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Banjo Scales in Tab
by; Janet Davis

Bluegrass Banjo

Adding Exciting Fill-In and Tag Licks to Your Playing

by Bob Altschuler

What are licks and where are they played?
Licks are musical phrases used to express musical ideas, as decoration to make music interesting and colorful and for variation in playing. Licks can be used instead of the melody, to fill chord space, to highlight parts of a song (for example, at the end of a lead break or when the vocalist pauses) and to connect parts of the song. Licks can also be played as backup and as lead-ins and endings. There are fill-in and tag licks for all chords. Fill-in licks fill chord space, and tag licks are played at the end of a musical passage or for emphasis after a vocal break. (The same lick can function as both fill-in and tag, and its location determines which it is called.) The licks can be in Scruggs, melodic, single string and other styles.

In this article, we'll look at fill-in and tag licks for the G chord.

What do licks have to do with musical taste?
Taste means playing licks that fit with the chords, rhythm and "feel" of a song, without overuse of a particular lick or playing hot licks just to show off. Some licks don't fit well in a song, and choosing the "right" licks makes music sound good.

How are the licks used?
Using different licks is part of improvisation, and licks can be seen as building blocks that can be plugged into your playing in different ways. This involves incorporating new licks and passages to provide variety and ornamentation, and includes substituting and recombining licks to play breaks, backup and fill chord space. Substituting even one lick can change the sound of a song, and substituting multiple licks can significantly alter the sound.

Where can I find fill-in and tag licks?
Licks can be found in instructional books, recordings and tabs of songs, and from listening to other players and your own ideas. Remember, it is essential to have a repertoire of standard licks that give the traditional bluegrass sound and build your collection of additional licks from there. You can work up a bag of fill-in and tag licks to draw from, so your playing stays varied and interesting.

How do I start to add different licks?
Start by finding measures in a song where there are no melody notes. (You can also use measures with just a few melody notes and work in the substitute licks). Then, plug in some licks you like, until you find ones that fit best in the context of the song. You can then play both the standard break and breaks with the additional licks, creating variety in your playing. Learning more licks to substitute gives you more variety, and the licks you learn are transferable to other songs.

Start with G licks, and then move on to C, D, A, F, etc. licks. Some closed position licks (no open strings) can be moved and applied to different chords. You can also substitute licks for longer passages of certain songs that don't have distinct melodies. For example, Foggy Mountain Breakdown and Bugle Call Rag are recognizable, but don't really have distinct melodies. You can string together and substitute multiple measures of licks and create new breaks for the song (to play after the standard breaks which establish that you are playing Foggy Mountain Breakdown, etc).

• The following tab has 14 samples of one measure G chord fill-in and tag licks.
• After that is a version of "Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms," showing fill-in and tag licks in four places- measures 3 and 4 (in the first line of the song), and 15 and 16 (at the end of the song).
• Then, there are examples of substituting the sample licks in those measures.
• Try out other combinations of the sample licks (and other licks you find) and see how they fit in the song. The licks can be used in many songs to spice up your playing.

About the Author

Bob Altschuler lives in upstate New York and has played bluegrass banjo since 1970. As a banjo instructor, his 25 years of experience includes teaching many students at Banjo Camp North, where he has been the Beginner Bluegrass Track Coordinator since 2003. Bob's training and work as a public school teacher sharpened his teaching abilities, and helped him become a patient and sought after banjo instructor (his day job is now with the NY State Retirement System). Bob performs with the Dyer Switch band at concerts and festivals across the Northeast, Midwest and South, and recorded "American Airwaves" and "Family Business" CDs with the band. His banjo playing has also been heard on Northeast Public Radio and on television and radio commercials in upstate New York.

You can contact Bob at arobanjo@aol.com, or through the Dyer Switch website at www.dyerswitch.com.