Discover The Little-Known Licks Used ​By Blues Guitar’s Greatest Legends ​To Play Attention-Grabbing Solos ​WITHOUT Boring Music Theory
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Instantly turn heads ​and captivate an ​audience
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Give them goosebumps ​on command
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Unlock killer solos like the ​old-school blues legends ​in record-setting time
Forget staying stuck playing the same old run-of-the-mill pentatonic patterns over and over. Here’s how to bust out epic licks on the spot and inject your solos with emotion and feeling
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On a beautiful late spring afternoon, twenty years ago. I’d just hit the play ​button on a voice recorder to listen back to a tape I’d made in my practice ​room.
Leading up to this, I’d spent the past 3 months searching for answers. I tried ​the pentatonic scale, the blues scale, and every type of scale you could think ​of. My wall shelf was filled with books. It was overwhelming. But I was ​determined to become a good lead player.
After 3 months of hard work, I was excited to listen back and hear how ​I sounded soloing over chords.
I felt so close to a breakthrough. I was surely on to something…As I hit play ​on the recorder, I heard the rhythm guitar come in.
That part sounded fine.
I had chords and strumming patterns down.
But next, I heard my
SOLO…
My first reaction…
What the hell?
It sounded nothing like how I had imagined it.
Wait… maybe it will get better….
…maybe this is just a rough start…
AGHHH nope…
It was like a punch in my gut because it just kept going on and on the ​SAME way.
It had no melody. I was stuck with scale-ish-sounding solos that repeated ​the same couple of patterns over and over. What rubbed salt in my wounds ​was I had just bought a $3,000 custom guitar, a pedal board, and a pro amp. ​Yet even with all the best gear, I still couldn’t solo.
Sure, as I mentioned above the rhythm part was fine.
But why couldn’t I make my leads sound like how I wanted?
What was I missing?
Well, over the next few years, I finally found out. It wasn’t until I got to hang ​out with blues guitar master Kenny Burrell. He told me about this trick dating ​all the way back to the 1930s.
Turns out, this was the one crucial link I’d missed. (Most players do)
But all the legends have it.
And once I added in this missing link, my solos skyrocketed. I was finally ​able to unlock playing expressive leads with deep emotion. I broke free ​from playing the same old phrases over and over. And this gave my ​lead playing a timeless quality infused with melody and emotion.
Today I want to show you, how you can do the same.
So, if you’d like to banish boring solos for good and find out how to put your ​leads on steroids. Read on…
You may have seen my music lessons online, where I have
helped MILLIONS of students improve their guitar playing.
Or you may have seen me or my work featured in these
publications…
Why Most Solos Don’t Have Feeling
When I first started on my path of studying the art of improvisation. I began with scales, arpeggios, and exercises–like plenty of guitarists, I’m sure. These are the typical methods guitar instructors teach someone trying to learn to solo. While practicing them may have benefited my technique, I found out later there was a downfall. These were actually limiting my perception and narrowing my view.
You see, it's a lot easier for a guitar teacher to simply say: "Just learn all your scales, and theory, and then it will all make sense. Once you do all that, then you'll be soloing like a world-class musician!" It’s much harder to show you how to draw from the rich language of the blues and infuse your solos with melody, emotion, and old-school soul.
The big problem here is, the first option…
DOESN’T work.
Think of it like this…
Scales, arpeggios, and exercises are like learning the alphabet. But just because someone can recite the alphabet, doesn’t mean they can have a conversation yet.
Imagine your friend came up to you and asked, “Hey! How are you doing?” And all you said back to them was the alphabet…
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and on and on…
They would look at you with a very puzzled face. Because…you wouldn’t be SAYING anything. This is what soloing is like when you’re missing the one key ingredient Kenny Burrell showed me.Â
While you may feel repeating the same old licks over and over is bad. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Every guitar legend does this... But…the reason why this feels like a problem to you is because…you’re not yet speaking the true language of the music. You’re just reciting the alphabet…over and over.
This is why your solos sound boring and do nothing to improve a song.
What will fix this though, is grasping the idea that music is a language and in order to speak it, you must acquire
VOCABULARY
This is what sets your solos free and lets you develop your own signature sound. But just like learning any language, you need to first familiarize yourself with the basic parts of speech.
