[Free Guitar Pro tabs] 15 powerful blues licks to add to your arsenal

Looking to spice up your playing with some serious blues power?

These 15 blues licks are the perfect way to elevate your skills and give your solos that authentic, soulful feel. Whether you’re jamming alone or trading licks with other musicians, these killer phrases will add fire and emotion to your playing. Plus, we’ve got you covered with free Guitar Pro tabs to help you learn them fast and easily!

Grab your guitar, dive in, and start grooving with these must-learn blues licks that every guitarist needs in their arsenal!

These licks were composed by one of the members of the Guitar Pro team. Each Guitar Pro can be downloaded above. They all include an audio track, making it perfect for practice along with a backing track! You can also download a zip file with the 15 Guitar Pro files here. Enjoy!

Lick 1

This plan is played on a C7 chord, which is the first degree in C major. It is based on the C major pentatonic scale with a resolution on the fundamental C of the C7 chord. We advise you to play the plan slowly, gradually increasing the tempo.

Lick 2

This plan is played over an F7 chord corresponding to the fourth degree of the key of C major. It is built on the notes of the F7 chord with a resolution on the note C, which is the fifth of F7. Pay attention to the phrasing, as the first notes are piquant.

Lick 3

This plan is played on a G7 chord corresponding to the fifth degree of the key of C major. This is a cycled plan using a one-tone bend. I recommend bending with fingers one, two and three and using the fourth finger to play the note D on the E string.

Lick 4

This plan is played on a chord of Bb7, which is the first degree in Bb major. It is built on the pentatonic scale of Bb major. To give effect to the last note of the plan, we bend it by a quarter-tone.

Lick 5

This plan is played over a chord of Eb7 corresponding to the fourth degree of the key of Bb major.
The first part of the plan uses the Bb minor pentatonic scale, while the second is based on the Bb major pentatonic scale.

Lick 6

This plan is played on an F7 chord corresponding to the fifth degree of the key of Bb major. It uses a series of sixth intervals, frequently used in the blues.

Lick 7

This plan is played over a B7 chord, which is the first degree in the key of B major. It is based on the pentatonic scale of B minor, with a resolution on the seventh of the B7 chord, A. The third of the B7 chord, the note D#, will add relief to the plan.

Lick 8

This plan is played over an E7 chord corresponding to the fourth degree of the key of B major. It is built on the notes of the E7 chord with resolution on the third and root of the chord. To give effect to the double notes G and D, you bend them by a quarter tone.

Lick 9

This plan is played over an F#7 chord corresponding to the fifth degree of the key of B major. It is built on the notes of the F#7 chord, F# A# C# E.

Lick 10

This plan is played over a chord of E7, which is the first degree in the key of E major. It is played on the E minor pentatonic scale. Pay attention to the change of position between the notes in the twelfth fret and the bend in the seventeenth fret.

Lick 11

This plan is played over an A7 chord corresponding to the fourth degree of the key of E major. It is built on the notes of the A7 chord, A C# E G.

Lick 12

This plan is played over a B7 chord corresponding to the fifth degree of the key of E major. It is built on the notes of the B7 chord, B D# F# A.

Lick 13

This plan is played over a chord of A7, which is the first degree in the key of A major. Make sure that the bend of a tone and a half in the twelfth fret of the E string is in tune. It is played on the A minor pentatonic scale.

Lick 14

This plan is played over a D7 chord corresponding to the fourth degree of the key of A major. It is built on the notes of the D7 chord, D F# A C. It is resolved on the seventh of the chord.

Lick 15

This plan is played over an E7 chord corresponding to the fifth degree of the key of A major. It is built on the notes of the E7 chord, E G# B D. To play the fast passage smoothly, I recommend starting slowly and gradually increasing the tempo.

We hope you liked these cool licks and that they will inspire you to compose your own, feel free to comment below!

We’re also happy to share with you Kingfish’s interview at the 2024 Main Square Festival: