30 Penta Sonic Blues Licks You MUST Know

Learn how to play 30 must-know pentatonic blues licks

Marty FriedmanTommy EmmanuelSteve VaiEric GalesEric Johnson

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30 Penta Sonic Blues Licks You MUST Know

About this course

Most blues players tend to get stuck in one or two positions when soloing, when in fact there are 5 positions available across the fretboard. In Robbie Laws’ 30 Penta Sonic Blues Licks You MUST Know you’ll learn 30 moveable blues licks in this course — six for each of the five positions! Robbie also shows you the fingering patterns for all five positions so that you can create your own licks on the fly, anywhere on the fretboard, in any key.

”Many players feel trapped in one or two pentatonic box positions, which really limits your choices on the fretboard, and ultimately limits your ability to convey emotion through your playing. I'm going to show you the absolute best way to learn all your pentatonic positions in any key, but as you're learning these positions, you’ll also be adding 30 killer ‘penta sonic’ licks to your vocabulary.”

Robbie Laws is one of the most decorated guitarists in the Pacific Northwest. He has been honored with 21 Portland Cascade Blues Association Muddy Awards, nine of which were for Best Electric Guitarist. Having played with a host of guitar legends ranging from Albert Collins to Ronnie Earl, Robbie has thrilled festival and concert audiences for over 15 years. We’re very proud to welcome Robbie to the family with his first TrueFire course, 30 Penta Sonic Blues Licks You MUST Know.

”Imagine having the confidence to express yourself anywhere on the fingerboard in any key, at any time. In this course, you’ll learn how to incorporate longitude and latitude in your playing, allowing you to create licks, lines and chord voicings anywhere on the fretboard.”

Robbie first gives you a primer on the five pentatonic patterns and then demonstrates all 30 of the licks over rhythm tracks followed by a detailed breakdown for each lick. All of the licks are tabbed and notated for your practice, reference and study purposes.

You’ll also get Guitar Pro files so that you can loop and/or slow any section down as you work through the lessons. Plus, Robbie generously includes all of the rhythm tracks for you to work with on your own.

Grab your guitar and let’s get Penta Sonic with Robbie Laws!

What you'll learn

  • Execute controlled string bends
  • Create melodic blues-style licks
  • Use sliding techniques in blues licks
  • Use passing tones effectively
  • Identify scale degrees in improvisation
Release date: 02/29/2016 • 2h 42m runtime
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Sample lessons
King's Thang
King's Thang
Lick 12
Sidewinder
Sidewinder
Lick 13
Rollin' With Albert
Rollin' With Albert
Lick 19
Sweet Talkin'
Sweet Talkin'
Lick 26

What's included

41 lessons • 35 charts • 7 Jam Tracks

30 Penta Sonic Blues Licks
Hi, I'm Robbie Laws and Welcome to 30 Penta Sonic Blues Licks You Must Know. Many players feel trapped in one or two pentatonic box positions, which really limits your choices on the fretboard, and ultimately limits your ability to convey emotion through your playing. I'm going to show you the absolute best way to learn all your pentatonic positions in any key, but as you're learning these positions you're also learning 30 killer "penta sonic" licks.

The main ingredient that really makes this course work is a little word called “fun”. With the "fun factor", it becomes almost impossible for you to want to put your guitar down, which makes this course super easy and really exciting!

Imagine yourself with the confidence and knowledge to express yourself anywhere on the fingerboard in any key any time. That alone is well worth the price of admission, but as you get into this course you'll realize that you're learning how to incorporate longitude and latitude in your playing, allowing you to create licks, lines, and chords voicing anywhere on the fretboard (which is huge!). So what are you waiting for? Grab that guitar and let's get started!
Primer: Pentatonic Patterns
Before we get started on the licks, I wanted to give you a demonstration and layout of both the box and diagonal patterns in the key of A. This will help you get the most out of the each of the licks. Let's get started!
Pentatonic Pattern 4
Let's get started with Pentatonic Pattern 4, starting with the box pattern and then the diagonal pattern that goes with it.
Pentatonic Pattern 5
Continuing along, let's look at Pentatonic Pattern 5. I'll start by showing you the box pattern and then the diagonal pattern that goes with it.
Pentatonic Pattern 1
Let's move along to Pentatonic Pattern 1, looking at both the box and diagonal patterns.
Pentatonic Pattern 2
Now we'll go over Pentatonic Pattern 2, both the box and diagonal patterns.
Pentatonic Pattern 3
Finally, we'll look at the box and diagonal pattern for Pentatonic Pattern 3.

+ 34 more lessons

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Reviews

28 results

Chris

02/17/25

How this course helped me

So I already knew all the positions pretty well but only knew good licks in the first and second position. This course really helped me on how to play in the other positions. It opened up great licks in all the position that I can incorporate into my playing. Learning the scales horizontally also really helped open new ideas for me as well. I think the real key to this course is having a solid foundation of knowing all the positions first. Make sure you have each position down solidly before moving into the licks. Does this course work? well since I started my playing has changed, I am able to move around the fretboard easier because I have some solid lick to go to in each position. If you are stuck playing the same stuff over and over in the first and secondd position this will be a a great course for you.

twosalads

08/15/24

Will unlock the blues for you

I never write course reviews, but I felt compelled to leave a review for this one. Short version: Absolutely buy this course. Long version… I consider myself a solid intermediate player that is fairly good at rhythm but hopeless at blues soloing. Prior to starting this course I could probably play 2.5 licks. For the past few years I have bought countless beginner blues/ blues soloing courses. Many have been taught by some truly gifted players and teachers. If you are thinking about buying this course, you have probably gone through a similar journey. From these courses I was able to semi-confidently play the 5 positions of the pentatonic scale but never able to truly solo. This course has totally changed everything. Due to the structure of the licks matching a specific position, the muscle memory has finally clicked. The licks that are presented are very good and lead to further exploration in creating your own licks. I have found myself comfortably making up my own licks as a result. It is also very helpful that all the licks are in the same key (A). This is not the case with a lot of courses. i have not completed the entire course but have made tremendous progress. Bottom line- if you have been struggling to put the pieces together in blues soloing this will be the course to unlock it for you!

hansjohn

Verified buyer

04/11/23

Nice material with great licks demonstrated by a good player.

notjoeaverage

Verified buyer

11/02/22

Just what I was looking for

All 5 patterns are covered and all in the same key. I wish more lick courses were key specific, it makes it so much easier to learn and exponentially easier to actually use.

oldintheway

Verified buyer

06/30/22

tasteful Am Pen

very good and tasteful licks, I value this course a great deal for getting in the zone and out of a rut during jam sessions . great teacher, the stuff played is not too hard to understand and the material is perfect for the later beginner /intermediate player. for 5 dollars? no brainer!

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