What makes you sound unique?
- Thread starter Chistopher
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Phantasmagoria
watch where you point that sabre
mmm...yeah 
Sirion
Well-known member
IDK, really. I've tried cultivating some particular ideas of mine that I like the sound of, but as I work in another creative field, where I have to be original to be relevant (and make money), originality has never really been something that I strove towards: in this field, I am more than happy to belong to a tradition.
misterwhizzy
Well-known member
Never apologize for Monty Python references.
weepingminotaur
Well-known member
This is sort of where I'm coming from. Music is a passion of mine, but it doesn't pay my bills, so I'm more or less happy to play -- learn songs, improve my chops where and when I can, and hopefully start a band or play with people in the near future (something I've been missing since I moved cities a couple years ago). I certainly have no urge to write songs, though being a metal guy, I will sometimes come up with riffs while practicing that I should probably record or store in some way.
I think I interpreted the OP's question as being more about what makes us unique as players from a technical standpoint. Like, I too am happy to belong to existing musical traditions, and I'm not interested in innovating in that sense, but I'd like to have a more defined and personal sense of phrasing, attack, and note choice than I currently do. On some days, I feel like I do, a bit. On others, it's easy to feel generic. But it's a blessing to be able to play at all, so I'm not bothered by my relative lack of uniqueness!
Phantasmagoria
watch where you point that sabre
I think one of the things that made a difference early on was when I realised that I could be 'inspired' by a bunch of players without being actually 'influenced' (ie. aping /copying their stuff). The biggest change came when I began to play following my ears, and only my ears. I've never learned or tried to learn a solo note for note, never learned/memorized a lick, never opened a theory book (or even a pamphlet) and always play stuff the way "I'm" comfortable playing it..
It's all about having fun and enjoying myself first. (If you don't enjoy what you're doing and it's fucking chore...why do it?) Also, being thick-skinned & not particularly sensitive about anything (barbs/jibes/insults etc ) has always been useful. When hate comes my way, I ignore it completely and move on, doing exactly what I was doing before (and it's not too shabby 
).
It's all about having fun and enjoying myself first. (If you don't enjoy what you're doing and it's fucking chore...why do it?) Also, being thick-skinned & not particularly sensitive about anything (barbs/jibes/insults etc
) has always been useful. When hate comes my way, I ignore it completely and move on, doing exactly what I was doing before (and it's not too shabby ).
Thumpalumpacus
Member
I think one of the things that made a difference early on was when I realised that I could be 'inspired' by a bunch of players without being actually 'influenced' (ie. aping /copying their stuff). The biggest change came when I began to play following my ears, and only my ears. I've never learned or tried to learn a solo note for note, never learned/memorized a lick, never opened a theory book (or even a pamphlet) and always play stuff the way "I'm" comfortable playing it..
It's all about having fun and enjoying myself first. (If you don't enjoy what you're doing and it's fucking chore...why do it?) Also, being thick-skinned & not particularly sensitive about anything (barbs/jibes/insults etc
I liked learning theory, took classical and jazz lessons, and it was never a chore for me, it was about adding colors to my palette. Like you, I didn't spend time learning solos NfN, though I can play some pretty close. I just wanted to put everything in the blender and and come out with what happened, because I figured that would be me.
weepingminotaur
Well-known member
Everyone has a different approach to learning. Some find theory inhibiting; others find it liberating; still others are in the middle (e.g. yours truly). I know some theory, and would like to know more and integrate it with my playing, but I also love doing stuff by ear, and yeah, the older I get, the less I'm interested in playing solos or even whole songs note for note. Having said that, here I am practicing "The Lodger," trying to play the solos note for note, so...
Phantasmagoria
watch where you point that sabre
If it worked for you guys, more power to you. To each their own as far as I'm concerned. It's not my thing and that's where it should have ended. I was constantly attacked for saying "no thanks, I'm good" w/ people trying to shove it down my throat and telling me "I needed it" when I did'nt and going to the most ridiculous lengths to try and get me to go along w/ that shit. Insults, threats of violence (cuz that's always so scary on the internet ) pile-ons and other retarded stuff like that..
Like I said ..I'm happy w/ how I play/sound. The folk at our (my band's) gigs don't seem to be that sorely dissappointed either & ultimately that's all that matters to moi
) pile-ons and other retarded stuff like that..Like I said ..I'm happy w/ how I play/sound. The folk at our (my band's) gigs don't seem to be that sorely dissappointed either
& ultimately that's all that matters to moi
Thumpalumpacus
Member
The important thing to remember, I mean the really important thing, is that theory is descriptive, not prescriptive. It is very useful in describing what you've already played, but it should not be used to prescribe what you should play. Knowing theory has helped my playing most when I'm analyzing what another guitarist has done over this or that set of changes.
When I'm playing, I never think "oooh, I need a flat-7 here". I hear a note in my head, understand what scale or shape or form will deliver it, and hope I can tie this stuff together enough to be coherent. Any solo of mine, if improv, will float between keys and modes with no regard to "this is the proper note to play here", because I want to play guitar, not typewrite. Sometimes I want sour, or out-of-key, or evocative of some other mood.
