50 City Pop Style Guitar Licks (Chords & Funky Licks Tutorial)

Introduction

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 Major 7th Chord】

Major 7th chord consists of the root note, major 3rd, perfect 5th, and major 7th.

The major seventh chord is a very important chord that appears very frequently in city pop songs!

It is a typical chord for a variety of fashionable sounds, such as daytime seaside or nighttime city.

In the attached file, there are images related to the major 7th chord forms, so please practice while looking at them:)

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【Ex-2 Major 7th Chord 2】

This funky lick is played by moving two notes of each chord form the 6, 5, and 4 string root. This idea was used in the song that made city pop popular around the world, Plastic Love by Mariya Takeuchi!

It is especially important to use the extra fingers to mute the strings so as not to produce any extra notes:)

It is quite difficult until you get used to it, but play it repeatedly and practice until you get used to it. If you can play this, you will definitely be certified as a player with good taste!

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【Ex-3 Major 9th Chord 】

Major 9th chord consists of the root note, major 3rd, perfect 5th, major 7th and 9th.

The M9th chord is not as light as the M7th chord, but it has a deep and fashionable sound!

I imagine it like an early morning deep in the woods:)

In the attached file, there are images related to the major 9th chord forms, so please practice while looking at them:)

※(Ex-3) There was an error in major 9th chord.png.

In the chord diagram on the left, the correct M3 on the first string is a 5th.

I am very sorry.

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【Ex-4 Minor 7th Chord】

Minor 7th chord consists of the root note, minor 3rd, perfect 5th, and minor 7th.

The minor 7th chord is  very important chord that appears very frequently in city pop songs!

Also, in this example, the rhythm is swinging sixteenth notes!

The rhythm is difficult at first, but please try to practice gradually starting from a slower tempo:)

In the attached file, there are images related to the minor 7th chord forms, so please practice while looking at them:)

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【Ex-5 Minor 9th Chord】

Minor 9th chord consists of the root note, minor 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th and 9th.

The minor ninth chord has a more melancholy sound than the minor seventh chord! This melancholy feeling is what gives it its urban character:)

It is also a slightly more difficult chord form.

For example, in the case of the Gm9 chord with the 6th string root, the note on the 5th fret of the 1st string, which is the note of the 9th, must be held with the little finger.

In the attached file, there are images related to the minor 9th chord forms, so please practice while looking at them:)

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【Ex-6 Minor 11th Chord】

Minor 11th chord consists of the root note, minor 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th,  9th and 11th.

The code names are getting a little complicated, but don't worry! The code has one important thing in common. It's playing the notes of the flowing melody along with the chords!

In other words, this score example is a chord progression in the key of C. And the melody is the sound of G on the Dm chord. This G sound is the 11th sound from Dm. At this time, the idea is to play the G note, which is the melody sound, along with the chord!

By doing this, you can play the guitar in harmony with the melody:)

In the attached file, there are images related to the minor 11th chord forms, so please practice while looking at them:)

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【Ex-7 7sus4 Chord】

7sus4 chord consists of the root note, 4th, perfect 5th and minor 7th.

In pop music, 7th chords are often used to create instability, and a dominant motion is used to create a resolved brightness.

However, the 7sus4 chord has no 3rd note.

By changing the sound of the 3rd to the sound of the 4th with an urban sound, the feeling of instability is not so strong compared to ordinary 7th chords! Softly resolved to CM7.

The sound of 7sus4 chord is one of the major factors that creates a city pop feel I think:)

In the attached file, there are images related to the 7sus4 chord forms, so please practice while looking at them:)

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【Ex-8 9sus4 Chord】

9sus4 chord consists of the root note, 4th, perfect 5th, minor 7th and 9th.

The chords are confusing, but don't worry! G9sus4 actually has another notation, like magic! It's the F/G  chord!

The reason for this is that, first, let's look at the constituent notes of the G9sus4.

G9sus4 = G(Root), C(4th), D(5th), F(7th), A(9th)

There is something hidden in the notes that make up this chord. that is,,

It's an F major chord! 《F major chord = F(Root), A(major 3rd), C(5th)》

In other words, the G9sus4 card can be replaced with an F major chord (F/G) rooted at the G note!

This chord is often used in city pop. When I saw it for the first time, what kind of chord was it? I often wondered.

It's not as unstable as the G7 chord, and it resolves smoothly to the C major chord!

By the way, in the F/G chord, the D sound corresponding to the 5th of G9sus4 is omitted.

If you want to include this chord note as well, you can include the fifth D note by notating it as Dm7/G:)

Dm7/G  = G(Root), D(5th), F(7th), A(9th), C(4th) = G9sus4!

In the attached file, there are images related to the 9sus4 chord forms, so please practice while looking at them:)

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【Ex-9 Single Note Groove】

So far, I've introduced the important chords in city pop, major, minor, and seventh chords.

Then, from next time onwards, I would like to play funky, which is important for expressing rhythm and sharpness! Let's go!

Now I would like to talk about single note strumming!

There are roughly two ways to play this single note strumming! This time we will introduce the first one. It's a way to play while muting.

When I want to create a gentle rhythm in a song, I often use muted single note strumming with my right hand. Part of Mariya Takeuchi's Plastic Love is played like this:)

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【Ex-10 Single Note Groove2】

Let's see the other way of playing. In this example, a single note strumming is played by swinging multiple strings!

This playing style is played when you want to create a funky and energetic rhythm. Cory Wong is very good at this playing style:)

In city pop, these two single note strumming appear:)

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【Ex-11 Single Note Groove3】

Let's see the gentle single note strumming. In a calm melody like Example 11, I often use gentle picking to create a rhythm!

If the mute is strong, the pitch will rise. Also, if the mute is weak, the sound will be the actual sound.

It's important to practice repeatedly until you get used to it, and develop a sense of the mute:)

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【Ex-12 Single Note Groove4】

Let's see the percussive single note strumming. In a lively melody like Example 12, multiple strings are often picked to produce a clear percussive rhythm!

The percussive single note strumming is very cool, but it is very difficult to mute. I often mute the 6th string with my thumb. I also use my fingertips to mute. I hope you are all doing well:)

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【Ex-13 Single Note Groove4】

Let's see how to chose the notes. This time I played using the pentatonic scale:)

This song is in the key of Am, so it uses the A minor pentatonic scale. Single note strumming use the 6th string root position.

It's cool to go back and forth between notes centering on the root note, the A note on the 4th string, 7th fret.

Please choose your own sound to match the backing track!

In the attached file, there are images related to A minor pentatonic scale, so please practice while looking at them:)

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【Ex-14 Advanced City Pop Lick】

This lick is a combination of playing chords with normal strumming and adding a sense of rhythm with single note strumming!

It's quite difficult technically, but if you can do this, you're a city pop cutting master!

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【Ex-15 Advanced City Pop Lick2】

The chord progression of this lick is the same chord progression as Mariya Takeuchi's Plastic Love, the song that helped spread city pop around the world!

You are already a city pop guitar master!

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Conclusion

Thank you so much for reading!

In this chapter, we have talked a lot about chords and strumming.

I think it's hard to master all at once, from the sound of chords to how to produce rhythms.

Even if you like it, please try to include it in your regular play!

With this, Chapter 1 will end. I'm really thankful to you. Please don't forget to practice the second chapter "Tasty Licks" where stylish licks fly around!