David Gilmour, Jerry Cantrell, Neil Young, Mark Knopfler, Dimebag Darrell, Jack White, Jeff Beck. Other than their propensity for playing rock guitar, what do all of these 6-string giants have in common? They are all masters at wresting maximum emotion out of each note they play. Regardless of the genre they inhabit, their note choice and their ability to play for the song put their names above most others in the guitar-playing pantheon.
Watch David Gilmour play “Comfortably Numb,” a.k.a. the gospel of emotive rock guitar.
Let’s face it, we’re all pulled to the excitement and exhilaration of watching our fingers fly across the fingerboard. But all too often, we spend hours woodshedding the technique of playing notes quickly without really focusing on what notes we’re playing, how we’re playing them, and if they’re really the best notes for the part. So in the spirit of the greats mentioned above, we have decided to examine a few different ways to break that cycle, while adding emotion to everything you play.
Slow It Down
Let’s start with the obvious. Slow down! When you’re blazing, you’re really only capable of conveying one emotion — intensity (more on that in a bit). Think about how you speak. Depending on what you’re trying to communicate, your speech changes tempo, pitch, volume, and inflection. So why shouldn’t your playing?
A great way to pump the brakes while strengthening your mind-heart-fingers-guitar connection is to hear a melody in your head before you play a note. You may feel like the proverbial deer-in-headlights at first, but you’ll slowly (and that’s the goal here) find your playing taking on a more melodically informed sound that enhances the music around it.
Jeff Beck is the undisputed master of using his guitar to elicit emotion and melody. Listen as he shows what can be done when you slow things down and let the song speak for itself.
Listen to Vocalists
Another way to slow it down and play melodically is to put away the Vai and learn some Aretha. You’ll be amazed at what learning vocal lines, melodies, and harmonies can bring to your playing. A singer’s enunciations, inflections, note choice, and runs may seem completely foreign to you as a guitarist. But try to cop some lines from the best singers, and you’ll undoubtedly unlock new tones and techniques that will place your audience on an emotional roller coaster.
What happens when an already emotive player like Peter Frampton covers one of the most classic vocal melodies in rock?
DYNAMICS, DYNAMICS, DYNAMICS!!!!
See what I did there?
If you’re blasting along at one volume and at top speed, you’re simply not leaving enough room in the music to demonstrate any breadth of emotion. Let’s go back to the speaking analogy. Imagine your significant other whispering sweet nothings into your ear. But they’re not whispering. They’re screaming — really loud and really fast. No matter how heartwarming their proclamations of love, you’re probably not going to take them as such.
But what happens when they find out you spent a little too much money on a guitar pedal without telling them? All of a sudden, that loud, fast speech comes into focus and is totally appropriate. That volume and intensity is used as the perfect way to convey the current emotion. Fast, slow, loud, or quiet, use them all in your playing and everything you play will translate much better.
Check out this video of Dimebag. Stellar example of knowing when to back off and when to floor it!
Limit Yourself
Sometimes disciplining ourselves to play with more restraint is all but impossible. Want to get out of that high-speed rut? Take away some options. Force yourself to play a whole solo on a single string or in a different scale, turn off the overdrive and play the solo clean, or try playing your solo on a completely different instrument. That’s right, maybe write the solo for your new tune on a piano, and then translate that over to your guitar. Talk about getting a new perspective! Once you step outside your comfort zone, you’re forced to rely on your ears and emotions. It’s a bit revealing at first, but I’ll bet you find a new sonic voice you never knew you had.
Here, one of our favorite YouTubers, Robert Baker, shows how much can be achieved when one embraces new limits.
And Finally, Emote with Emotion
Though all of these are great techniques to adopt, the most important thing is to try actually thinking about what you’re feeling. What a concept! Want to play emotionally? Then allow yourself to feel the music, feel your experiences, and feel the moment. With little more than some self-awareness, I think you’ll find yourself wrenching tears, commanding joy, and amping up your fans every time you hit your strings.