
In this course, we’re going to take a deep-dive into the legato technique. This jam-packed series of lessons comprises more than 3.5 hours of video content, a 24 page booklet, 4 backing tracks, fretboard diagrams and Guitar Pro files.
We will cover more than 90 licks and concepts that will enable you to incorporate legato lines into your playing in any key, at any tempo.
This course is much more than a licks tutorial. We will discuss approaches for creating your own legato lines and will even learn to improvise using the technique.
Since modern legato can be seen as a combination technique, we will also study hybrid picking, sweep picking, economy picking and string skipping - all of which can be combined into blisteringly fast, fluid lines.
Are you ready to supercharge your legato playing?
In this intro video, we’re given a brief outline of what we can expect to learn from this course. Since most of our demonstration licks are played using the D dorian scale (the 2nd mode of C major), it may help if you are familiar with 3-note-per-string scale positions. If you’re unfamiliar (or if you simply need a refresher for reference) I have included fretboard diagrams of the 7 positions of the C major scale.
Don’t worry if these scale positions are uncharted territory to you. All of our licks are fully tabbed and notated. As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software.
As a side note, if you want to work on your overall fretboard knowledge, I offer an extensive neck-navigation course called ‘Master The Fretboard’.
In this lesson, we introduce what is possibly the most fundamental and useful one-string legato lick. Most of the licks in this course are paired into variations: a 16th-note lick and a similar triplet counterpart. To get the most milage out of the legato technique and your time-feel, it’s important to treat both variations as separate licks.
We also discuss ‘Lazy 1st Finger Syndrome’ and why, in order to reduce hand tension, it can be beneficial to be aware of finger independence.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Licks 3 and 4 see us applying the fundamental 6-note permutation of Licks 1 & 2 and crossing all 6 strings using the D Dorian scale. In this lesson, we discuss how to cross strings without accenting unwanted notes, keeping our velocity even.
We also discuss how to get the most out of the licks and concepts presented in this course. For example, we can apply the ideas we learn to any scale, mode or tempo. We can also displace the rhythm of any lick by starting and/or ending on a different subdivision of the bar.
In order to get the most from this course, please download and refer to the included tab/notation and backing tracks.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Licks 5 & 6 are essentially ascending versions of our previous 2 licks. We will be taking our 6-note permutation and ascending through a D Dorian run. In doing so, it’s important to maintain an even velocity during string crosses. One way to achieve this is by introducing hybrid picking to our playing. This technique will be essential in later licks, when we add wider intervals to our lines.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
In this lesson, we introduce a very useful 5-note permutation to our growing legato vocabulary. This ascending run follows the same scale framework as the previous few licks, but it does so using an odd number of notes on each string. This 5-note grouping will test your time-feel when playing both 16th notes and triplets, but it’s also possible to ‘cram’ 5 notes into one beat of the bar, adding yet more flexibility to this finger permutation.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Next, we turn our attention to a descending run, using our 5-note permutation. This sequence is presented in both 16th note and triplet variations.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
In this lesson, we learn a different 5-note permutation, providing us with even more options for playing interesting licks and note combinations.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Licks 13 & 14 introduce us to a popular 7-note legato permutation, often referred to as a ‘full-roll’. In this video, we look at an ascending pattern that incorporates this sequence, with both 16th note and triplet versions.
We also discuss various ways to practice the legato technique.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
We now turn our attention to a descending run, using our 7 note ‘full-roll’ permutation.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Now it’s time to learn a new finger permutation: A very handy grouping of 4! We also discuss how to get the most mileage out of the licks we’ve learned so far.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Lick 19 is a descending run using our new 4-note permutation.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Licks 20 and 21 see us breaking out of the box and using transitional slides to cover a larger area of the fretboard. This huge, 3 octave ascending run can be played as 16th notes, triplets and also using ‘cramming’ - essentially playing it as fast as you can and hoping for the best!
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
In this lesson, we look at a very useful 3 octave descending run that can be played in a variety of ways: From 16th notes to triplets; to ‘cramming’; to taking your time on the descent for a longer lick; to ‘Satrirani-inspired’ liquid-legato! There are so many possibilities.