Now, did the old-school blues legends learn the language of the blues through stacks of theory books? No, it was Willie Brown sitting on the porch with Robert Johnson. Teaching him licks one by one. Showing him how to speak the true language of the blues.
Does that excite you? It should. Because with the right vocabulary, it means your solos will…
Speak The True Language Of The Blues
Imagine you could speak the true language of the blues, just like the ​legends.
So instead of playing noodling solos that lack melody. Every time you ​pick up the same old guitar you’ve been playing for years. Fresh new ​licks flow off the fingerboard that sound like top blues players. All by ​making one simple (yet surprisingly fun) change.
From the very first moment, you’ll hear and feel the difference. ​You’ll fast-track your leads to sound like you’ve always wanted.
Imagine this weekend putting on a jam track, dropping in your new hot ​licks, and igniting your solos.
Then week-by-week you begin to build your vocabulary. Stacking your ​arsenal with the phrases of the greats.
Then, you go jam with your jamming buddies. They see you plug in the ​same gear as before and think everything is going to be the same old ​same old.
In a flash, you start busting out melodic solos on the spot. You look up ​to see their faces (startled and in amazement). Their eyes are as wide ​as saucers and they say to you, “Where’d you learn those licks?”
That’s what happens once you’ve built your vocabulary. You unlock the true language of the blues and can play from the heart. No great blues player skipped over this step.
So, at this point, you may be wondering…
How Do You Learn Vocabulary So Your Solos Turn Heads?
Well, after learning this trick from Kenny Burrell. I decided I was going to go deep with it. I went back to the 1930s and started my quest to find the BEST licks from every era of the blues. Not just any old licks. The ones that really made the artists tick.
Throughout the process, there were a lot of roadblocks, endless headaches, and quite a few years of toiling in frustration. But finally, through the right vocabulary. I was able to turn my boring and lifeless solos into exquisite melodies dripping with emotion and feel!
I was ecstatic!
I then started sharing these same ideas and learning methods with my guitar students. And it worked for them too!
Just like all the blues greats that came before, they were able to go from uninteresting leads to crushing their solos.
Now, previously the only way you could get access to this, was if you randomly knew me decades ago. (You would have to pay thousands of dollars and become one of my private clients.)
But because I can’t work with everyone anymore, what I’ve finally decided to do.
Is take this method and share it with the public for the very first time.
Introducing…
Essential Blues Licks
Supercharge Your Lead Playing With This Complete History Of The ​Blues (In Licks) From The Early 1930s To Present Modern Styles
Essential Blues Licks is a self-paced online course that takes you on a journey through the blues in licks.
It’s the culmination of a 20+ year research project cataloging the greatest blues licks from the 1930s to present modern times. Every lick was dug out of iconic blues recordings. So they’re guaranteed to ignite your solos and send goosebumps down your listeners' spines.
Plus I break down these legends soloing ideas into easy-to-follow theory (not complicated gobbledegook). This means you’ll not only be able to bust out epic licks on the spot. But you’ll be able to take their ideas and use them to stoke the flames of your own solos.
All on the same day!
