playing with emotion

[Misanthrope189]

Hey guys,
I think one of the coolest things to be able to do with guitar is play with emotion...whether it's anger, or sadness, or happiness...it's awesome to hear songs and solos that can incite those feelings. Have any of you figured out what happens to be able to play like that? I think most of the time, even if I play a solo or song that has a lot of emotion, it doesn't come out as passionate, to me, as it does when the original artist plays it. People talk about older musicians in their 40s who can always invoke so much emotion...is it just something like wisdom that you only get over time? Haha...maybe I need to build confidence in my soloing to get emotion.

-Nick

[Endrik]

Re: playing with emotion

I think that most of the great players play with emotion.
One thing that I hate when some asswipe says that shredders don't play with emotions. This is total BS. Every time I hear that I go apesh1t. There are so many different emotions and you can't express them all by playing slowly, ex. anger, fury, excitment, orgasm etc.

Steve Vai is the TRUE master when it comes to guitar playing and emotions.
I try do explain it why.

Let's take some ballad about love, normally most of the players try to express their love emotions by doing a slow and melodic solo.
But let's take "Blue Powder" (track from Passion And Warfare) for an example, Steve plays really melodic solo and then suddenly he does his odd whammy bar tricks and stuff. Some people may think he ruined that beautiful melody with that, I say no, he showed his EMOTIONS.
Is love (the melody) a straight feeling? No, there comes a bunch of other stuff with love, like second thoughts, suspicions etc. (odd guitar tricks).
Example.
I really love this girl (beautiful guitar melody), but does she love me (odd guitar tricks).
or
I really love this girl (beautiful guitar melody), but she love that deucebag from the next door (anger comes in and therefore some fast guitar playing).

I hope you get my point :P

[dfvxc]

Re: playing with emotion

Personally I think when you feel the music, the emotion will come through.

And the general mood is based on the backings rather than the lead. When you 'feel' that mood while playing the lead, you sort of amplify the mood through your big lead sound.

But then some ppl tell me my playing has no emtion. Those cuz-u-play-fast-u-have-no-feel bastards! LOL...

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: playing with emotion

[ QUOTE ]
There are so many different emotions and you can't express them all by playing slowly, ex. anger, fury, excitment, orgasm etc.

[/ QUOTE ]

[img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] Orgasm is the pinnacle of learning, and my personal Everest on guitar! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: playing with emotion

I think that its a gift that the great players have. You can't practice it you have to feel it. Sure you can entice it out of you based on what tonalities that you are soloing over. The feeling has nothing to do with speed or type of music.

[Endrik]

Re: playing with emotion

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
There are so many different emotions and you can't express them all by playing slowly, ex. anger, fury, excitment, orgasm etc.

[/ QUOTE ]

[img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] Orgasm is the pinnacle of learning, and my personal Everest on guitar! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

The best way of making badass emotional guitar solo is when some hot chick is doing you a BJ while you play the guitar. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[etaeniura]

Re: playing with emotion

I think that in order to play a song with emotion, first the song has to have some emaning to you. Most of us can learn a song well enough to pull off a version of it, but have you ever noticed how much better you play the songs that you actually like? It is like the difference between watching two bands play the exact smae songs. They may both be equally talented, but the band that really seems to enjoy what they are doing, you know, really getting "into it" is going to be more entertaining. I agrre that Vai is fantastic at expressing emotion witht he guitar, but it almost seems like he decides "at this point I want to express XXXXXX" so he writes a guitar part to cover that. FOrtunately for him, he has the mastery of the instrument and the creativity to do that. At the other end of the spectrum, you guys like Claptonwho it just seems to flow out of naturally. Neither is better or worse, just different ways of painting different pictures. Just my 2 pennies. By the way, I have no emotions, so I suck at playing guitar.

[Endrik]

Re: playing with emotion

No, I belive that Steve doesn't decide when to express his emotions, he and any of use never know when different emotions comes in. Steve's second album Passion And Warfare is based on his childhood/teenage fantasys and dreams. On "Erotic Nightmares" he masterfully express what he felt when he was young, those rockin' riffs (erotic exitement) wierd noises (erection, orgasm etc.). He is normal person like we all are and we all have those emotions and dreams like he has, but he expresses them with guitar PERFECTLY.

[diablomozart]

Re: playing with emotion

playing with emotion comes from "losing yourself" in the music...plain and simple...it's not something that you necessarily learn...you either feel it or you don't...the piece has to touch you somehow on a very instinctual level for your own feelings to flow out thru your instrument...personally i have a hard time doing that while playing covers...write something of your own and solo over it...d.m.

[Ace]

Re: playing with emotion

I agree with DM about playing your own material and having it be more emotional. I also think that a big part of it is life experience. You've gotta have soul, and that comes both through a gift from "God" and through experience. Listen to some old Delta bluesmen. You can hear the callouses on their fingers and the years of oppresion in their voices. Compare that to the 14 year old shredder at your local Guitar Center who's mom takes him to guitar lessons after basketball practice in their brand new Lincoln Navigatior. Emotion comes from inside, the guitar is just a tool for releasing it. The better you play guitar the bigger your vocabulary to express yourself. You have to be able to connect with people on an emotional level. You start by connecting with yourself on that level.

I play guitar fast. I don't approach guitar playing as a contest, but I must admit, I let the ole fingers fly every now and then. Whether I am playing the simple acoustic melody from The Princess Bride or I am two handed tapping over a machinegun blast beat I write my music with my heart and soul, and that comes through.

[shredmonster]

Re: playing with emotion

You also need the tools to express that emotion. The more tools you have the better is your vocabulary.

Slides, stretching, vibrato, etc...

One of the most expressive players I have ever heard is Michael Schenker. Think Yngwie has a killer vibrato? Listen to Michael.

I think it takes many many years to be able to master the expression of emotion on the guitar. And I think you need the tools to do it. They just dont fall in your lap - you have to practice them over a life time.

[Top Jimmy B]

Re: playing with emotion

What about facial contortions? I can't believe no one has mentioned the importance of screwing up your face and lips when you're really in the heat of a solo.

We also shouldn't forget about cocking up a leg when you're bending the sh1t out of note.

Nigel Tufnel gave a lesson on this in an old issue of Guitar World. I still think it is required reading for anyone looking to play with more passion or emotion.

[dfvxc]

Re: playing with emotion

Yeah Jimmy B good call.

And Vai is DEFINITELY a grand master at that too, oh man, haha.

[Brad]

Re: playing with emotion

SRV had a lot of facial emotion, too. I believe his particuliar facial emotion was called constipation. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

RIP SRV.

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: playing with emotion

I agree with DM and Ace on the feeling and emotion, its not real unless its original music, othewise your are stealing someone elses emotion [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]