Branches Book

BRANCHES

Stevie. Through his rig and different influences he was able to create his own voice, which players have since tried to replicate. Best known for being the guitarist in rage against the machine Tom Morello is one of the most influential guitarists today. Tom Morello can play lightning fast solos but his preference is a much simpler approach. He studied DJs instead of guitar players to create a new unique sound. His solos are based on weird outer space sounds that don't sound like a guitar. He achieves this by using lots of guitar effects and pedals. The most common of his effects are the octave up and the kill switch. On lots of his solos he will turn on an octave pedal, which means an octave up will be additionally added to whatever he is playing at that moment. These solos will consist of two or more octaves, giving him a unique sparkling sound. Tom Morello will often use a kill switch in his playing meaning whenever the switch is engaged it cuts the sound. He has created a very unique style with this switch where he is able to sustain a note with his left hand while cutting it in and out with his right. This gives him a very rhythmic style, which adds to his own voice. All these guitar players are looked up to and influence many students. They all have something unique to contribute to rock and roll whether it is style, technique, or equipment. Although students can learn a lot from these players it is not good to only learn from one of them. Learning from only one of these players is a good start, but it is not the key. It's one thing to sound like someone, but it’s incredible sounding like yourself. This way you will be highly looked up upon and you will contribute to the community of guitar players. Combine styles, techniques, rhythms, and sounds to form something new. Other guitarists have combined jazz and metal, blues and rock, country and rock, and many others to create their own voice. This is what I am still trying to do. I have been creating my own licks, listening to different types of music, and trying to put it all together. It's a hard journey but definitely worth it. Author’s Statement: Skye Emanuel Music is my biggest passion and one of the main parts of my life. I love the feeling of having a guitar in my hand and being able to play whatever I feel. Playing with other people to produce a piece is so exciting. I love the rush of getting up and doing a show on stage. This passion is truly something I plan to never give up. Going through the journey of finding my own voice is very difficult and it is something I will be spending a lot of time on in the next few years. Over the past year I have started teaching and have gathered a couple students. This has given me the opportunity to see other people progress as well as myself. This is what inspired me to write this piece. Lots of

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