Here's some of what's covered:
- My simple process to get 10x, 20x, or even 100x more value from any lick you learn
- How to play melodic blues solos off any chord without having to think
- The little-known way early swing players made their solos sing
- WARNING: 99.87% of guitarists miss this one thing that keeps them from ever being able to speak the true language of the blues (See module 1 video 2)
- How to play swinging blues licks that start on growling low strings and wind up to wailing high notes
- Forget scale-ish sounding solos here’s how to play melodic leads that make you sound COOL
- How to target chord tones in your solos so you never hit a note out of key
- What Charlie Christian (the father of electric guitar in jazz) did in his blues solos to spice them up
- How to handle up-tempo blues licks so you won’t feel like your hands are holding you back
- How to use just ONE NOTE to command an entire band to follow your lead
- What happened to guitar string gauges after World War II
- T-bone Walker’s favorite string bending trick – use this to make your solos sound like you were born in Linden Texas
- How to infuse your solos with heart & soul so you never get stuck playing the same old pentatonic blah blah blah
- Discover “The L.P. Lick” the single most useful and influential blues lick of all time
- How to break big licks down into tiny pieces so you can stack your arsenal with endless soloing ideas
- The amazing “R.F.” trick to crawl inside your listener's ears and force them to go berserk for your solos (See module 2 video 3)Â
- These 3 notes back-to-back are how countless blues legends end their solos with a powerful sound
- How Post-War blues guitar evolved into 50s rockabilly style
- Master Robert Johnson’s signature acoustic blues licks without having to fall down on your knees or sell your soul to the devil
- The single best scale to practice if you want to play like John Lee Hooker
- A crazy whacky way to make any blues lick squawk (See module 3 video 6)
- Discover Robert Johnson’s sneaky "diminished" chord trick and how you can use this lick to kick off any blues song
- How Jimmy Reed embellished his solos with double-stops
- My go-to ways to solo over blues turnaround progressions
- Robert Johnson’s hidden "diminished" chord trick – use this to kick off any blues song
- Facts about slide guitarÂ
- The 2 most common tunings for blues slide guitar and how to play licks in them
- How to seamlessly flow from slide lead licks to groovy blues rhythms without having to take off your slide
- What Early Chicago Blues Slide Licks Every Guitarist Should Know
- How to find the I, IV, and V chords in open tunings – use this to play slide on millions of blues songs
- The secret sauce to Freddie King’s guitar tone
- The 5 unusual ways I bend strings – master these and your solos will drip with emotion and feel
- Discover Freddie King’s pinching 6th lick he used as a standout phrase in his biggest hits
- A simple way the Texas Cannonball would kick off any blues tune – use this when your bandmates look to you to start the next song
- What it really means to outline the chord changes in your solos
- How to vary the rhythms in your solos so you never sound bland or uninteresting
- Forget cliché rock licks – use these color tones to make your leads turn heads (See module 4 video 5)
- How Freddie King combined RHYTHM and LEAD licks together in the 12-bar blues
- B.B. King’s stealth way of playing soul-wrenching blues solos that hit the perfect notes at just the right time
- One simple technique to start any solo with 15x more confidence
- B.B. King’s favorite blues intro lick – use this to sound like Lucille’s dad on COMMAND
- How to unlock the “B.B. Box” and solo with it anywhere on the neck
- Worried your fingers might be too slow to solo? Learn B.B. King’s secret to playing epic solos while barely moving your fretting hand (See module 4 video 19)
- How to scratch and claw the strings like Albert King
- Unlock the “Albert Box” and you’ll make your solos wail like the Velvet Bulldozer himself
- CAUTION: If you make this one mistake Albert King's licks become virtually impossible to play – Don’t let this happen to you
- Master Albert King’s “falloff” licks he used in countless blues hits
- Watch me break down step-by-step the signature styles of Chicago players like Buddy Guy, Magic Sam, and Otis Rush
- How Otis Rush took T-Bone Walker's licks to the next level
- How blues guitar’s greatest legends learned soloing without having to cram their heads full of boring theory
- Eric Clapton’s sneaky fingering trick – this breaks all the conventional rules but it’s a key ingredient to getting your licks to sound legit (See module 6 video 1)
- How Eric Clapton put his solos on steroids with John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
- Watch me decode Jimi Hendrix’s signature soloing tricks from “Red House”
- Blistering fast Johnny Winter licks broken down step-by-step so anyone can easily slowly copy them even if they feel frustrated learning later in life
- The one thing to do after you play the final note of your solo if you want to sound like Clapton
- What Stevie Ray Vaughan did to make his solos blast off like a rocket ship to the moon
- The single most important rhythm to use in your Texas-style blues solos
- Are your solos lacking emotion and melody? Here’s the simplest and most effective way Gary Moore prevented this
- How Stevie Ray Vaughan used hybrid picking as a secret weapon in his solos
- When to leave the blues scale for more modern sounds
- The 3 note combination that made Stevie Ray Vaughan’s solos sound like he was breaking out of jail
Let's take a quick rest for a second.
You see, for years students have asked me about my tone secrets in lessons. What sort of hidden pedals, or mystical string gauges I’m using…
Well, at long last, in Essential Blues Licks you’ll get all my…
Blues Guitar Tone Secrets REVEALED
This is one of the best parts! As we go through every era ​of the blues I tell you exactly what gear I’m using for ​everything. You’ll get the behind-the-scenes details on my:
I reveal complete rig rundowns for every era of the blues.
This means you’ll see firsthand how things changed throughout the ​decades. And, how you can use all this to create your own signature sound ​and style.
Put all these tones together with the RIGHT licks and you’ll get HUGE ​breakthroughs in an (almost) effortless manner.
But don’t just take my word for it, take a look at what these blues guitar ​legends have to say about learning licks:
"Licks are the vocabulary of the guitarist. Learn as many as you can, but don't forget to use them tastefully."Â
– Stevie Ray Vaughan
"Learn all the good licks you can, then learn how to play them in time. And when you can play them in time, learn how to play them in tune. And when you can play them in tune, learn how to play them with feeling."
– B.B. King
"You can't steal nothin' from nobody. You can just learn what they're doin' and put your own thing in it."
– Son House
"Every guitar player I ever met, learned somethin' from someone before. You gotta be a student of the music, man."
– John Lee Hooker
"Playing licks is all about timing and delivery. Get it right, and you'll have your audience eating out of the palm of your hand."
– Jimmy Page
The masters all say licks work!
Check out what real students inside Essential Blues Licks are saying:
 “I got together with a couple of friends of mine. We actually rented a studio so we would have somewhere to practice so others couldn't hear us. The guys were amazed! It was so cool being able to step in and participate on a level that I'd never done before."
– Russ Jones
“I've incorporated these licks into my 12-bar blues playing to spice things up. These licks are great practice lines to work on your speed/accuracy/alternate picking etc.
It's a rewarding journey!”
– David S.
“I needed to build my lick library, so I could understand the relationship between rhythm and lead/playing over chords. Now I have lots of fun playing with backing tracks and have a library and language. I can finally talk within my abilities/capabilities."
– Robert W.
How Much Would It Be Worth To Speak The ​True Language Of The Blues From The Heart?
As mentioned above, if you’d like to skip over countless years of toiling in ​frustration trying to dig out the gold that I have from these iconic blues ​recordings.
Then perhaps you could hire a good private instructor to teach you the ​language of the blues.
But you better make sure you remember everything they say because you ​won’t be able to reference it in an easy course like this.
And they probably won’t really have done all the work like I have to organize ​all the eras like this. Will they have years in the trenches of the industry ​playing as a pro?
And how will you know if the licks and phrases they are teaching you ​are proven?
Because if they’re not… It won’t work.
You could practice for years and just spin your wheels…only to find out later ​you have to start all over again…
Or worse…give up.
The tragic reality is…you won’t know unless you can already speak the ​language of the blues yourself.
But let’s just say you got really lucky and found a great pro-teacher.
At a going rate of $80 an hour (that’s what the music shop down the street ​from me charges). You’re going to end up spending anywhere from $4,160 to ​$10,000.
Over a few years.
I say cheap private lesson rate because there’s no way you’ll find a pro like ​me for $80 to teach you…
If you want that, you better have connections and be ready to shell out a LOT ​more.
I paid $19,000 15 years ago to Kenny Burrell to teach me.
But the good news is…
Since we can now work together online, I don't have to charge anywhere near ​even the cheap private lesson rate.
And you don’t even have to leave home!
Today, you won’t be paying $19,000, $10,000, or even $4,160…
But what if we took the smallest number…
And lopped it HALF?
Would $2,080 be worth it?
I’d like to think so.
But the crazy whacky thing is…
You won’t be paying $2,080 either.
How about HALF of that?
Surely, $1,040 paid right now to instantly be able to bust out epic blues licks ​on the spot would be 100% worth it?
Well, today…
On this page only…
I’m going to give you a special offer that is 88% off the cheapest price ​above…
You can join Essential Blues Licks for
just one payment of $497
With cheap private lessons clocking in at $11.39 a day. Essential Blues Licks ​is only going to cost you $1.36 per day.
Most people spend more than this on a daily cup of coffee at Starbucks…
Don’t you think your dream of playing epic blues guitar solos is worth ​more than a cup of coffee at Starbies?
But hang on... we're still not done!
When You Join Today You’ll Also Get ​These 3 AMAZING Must-Have ​Bonuses Completely FREE!
Bonus #1
Jam With Jon Blues Library
To make these hot licks a true part of your guitar-playing vocabulary. You’ve got to improvise with them over the right blues jam tracks and chord progressions.
