Some licks show off. This one leans against the doorframe, lights a cigarette it will never actually smoke, and waits for you to notice. Black Velvet is basically the sound of a raised eyebrow, and the intro licks are where all that smoky attitude lives — before Alannah Myles has even opened her mouth.
This clip is Lick #30: the intro licks to Black Velvet by Alannah Myles on guitar. It's short, it's bluesy, and — plot twist for anyone bracing themselves — it barely leaves the E minor pentatonic box you already half-know. No shredding. Just taste, timing, and a couple of bends that sound like they're in absolutely no hurry.
How these Black Velvet intro licks work
The whole thing lives in E minor pentatonic, and the magic is not which notes you play but how late you play them. Sit on the low, dark notes, let a bend arrive a fraction after the beat, and give every phrase a little breathing room. That lazy, behind-the-beat feel is what turns a dry scale into something sultry. If the pentatonic box is still fuzzy for you, my pentatonics guide maps out exactly where these fingers live.
The concrete takeaway: nail the bends. In a slow, bluesy lick a bend that lands slightly flat or sharp announces itself instantly, so bend up to the target pitch slowly and check it against the note you're chasing — vibrato only after you've arrived. Treat your fingers like a singer sliding into a note, and if you want the whole crying-string thing, the same idea powers these expressive bends.
Play it too fast and Black Velvet turns into beige corduroy — so slow down, act mysterious, and let five notes do the flirting. Want the Guitar Pro file and PDF for this one? It's waiting for you over on Patreon.