Riffs in the Style of Roy Clark -- Bluegrass Lick #1
Here's a little bluegrass ditty for ya. A lick like this can be heard and seen from one of the masters of bluegrass, Roy Clark.
This particular lick was done in the key of C. As you can see, so much of this little lick encompasses that which is the stuff of bluegrass: the blues scale mixed with the major scale. Bluegrass even embellishes the blues scale and does more chromatic moves in the process.
This one begins with a bend up from the 9th degree of the scale to the 10th (or from the 2nd up to the flatted 3rd if you like) and back down to the 9th. Starting on the 8th degree (or the 1st if you like), back into the lower octave and to the sixth note of the scale and then on to the flatted 3rd in that same octave. Then a half step
higher to the regular 3rd, over to the fifth, back to the flatted third and sliding down to the 2nd and ending with the 1st degree (or root note) of the lower scale.
The usual ending with the same chord of the 1st degree of the riff is almost a must!
Have fun,
Steve
