(Un)usual Guitar Techniques #12: What Will Your Sound Be Like?

Just as singers put their emotions and many deep experiences into their vocal expression, a good guitar solo is more than just a filler between the bridge and the final chorus. It can become a defining element of the entire song or its final catharsis and have a strong impact on the listeners. Even without words, music can express a huge range of feelings, and, whether you want it to or not, your guitar sound will be about who you are.

1. Gear

We can hardly talk about the "signature sound" without mentioning music gear. But we'll cover this chapter right at the beginning since guitarists' gear is not the subject of our series and it's easy to spend more time on this topic than necessary. Many guitarists fall into the trap of feeling that if they have the exact same gear as their role model, they're already pretty close to playing just as fantastically. Or in general: the better the gear, the better the sound.

But it's a big illusion. Let's face it, it's a lot easier, more appealing and less frustrating to spend time reading articles and watching videos about exactly what gear Joe Satriani played on The Extremist album and then searching for the exact same pedals on eBay as cheaply as possible, than playing that record a hundred times to start uncovering bit by bit what and how Satch actually plays, and trying to emulate him on your worn out Squier.

It's true that most guitarists are unhappy until they discover "their" guitar, delay, distortion, not to mention instrument. Of course, it makes sense to take the time to try and choose the right setup so that the sonic possibilities it will offer are exactly what you need. But your idea of the "right" sound will very likely evolve along with your playing skills. So if you're just starting out, don't drown in gear and millions of reviews – get a reasonably priced instrument that you'll enjoy, and most importantly, start playing!

2. Technique

Guitar techniques are like a palette of colours from which you can paint your "picture". You don't have to know how to use them all – someone can paint a fantastic picture by mixing three basic colours. But the more colours you have at your disposal, the better you can capture what you need, and the more opportunities you have to find exactly the right "shade". So the technique of playing should not be the goal ("I'm going to learn to play super fast!") but rather a means to give you freedom in the first place. Freedom to play and express exactly what you want.

Staying with the fine art analogy for a moment, even in guitar playing it pays to "study the old masters". Today offers fantastic opportunities to really learn from your favourite guitarists. Many of them have even made videos where they explain their technique. Whichever solo you want to learn, you will very likely find both a tab and a backing track for it on the internet. You can download it, slow it down, put it in your DAW and record your own versions of the solo to it. These are all great tools that I would have loved to have had at my disposal when I was learning to play guitar. And listening to and learning solos by great guitarists is a proven way to improve your technique.

What seems to be in short supply today, on the other hand, is time. Time to practice and time to watch all those great videos and tutorials. For that reason too, I highly recommend, if you're serious about it, to ditch the various online courses or miracle practice apps and, in an old-fashioned way, start taking lessons from someone nice. If you're lucky, you'll not only get regular time dedicated solely to music and a good dose of motivation to practice, but you'll also have a great guide on the road to your guitar sound.

3. Ears, head, fingers... and more

You have exactly the guitar, amp and pedalboard you wanted at home. You've worked out a bunch of scales and other technical tricks. But somehow your unique sound is still missing. Now comes that special magic moment happening somewhere between your ears, head and fingertips. The magic that mixes all the ingredients together in a unique way to create music that only you can play, and no one else. It is a unique blend of your musical inspirations, experiences and emotions, your character, your technical skill and imperfection, your musical sensibility.

I'm convinced that this magic is born much more in the contact of your fingers with the strings of the guitar than in the gear as such. If you give ten guitarists the same guitar plugged into the same amp and they all play the identical melody on the same backing track... I'm sure every solo will sound completely different. And how would you play it? The following qualities are essential to your unique way of playing:

• Dynamics – do you play more softly or do you play more forcefully? There are a thousand ways to strum a string. Whether your pick stroke is unambiguous, precise, hesitant or kind of flowing reflects a lot of your personality.
• Phrasing – Phrasing is the way we incorporate notes into the rhythm of a song and is one of the reasons why the exact same lick will be played slightly differently by every guitarist. Do you play individual notes with almost astronomical precision, or do you linger on some notes for a hundredth of a beat? Do you tend to rush or dawdle casually? Phrasing is like breathing, it brings life to your guitar playing.
• Working with tone – each note is like a small sculpture, where strumming a string is just the beginning. Vibrato, subtle bending, fretting or string harmonics – all these techniques "mould" the tone into the expression you want. At the same time, over time you will begin to perform them somewhat automatically. While you usually incorporate a tapping passage or vibrato bar into a solo consciously, vibrato and microtonal work is a part of your expression that you don't think about after a while.

So if you're just looking for your guitar expression, focus on these three things: dynamics, phrasing, and tone control and modelling. See how your favourite guitarists work with them. Try different approaches. And gradually you'll discover what type of playing really suits you.

4. On the road

It would be a mistake, after reading this article, to think that the "signature sound" is like a buried treasure that you search long and hard for and then one day you find it and you have it. That may be the case with that part of your sound that resides in your equipment. Surely there may come a time when you discover a box or amp that finally sounds the way you wanted it to! It's a beautiful moment. From then on, that thing is a fixed part of your gear and the world is finally right. At least until that moment when you discover another, even better one.

But it's not that simple with a player's expression. It arises, as it were, somewhere between practising technique, jamming with the band, listening to music, experimenting with the guitar and who knows what else. Over time, you'll find that while some guitar techniques you learn, but somehow not to your liking, and after a few attempts to incorporate tapping into a solo (because "if you can do it, it should be used somewhere") you'll abandon the technique, others will be a revolutionary change for you. For example, you'll learn to mute the strings properly and your way of playing will change once and for all.

The important thing on this journey is to keep your ears open, get excited and inspired, and not be afraid to try new things and bring other musicians into the mix. The guitar is a great instrument and there is always something new to discover. Fingers crossed that the journey to your unique sound is filled with small and big victories and, most importantly, the joy of music.