The Lick

The Lick is a lick (a stock musical phrase) that has been used on numerous jazz and pop records and is part of several classical compositions, to the point that it has been described as "the most famous jazz cliché ever".[1][2] In recent years, it has become an internet meme and is sometimes used for comedic effect.[3][4]

This article is about the musical lick. For the TV series, see The Lick with Trevor Nelson. For other uses, see Lick (disambiguation).
"The Lick" in E minor written in modern staff notation (top) and tabulature (bottom)

Musical structure

"The Lick" consists of seven notes, using five steps on a diatonic scale. The interval pattern is 1 (unison) – 2 (major second) – ♭3 (minor third) – 4 (perfect fourth) – 2 (major second) – ♭7 (lower seventh) – 1 (unison). In jazz, it is played swung, sometimes including a glissando or grace note before the fifth note.

History

The term "The Lick" was coined by an eponymous Facebook group in the 2010s and popularized by a YouTube video assembled from clips from the group by professor Alex Heitlinger in 2011.[5][6]

"The Lick" was not first seen in jazz, as examples of classical music include tonal sequences similar to "The Lick", but it has been primarily known as a jazz lick for the attention it has received from being commonly used in jazz improvisations.

In 2019, composer David Bruce used "The Lick" as a basis for a string quartet titled The Lick Quartet.[7][8]

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Lick.
  1. Stover, Chris (April 1, 2021). "Dig That Lick (DTL): Analyzing Large-Scale Data for Melodic Patterns in Jazz Performances". Journal of the American Musicological Society. 74 (1): 195–214. doi:10.1525/jams.2021.74.1.195. hdl:10072/406081. S2CID 236716607.
  2. Laukens, Dirk (December 24, 2013). ""The Lick": The Most Famous Jazz Cliche Ever". Jazz Guitar Online. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  3. Goldsby, John (November 2012). ""The Lick," Part 2". Bass Player. 23 (11): 72–73. ProQuest 1152192579. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  4. Golding, Dan (2018). "How a jazz lick took over the music world". YouTube (video). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  5. Durkin, Andrew (2014). Decomposition: A Music Manifesto (First ed.). Knopf Doubleday. p. 256. ISBN 978-0-307911-76-6. OCLC 1240167147.
  6. Judd, Hannah (October 2022). "Virals, Memes, and the Lick's Circulation through Online Jazz Communities". Twentieth-Century Music. 19 (3): 393–410. doi:10.1017/S1478572222000263. S2CID 254018877.
  7. Bruce, David (November 21, 2019). "Taking The Licc Seriously - Converting a Meme for String Quartet". YouTube (video).
  8. Cantrell, Scott (October 23, 2019). "Dallas Chamber Symphony and Dover Quartet open two concert series". Dallas News. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
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