When it comes to improving as a saxophone player and improviser, practising ‘licks’ is one of the most valuable things you can do. Working on a bank of ‘licks’ is a fantastic exercise for players of all levels, both technically, and creatively to develop a musical vocabulary.
Licks vs Patterns
So what exactly do we mean by a ‘lick’, and how is it different from a ‘pattern’? A pattern is typically a repeating musical idea, eg. playing the first four notes of a scale, then the next four, and so on. Whereas, a lick is a musical phrase, something more like using a sentence in a language that you can adapt and use in different contexts.
How to practice a Lick
You might take a simple lick from the blues scale (like descending the scale but going one note further than the root) and get really comfortable with it so that you can play it by ear. Once you’ve internalised that phrase, the next step is to practice it over a backing track. I often recommend using the SessionBand apps to set a minor chord in your chosen key and then play the lick straight over that chord.
After you can play it consistently, you can start varying it, just like tweaking a phrase in a language to fit different situations. In the same way you might adapt a sentence like “Hello, I’d like to book a room” into “Hello, I’d like to hire a car,” you can adapt a lick to suit different musical contexts and keys.
Where to find Licks
In my latest YouTube video, I’ve shared five really cool blues-scale licks that work beautifully over “Autumn Leaves.” By learning these licks in all 12 keys, you’ll have a fantastic tool kit for soloing not only over that tune but in lots of other situations as well.
So there you have it, practicing licks is a time-honoured and incredibly effective way to improve your saxophone playing. Enjoy exploring these musical phrases, and happy practicing!
As a saxophone educator, I run an online saxophone school called Sax Made Simple, where you will find a range of online courses covering topics such as saxophone technique, scales, iconic solos, improvisation, etc. Sax Bandits members can access an exclusive 5% discount on all courses via the ‘Discounts’ page on Sax HQ.
Lynden Blades is a leading UK saxophone teacher with a unique and accessible approach to music education. He runs a thriving YouTube channel @lyndenblades and the website www.saxmadesimple.com, where he shares clear, practical resources for sax players of all levels. Alongside his wife, he also performs across the UK and abroad with their jazz duo, ‘Sax & Honey’.
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