When it comes to guitar philosophy, where are you on your journey? You have some skills, have some songs and some cool ideas. Getting to the next level is going to take some thought and force you to go deeper. This post is your introduction to the beyond…
What is a PhD? Pin-headed Dope, Piled Higher Deeper are some fun aphorisms but the degree actually means something. That something has to do with philosophy. When you think about it, there are three levels of learning: knowledge or the what, mastery or the how, and philosophy or the why. Once you start to think about why you should play something at what time, you come to a level most guitarists never approach. I believe it leads to greater satisfaction with your own music.
Knowledge: The What
You can read books about a topic all day long and get to be something of an expert but until you actually put that knowledge into practice, it means nothing. I guess you would call that “book smart.” We all know people like this. All talk and no action. It seems like most guitarists start just the opposite way, though: learn songs and show off our prowess by playing some guitar hero’s signature jam. I know you have heard something like, “You’re good but can you play <insert challenging song here>?”
I would challenge you by asking: do you actually know what you are playing? What are the chords, scales, rhythms that are being employed? If you don’t know, it’s high time you start getting some of those “book smarts.” A good place to start is with Adam Neely. He throws out a number of books in his videos that are worth checking out. Some are bit esoteric but he has a load of good suggestions.
Mastery and The How
As I mentioned above, many guitarists tend to start here. We get excited about our newfound skill or talent and can’t wait to tackle the next cool riff or solo. Off to the races! Someone challenges us to play Eruption and we spend the next week working to nail down everything perfectly. That’s great but, as Phil X points out, you will never get it perfect no matter how hard you try. You are not “that guy”. You have your own personality, style and way of looking at the music. None of that is bad but obsessing over it can stomp you out of playing. Go with your quirks and be yourself!
Check out this version of Drivin’ South by Chris Duarte. He isn’t Jimi Hendrix but his version rocks! Most people alive today will not even remember who did the first version. Make a song your own and have some fun with it. I love to go into the deeper cuts on old albums and find lost gems to learn.
Guitar Philosophy and The Why
Here we are now. You’ve stayed with me this far and now it is time to get cerebral. Many guitarists I know struggle with getting beyond box patterns, the same old chords, and their sound. The basic question to ask is: Why am I doing these things in the first place? I always have to ask the ‘Why’ questions. I am a consumer of Rick Beato YouTube videos and love when he gets into the details about music and production. Rick has a great video on the various scales – Natural, Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scales. My first question is “How does he know to do that?” and then “Why does that work the way it does?”
Think about this for a minute. Why does a minor scale sound differently than a major scale and when should you take advantage of that? Consider the song, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentleman. The key is E minor and, thanks to A Christmas Carol movies, it can sound quite dark and forboding. However, dig this version from The Barenaked Ladies. It is an excellent lesson in how to make a minor key sound…well, merry! It is a minor key but not all depressing in the way it is usually heard these days.
Your guitar philosophy should have you digging in to why certain combinations work the way they do and get you experimenting. Take any song and slow it down or speed it up. What happens to the mood of the song? When I needed a pensive instrumental background for something in worship services, a simple technique was to take one of the songs and slow it way down. Finger picking or arpeggios complete the feeling and I did not have to come up with anything new on the spot!
Apply some guitar philosophy to your sound. Ask why you use the settings you have or why you strum where you do. Change it up and see where it takes you.
Starting Your Guitar Philosophy Journey
A great place to start is with some helpful tips I have gathered in a post called, Learn to play guitar For Adults: How to Start. Be sure to check back at Just 2 Play Guitar on FaceBook and YouTube where I will demonstrate some of these things for your dining and dancing pleasure!