Wes Montgomery Licks From the Master Written by Sam Smiley Copyright 2012 by Sam Smiley http://www.samsmileymusic.com twitter.com/samsmileymusic facebook.com/samsmileymusic
Table of Contents Introduction... 3 Vocabulary... 3 D Natural Blues... 4 No Blues... 5 Cariba... 6 SKJ... 7 Body and Soul... 8 Bonus Lick 1- No Blues... 9 Bonus Lick 2- Cariba... 10
Introduction Wes Montgomery is undoubtedly the master of jazz guitar. Any serious study of the genre will lead you eventually (if not first) to Wes and his amazing playing. His lines are absolutely incredible, but he plays them with such a natural ease that it just sounds like he s having a blast all the time. Let s dig into some of his ii- V licks, and find some gems. Vocabulary In order to really learn the language of jazz, you must study the vocabulary. Vocabulary is simply short phrases that you take away from the master players. One of the most common vocabulary pieces is taking a ii- V lick since the ii- V is so common throughout jazz. If you are having any difficulty with learning licks, follow these steps: 1. Learn and memorize the lick in a spot on the neck. Make sure you can sing along with it as well, that will ensure that you really have it in your ear. 2. Keep that same fingering and move around the neck to different areas. Try playing it around the cycle of 4ths. 3. Play the original lick with a different fingering. Try starting on a different string. The most thorough way of doing this is to play it starting on every finger on each string- 24 different fingerings. Many of these will be throw- away fingerings, but many will be really useful. Don t be afraid of sounding too much like Wes. First of all, it wouldn t be all that bad if you sounded exactly like Wes. Secondly, it s impossible. You will just add the lick that you re learning to the way you already play. Many times you won t actually play the lick verbatim, but play your own variation.
D Natural Blues Our first lick comes from Wes s landmark tune, D Natural Blues. This solo is well worth transcribing and learning start to finish. We re looking at just one lick, but it s a great one. The lick starts on the b3 of the Ami chord, follows the arpeggio down to the fifth. He then uses the Charlie Parker device of playing the major 7 th then the b7 before getting to the V chord. From the V chord, he outlines an arpeggio to the b9, then continues up to the root before finally resolving to the 3 rd of the G chord. This is a classic line, borrowing a lot from Charlie Parker, and one that can easily be added into your playing.
No Blues The tune, No Blues leads off one of Wes s best recordings, Smokin at the Half Note. The solo is full of unbelievable lines. It s one of the great solos where he goes from single notes to octaves to chords. It has to be one of the greatest jazz guitar solos ever. This lick is over a ii- V in the key of F. The minor chord is typical. He uses a tritone substitution on the V chord, playing an F# line before resolving to the 5 of the F chord.
Cariba Cariba is a great blues from Wes s live recording, Full House. This lick is a short ii- V, and sort of breaks the rules a bit. One technique used by many improvisers is to play the V chord while the ii chord is sounding- or more or less ignoring the ii. This lick uses that technique. He outlines a D maj 7 th chord, ending on the Db on the Bb chord (the #9). He ends it by using octave displacement before resolving it to the 5 of the I chord.
SKJ This is another blues from Wes s recording with Milt Jackson, Bags Meets Wes. This lick is one of the more inside, but still amazing, licks in this ebook. He simply follows an E minor 7 arpeggio up, stopping on the 13 th of the V chord, then resolves to 7 th of I chord. Simple, but effective!
Body and Soul This recording is from the Movin Along album, where Wes plays a bass guitar- everything sounds an octave lower than written. Here is a minor ii- V lick in the key of Bb minor. Again the juicy part is on the 5 chord, where he uses the diminished dominant sound. Check out how he anticipates the chord 2 beats early with a simple diminished lick. Enclosing the 9 th is a great way to end minor lines, and he does it here.
Bonus Lick 1- No Blues This bonus lick isn t a ii- V lick. It s a great repeating blues lick in the No Blues solo. The lick is based on a perfect fifth interval between the 9 th and 13 th of the chord, embellishing it with the b3. Listen to the solo and you can hear just how effective this repeating lick is.
Bonus Lick 2- Cariba Here is another blues lick from the Cariba solo. Again, it s very simple, but incredibly effective. Check this one out in different areas of the neck. It s a great lick to add to your vocabulary.