50 City Pop Style Guitar Licks (Tasty Backing Licks Tutorial)
Added 2023-06-30 08:57:00 +0000 UTCIntroduction
City Pop is the urban music that colored Japan in the late 1970s and 1980s!
The song "Plastic Love" by Mariya Takeuchi made it famous all over the world today.
It is filled with the supreme guitar playing of top musicians. Tasty licks, funky playing, and expressive guitar solos.
In this tutorial, I will explain such city pop-specific guitar in an easy-to-understand manner with numerous musical examples and demonstration videos!
In the attached files, you will find images related to each of the music examples, so please try to practice while looking at them:)
Let's enjoy playing guitar together!
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【Ex-1 Whole Note Chords】
This is a whole note chord backing. It's often used when the melody is calm, in ballad songs, and in the quiet part before the chorus!
It seems easy to play, but the important thing here is to keep the note value (length of sound) as long as possible!
A quick chord change is essential to keep the sound longer! Please play repeatedly until you can change quickly!
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【Ex-2 Whole Note Chords2】
In addition to quiet scenes, whole note chords are sometimes used in these situations.
In general, chords are often played by the piano or keyboard, but this is not always the case. Sometimes the piano plays solos, melodies and percussive phrases like guitar strumming.
When I come across it in such a case, I sometimes play backing with whole notes to emphasize the percussive playing of the piano while carrying the chords!
Sometimes it may be good to take a step back to highlight a phrase like percussive piano. It's exactly the guitar play of killing two birds with one stone:)
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【Ex-3 Advanced Whole Note】
The 1st and 2nd strings are trilled with the remaining pinky finger to add some flavor to the chord backing!
Phrases like these are David T. Walker's specialty! It is often used in M7 and m7 chords, so please try playing it!
In the attached files, you will find images related to Ex-3, so please try to practice while looking at them:)
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【Ex-4 Tasty M3rd and m3rd】
This phrase is a phrase played while sliding the notes that make up the chord in thirds! It is often played over major and minor chords.
The 1st and 2nd strings are often used, and since they are moved by sliding, muting the 3rd to 6th strings is very important.
I press the 1st string with my middle finger and the 2nd string with my ring finger, mute the 3rd string with my index finger, and mute the remaining 4th to 6th strings with my right hand!
In the attached files, you will find images related to Ex-4, so please try to practice while looking at them:)
(In the movement of minor 7th chords, there are places where the 9th sound is incorporated. If played on the 3rd minor of the major diatonic, this 9th note will be an avoid note, so please be careful!)
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【Ex-5 Tasty Perfect 4th】
In this phrase, it's a stylish backing with impact using 4th compound notes!
The sound is stronger and more impactful than the 3rd, so if you play it where it overlaps with the vocals, the guitar may drown out the vocals.
Therefore, I think that the 4th backing should be used in the gaps between vocals (where there is no melody) or where you want to liven things up!
Also, 4th phrases are often played using the pentatonic scale!
In the attached files, you will find images related to Ex-5, so please try to practice while looking at them:)
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【Ex-6 3rd & Perfect 4th】
Example 6 has a practical backing that mixes 3rd and 4th phrases!
In addition to slides, hammering and pulling are also used, so it's quite difficult, but please try it! If this can be played, it seems that there is nothing to be afraid of!
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【Ex-7 Minor 9th Arpeggio】
In Example 7, minor chords are played using the 9th note, which makes the chords more stylish!
This style of playing is often used in barre chord forms where the little finger is often left over!
In the attached files, you will find images related to Ex-7, so please try to practice while looking at them:)
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【Ex-8 Major 9th Arpeggio】
In Example 8, major chords are played using the 9th note, which makes the chords more stylish!
By adding the 9th note to a 3-note major chord, it becomes a chord called add9, and you can easily create a stylish sound!
In the attached files, you will find images related to Ex-8, so please try to practice while looking at them:)
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【Ex-9 City Pop Style Slide】
You've probably heard sounds like this before. In Example 9, this is a very frequent phrase in city pop!
From the beginning and end of the song to just before the chorus, you can feel the city pop in every part of the song!
In terms of technique, it is relatively easy to play, and you can easily produce a city pop feeling.
I think it would be good to play it before the section changes or with an image like a drum fill-in!
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【Ex-10 Octave Picking】
In example 10, we aim to fill the gaps in the band (where the sound is thin) with an octave playing technique. Filling in the gaps between instruments and melodies in this way makes the song gorgeous!
The octave playing method is a playing method that can be played regardless of the genre!
In some cases, like punk and hard rock, the pick is stroked vigorously, while in other cases, like jazz, it is played by gently touching it with the thumb.
In city pop, I get the impression that both are played depending on the scene!
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【Ex-11 Octave Picking with Thumb】
In example 11, the phrase in example 10 is played gently with the thumb.
Compared to when you play with a pick, you will feel that the sound has become rounder!
This is because plucking with your thumb makes the attack on the strings weaker than with a pick!
So, to summarize, I recommend playing with a pick when you want to play percussively, and with your thumb when you want to play gently and mellow:)
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【Ex-12 Major Double Stop】
In Example 12, fill in the gaps between the bands by playing a major pentatonic compound note phrase (double stop)!
Compared to single-note phrases, it doesn't stand out too much, and you can go a little forward:)
It is often played using hammering and pulling. Not only for backing but also for solo, so please try to master it!
In the attached files, you will find images related to Ex-8, so please try to practice while looking at them:)
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【Ex-13 Minor Double Stop】
In Example 13, fill in the gaps between the bands by playing a minor pentatonic compound note phrase (double stop)!
Compared to single-note phrases, it doesn't stand out too much, and you can go a little forward:)
It is often played using hammering and pulling. Not only for backing but also for solo, so please try to master it!
In the attached files, you will find images related to Ex-8, so please try to practice while looking at them:)
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【Ex-14 Advanced Lick1】
Here, as a summary of tasty backings so far, I would like to practice backings that make full use of various playing techniques!
I think it's quite difficult to play from the beginning, but please try playing it over and over again! The City Pop Master is almost here!
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【Ex-15 Advanced Lick2】
Here, as a summary of the backings so far, I would like to practice backings that make full use of various playing techniques!
I think it's quite difficult to play from the beginning, but please try playing it over and over again! If you can play this far, you are a city pop master!
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Conclusion
Thank you so much for reading this far! In Chapter 2, I talked a lot about various backings.
I think it's hard to master the backing so far all at once. So, even if you like it, please try to include it in your regular play!
With this, Chapter 2 will end. I'm really thankful to you. In the last chapter, I would like to talk about the guitar solo!
