THE GUITAR. Four/five/six/seven/eight/twelve strings, electric/acoustic/electro-acoustic/classical, fretted/fretless, single/double cutaway, single-coil/humbucker… the various combinations are practically limitless. This is the instrument which brought you here and, in effect, brings us together.
The guitar is an instrument which can conjure some very powerful and diverse imagery. If I was to mention the guitar to one person, I could pretty much guarantee that their idea of what it means will be very different from that of the next person. For some, a leather-clad figure firing out a million notes-per-second on a smoky stage might be the first thing that springs to mind. Another might envisage an aged blues player, riffing over a 12-bar shuffle on a resonator guitar which has seen better days. The next person you ask may picture a clean-cut guy in a shirt and tie playing flurries of notes with his fingernails. The point is that all of these people are guitar players, and the guitar can encapsulate all of these very different approaches – it is a very versatile and ambiguous instrument!
As I’ve stated elsewhere, I believe that all of us who live and breathe, and anyone that ever has, carry within us a song, which is lying dormant until we can utilise the means with which to give it form. It is my opinion that the greatest key to our songs, and therefore the key to our ultimate harmony, is the guitar. And this is why:
You can use the guitar in literally any way you please.
I know this sounds like an exaggeration, but let me explain. In Western music, we recognise only twelve notes. A well-tempered piano is limited to only these notes, albeit in eight different octaves. We have seven “natural” notes (which are repesented by the white keys on our piano), and five “sharp/flat” notes (which we can hear by playing the black keys). Anything in between is considered to be out of tune, or “dissonant”. However, if we extend our periphery beyond our conventional preconceptions, to envelop Eastern musical foundations, we discover many new notes in between our established twelve notes, known as micro-tones. Micro-tones exist between the keys on the piano, and open up a wholly fresh world of sonic possibilities. Any string-intrument, such as the guitar, has access to these “new” notes. In other words, when you pick up your guitar, you have every single note in existence right under your fingertips. You are without limit.
So what does this have to do with playing the guitar? How can you apply this to construct a melodic solo? Here’s a clue: Slash knows about micro-tones. As did BB King. So did Hendrix, like Les Paul before him. These master players, like many besides them, know exactly what micro-tones are, and exactly how to use them to great effect. The answer is in the strings…
Have you ever watched a fantastic guitarist, either live or on a recording, rip out an exhilarating guitar solo which simply blows you away? Maybe they only played a handful of well-chosen notes, but with them conveyed more emotion than you ever thought possible. We’ve all had experiences similar to this, and they always prompt us to ask the same question. How can I do that? The answer? String bending.
String bending is the act of manipulating the pitch produced by a string, by pushing it across the fretboard while fretting a note. This, in effect, causes the note to “sing”. The guitar can be used to mimic the human voice by causing it to soar, much like a singer. Bending a string can also be put to excellent effect by slowly bending from side to side, known as vibrato. It’s a similar effect when Ritchie Blackmore or Prof. Brian May hit their tremolo arm. The note wobbles, and to our ears it sounds expressive. A simple technique, but hugely effective when cleverly employed.
What if I told you that the instrument in your hands is, in fact, a fully-functioning, portable orchestra? That’s right, the humble guitar can be coaxed into producing a plethora of different sounds, many of which you would never have thought possible. I speak, of course, about tone. Tone can be controlled in a variety of different ways. Be it the material your strings are made from, the wood which comprises the body of your guitar, or even the type of pick you use can all influence the sounds your guitar makes. And believe me when I tell you that the sounds your guitar can make are virtually limitless. Nearly every time I sit down with my guitar I produce an entirely new sound, which I have never made before. You can explore for hours. Even something as subtle as the way to pluck a string, or where exactly you place your fretting finger, can have an effect. And this is before you even plug in to an amp. All of these variables need to be taken into consideration when preparing to play. And don’t even get me started on alternate tunings!
The entire universe is held within those strings, whole worlds inside those frets, and those pickups have been used to sculpt a generation.
All are yours. Play on.