OK you’ve probably heard this many times before, but this is a more unconventional approach. Are you in an inspirational rut? Are you hearing these tremendous melodies and harmonies in your head but cant seem to get it out of your guitar?
This may take some time to change so patience is necessary but it sure as hell works.
Try listening to music you would normally never listen to, and listen to other instrumentalists other than guitarists.
If you normally listen to rock/blues, try purposely looking for stuff you thought you would never really listen to, such as world music or jazz, or atonal music. Anything!
Even if you’re a jazz player, try listening to some progressive metal, there are always little things here and there in ‘other’ styles of music that you can take from.
I’m probably talking to mainly guitarists here so I would suggest listening to piano pieces, or check out some great sax/trumpet solos; once again, anything will do as long as it’s not guitar.
If you’re a pianist try listening to koto/shamisen/dulcimer type music. Or listening to vocal percussive music like konokol.
I’m just trying to keep things in general terms here. I think you get the picture.
If you want to always have new and different inspirations to draw from, you have to broaden your musical horizon almost constantly. Music is endless and always will be, so don’t hesitate to check out the stuff you thought you wouldn’t like. Go ahead, I DARE YOU!
-Carlito
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Guitar Lesson: Playing Trumpet, Saxophone, Piano Guitar Lesson #3: Getting out of a Rut The Making of “Real” Music Guitar Lesson #1: If You Don’t Know Where You are Going, Any Road Will Take You There. Rhythm, Part 1
2 responses so far ↓
1 anekretia // Dec 21, 2007 at 10:01 am
Something I have found, is that every time I pick up a different guitar, it has a different soul to it, this can be done even at guitar center, without spending countless wads of cash on a new axe every time you want change. Generally as long as you are not too loud, or obnoxious with your playing, you can play nearly if not all the guitars they have, and just like mentioned above with different genres or sounds, there is a plethora of different guitars at any Guitar Center.
2 jacob // Dec 30, 2007 at 12:19 am
Listening is very important to getting musical ideas out on the guitar. Another thing we can do to help here is to sing. If you can’t sing it, you’ll never be able to play it. You don’t have to be able to sing it at the tempo you want the idea to be performed, but you should be able to hear the intervals well enough to sing it at a slow tempo. If you can do this, you’ll probably find it easier to manifest those elusive melodies and harmonies.
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