HOT COUNTRY LICK IN G (D POSITION)

I got the idea for this lick while trying to steal some Nashville stuff from a Steve Trovato clip.

This lick will help you develop your ability to play out of D shapes. A lot of great country and blues licks come out of D shapes, but the D positions require a lot of stretching and shifting and they're tough to use. Inefficient though this position may be, don't neglect it! Its value lies in its special sound. The lick I have here can be played more easily in open G, or in its neighboring E position, but it sounds very different in a D position. That's because it uses a lot of the G string, giving you less of the thin B and E string sound. Of course, when you're going for that brittle twang tone, the B and high E are indispensable, but this position gives you more of a modern Nashville tone.

It's also a great pinky workout, and we all can use more of those.