There is a band named Marbin that I found out about through Facebook a couple of years ago that I really like. They have made their following and created an audience for themselves through social media. They play a type of electric fusion that is an equal mix of rock, jazz, and gypsy. Warning! They are not for everyone. The guitar is loud, the music is fast and intense and their live shows include “Story Time” between songs that can be a bit rude or off-putting to some (e.g. my wife). Still, they are good and worth checking out. They consist of guitar and saxophone as the lead instruments and a rhythm section of bass and drums. No vocals.
If you like the band page, Marbin, you will occasionally get live streams of the guitarist (sometimes the sax, too) playing acoustic at a variety of locations. On the rare occasion, he will play his electric at home. Many times you will be treated to a lesson on guitar (Dani Rabin having graduated from Berklee College of Music) as people submit questions in the live stream.
Typically, he plays gypsy jazz. If you don’t know what that is, take a listen to Django Reinhardt who basically defined the genre decades ago. After that, check out The Rhythm Future Quartet (recordings available on BandCamp). Again, music that might not appeal to everyone but is a style we can learn from. Like classical guitar, it is a style I would like to be able to play but do not have the time to devote to it. However, I can steal ideas and techniques! That I am good at 😉
One of the things I find limits musicians is their lack of breadth in their listening choices. Many stay with only what is familiar or what they know they will like right off. Listening to other styles and genres stretches us as musicians. I listen to what I like, of course, but am always open to something different. Check out studio musicians and they will tell you about how they are able to play a wide variety of styles and that gets them jobs time and again. There is a fun video of Tommy Tedesco, who is famous for his part in The Wrecking Crew hit makers of the 60’s, where he explains how he never turned down a studio gig. If he didn’t know a particular style, he made it up as he went! I wouldn’t recommend this practice but Tommy had to be, at least, familiar enough with a variety of popular styles to even pull off a passable version on the spot.
Listening to other styles and genres gives my playing extra tools that I can call on at a moment’s notice. I watched a ukulele player in a commercial for D’Addario Strings demonstrate a strumming technique he uses that I had never seen before. I tried it on my guitar and it sounds amazing! I don’t use it hardly ever but it showed me a way to break out of my usual patterns. Consider the music you know well. Wouldn’t you like to spice it up a bit but are at a loss as to how? Throw in that ukulele pattern and see what develops! What if you wanted to take a song and play it as if it was written in a completely different style or genre just for fun? One of the guys in my group that plays for a local addiction recovery program suggested we play everything in Reggae. Yikes! I was never a fan but I have listened to it enough to be able to pull off the feel. Christmas music is great for this kind of thing to break it out of the tired old style that it frequently gets stuck in. There is a great version of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen/We Three Kings by The Bare Naked Ladies that really moves and actually sounds merry!
Give it a try! Listen around and see what you can incorporate into your playing that livens things up or, at least, breaks old habits and develops you further as a musician. You will be glad you did.