Lick (music)
Encyclopedia
In popular music
genres such as rock
or jazz
music, a lick is "a stock pattern or phrase
" consisting of a short series of notes that is used in solos and melodic lines. Licks in rock and roll
are often used through a formula, and variation
s technique in which variants of simple, stock ideas are blended and developed during the solo.
In a jazz band
, a lick may be performed during an improvised solo, either during an accompanied solo chorus or during an unaccompanied solo break
. Jazz licks are usually original short phrases which can be altered so that they can be used over a song's changing harmonic progressions.
in that riffs can also include repeated chord progression
s. Licks are usually associated with single-note melodic lines rather than chord progressions. However, like riffs, licks can be used as the basis of an entire song. Single-line riffs or licks used as the basis of Western classical music pieces are called ostinato
s. Contemporary jazz writers also use riff- or lick-like ostinatos in modal
music and Latin jazz
.
A lick can be a hook
, if the lick meets the definition of a hook: "a music
al idea, a passage or phrase
, that is believed to be appealing and make the song stand out", and "catch the ear of the listener". A lick may be incorporated into a fill
, which is a short passage played in the pause between phrases of a melody.
For guitarists, learning a lick is usually a form of Imitation
. Imitation is as important as knowing the right scale
s over chord
s. By imitating, you understand and analyze what other musicians did, and it helps you understand what you want to do.
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
genres such as rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
or jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
music, a lick is "a stock pattern or phrase
Phrase (music)
In music and music theory, phrase and phrasing are concepts and practices related to grouping consecutive melodic notes, both in their composition and performance...
" consisting of a short series of notes that is used in solos and melodic lines. Licks in rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
are often used through a formula, and variation
Variation (music)
In music, variation is a formal technique where material is repeated in an altered form. The changes may involve harmony, melody, counterpoint, rhythm, timbre, orchestration or any combination of these.-Variation form:...
s technique in which variants of simple, stock ideas are blended and developed during the solo.
In a jazz band
Jazz band
A jazz band is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands usually consist of a rhythm section and a horn section, in the early days often trumpet, trombone, and clarinet with rhythm section of piano, banjo, bass or tuba, and drums.-Eras:SwingDuring the swing era in the mid-twentieth...
, a lick may be performed during an improvised solo, either during an accompanied solo chorus or during an unaccompanied solo break
Break (music)
In popular music, a break is an instrumental or percussion section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main parts of the song or piece....
. Jazz licks are usually original short phrases which can be altered so that they can be used over a song's changing harmonic progressions.
Similar concepts
A lick is different from the related concept of a riffRIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
in that riffs can also include repeated chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
s. Licks are usually associated with single-note melodic lines rather than chord progressions. However, like riffs, licks can be used as the basis of an entire song. Single-line riffs or licks used as the basis of Western classical music pieces are called ostinato
Ostinato
In music, an ostinato is a motif or phrase, which is persistently repeated in the same musical voice. An ostinato is always a succession of equal sounds, wherein each note always has the same weight or stress. The repeating idea may be a rhythmic pattern, part of a tune, or a complete melody in...
s. Contemporary jazz writers also use riff- or lick-like ostinatos in modal
Modal jazz
Modal jazz is jazz that uses musical modes rather than chord progressions as a harmonic framework. Originating in the late 1950s and 1960s, modal jazz is characterized by Miles Davis's "Milestones" Kind of Blue and John Coltrane's classic quartet from 1960–64. Other important performers include...
music and Latin jazz
Latin jazz
Latin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...
.
A lick can be a hook
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
, if the lick meets the definition of a hook: "a music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
al idea, a passage or phrase
Phrase (music)
In music and music theory, phrase and phrasing are concepts and practices related to grouping consecutive melodic notes, both in their composition and performance...
, that is believed to be appealing and make the song stand out", and "catch the ear of the listener". A lick may be incorporated into a fill
Fill (music)
In popular music, a fill is a short musical passage, riff, or rhythmic sound which helps to sustain the listener's attention during a break between the phrases of a melody....
, which is a short passage played in the pause between phrases of a melody.
For guitarists, learning a lick is usually a form of Imitation
Imitation (music)
In music, imitation is when a melody in a polyphonic texture is repeated shortly after its first appearance in a different voice, usually at a different pitch. The melody may vary through transposition, inversion, or otherwise, but retain its original character...
. Imitation is as important as knowing the right scale
Musical scale
In music, a scale is a sequence of musical notes in ascending and descending order. Most commonly, especially in the context of the common practice period, the notes of a scale will belong to a single key, thus providing material for or being used to conveniently represent part or all of a musical...
s over chord
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
s. By imitating, you understand and analyze what other musicians did, and it helps you understand what you want to do.