The Importance of Musical Inflections

Sometimes, we guitar players can get so caught up in executing that blazing 16th note scale run at 180 BPM, that we forget about the true strengths of the instrument itself.  Unlike the piano for example, the guitar offers us the opportunity to manipulate a note in various creative ways.  We can even alter a note to where it’s no longer one of the established twelve tones of western music.  In my opinion, having this kind of versatility is what helped gain the guitar its status as the dominating instrument of the 20th century.

However, some guitar players can get stuck in a mental trap of thinking that fast technique and ‘feel’ are mutually exclusive elements.  Improving your ‘feel’ can involve a lot more listening and reflection than sheer practice, while improving your technical speed is not as overwhelming as one might assume.  It clearly takes devotion and self-discipline, but the task is simplistic enough; practice, practice, practice.  You need to find the energy (and the time) to engage in deliberate and repetitive dexterity exercises on a daily basis.  These dexterity exercises don’t have to be boring chromatics, but they might need to be practiced at a nauseating level of persistence.  This is how, over time, you build that mountain of muscle memory to which things become second nature.

But, the process of practicing the guitar should not always be like a bootcamp.  This is where I feel some players can get caught in that mental trap.  Taking a step away from that intense mentality on occasion can really give you a much needed sense of perspective. If not, then there is always that risk of tunnel vision.  This is when almost every musical idea you might have seems to be stuck within a narrow field of purely mechanical sounding techniques.  The best way to avoid this mindset is to take a look at the periphery; the subtle power of musical inflections.

Musical inflections are simply ways to make your playing sound more exciting and entertaining to the listener.  An unfortunate reality check for many musicians is the realization that not everyone cares about how fast you can play.  If you’re a pitcher, should you always throw your fastball?  Probably not, this will make you predictable to your opponents.  You’ll be much more effective if you’re constantly changing up your pitches.  Similarly, we can get as creative as we want with our expressive options such as bending, vibrato, sliding, hammer-ons, pull-offs, tap harmonics…you get the idea.

The trick is not just to mix these inflections into your lightning fast speed runs, but to take detours altogether.  Instead of going 80 miles an hour on the interstate, take an exit to a scenic road where the speed limit is only 40 MPH.  You might not get to your destination as fast, but I’m willing to bet you’ll enjoy the ride more.

So does this mean you have to totally rethink your approach to guitar playing?  Not at all.  For the sake of full disclosure, I have worked hard over the years for my ability to play fast and, at times, I’m sure I sound too mechanical for some listeners.  But the key is to always strive for that balance.  If you can throw some well placed inflections into your guitar solos, then you might just prick up the ears of an otherwise apathetic listener.  Which, in my mind, is always a victory.