In this Guitarticle we’ll be looking at another Chicken Pick’n lick in the style of Brent Mason.

This lick, like our first Chicken Pick’n Guitarticle, is in the keys of A and E using a composite scale based on the major scale and blues scale played over the given chord. As with any lick in this style packed with chromatic notes, you’ll want to get this lick moving into higher tempos to really make it sing. The passing tones can create a lot of unwanted dissonance if left ringing out, so try to make the tempo and length of the notes as even as possible.

You’ll also want to follow the finger pattern for your right hand as written, as this lick necessitates the use of both the pick and your middle and ring fingers. This “hybrid picking” technique is indicated in the examples by “m” and “a” for the right hand middle and ring fingers respectively. The banjo-style roll comes into play when you pick in rapid succession with the pick followed by the m and a fingers. I’ve also included an open version in A as well as version in E without the use of open strings to help you understand moving this lick into any key you like.

Take it slow at first as speed comes naturally.

Until next issue, have fun and enjoy!

Looking to improve your guitar skills? Call Chambers Guitars for lessons at (615) 898-0055.