Pro Guitar Phrasing
Phrasing; the Holy Grail of the improvising guitarist and that which separates us, mere mortals, from history’s greatest players.
It seems, we guitar players suffer the most in terms of musical ‘writer's block’ and are forever accused of our ‘fingers before ears’ approach defined by the shape based nature of our chosen instrument. This is, of course, an ongoing process and great phrasing is the outcome of years of structured and considered study. What follows is a bite-sized guide to better and musical phrasing with ideas intended to make an instant impact and take the randomness out of improvisation practice. Try to take these points as individual ‘themes’ for each time you pick up your guitar to jam. This is also a good reminder for the need to detach ‘playing’ from ‘practice’. The latter requiring us to challenge and limit ourselves in order for us to play effortlessly when the time comes to perform.
1. Play with the ‘non musician’ in mind
This is a great way to keep our egos in check and most of us, if we are all honest with ourselves, tend to play with the hope that other guitar players will be pleased or in awe of what we produce. Shedding this motivation in favour of creating lines and phrases which the non-guitarists of the world will enjoy also frees us from perceived (often self-imposed) peer pressure we may feel and helps us create something musical.
A simple way of doing this is to musically ‘steal’ from a well-known song or tune. The best choices for this are the most memorable lines you can think of; it could be an annoying Pop song, a TV theme tune or a radio jingle; the catchier the better. These melodies all have something infectious and instantly memorable about them; be it the contour (direction) of the melody or simply the rhythm. It stands to reason that if you creatively borrow this winning element your solos will have the same appeal. For a base level starter try taking the rhythm from ‘Happy Birthday’ and applying it to the scale/key of your choice, add inflexions and nuances - big vibrato, bends and you’ll see that you’re creating phrases in a musical and lyrical way.
2. Rhythm - limit yourself
We’ve all heard the pro tip of leaving space and the comparison of phrasing as if we are sax players pausing to draw a breath but here are a few more prescriptive ideas:
- Avoid starting your phrases on beat one for a whole solo. Try displacing your old ‘go-to’ licks by one 1/8 note or chose a 1/8 note within the bar and start all your phrases there. You’ll instantly see the effect this has and even seemingly stock licks can take on new life with this approach,
- On the topic of leaving space; play a phrase and leave 1 bar’s silence before your following idea. This will force that much-coveted ‘breathing room’ which stops us for musically rambling.
- Now take the same two phrases and try to link them together; perhaps using a chromatic passing note or run to join them up.
- Clap a solo. That’s right! Put your guitar down and take a pass simply clapping or drumming out a solo. It’s very unlikely that you will simply tap out a ream of 16th or 8th notes. This will allow you to isolate the rhythmic aspect of your phrasing only without the distraction offered by the guitar (fingering, scale choices etc). Now transfer that to only one note (try and pick an interval other than the root of the key so you can double up on your ear training too!) and take a whole solo; applying the same rhythmic awareness as you did when you clapped. Be strict and time yourself - e.g. only one note for 3 minutes. This will also give you space and freedom to add dynamics to your playing.
3. Sing what you play
Yes, I know, we’ve all heard this one before and has been such a cornerstone of Q&S style blues phrasing it is now almost cliche. For a new take on this - try to restrict your movement to one string or one position to allow your ears to truly become attached. Remember; the end goal for us all is to simply play the music which we hear in our heads, This will help you get one step closer.
After a short session with this, reverse the idea and play what you sing (not as easy as it sounds). Sing a phrase and replicate it on the guitar - again restrict yourself to one string or position. After this try to mix things up - play a phrase then sing it, sing a phrase then play it, play and sing a phrase in unison. This will also keep any bursts of speed in check until the appropriate time comes to unleash them! For an extra, ‘off the wall’ idea - try improvising lyrics when you accompany your lines singing. You’ll find that the inflexions of certain words also affect your phrasing.
Ultimately the one common theme which unites all great improvisers is they sound like themselves. They simply play with the integrity of the music they hear in their heads.
4. Listen first
If you’re soloing over a backing track try to take a whole pass without playing; actively listen to the accents of the other instruments, the drum patterns and general vibe of the song. Imagine a vocal line (with lyrics if it helps) running over the top of the track. Tap your feet but also try to involve the rest of your body (I know, as musicians, we are all reluctant dancers!) - nod your head, and dance in your seat. This will ingrain the vibe, rhythm and feel of the track so your body and brain are primed when it comes to creating something musical.
5. Understand the function of each note in the scale/key and its role in the story of your solo.
All the notes from the appropriate scale will fit and sound correct but they are not all equal in their purpose. The root and fifth will always sound safe and simply inform the listener that you know what key you’re in. The third is also a key chord tone which resolves a phrase nicely. Try favouring the fourth, ninth or sixth in the earlier phrases of your solo. This is the narrative equivalent of a great movie - a good story always develops its ideas and characters whereas a bad film is predictable and gives the plot away too early. Think of the intervals within your chosen scale as characters within a story and use them in the same way.
For a more structured approach; try to start/end all your phrases on one particular interval for a whole pass or length of time. Then take a pass at soloing over the track and completely miss out that interval. You will really quickly develop an idea of how that note functions and begin to hear it in your phrases as you think of them.
6. Creativity through restriction.
This is the best way to turn your ears on and not be lead by you the choices which your fingers make. Again, this is an area where you must be strict with yourself as it is easy to become distracted and veer off into solo land. Try to set a, for example, 10 minutes improvising with =in a particular restriction. This is where you will gain the best results and begin to create musical ideas and themes.
Some good starting points are:
- Restricting the rhythm of your improvisation to 1/4 notes or 1/8 notes only.
- Limiting your movement to intervals larger than a diatonic 2nd (not allowing yourself to play any notes which appear next to each in the scale).
- Stay on a single string. This will remove any predictability brought about by scale runs and fingering.