The Lick

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)
"The Lick" in E minor played on the guitar, with the grace note on the first and fifth note
The Lick in different swing levels (straight, 60%, 70%, then 80%)

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] In recent years, it has become an internet meme and is sometimes used for comedic effect.[2][3]

  1. ^ McGee, M.B. (2022). "Jazz". In Glăveanu, V.P. (ed.). The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 823–828. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-90913-0_117. ISBN 978-3-030-90912-3.
  2. ^ Golding, Dan (2018). "How a jazz lick took over the music world". YouTube (video). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  3. ^ Galloway, Kate (December 1, 2023). "Jazz Cats and Horse Licks: Animal Memes, Participatory Digital Culture, and Representing Jazz Online". Jazz and Culture. 6 (2): 64–91. doi:10.5406/25784773.6.2.04.