That’s why I’m stocking you up with:
- 10 awesome jam tracks to the most popular blues progressions of all time! Jam them with me anytime 24/7!
- These backing tracks have the guitar panned to the right and the bass on the left for individual controls.
- Set your own mix on the tracks, mute either side and play with only the guitar or the bass.
Bonus #2
5 Bullet-Proof Ways To Play Perfect Blues Endings
A big mistake many intermediate blues players make is they don’t know how to end a song. Musicians often stare at each other looking like deer in headlights not knowing what to do.
Don’t let this be you. Discover how to play perfect blues endings every time. This will make you the hero of the band.
Bonus #3
Top 10 Best Blues Soloing YouTube Song Lessons
Just in case, you didn’t get enough from 100 years of blues history in licks. Here are 10 more of my best YouTube blues soloing lessons with tabs. This gives you a curated list of hours more complete blues soloing training.
Videos and downloadable PDFs for all 10 bonus lessons.
Essential Blues Licks Is NOT Right For You If:
- You're not willing to actively learn new fun blues licks and apply them to your solos
- You’re looking for a magic bullet to solo without putting in any practice (sorry this doesn’t exist)
- You have no basic experience with scales, licks, or riffs – If that’s you, take my Essential Blues Guitar System first
- You are a total beginner - If that's you, take my Essential Beginner Guitar System
Essential Blues Licks Is  Right For You If:
- You’re ready to break free from playing the same old run-of-the-mill ​patterns and want to SHORT CUT the path to playing ​UNFORGETTABLE blues guitar solos
- You're ready to STOP your solos from sounding like scales
- You need a bridge from beginner to pro blues soloist
- You want to take command of your fretboard and unlock real lead ​guitar strategies used by the greatest blues musicians of all time
- You want to take a journey in licks through a comprehensive history ​of the blues from the 1930s to present modern styles
- You want to speak the true language of blues guitar from the heart
Here’s What To Do Next…
After that, you will be immediately emailed a login link to access the ​online portal and you can begin your blues journey right away.
TRYÂ ESSENTIAL BLUES LICKS FOR A FULL
 60-DAYS, 100% RISK-FREE
If at any time in the next 60 days, you don’t feel like your solos are ​getting injected with a massive shot of adrenaline…if they’re not ​speaking the true language of the blues, dripping with emotion and ​feeling…and if you’re not able to bust out epic licks on the spot that ​make your jamming buddies jaws fall on the floor. Simply send me an ​email and I’ll refund you every penny of your money. I’ll even eat the ​credit card fees.
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Sound fair?
Read this if you’re still on the fence…
If you’ve stuck with me this long, whether you realize it or not. There are really only 3 options you have in front of you.
The first option is to forget about everything I’ve said about the language of the blues. And continue doing what you’ve been doing.
But if this hasn’t worked out yet. Remember what Einstein said about the bigger picture:
“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”
The second option is to go and try to do this all on your own. Transcribe hundreds of solos dating back to the 1930s to present modern styles. Waste years toiling in trial-and-error only to find out years later you have to start all over again.
Or the third option is…
Test drive Essential Blues Licks and start playing killer solos ​right now.
Listen, there is no “practice round” in life…
You’re in the real game…
And the clock is ticking.
It’s time to make a decision.
If you’re ready to finally play those attention-grabbing solos dripping with emotion and feeling.
Click the button below and enroll in Essential Blues Licks right now.
Yes! I want lifetime access to
Essential Blues Licks
Here Are Answers To The Most Common Questions About The Program
Does this require a big time commitment?
Why is this different from anything else out there?
Why should I learn the blues?
Will this work for acoustic & electric guitar?
Is my health or age an issue?
I'm part of another guitar learning program, what should I do?
Will I feel overwhelmed with too much to do?
I'm not great with computers, will I be able to participate?
Do I need to "be somewhere" at a certain time, or follow a rigid schedule to participate?
What's Your Guarantee?
Now that you have all the answers you need to move forward ​with confidence…
Â
Click the button below to join
Essential Blues Licks
Right Now…
I want to thank you for joining me here today.
I know learning to speak the true language of the blues will help you in ways you never thought possible.
Just click the button below now to get started.
See you on the "other side",
– Jon MacLennan
