Branches Book

BRANCHES

Skye Emanuel

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD

Rock guitarists are turned into icons, legends, and heroes for music lovers. They influence many kids and adults to pick up the guitar and spend countless hours trying to replicate their favorite player. Guitar solos help complement the song and make the listener keep coming back for that 30 to 60 seconds of destruction. This makes guitar players so important and essential in a rock band, and usually leads them to become the main figure. The best players have developed their own styles and sounds that are unique to them. Artists that have a distinguished sound and style are what makes playing so extraordinary. This is crucial to keep in mind while learning because a lot of the time this diversity gets lost. Many players will learn only from their favorite guitar player, which sounds reasonable right? Not quite. This leads to what is called a guitar clone. A clone is a guitarist who plays the same notes in the same way as someone else. Although there is nothing wrong with this, it means that the player as an artist has no voice: they are just voicing what has already been said. The next step would be to create a new sound, something that hasn’t been done before. This is the hardest step in becoming a musician. To avoid becoming a clone it is important to learn from many different guitarists, rather than just one. This will lead to the player learning many different styles and to hopefully end up combining a few to create their own unique voice. Artists that have become inspirational figures are known for their unique playing styles. Arguably the most influential guitarist is Jimi Hendrix. His screaming blues leads, innovative rhythm playing, outstanding vocals and lyrics made the ultimate musician. Hendrix’s unconventional playing and live performances made every guitar player look up to him. Jimi Hendrix was a lead guitar player and lead vocalist at the same time. Because of this, his style revolved around his vocal melodies. This is shown in tracks like “Voodoo Child” in which his lead playing either plays along with his vocal melodies or fills the space in between them. He also had a very innovative rhythm style. He was the only guitarist in his band so he had to combine his lead and rhythm playing together. This can be heard in tracks like “Little Wing” where he plays lead guitar licks and chords at the same time. He also raised the bar for performance in live shows. He played guitar behind his head, with his teeth, and even set his guitars on fire. All of Jimi’s innovative techniques produces his unique style and lead him to become the most recognizable guitar player of all time.

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