The Importance of Drawing Inspiration from Vocalists on the Guitar
Being a guitarist can often come with being too “guitar focused.” Every single one of us has been guilty of it: whether you’re at the start of your journey or a seasoned professional, we’ve all put too much emphasis on the influence of the guitar and its icons. Now, I know what you’re thinking...surely as guitar players we should be focused on the world of guitar and while you are correct; this doesn’t mean we should solely centre our attention in such a one dimensional way. Vocalists, in all their fantastic varieties can have a hugely beneficial impact upon our guitar playing, often changing the way in which we perceive the instrument. At the end of the day, the voice is king for a reason and it’s something every guitar player should look to be influenced by. Let’s take a look at 4 important ways drawing influence from singers can positively affect your guitar playing and learning.
1. Phrasing
Much like every guitar player, each singer has their own individuality that they bring to the musical table. Whether it’s the ‘hiccups’ of Michael Jackson or the hauntingly beautiful inflections of Kate Bush, no two voices are the same. This means we have a smorgasbord of potential phrasing influence to feast upon, a technique that can separate any guitar player from the rest and certainly; an opportunity we should take full advantage of.
If you’ve being suffering from the guitarists curse of “too many notes,” it is here you can find your redemption! When we think about the fact that the voice has been the focal point of the majority of musical listening and enjoyment for centuries, we must ask ourselves, “why that is?” Well, I believe one of the biggest reasons for this is a vocalist’s ability to capture and portray the emotion within a melody using a limited number of notes. This alone, is absolutely reason enough to start studying your favourite vocalists.
The greatest of guitar players that can say so much with only a handful of notes have all studied the masters of the voice and perfected their phrasing. It’s the key to sounding more emotive and expressively commanding and if you’re struggling to be creative with your phrasing, it’s going to lend one heck of a helping hand!
2. Rhythm
Rhythm doesn’t just apply to rhythm guitar. You can play as fast and as complicated as you want but if you can’t make it swing, you’ll never make it sing. Really, all forms of guitar playing are rhythm guitar: something we can often forget along the way. Though, it is something we can be reminded of through the work of great singers. Rhythm is somewhat the mother of phrasing, making the notes connect and interact with each other in ways that ultimately form expression. Just like phrasing, that rhythmic delivery is going to be unique to each vocalist we look to draw influence from.
It’s for this reason we should look to do two things when extracting rhythmic influence from our friends with the microphones. One: look to those that draw you in naturally, instantly impacting your playing approach in a positive manner. Two: look to challenge yourself with rhythmic approaches that are simply unfamiliar territory, perhaps even in different languages. The balance of these two approaches will ensure you get the most out of vocal rhythmic delivery. The rhythmic variations in which we play or sing notes are arguably more important than the notes we choose and for that reason, we should never skip rhythm day when studying the great chanters of the universe!
3. Microtonal Command
Whether we like it admit it or not, we are all constricted by the mechanics of the instrument. We have set notes within frets and if we want to change the static feel between the transition of notes, we have to looks at expressive techniques likes bends, slides and vibrato. However, what we often forget is that, whether we realise it or not, it is our way of emulating the human voice.
Listening to the great Blues & Soul singers from the 50s and 60s, we can easily hear the correlation with the rise of the electric guitar and these techniques. Whether you’re into “boomer bends” or not, expression will always remain a hugely important factor of guitar playing and listening to the likes of Aretha Franklin effortless deliver notes in the most human, soul-wrenching way and trying to emulate it, will give you a new found understanding and respect for what it means to bend or add vibrato to a note. After all, every electric Blues guitarists ever studied and was trying to emulate these types of vocal inflections and for that reason, you should too!
4. It Will Make You a Better All Round Musician
It sounds like a no brainer but it’s often something a lot of guitarists simply don’t consider.
Though, studying the masters of the voice and successfully translating the microtonal inflections, phrasing and rhythms that make the voice such an important front runner of music will make you a better musician. Versatility is absolutely everything in music and as guitar players, it’s something that can separate the good from the great, making you more recognisable and ultimately; employable.
Something as simple as understanding what makes a compelling melody and it’s accompanying harmony will propel your improvisational and songwriting capabilities in ways you will simply not get from funnelling your attention to only your favourite guitar players. While yes, there are many great guitar players that can also positively affect and influence these aspects of your playing; they are more than likely the players who have taken their time to study the great vocalists throughout history.
Sure, it can be a daunting prospect at first but taking influence from vocalists will only ever make you a better, more expressive guitar player. Though, yes, music is subjective and it might not be the thing that gets you excited about the instrument, emulating vocalists will make you a much more versatile, cultured guitar player. The possibilities for influence are endless, seek and you shall find!
