Concept 2: Minor Pentatonic Scale The second concept is playing a Minor Pentatonic Scale over top of a dominant 7th chord, as George does on the first two beats of the second bar in this lick. Check out this concept further with my “ Bebop Guitar Techniques - 3 to 9 Arpeggios” article. Try taking this concept to other areas of your playing as being able to use 3 to 9 arpeggios over various chords and chord progressions can really open up your solos and allow you to outline chord changes without focusing on the root all the time, as can often be the case when we are using 1-3-5-7 arpeggios in our lines.
This concept is referred to as a “3 to 9” arpeggio, as Bbmaj7 (Bb, D, F, A) outlines the intervals 3rd-5th-b7th-9th when played over a Gm7 chord. Here, George is using a Bbmaj7 arpeggio to outline a Gm9 chord, without the root being played in the lick. Click the SoundCloud link below to hear this example:Ĭoncept 1 - 3 to 9 Arpeggios The first concept can be heard between the first and third beats of the first bar of the lick.
Here is the lick written out over a short ii-V-I chord progression in the key of F major. George Benson Bluesy ii V I Lick Before you dig into the concepts behind this cool, bluesy lick, listen to the lick and get it under your fingers, as this will make breaking it down into its component parts much easier. In today’s lesson, we’ll be looking at a short George Benson ii V I lick and the concepts behind the construction of this idea. That way, you can not only learn his licks but also be able to construct your own Benson-sounding lines on the spot in your solo by applying the concepts used to build these classic lines. While learning to play George’s licks can be a great way to dig into his sound and bring some of his lines into your solos, it can be much more beneficial to dissect his licks to see what concepts he was using to build these great-sound lines. George Benson is a master soloist, and his command of jazz guitar vocabulary is up there with the best improvisers of his generation.