5 Challenging Larry Carlton Licks (With Tabs!)

If you’re a guitar enthusiast, Larry Carlton needs no introduction. His work spans genres, pushing the boundaries of jazz, blues, and R&B with innovative phrasing and complex solos. In this post, we’ll break down five of Carlton’s licks, exploring their unique styles and giving you insights into what makes them so special.

Whether you’re new to Larry Carlton or a die-hard fan, these licks offer a rich blend of techniques and influences. I’ve transcribed each lick for you, and you’ll find the tabs linked throughout. Let’s dive into these five challenging licks!

  1. Backstabbers – Chromatic and BB King Influence
    The first lick comes from the track Backstabbers off Larry Carlton Plays the Sound of Philadelphia. This album is packed with smooth, clean tones, and Backstabbers showcases Carlton’s talent for mixing blues and chromatic scales.

This lick is built around an F7#9 chord but features a strong BB King influence. It begins with a classic BB lick but quickly moves into chromatic territory, transitioning out of the usual scale and resolving on a B minor. Carlton’s phrasing here is both intense and soulful, offering a great study in blending traditional blues with advanced chromaticism.

Key Technique: Chromaticism and BB King-style blues phrasing.

  1. Kid Gloves – Rhythmic, Staccato Ideas
    The second lick comes from Kid Gloves, both the album and title track. This lick is distinctly staccato, full of rhythmic ideas that feel sharp and precise. Carlton mixes blues and R&B influences with jazzy twists, leaning into a mix of major sixth intervals and bebop-inspired lines.

This phrase transitions smoothly between bluesy ideas and Charlie Christian-style jazz, showcasing Carlton’s versatility in merging different genres into a cohesive, rhythmic package.

Key Technique: Rhythmic staccato phrasing with R&B and jazz influences.

  1. Josie – Pentatonic Meets Bebop
    One of Larry Carlton’s most recognizable works is his cover of Josie, the Steely Dan classic, from On Solid Ground. Carlton adds a distinct flavor to the track with his overdriven tone and pentatonic flair. This lick comes at the end of the song, played over an E minor groove.

It begins with a high pentatonic run on the 17th fret, blending into bebop-influenced phrases. Carlton incorporates Dorian and minor tonalities, giving the lick a rich harmonic complexity while still maintaining that signature bluesy feel.

Key Technique: Pentatonic scales blended with bebop and Dorian modes.

  1. Upper Kern – Fast-Paced Jazz Fusion
    Next, we explore a lick from Upper K, off the famous Sleepwalk album. This track features a fast-paced, rhythmically complex solo. Carlton plays over a simple chord progression of E flat major 7 to D minor 7, but the intricacies lie in his bends, slides, and trills.

He starts with a B flat major 7 arpeggio before smoothly connecting it to an E flat major arpeggio, followed by a bend from C to D. The lick ends with a D minor pentatonic run, featuring Carlton’s signature trill and slide techniques.

Key Technique: Jazz fusion phrasing with trills and bends.

  1. Don’t Give Up – Shuffle Blues Fusion
    The final lick is from Don’t Give Up, a live performance on Last Night. This tune has a shuffle blues feel, blending R&B and jazz fusion elements, which is quintessential Carlton. The lick revolves around a B7 chord, resolving to a G#7, and is filled with sliding R&B-style phrases.

Carlton plays a B flat major pentatonic line before transitioning into his classic technique of combining two triads, B and A, creating a B sus chord. This trick adds a rich harmonic texture to the lick, and the entire phrase showcases Carlton’s mastery in fusing genres.

Key Technique: Combining triads with a shuffle-blues feel.


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