Your weekly Shawn Lane lick

[redstone]

Because it's winter, it's fun, and why not. I'll start with the long "Shawn Lane Compilation - Insane Licks" video and see what interesting I can extract from it.


=================


LICK n°1 - TIME 0.06s

19-12-----------12----------------------------------------------
-------15-12-------15-12------19-12---------12---------------
--------------19----------19-12------16-12------16-12--------
----------------------------------------------19----------19-12-
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------


Explanation :

It's a variation of a recurrent penta sequence in groups of fives that Lane used frequently. Starts with a downstroke and usually alternate-picked. It's easier to seize the variation once you approach it as simple groups of fives.

15-12-----------12---------------
-------15-12-------15-12-------- (and so on)
--------------14-----------14-12-

 

[Emperor Guillotine]

Shawn Lane's old instructional videos were one thing that got me going when I was a kid and began really taking my playing seriously. I'd love to learn more of Shawn's licks and concepts. He was a big influence/inspiration on me years ago.

Hoping this will be a great thread that will yield some learning and productivity for some!

 

[geese_com]

Thanks for doing this. Shawn really had some insane licks.

 

[OmegaSlayer]

One thing that really got me, besides Shawn's speed, is how much faster the brain perceives notes when they have large intervals, something on whic Shawn relied a lot.
Playing 16th notes phrase of root, 2nd, 3rd (minor or major is the same) or root, 4th, 6th at the same bpm is perceived really different from the brain regarding perceived speed.

 

[karjim]

Shawn always started his descending licks with an upstroke and do not pick every note...2 notes picked then two not picked then one not picked...anyway a brain nightmare...REH hot solos haunted me since 2002

 

[Sonic Anomaly]

One thing that really got me, besides Shawn's speed, is how much faster the brain perceives notes when they have large intervals, something on whic Shawn relied a lot.
Playing 16th notes phrase of root, 2nd, 3rd (minor or major is the same) or root, 4th, 6th at the same bpm is perceived really different from the brain regarding perceived speed.

I too have dwelled on that exact same thing, perhaps the brain somehow compensates for longer intervallic distances, expecting smaller intervals in between, for certain contexts (shrugs)
more over, when the phrases aren't strictly ascending or descending, but a slight mix (even one or two notes out of 'order') it further 'confuses' the brain into hearing it as faster--another tool Lane used constantly.

@redstone, I really appreciate this, I was watching (or slavering over) this very compilation a couple weeks ago... and even more coincidentally, the first lick is perhaps my favorite.

 

[redstone]

Shawn always started his descending groups of fours with an upstroke and do not pick every note...2 notes picked then two not picked then one not picked...

Fixed. There's no such rules for the rest.

 

[onefingersweep]

My favourite fast lick by him is a lick from the song "The Way It Has To Be".


24-19-16-------19-16-------19-16------------------------------
----------19-16-------19-16-------19-16------------------------
-------------------------------------------18-16-----------------
--------------------------------------------------18-16----------
---------------------------------------------------------18-16---
-------------------------------------------------------------------

-19-16-14--------------16-15-14-12---------14-12-9-11-9------
-----------16-14----------------------14-12----------------------
------------------16-14-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------
-12-9-------------------------------------------------------------
-------11-9----11-9----------------------------------------------
-------------11------11-9----------------------------------------
---------------------------11-9-----------------------------------
---------------------------------12--------------------------------


The sound he's creating in with this lick is out of this world, never heard anything even remotely similar to it on a guitar.

 

[redstone]

Yeah, I was planning to add it, while we're at it I see two notes are missing and one shouldn't be here. Here's how I tab it :


24-19-16-------19-16-------19-16--------------------------------
----------19-16-------19-16-------19-16--------------------------
--------------------------------------------18-16--------------------
-----d--------------------------------------------18-16-------------
---------------------------------------------------------18-16-h---
----------------------------------------------------------------19--

-19-16------------------16-15-14-12--------14-12------------
--------19-16--------------------------14-12--------14-16-14-
--u------------18-16-14-----------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------
-12---------------------------------------------------------------
----13-11----------11--------------------------------------------
-----------14-11------14-11-------------------------------------
------------------14----------11-9-------------------------------
-------------------------------------12---------------------------

The first missing note is probably hammered with the ring finger. From Lane's logic and due to the speed, I think he conserved the same hand shape right after so I changed the pattern. The others modifications also seem logical due to the notes added/removed and his phrasing/picking habits.

 

[onefingersweep]

Cool, I just copied the tab I've found on the net. I never really tried to learn it. My two notes per string playing really sucks

 

[Unleash The Fury]

I don't even know how one begins to try to figure out and then tab any of shawn licks. I bow down to you all!

