Can somebody tab out this lick?

**Tracy Tucker** · Feb-24-2007, 5:45pm

Hi, relative newbie here. I'm just starting to be able to pick things out by ear here and there, but this one is beyond me. Not sure why I can't put my finger(s) on it, but I can't get it out of my head! lol (You'll see why when you listen.)

It's by Newfound Road, a song called "Christ Never Changes".

http://members.cisbec.net/ctucker/NFR Mando Lick.wav

Thanks so much!
Tracy

**Tracy Tucker** · Feb-24-2007, 5:49pm

My link didn't work, sorry! Try this.

http://members.cisbec.net/ctucker/NF...ndo%20Lick.wav

Thanks!

**hedding** · Feb-24-2007, 6:55pm

its in g, its not completely rhthmyically accurate but the notes are right listen to the record. The first slide is a quarter note and Play the rest as eighth notes and it will make sense.
-3-1------------------------
-----5-3-1sl-2------------------
-------------------5----3-2-0-----
--------------------------------4-3-4-0--

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # #this ending lick can be picked or you can use a downslide from the 4-3 using the time of an quarter note.

**Flowerpot** · Feb-24-2007, 8:26pm

Yep, those are the notes, and you should be able to pick up the timing. The last four notes, I hear two of them slightly differently, like this:

-3-1-----------------------------------
-----5-3-1sl-2-------------------------
-----------------5-----3-2-0--------5--
------------------------------5-3-4----

**Scott Tichenor** · Feb-24-2007, 9:11pm

<span style='font-family:Courier'>-3-1-----------------------------------
-----5-3-1sl-2-------------------------
-----------------5-----3-2-0--------5--
------------------------------5-3-4----</span>

Ah, those little buttons and links above and below the place where we type our replies. If only explored...

**Tracy Tucker** · Feb-24-2007, 10:15pm

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! You're all just fabulous! This lick has been running through my head for months - ever since I first heard it. It never occurred to me that it had a slide... that's what I couldn't put my finger on!

I'll be up all night going over this!

Thanks again!
Tracy

**Scott Tichenor** · Feb-25-2007, 7:38am

Here's how to make tabbed lines line up correctly on this board. When you're inside a Reply window there's a link just below that window called "iB Code" and that give lots of hints on tools for posting here. Problem with writing tablature is that it requries a mono-spaced font, ie., one in which ever character takes up an identical amount of space. The font Courier is an example of that, hence,

-3-1-----------------------------------
-----5-3-1sl-2-------------------------
-----------------5-----3-2-0--------5--
------------------------------5-3-4----

Added as (using the code function to allow the font call to show)

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">
[FONT=Courier]
-3-1-----------------------------------
-----5-3-1sl-2-------------------------
-----------------5-----3-2-0--------5--
------------------------------5-3-4----
[/FONT]
[/QUOTE]

yields:

<span style='font-family:Courier'>-3-1-----------------------------------
-----5-3-1sl-2-------------------------
-----------------5-----3-2-0--------5--
------------------------------5-3-4----</span>

**Jim Broyles** · Feb-25-2007, 11:14am

Luv2, if you can't put your finger on a slide, how do you play it?

**Tracy Tucker** · Feb-25-2007, 11:57am

jbmando, lol! I WEREN'T playing it, that was the problem!

Tracy

**Jkf_Alone** · Feb-26-2007, 4:31pm

i was having problems figuring out that type of bluegrass lick myself till i realized its connection to blues and gospel (should have recognized it sooner i know) try playing around with chromatic (non scale) notes inside of that lick, all kinds of crazy motion happens when you do! and dont forget to move it to other keys and move it within the same key, play it backwards, and tear it apart. it was a revelation to me when i started doing that.

**Peter Hackman** · Feb-27-2007, 12:06am

Originally Posted by (Luv2HearMando @ Feb. 25 2007, 12:57)

jbmando, lol! #I WEREN'T playing it, that was the problem! #

Tracy

You wasn't?

**Tracy Tucker** · Feb-27-2007, 5:49am

You wasn't?[/QUOTE]
Nope, I'm a frayed knot!

**ronlane3** · Feb-27-2007, 8:36am

Originally Posted by (Luv2HearMando @ Feb. 27 2007, 06:49)

You wasn't?

