This document provides tips for making up your own guitar licks or solos. It suggests starting with a basic pattern or melody and then varying it by changing the octave, playing notes in reverse order, mixing up the notes, altering the note values, changing individual notes, using a minimalist approach, playing each note multiple times, using tremolo or different tones, dynamics like crescendos and decrescendos, and following two rules - starting and ending on chord tones and continuing to play even if you make a mistake.

1. How To Make Up Your Own Licks
 Start with a pattern (Measure 1)
 Change octave (Measure 2)
 Change direction – Play it backwards (Measure 3)
 Mix up notes (Measure 4)
 Change note Values (Measure 5)
 Change notes (Measure 6)
 Minimalist approach – only use some notes (Measures 7-9)
 Play each note more than once (Measure 10-11)
 Play tremolo or play with a different tone
 Play loudly or softly
 Use dynamics to create a feeling – crescendo or
decrescendo
 When in doubt, play the melody!
 Rule: As long as you start and end on a chord tone, any
notes played in between will sound ok. (Measures 12-13)
 Rule: You’re not wrong until you stop
Taught by Nate Lee at Nashville Mandolin Camp, Fall 2015.
www.TheNateLee.com