I've been on a real shawn lane kick lately. particularly "The Way it Has to Be".

So emotional it blows my mind.

But I've always wondered one thing. Would his song be as emotional if he was still alive? or does the fact that he died make it that much more emotional. Because you can listen to the song and be like wow this is just mind blowing skill, talent, and emotional. But then of course you think about how his life was taken early and how sad that is, then the eyes start getting watery because of that............ because of the fact that he died makes that much more sad

 

[redstone]

LICK n°2 - TIME 15.01s

It's a badass one, a bit long and dangerous though.

If you aren't familiar with Shawn Lane, he had what looks very much like an hypermobile index finger that allowed extreme stretches without damaging his hand. Please don't break all your ligaments to prove that you can stretch as much as him when you play fast. I translated that lick for the sake of knowing how it works and eventually giving you ideas for tapping.


e---------12------------------11------------------11-----------------12-------13-------13
b-19-15---------------18-14-----------11-18-14-------------20-16-------------20-17---
g------------19-12-15-----------18-14-------------18-12-15----------18-15-------------


e-------------------13-20-16-------12-21-17-------12--------13-------13-------13-
b--------13-20-16-----------20-16-----------21-17--------------20-16--------------
g-20-16--------------------------------------------------21-17-------------20-17----


e--------14-------15-------15-------15-23-19-------14-22-18--------14--------------13
b-21-17-------------23-19---------------------23-19-----------22-19----22-18----------
g-----------21-----------------23-19----------------------------------------------22-17---
d---------------17----------------------------------------------------------------------------


e--------13-----------------14-22-18-------13-21-17-------13-------13-------13-------12
b-21-17----------13-22-18----------22-18-----------21-18----21------21-17-------------
g-----------21-17----------------------------------------------------17-------------21-16--


e---------------12-??---------------13-20-16--------12-19-15-------12-19---12-------12
b-20-16-----------??----13-20-16------------20-16-----------19-15-------------19-15--
g--------19-16----??-16------------------------------------------------------15------------


Explanation :

Shawn often used some simple finger patterns to develop weird phrasings by coupling them with uncommon string patterns and intervals. This lick almost only consists in two finger and string patterns :

------------------index-
-pinkie--middle--------


-pinkie--middle-------------------
------------------pinkie--middle--


-----i--------i------------------i----p-m-----i----p-m-------
---------p-m---------i----p-m----------p-m----------p-m-
p-m-------------p-m-----------------------------------------


He probably didn't choose all the notes purposefully, rather, he repeated his finger patterns and had fun exploiting the string patterns, stretching his fingers and moving his hand from left to right to add more randomness.

 

[Dyingsea]

Count me in as a watcher of this thread. Just now finding it. Huge Shawn fan here. What's amazing to me about Shawn is that there is still no one that can play like him.

 

[onefingersweep]

Count me in as a watcher of this thread. Just now finding it. Huge Shawn fan here. What's amazing to me about Shawn is that there is still no one that can play like him.

And there will probably never be!

 

[chris9]

i agree shawn was just out of this world
only guy who comes close is Mr Govan as he can play anything and everything.

 

[redstone]

Guthrie isn't as close as you think.

LICK n°3 - TIME 7.54

e-15-14-------------------------------------14-13---------------------------------
b--------15-12--------14-13----------------------14-11------13-12--------------
g---------------15-12--------14-11---------------------13-11------13-11--------
d-------------------------------------14-11---------------------------------12-10-

e-12-11-12--------------------------------------------------15-13---------------
b-----------10-------13-12--------------14-13--------------------15-12--------
g--------------12-10-------13-11--------------14-11--------------------15-12-
d----------------------------------14-12--------------14-12---------------------

e-17-14---------------18-15---------------18-15----------------/18-
b--------19-15---------------16-------------------18-15-------------
g---------------15-14-----------17-16-14----------------17-14------


Explanation :

It's pretty much the same concept as lick n°2, using a 6-group penta pattern with odd finger placements to sound random. The main finger pattern is r-m-r-i-r-i. Alternate-picked, starting with a downstroke.

An easier way to play it, 3 notes per string approach. For the lazies. (and that's how Guthrie would trick you into thinking he nails Shawn )

15-14-10----------------------------------
----------------------14-13-10------------
-----------16-15-12-----------------------
---------------------------------16-14-11-


I'll tab a more musical lick the next time.

 

[ROAR]

yea if you could tab out parts of Abstract Logic that would be great

 

[redstone]

^good idea, I always forget that album. Lots of good stuff there.

 

[meteor685]

great thread

 

[onefingersweep]

Guthrie isn't as close as you think.

Yeah, the absurd thing is that no one is actually close. Shawn was and will always be an enigma.