You take out a pen and sign a check, or a charge card slip. Then later on in the day you sign off on a report for work, or a correspondence to a good friend.

Each time, your trademark looks the exact same (or fairly close) as it did when you signed previously. It’s your own mark, distinctly you. It’s exactly what separates you from the crowds.

A trademark lick on the guitar is very much the exact same. It is a lick or riff that clearly determines a tune.

It is necessary to note the difference between a signature lick, and a lead lick.

A lead lick is a series of notes played throughout a crucial break in a track. It is the player’s analysis of the music, commonly done while improvising, and the lead lick notes are played over the track’s chord progression.

Conversely, a signature lick is a pre-determined series of notes that are played as an integral part of the track. Rather typically, a signature lick is duplicated a number of times throughout the song.

A signature lick is frequently more melodic in nature, and can in some cases be carefully connected to the tune of the song.

Even when not following the real melody, often times a signature lick becomes its own melody, and is as familiar to a listener as the chorus of the track.

In fact, the very best trademark licks are instantly identifiable. As soon as a listener hears the first couple of notes, they instantly understand what track it is.

One example of a renowneded signature lick is in the track “Remarkable Tonight” by Eric Clapton.

When you hear the first number of notes you understand exactly what the track is, long before the lyrics begin.

Now, take that exact same track and just play lead licks over the same chord development, rather of the signature lick, and you may not learned what song it is till you hear the vocals.

Signature licks can likewise be the introduction of a song.

Some examples would be “Brown Eyed Girl” (Van Morrison) or “Margaritaville” (Jimmy Buffet).

The trick is that they are a melodic “part” of the tune, played the same method every time – instead of simply improvising a lead “on top” of the song.

If you play in a cover band (or if you aim to), when learning cover tunes it’s generally important to discover the signature lick of the song. It’s what the listener anticipates to hear.

I learned there are “purists” out there that will disagree with this, however I am not a big fan of discovering every lead for each cover tune note for note. It’s simply too much work at my age!

However I am a company believer in nailing the trademark licks. They’re that essential.

If you are a songwriter, attempt to put some effort into creating trademark licks for your very own songs. A bunch of writers don’t do this, and it’s one way to make your songs stand apart from the pack.

Regardless of whether you are a gigging artist, aiming songwriter, or simply socializing teasing the porch – learneding the distinction in between a “signature” lick, and a “lead” lick, is an important piece of information to keep stashed in your guitar playing bag of tricks!