John Scofield has played with some of the best musicians around, including Fusion pioneers Billy Cobham, George Duke, and Miles Davis. He’s a very creative player, playing conventional stuff but with a twist that makes it very catchy. You could say it’s a combination of Jazz, Blues, and Funk, but with a slightly dissonant flavour.

Here’s a quick summary of what’s going on with each lick:

Lick 1

This lick starts with an Em7b5 arpeggio on the way up. The second bar spells out the D Minor Pentatonic. Both ideas sound great over either Gm7 or C7 chords.

Lick 2

This licks uses ‘Call and Response’. The notes are from the C Mixolydian Mode.

Lick 3

This linear phrase moves quickly up the C Mixolydian Mode before ending on a Gm6 lick. The Minor 6th sound is used by Jazz players as well as Blues players like Larry Carlton and Robben Ford.

Lick 4

Starting with a typical Blues bend, this lick uses authentic Blues phrasing with the notes coming from the G Blues Scale.

As always, below the YouTube video you’ll find the backing track to play along with, and below that, the tablature. Aren’t I nice?!

Feel free to ask questions or just share your thoughts in the comments!

Watch the video:

Play along with the backing track:

Read the tab: