Be Yourself on the Guitar

Well I think you are better acquainted with me now that I've chatted about myself a bit. But this site isn't about me. It's about how you can benefit from what's here. So with that said today's lesson begins.


Today's lesson doesn't involve playing anything on the guitar. No, today I'm going to talk about your identity on the instrument. Not long ago, educator Lila Swell said "Your identity and your success go hand in hand." How true this is, resonating in life's every nook and cranny! In relation to the guitar, having an "identity" means being yourself as you play rather than constantly thinking in terms of other players.


Don't be afraid to be yourself. Not Satch. Not Fisk. Not Cooder, Petrucci, Benson, Gilbert, Segovia, Vai, DeLucia, or Lane. But YOU. Does that mean adopt a false sense of ability or accomplishment? Not at all. Does it mean to ignore past and present masters and simply go one's solitary way in the quest for superior stringmanship? It might--for a while. Many accomplished guitar players have said that at one point in their musical sojurn they avoided other guitarists--out of nothing else but artistic necessity (John Scofield and Wayne Krantz, for two). You will have to decide if and when that time is right for you. In the meantime, be yourself.

But How Can I Be Myself When I Don't Think I'm As Good As The Other Guitar Players I Listen To?

The answer might seem bold, but you have to see yourself as equal with them. Yes, equal. Equal with Clapton? Yes. Beck? Yes. Gilmour? Yes! Barrueco? Maybe. Hendrix? Umm...well you get the point.

Now here's the fork in the road. If "equal" to you means technical ability, then you wont grasp my last paragraph. And if you don't get a hold on that paragraph you will probably go back to your guitar in the same state of mind you might have been in before you started reading this. If that was a "I'll-never-be-as-good-as-them" mind-state, keep reading.

By equal I mean to say that YOU have the same capacity to make your fans feel good as anyone. That's because your fans are waiting for you to be yourself so that they can tell you how much they appreciate you for YOU. Not you for Clapton, Van Halen, Slash, or Cash. But you for yourself. Why? Because YOU have something unique to offer that these mega-stars don't have: your unique personality (and, yes, you do have fans already [check my Nov 21 post. -DF]).

We've come to the golden mirror of identity:

Just as you shouldn't strive to be someone else on the guitar, they can't be you, either.
It's so fair I want to cry (but I won't).

Now moving from quasi-philosophical to musical, from semi-abstract to tangible, no one can:

• Bend strings exactly like you.
• Play a scale or arpeggio exactly like you.
• Write a song exactly like you.
• Interpret a song exactly like you.
• Use wah-wah or some other effect pedal like you.
• make the faces you make when you play (hopefully not. But then, look at Vai)

So, you might agree with me that there is a future you waiting for the present you to inherit him or her. How do you go about acquiring that inheritance? You do that by attending to the 'abstract' task first, then the tangible: envision the future you (abstract), then work to carve that image out of the future (tangible).

Are you a song-writer who wants to play more lead guitar? Then learn how to play lead guitar--you won't be yourself until you do. Are you in a metal-shred band and really want to sing and play acoustic music? The transition might be difficult but that's the road to the real you. Obviously there are countless other examples. Some practical and very effective ways of bringing out the real YOU as a guitar player are below:

1. Record yourself playing into a hand-held recorder (like this, for example), NOT digital equipment that allows you to edit. You have to face your own playing so you can honestly evaluate yourself.
2. Play rhythm or improvise to a metronome (even better, record yourself doing this). Can you keep the beat and play comfortably? Good. No? You'll need to work on that then. Can you play that classical piece you've been working on for months to the metronome?
3. Write your own songs and *compose your own solos. *Do this especially if you are in a strong habit of playing like someone else.
4. Do your own unique versions of the songs of others. That's what Carl Verheyen and Davide Pannozzo each did with Little Wing, the Hendrix classic.
5. Don't look to the guitar magazines to stimulate creativity within you. Often they are too busy (re)re-recounting the past merits of past masters. Nothing against that generation, but this generation has a whole lotta talent to be inspired by.
6. Stop bemoaning the fact that you often can't sound like someone else: ultimately you're not supposed to.
7. Revisit this blog (frequently). I'll remind you to be yourself, I promise. I wouldn't be myself if I didn't.

-6SV