Only licks 22 & 23 are tabbed, but the other improvised varieties feature the same note framework, so they should be easy to follow once you have learned the initial sequence.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
The next concept repurposes a 5-note permutation that we looked at earlier, but this time we are performing position shifts spanning 3 octaves. There is also a ‘cramming’ variation of this lick that sees us squeezing 5 notes into each beat.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Using the same note framework as licks 24 and 25, we now utilise our 7-note grouping to jump across 3 octaves.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Now it’s time to combine some of the permutations we’ve learned, allowing us to create lines with limitless possibilities. In this ascending run, we combine a grouping of 5 notes with a grouping of 7.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own
Licks 30 & 31 are essentially descending variations of our previous 2 licks, combining a 5-note and a 7-note permutation.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
We now turn our attention to an ascending run that combines a permutation of 5 notes with a permutation of 9, opening us up to yet more tonal possibilities.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
We now incorporate our 'five'/'nine' combination into a descending line.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Our next line combines finger permutations of 6, 8, 5 and 9. All within a short, ascending run.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Our next run is an 8-note permutation that combines legato with a handful of picked and hybrid-picked notes.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Our next concept combines multiple note permutations: 2 notes on one string, one note on the next, 5 on the next etc… To make string-crossing easier, you may want to incorporate some hybrid picking.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Now it’s time to introduce some string-skipping into our vocabulary, coupled with some hybrid picking. This will enable us to create lines that utilise wider intervals.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
We mix things up further now by introducing some chromatic enclosures into our ever-growing lick vocabulary.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Our next lick idea combines familiar fragments with triads, hammer-ons-from-nowhere, hybrid picking and sweep picking.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Our next concept is an exercise that introduces us to the ‘3-1-3’ method. This approach to legato allows us to introduce arpeggios and wider, intervallic ideas into our vocabulary. It will also greatly improve our fretboard knowledge.
In this video, we learn the diatonic ‘3-1-3’ patterns, ascending from the low E string. In order to execute this approach, hybrid picking is highly recommended.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Continuing where we left off in our previous lesson, we explore the ‘3-1-3’ patterns, ascending diatonically from the A string.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Licks 49 and 50 see us putting the '3-1-3' approach to use by combining a 7-note permutation on 1 string, followed by just 1 note on the next, before repeating the pattern across the remaining strings.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Licks 51 & 52 are similar to the previous 2 licks, apart from the fact that they’re played in a different position and have a different ending. It’s important to be able play the same, or similar licks in different positions of the fretboard, especially when improvising.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Continuing our exploration of the 3-1-3 approach, licks 53 and 54 see us playing a 5-note permutation on one string, followed by just one note on the next, before repeating the pattern across the remaining strings.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Licks 55 & 56 are the same as the previous 2 licks, apart from the fact that they’re played in a different position. It’s important to be able to play the same, or similar licks in different positions of the fretboard, especially when improvising.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Now it’s time to extend our previous ideas by adding a descending section, further mixing up finger permutations.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Licks 59 & 60 are essentially the same as the previous 2 licks, apart from the fact that they’re played in a different position. It’s important to be able to play the same, or similar licks in different positions of the fretboard, especially when improvising.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Now it’s time to really mix up the elements of our legato vocabulary, adding some ascending linear transitional fragments for a line that traverses the fretboard in an interesting yet musical way.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Here’s another run that crosses the neck mixing many elements, including ascending linear transitional fragments.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Continuing with our theme of mixing multiple elements, we now turn our attention to a line that features some descending linear fragments. Remember to try both the 16th note and triplet variations.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Now it’s time for some monster licks! This 16th note line (and its triplet counterpart) sees us combining multiple permutations, the '3-1-3' approach, hybrid picking, sweep picking, position shifts, transitional fragments and triads. Try combining these concepts to create your own lines.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Here’s another 16th note line (and triplet variation) that combines multiple permutations, the '3-1-3' approach, hybrid picking, sweep picking, position shifts, transitional fragments and triads. Try combining these concepts to create your own lines.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Up until now, each lick that we’ve looked at has gradually increased in complexity as we’ve introduced one new approach at a time. Now it’s time to look at some pentatonic and arguably ‘bluesy’ applications of the legato technique.