Nope, I'm a frayed knot![/QUOTE]
Well now you can be a frayed sew

**Walter Newton** · Feb-27-2007, 8:42am

Now that you're attuned to it you'll be hearing simple variations on that lick all over the place...if you're into music theory enough for it to be a help FYI the first part of the lick is a descending minor pentatonic scale, with the slide from the minor 3rd into the major 3rd - a very common move.

**Tracy Tucker** · Feb-27-2007, 8:42am

Originally Posted by (ronlane3 @ Feb. 27 2007, 09:36)

Originally Posted by (Luv2HearMando @ Feb. 27 2007, 06:49)

You wasn't?

Nope, I'm a frayed knot!

Well now you can be a frayed sew #

[/QUOTE]
That better describes the people who have to listen to me attempt to play! (Insert smiley with his hands over his ears)

**ronlane3** · Feb-27-2007, 12:49pm

I doubt that Luv

**Tracy Tucker** · Feb-27-2007, 1:30pm

Originally Posted by (Walter Newton @ Feb. 27 2007, 09:42)

Now that you're attuned to it you'll be hearing simple variations on that lick all over the place...if you're into music theory enough for it to be a help FYI the first part of the lick is a descending minor pentatonic scale, with the slide from the minor 3rd into the major 3rd - a very common move.

Newfound Road uses several variations of it in that same song, and another song on the CD has a variation also, but using the banjo. Sounds pretty neat no matter what the instrument!

Music theory is foreign to me... I really think I need to take some lessons on just learning to read music; I think it would be a tremendous help in getting timing right. I sing in a southern gospel group and learn everything by ear, so as long as I have music to learn from and/or follow, I'm OK. But I think PLAYING music is going to be totally different!

Thanks for trying to explain it, though!

Tracy

**Tracy Tucker** · Feb-27-2007, 1:35pm

Originally Posted by (Jkf_Alone @ Feb. 26 2007, 17:31)

i was having problems figuring out that type of bluegrass lick myself till i realized its connection to blues and gospel (should have recognized it sooner i know) try playing around with chromatic (non scale) notes inside of that lick, all kinds of crazy motion happens when you do! and dont forget to move it to other keys and move it within the same key, play it backwards, and tear it apart. it was a revelation to me when i started doing that.

JKF, as soon as I can translate what you said into beginning player's mando-English, I'll do that! lol #Do you just mean to use the same notes but not in that order and see what happens? #

Someone else mentioned that it sounded like a blues scale to them... is there a resource to learn them somewhere?

Thanks!
Tracy

**Peter Hackman** · Feb-28-2007, 9:18am

Originally Posted by (Luv2HearMando @ Feb. 27 2007, 14:35)

Originally Posted by (Jkf_Alone @ Feb. 26 2007, 17:31)

i was having problems figuring out that type of bluegrass lick myself till i realized its connection to blues and gospel (should have recognized it sooner i know) try playing around with chromatic (non scale) notes inside of that lick, all kinds of crazy motion happens when you do! and dont forget to move it to other keys and move it within the same key, play it backwards, and tear it apart. it was a revelation to me when i started doing that.

JKF, as soon as I can translate what you said into beginning player's mando-English, I'll do that! lol #Do you just mean to use the same notes but not in that order and see what happens? #

Someone else mentioned that it sounded like a blues scale to them... is there a resource to learn them somewhere?

Thanks!
Tracy

What he's suggesting, I believe, is to use the pentatonic scale
(say G-Bflat-C-D-F) as a skeleton,
building on it or extending it by neighboring notes,
at the same time keeping those five notes
as the core that everything else relates to.
After some noodling around you will hear what fits and keep it.

But, really, I'm just guessing ...

**Jkf_Alone** · Feb-28-2007, 10:20am

yer right on pete. luv2hear, just imagine your gospel runs you do, you know when the melody sounds like it goes sideways? those are usually chromatic or non scale notes, try taking a song you can sing well and putting it on mando. you'll probably be amazed how many familiar licks you'll hear when done on strings as opposed to in the voice. I'm a mando novice myself, but learned music theory (or tried to anyway) on guitar before hearing and feeling it click on mando. i wish i had started on mando then moved to guitar, as i would have a much more solid foundation than i do now.