How To Play Tasty DADGAD Blues Licks On Guitar

by Simon Candy

In this video, I show you how to play tasty blues licks in DADGAD tuning.

These licks are easy to play and sound awesome, putting a twist on your typical blues sound.

In this lesson, I begin by showing you the DADGAD blues scale, which is super easy to play, before looking at several licks that come from this scale.

Next, I show you simple ways to provide both the solo parts made up of these DADGAD licks, and the chords that back them, at the same time on one guitar.

The result is a really cool blues sound with a twist due to the DADGAD factor.

Watch the video below to learn how to play blues licks in DADGAD Tuning:

DADGAD Blues Scale

Here is the blues scale as it is in DADGAD tuning:

DADGAD Guitar Blues Scale

DADGAD Blues Licks

The following are simple blues licks derived from the scale above.

Blues Lick 1

This lick simply descends the blues scale with some 1/4 step bends:

DADGAD Guitar Blues Lick 1

Blues Lick 2

This lick features triplets for a cool feel:

DADGAD Guitar Blues Lick 2

Blues Lick 3

More triplets descending the blues scale:

DADGAD Guitar Blues Lick 3

Blues Lick 4

This lick is mostly made up of 8th notes with a triplet on beat 3 for variation:

DADGAD Guitar Blues Lick 4

Blues Lick 5

This final lick features double stop triplets punctuated with slides:

DADGAD Guitar Blues Lick 5

DADGAD Blues Drone Licks

The following are combinations and variations of the licks above played against the drone of the low open D string:

Drone Lick 1

This lick is a combination/variation of blues lick 1 and 2 above:

DADGAD Guitar Blues Drone Lick 1

Drone Lick 2

This lick is a variation of blues lick 2 above:

DADGAD Guitar Blues Drone Lick 2

Drone Lick 3

This lick is an idea born from blues lick 4 above:

DADGAD Guitar Blues Drone Lick 3

Drone Lick 4

This lick is an idea born from blues lick 2 above:

DADGAD Guitar Blues Drone Lick 4

Drone Lick 5

This lick is based off of blues lick 5 above, expanding on the double stop triplet idea:

DADGAD Guitar Blues Drone Lick 5

DADGAD Blues Vamp

The following are examples of applying the DADGAD blues licks from above across a simple blues based vamp:

Example 1

This first example utilises Drone Lick 1 from above:

DADGAD Guitar Blues Example 1

Example 2

This example utilises Drone Lick 3 from above:

DADGAD Guitar Blues Example 2

Example 3

This last example runs through a number of the drone licks from above, along with the G7 and F chords that make up our blues vamp:

1.

DADGAD Guitar Blues Example 3-1

2.

DADGAD Guitar Blues Example 3-2

3.

DADGAD Guitar Blues Example 3-3

Discover the tools and tricks of the trade for DADGAD tuning on your acoustic guitar