The "Bebop" lick

BluesBop Harry

Hi, again!
This lick is very famous and very abused, the "Bebop lick" named so by David Baker in his book "How to play Bebop".
Once you play it you´ll probably recognize hearing it a lot, especially in sax and trumpet solos from the Bebop era.
Charlie Parker used it, and so did Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Sonny Rollins, Etc.
I haven´t heard it so much in a Gypsy Jazz setting except by guys like Biréli Lagrène, and the more eclectic players.
It works over dominant 9 chords, starting on the root, and also starting on the fifth of the chord, you can drop the ninth ( A in this case) down an octave or you can substitute it for the root.
It can be used as the beginning of a longer phrase, the ending or in the middle.
Feel free to experiment with different fingerings and sets of string and make sure you practice this lick in ALL keys, so it can materialize in the "heat of the battle" without sounding too much like a plug-in phrase.
Hope you like it!
-Enrique

dennis

it can actually work over any chord from the same tonality, good one though, , i don't use those fingerings though (i try to keep them within a 4 fret range), but whenever i play "bebop" influenced lines i don't use gypsy picking

tomcram

[quote="BluesBop Harry"]Hi, again!
. . . .
It works over dominant 9 chords, starting on the root, and also starting on the fifth of the chord, you can drop the ninth ( A in this case) down an octave or you can substitute it for the root.
. . .
-Enrique[/quote]

If you play this lick in the 5th position and and three more notes, it becomes a nice Am7 - or Am7 to D7 resolving to G major

all eighth notes
e-------------5----------------------new pos 4th---------new pos-3rd----
b----8-7-6-----------5----------------------------4----6------3----
g----------------------------7---------------------------------
d-------------------------------------------------------------
a-------------------------------------------------------------
e-------------------------------------------------------------

The last three notes Eb, F(natural) and D in Gmajor 7th chord

For the Eb note you could use D7-9 chord and for the F D7+9 and resolve
to G M7 (major 7th) third position

My fingering in order is 5th pos 4,3,2 1, 1, 3 4th pos 1, 3, 3rd pos 1


Thanks,
Tom - hope this comes out - first time trying to post a lick?