I use the term ‘Blues’ loosely here, since many blues purists would argue that fast, ‘widdy-widdly’ guitar playing has no place in traditional roots music. However, some of the following lines and phrases would not sound out of place if used tastefully (and responsibly) in blues-rock and modern blues scenarios.
Here’s a blues-rock application of familiar 6-note finger permutation.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
We extend our previous idea by adding a familiar back-and-forth fragment. To get even more mileage from your legato, it’s possible to use cramming in this bluesy area of the neck, for musically effective and seemingly random results.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Licks 73 and 74 are all about cramming! Both use the blues scale to great effect and make for fast, repeating licks that will add a burst of excitement to your guitar solos.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Now it’s time to get into the world of 3-note-per-string pentatonic licks, using familiar permutations and the '3-1-3' approach.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
We continuing our exploration of pentatonic legato licks by adding repeated notes to our lines.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
We continue working with pentatonic legato concepts by learning more exciting licks.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
This Richie Kotzen/Greg Howe-inspired lick combines hybrid picking with a three-note-per-string pentatonic stretch. This type of lick sounds great when played both in-time and when using cramming. As an alternative to hybrid picking, it’s also possible to use sweep/economy picking when crossing strings.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Building on our previous idea, we now turn our attention to a Richie Kotzen-inspired hybrid picking/legato lick that utilises position shifts and cramming.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
Lick 85 is a blues-rock lick that features a fragment from an earlier Richie Kotzen/Greg Howe-inspired idea.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
We conclude the licks section of this tutorial by looking at a blues-rock idea that works with 16th notes, triplets and with cramming.
If you’re wondering why the promotional blurb for this course promised at least 90 licks, you’ll find that there are closer to 100 in this course, if we include the improvised and crammed variations that I was unable to tab. In fact, when I filmed the licks section of this course, I left the video rolling for hours and actually lost count of all of the different variations.
Now that you’re equipped with multiple finger permutations and transitional fragments, you have the potential to create thousands of your own lines, which you can then apply to different scales and keys, creating infinite variations.
In order to get the most from this course, please refer to the included tab/notation.
As a bonus, I have also added .gp files for those who use 'Guitar Pro' software. For those who don't own Guitar Pro software by Arobas Music, don't worry, the PDFs are extremely detailed on their own.
In the final section of our tutorial, we look at several methods that will enable us to improvise using the legato technique.
In the final section of our tutorial, we look at several methods that will enable us to improvise using the legato technique. In this video, I leave the backing track running while I play (and talk) through my process and improvise using some of the lines and fragments we’ve learned in this course.
This lesson is a one-take video, in which I kept any mistakes to demonstrate the trial and error process of this approach. I have included a downloadable version the backing track I played over, which is a Dm7 vamp at 75bpm.
Please note that there is no tab for this lesson, since I am improvising using the licks and permutations we’ve covered throughout this tutorial. The idea is not for you to copy what I played note-for-note, but rather, for you to apply the approaches in this lesson to your own improvisations, using legato licks from your vocabulary.
Have fun!
Congratulations on reaching the end of this course! The real work begins when we put these licks and concepts into practice, working in different keys and with other scales. This process can be fun and extremely rewarding, especially when we see daily improvements.
Thank you for choosing this course. I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to check out my other courses.
Good luck and have fun!
Bobby
Let It Flow!
In this jam-packed course by UK session guitarist, Bobby Harrison, we’re going to take a deep-dive into the legato technique for lead guitar. This exclusive series of lessons comprises more than 3.5 hours of video content, a 24 page PDF booklet, 4 mp3 backing tracks, fretboard diagrams and downloadable Guitar Pro files.
In this series of comprehensive guitar tutorials, we will cover more than 90 licks and concepts that will enable you to incorporate fluid legato lines into your playing in any key, at any tempo. The licks and concepts covered in this course can be applied to most contemporary guitar styles, from rock and metal, to blues, prog, fusion and beyond.
This course is so much more than a licks tutorial. We will discuss approaches for creating your own legato lines and will even learn to improvise freely using the technique!
Since modern legato can be seen as a combination technique, we will also study the application of hybrid picking, sweep picking, economy picking, 'cramming' and string skipping - all of which can be combined into blisteringly fast, fluid lead lines.
Are you ready to supercharge your legato playing?
Unleash the power of liquid- smooth, lightning-fast guitar licks today!