What are the features of a great guitar player?
There’s no "one size fits all" answer here, but a great guitar player must excel at least on one of the following characteristics (in that order of importance):
* Style
* Soul
* Musicianship
* Innovation
* Technique
* Presence
Some might seem similar, but they are not. As you keep reading, you’ll see why they’re different.
Style
Music styles (and art in general) are a recollection of whatever is out there and gets blended in a new, original way. Jazz needed the Blues, Blues needed African chants, Classic needed Baroque, etc. The same way music styles are born, great guitar players assimilate the work of other musicians and come up with their own voice.
No great guitar player has reached recognition for sounding like a clone of someone else. Just go to Las Vegas and think if those amazing singers deserve any recognition for dressing, dancing and singing like Elvis. Not much merit in doing that, is there?
Now think B.B. King, who took T-Bone Walker’s and Elmore James’ style. He didn’t invent tasteful electric blues, but he made it sound like no one else. To this day, it just takes just few notes to recognize B.B. King’s Lucille.
Or take John Scofield, who took elements from traditional jazz and mixed them with a more modern sound, therefore being one of the pioneers of fusion jazz. As with many great guitar players, it only takes few notes to recognize John Scofield’s unique sound.
All great guitar players have a unique style that makes them stand out from the rest.
Soul
“If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music." ~Gustav Mahler
What is left in music if there’s no soul? Great guitar players understand music first and foremost as a way to express something. Those who only use it as a way to display their technical skills are closer to being athletes or mathematicians than good artists.
Soul could be expressed by playing fast or slow. It’s more linked to what the musician has to say rather than the speed of the execution. Take the example of Stevie Ray Vaughan, a great guitar player with one of the most expressive styles. He was able to play some really aggressive blues phrases, but they all came from deep inside. Or take the great Albert King, whose slow blues licks and “less is more" approach has some unmatched musical expression.
Musicianship
After all, guitar is above all things a musical instrument. It is meant to produce a musical sound. Musicianship is the guitar player’s ability to choose the right balance of elements. Musicianship is what we know as “good taste". A great musician knows when to play fast or slow, loud or quiet, sweet or harsh. Knows when to select the right guitar effect and the right accent. Knows when to let silence do its job, and when to break it.
So when it comes to guitar players, those with great musicianship stand out in a unique way and find themselves on great guitar players territory.
Innovation
Though linked to having a unique style, innovation goes a little beyond that. Style is about finding an own voice. Innovation is about breaking the rules.
Take the example of Buddy Guy, a great blues guitar player who started his career with Muddy Waters. Few years later, he decided to break the rules and experiment with loud amp settings and stage theatrics no one had seen or heard before. His record label, Chess, pushed back and forced him to play more standard styles. He didn’t know it then, but by breaking the rules Buddy Guy invented the psychedelic blues used by Jimi Hendrix later on.
Take the example of Eddie Van Halen, the inventor of the tapping technique. No one thought you could use your right hand to tap the fret board while doing legato. All of sudden, guitar players could sound twice as fast with this simple technique and could play phrases deemed impossible otherwise. The result, a whole new addition to rock guitar sound.
To be clear, not just any innovation would do the trick. It has to be something that adds value to the world of music. Having the courage to revolutionize and shake up things is a feature few guitar players have. Those who have that talent become great guitar players.
Technique
For a great guitar player, the instrument is a vehicle for expression. Rather than being an obstacle, the instrument is an extension of the guitar player’s body. Mastering the instrument through technique is the only way of getting to that level.
But let’s be careful, having technique doesn’t mean to play fast! Take a guitarist like Adrian Legg, who’s done anything imaginable to the instrument but doesn’t exploit speed. Or Derek Trucks, someone who masters the slide guitar technique like few, but doesn’t exploit speed either. On the other hand, you can also think about Yngwie Malmsteen, a guitar shredder by all standards, whose speed is a tough ticket to try.
Technique means having the ability to make the instrument sound exactly the way you want it to. It means reaching a music target by having absolute control over the instrument, not the other way around.
Presence
Finally, presence. I think this is an optional feature for a great guitar player, but in some cases it makes a big difference. There are examples of guitarists who keep a low profile on the stage, such as Eric Clapton, but who are by no means questioned as great guitar players. There are other great guitar players who had an incredible presence, such as Jimi Hendrix and they managed to have an impact on many generations.
Presence alone cannot make a great guitar player. If someone only has that, he/she might as well be an air guitar champion! When thinking about what makes a great guitar player, it all comes down to the features that make that person a great musician first.
To summarize, I think only few great guitar players have it all. Some have more technique than soul, or more style than technique, or more innovation than presence, etc. What I think, is that no great guitar player can be considered as such unless he/she excels in at least one of the above categories.
ang alam ko meron na dating ganitong thread, nakalimutan ko kung sino nagpost nito.
This one is a great read for me.
