Guitar Gear

Like many guitarists, I have fantasies of playing guitar with a big name, like Sting for instance. I also have dreams of having technique like Hendrix, Satch, SRV, Eric Johnson, or Vai. But the reality is that I’ll probably never achieve their level of technique. So short of that, the best I can do is learn as much technique as possible, but incorporate that technique into my overall sound.

Notice the word “my” in the sentence above. That’s something that I stress to a lot of young guitarists, especially my own son. In a recent conversation, where we were discussing chords and intervals, I stopped and said, “Son, while it’s important to learn all this music and guitar theory, remember that your ultimate goal is to create your own sound. You say you want to play as fast as Henry Li or Yngwie Malmstein. That’s great – but just remember one thing: Learn the technique to play as fast as those guys, but make the sound your own. If you want to be a more than just a ‘good’ guitarist, you’ll want to sound like yourself, and not like somebody else.” The glazed expression the he returned prompted me to say, “I know you don’t get what I’m saying right now, but give it a few years, and you’ll know what I’m talking about.”

I can’t stress enough how important getting your own sound is. And I’ll say this: For some, like myself, it has taken a lifetime to achieve, and I’m still tweaking my sound! But keep at it, and eventually you’ll get to a space where your sound is distinctly you.