GUITAR LESSON - FINDING YOUR OWN STYLE AND APPROACH TO GUITAR Having read my fair share of articles and interviews by guitarists I often notice how professional guitarists stress the importance of finding and developing your own style. As a student and teacher of the instrument, I think about what exactly this entails. Can you find your own style within a few years of playing, or does it come with many years of experience? Is there a specific practice method that will bring it out, or do you trust your instinct? I would suspect that this depends a lot on the individual.

It should go without saying that the particular way in which you pick the strings (the thickness of your pick or fingers, the amount of pressure you apply, the speed with which you hit the strings, etc.) or the way you vibrato (the speed at which you vibrato, the width of your vibrato, etc.) is going to be slightly different from one guitarist to the next. This in itself doesn't necessarily produce a unique style.

So, what exactly should you do to develop a style of your own? Here are some ideas:

Be Methodical and Intentional
I strongly believe that this is at the core of many successful people in life. I'm not necessarily talking about being strict and regimented with your practice time, but I think it's a good idea to set goals and try to meet them. Also keep in mind the more you know about music and guitar the more you'll begin to see different avenues available to you. If you don't know what Legato or Staccato means, how would you know if you want to make use of those particular techniques in your playing? At the same time, you don't need to be an expert in everything. Trust your instinct when it comes to whether a riff sounds good or not.

Learn Songs by Ear
Tablature is great and I have nothing against it, but many of the greats had to listen to tapes and records repeatedly if they wanted to figure out a particular guitar part. I think too much emphasis can be placed on playing something "the right way" that personal style is sacrificed in the process. Don't worry about whether you're playing the same note on the same fret as your favorite guitarist. Find your own way of playing that lick. This process teaches you to listen as well.

Branch Out
No matter how much you enjoy Metal or Punk or a particular style of music, don't forget that there are other genres and styles out there that are just as important and crucial to the development of the style of music you're playing. There was Jazz before Blues, and there was Blues before Rock 'N Roll. Do you feel pretty comfortable playing Rock music? Try some Flamenco or Classical guitar. Why limit yourself? Developing your talent is an ongoing process.

Don't Limit Yourself to Guitar
I think it's easy to forget that it's all about music in the grand scheme of things. The world is not a big community of critical guitarists. There are bassists, drummers, keyboardists, harpists, saxophonists and a variety of wonderful musicians. Why can't you learn from them? Why can't you sit down and learn a vocal melody or a keyboard solo? If you really want to expand your horizons – and if you've made it this far in the article you're at least open to it – there's a whole world of talented musicians who would be more than willing to share their expertise with you if you'd only ask. Seriously. This article was written by David Andrew Wiebe, web designer, graphic designer, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, songwriter, guitar instructor, and music expert. Interested in winning a free CD? Click here for more info! Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Recommendations? Email me.

Published on January 3, 2008