Thumpalumpacus
Member
If it worked for you guys, more power to you. To each their own as far as I'm concerned. It's not my thing and that's where it should have ended. I was constantly attacked for saying "no thanks, I'm good" w/ people trying to shove it down my throat and telling me "I needed it" when I did'nt and going to the most ridiculous lengths to try and get me to go along w/ that shit. Insults, threats of violence (cuz that's always so scary on the internet
Like I said ..I'm happy w/ how I play/sound. The folk at our (my band's) gigs don't seem to be that sorely dissappointed either
There's no right or wrong way. The important thing is that your mind's ear and your fingers are linked up together so that you can play what you hear in your head. There's a lot of trails up that particular mountain.
weepingminotaur
Well-known member
Indeed! Theory helps me analyze a song and figure it out, for sure. But when playing, it's more about giving me the comfort to know where I am and what tends to fit over the chords in a way that moves me. Sour is good, evocative is good, chromatics get me out of many a sticky situation, as does leaning into a mistake to make it sound musical. But sometimes, I know I'm looking for a given flavour at a particular point -- dom7 chord tone just before returning to tonic -- and I have no shame about targeting those notes.
I realized early on that if I want to write for other instruments, some with no history of improvisation, I was going to have to learn how music fits together. It really depends on what your goals are.
I also realized that about 5 years into learning, I had to abandon stylistic quirks I learned from other players if I wanted to speak in my own voice.
I also realized that about 5 years into learning, I had to abandon stylistic quirks I learned from other players if I wanted to speak in my own voice.
Thumpalumpacus
Member
Developing one's own quirks is key to developing one's own voice.
Phantasmagoria
watch where you point that sabre
I play using my ears & instinct because that's what works for me. I'm a speed junkie. It's not all I do but it's what I enjoy the most. One of my earliest idols was Yngwie Malmsteen and frankly the reason my jaw hit the floor when I first heard him play was because I'd never heard anyone play even close to as fast and despite what detractors say he's got great feel and sense of melody as well. It was always my goal to be able to play like that. Again his style and mine are actually not even remotely alike despite the shared penchant for shred. He's a great advocate for theoretical knowledge & I'm not. Frankly I think over-reliance on theory and being too 'by the book' can be limiting. He was one of my ultimate "inspirations" but not an actual "influence" on my playing at all. Anyway the point being, I find that "not thinking" when I'm playing fast is the only thing that's works for me. Thought is a distraction that there's really no time for when I'm actually playing so I just listen to the music I'm soloing over and let my hands & ears do their thing in real time.....follow in whatever way they see fit
Might not be the most conventional approach but it works for me given the way/what I like to play
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Thumpalumpacus
Member
He's a great advocate for theoretical knowledge & I'm not. Frankly I think over-reliance on theory and being too 'by the book' can be limiting. He was one of my ultimate "inspirations" but not an actual "influence" on my playing at all. Anyway the point being, I find that "not thinking" when I'm playing fast is the only thing that's works for me. Thought is a distraction that there's really no time for when I'm actually playing so I just listen to the music I'm soloing over and let my hands & ears do their thing in real time.....follow in whatever way they see fit
I get it. For me, the idea always has been to absorb the knowledge to the point that when I am in the moment, I don't need to think -- because you're right, if you're thinking while you're soloing, any listener can and usually will hear, it doesn't sound natural. But rather than me telling myself, "I've got this fast run and it will be in (say) B Myxolydian, I've internalized -- or tried as much as I can -- to get that sound wired up between my mind and my fingers such that when I hear a natural 3 and a flat 7, my fingers go to the mode without me thinking about it.
It's more about hearing the scale or mode as an overarching convention, but rather than dictating what I play, identifying what I'm hearing in my head. It's much more to me, about listening to what my brain wants, and trusting that I've trained my fingers well-enough to catch it. Obviously there's a hell of a lot of failure involved, but that's improvisation for you. There's a reason I'm not world-famous, lol.
If I'm thinking while I'm improvising, I'm almost always doing it wrong. The homework for me is learning what scale or mode delivers what intervals I'm hearing in my mind's ear, and allowing me to carry onto the next theme or segue or what-have-you. The theory doesn't tell me what to play; it allows me to get what I'm hearing in my brain out of the speakers.
Phantasmagoria
watch where you point that sabre
I depend on muscle memory from excersises that I've come up with and used to develop dexterity. Those and my ears....that's what gets me to where I want to go "as I'm playing".
As an improviser you also pick up tricks to disguise the occasional bum note...so you can pull it off with confidence & have it sound fine in the context of what you're playing, rather than stick out like a sore thumb. It's something I've pretty much perfected
When I play I don't know what it's called but I do know if it sounds good/right. And yeah, If I hit a bum note or two so be it...not he end of the world
As an improviser you also pick up tricks to disguise the occasional bum note...so you can pull it off with confidence & have it sound fine in the context of what you're playing, rather than stick out like a sore thumb. It's something I've pretty much perfected
When I play I don't know what it's called but I do know if it sounds good/right. And yeah, If I hit a bum note or two so be it...not he end of the world
magillver
Active member
I only apologize because I realize that my material is getting quite dated....
Thumpalumpacus
Member
I depend on muscle memory from excersises that I've come up with and used to develop dexterity. Those and my ears....that's what gets me to where I want to go "as I'm playing".
As an improviser you also pick up tricks to disguise the occasional bum note...so you can pull it off with confidence & have it sound fine in the context of what you're playing, rather than stick out like a sore thumb. It's something I've pretty much perfected
When I play I don't know what it's called but I do know if it sounds good/right. And yeah, If I hit a bum note or two so be it...not he end of the world
I'm cautious about muscle-memory, because I know for myself that it has been a sort of mental trap in my playing, but that's me. It's great for developing dexterity, but I find that that's when theory becomes a weight on my playing rather than a jailbreak. Having that dexterity is muy importante, but not if it channelizes my expression. I want to have a good turn of speed, but not if it comes at the cost of musicality.
Coming out of a screw-up, that's something every guitarist should learn no matter their approach to the instrument, because we all screw up, and the song ain't stopping while I wipe my butt.
