In Part 1 of this column, we discussed the transcendent ability of every ‘guitar idol’ to inspire a new generation of musicians. Inspiration is the lifeblood of creative energy and these notable individuals have been and still are the most effective conduits for conveying that energy.
We also discussed the downsides of inspiration on a mass scale. Large amounts of young and ambitious guitar players have trouble defining themselves as individual musicians due to their all-encompassing devotion to a particular band or genre. There are multiple reasons for this, but the larger-than-life concept of a guitar idol and the high level of commercial saturation that comes with it definitely plays a role.
When I was nearing the end of the first part, I felt that there were some more drawbacks that needed to be addressed. These drawbacks have less to do with the audience as they do with the ‘idol’ themselves. Now, obviously, this perspective is coming from an outsider who has no experience being a ‘rock star’ in the mainstream sense. But I am a lifelong musician who feels quite comfortable exploring any musical project that happens to interest me, regardless of style or genre. However, I wonder if the same would be true if I had to manage the expectations of millions of fans in addition to satisfying the financial appetite of a large record label.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF HAVING A “SOUND”
Many of the greats have that unique quality to their playing which can be instantly recognizable. Sometimes it’s the way they vibrato a note or their particular phrasing style. This generates a powerful sense of familiarity with listeners which is similar to recognizing a singer’s voice.
But what does this mean for the originator of those sounds? Are they unknowingly constructing their own cage?
We all have those little nuances which are unique to us. But if we hear ourselves on enough recordings or have musically inclined (and honest) friends who can point out our repetitive moments, then we can make a conscious effort to reshape or even overhaul our playing.
But if you’ve built a successful career upon a certain style, then you might be encouraged to ‘play it safe’ by those around you.
This could manifest itself in different forms. If you’re known for your heavy distortion, then it might be risky to experiment with a ‘cleaner’ tone. If you’re playing style is synonymous with ‘tapping’, then you might not have much luck writing an album which is completely absent of tapping licks.
LESS PRACTICE TIME
I’ve read in various interviews that practice time can be hard to find for high profile touring musicians. When you’re not playing on stage, you might have obligations involving all kinds of promotional press which can surely chew up a big part of the day. Not to mention the constant traveling from city to city must take its toll. If you’re touring all over the world (as most big names do) you can be stuck on a plane for 10 or more hours at a time. That’s 10 hours of potential practice time lost.
I’m sure people are reading this and thinking, “well that’s the trade-off you have to accept for being a successful musician.”
Since I’m not in that position, the only response I can muster is, “fair enough.”
But this loss of practice time could definitely have a negative effect on your future creativity.
CAN THERE BE GUITAR IDOLS IN TODAY’S WORLD?
The current shape of the music industry hardly resembles the gargantuan cash cow of decades past. This reality highlights the question of whether we’ll continue to have guitar idols in the future. Yes, there are those YouTube videos which go viral and produce a burst of temporary ‘internet fame’ to some talented unknowns. But these moments are becoming more and more, well, momentary.
Today’s viral video can be tomorrow’s distant memory in a world where attention spans have become so narrow. In this new world, will there be successors to the ‘guitar god’ throne who can carry on the tradition started by the likes of Hendrix and Van Halen? I’m not sure.
If the answer does turn out being ‘no’, then what would be the silver lining to this new reality? (After all, there’s no sense in living life like the glass is half empty)
One possibility is that we could see an unprecedented level of musical diversity coming out of future guitar players. Tomorrow’s aspiring musicians will almost certainly be influenced by 10, 20, or even 30 eclectic musicians from all different genres, instead of 1 or 2 of the big names. Even genre categories could receive quite the facelift and terms like ‘rock star’ or ‘guitar idol’ might fade into the annals of history.
But perhaps not. Humans are, above all else, social animals. We thrive on feeling connected with one another and engaging in emotionally transcendent activities like going to rock concerts. As I said at the beginning of this piece, the ‘guitar idol’ (or ‘rock star’) is perfectly suited to elicit this effect in large groups of people. For as long as we enjoy feeding off of this energy, I suspect there will be a place (and a need) for guitar idols in our uncertain future.