Expressive Articulation

[phdmerrill]

I've been working on a ballad and I noticed how bland my articulation is when I'm not being kept busy swinging eighth note lines and belting out high-tempo licks. For inspiration I looked up a lesson on YouTube that demonstrated different trumpet effects; the doit, vibrato, pitch bends, ghost notes, growling, flutter-tonguing, that sort of thing.

These tricks and others like them are naturally suited to the trumpet and the saxophone and they definitely add a lot of dimension to the texture of the music, which is one of the primary advantages of horns. Guitars, however, are relatively flat in their articulation because accomplishing similar effects (of the ones that are possible on guitar) demands control and technique of either or both hands, which compromises some versatility, whereas horn-players simply use embouchure, which doesn't get in the way of accessing the notes they're after.

I shouldn't speak for others, but expressive articulation is something I've ignored as a guitarist for too long. Articulation is such an integral part of a musician's emotive character (and his technical mastery), it really shouldn't get swept under the rug. The academics of theory are obviously essential, but they can't substitute style. Admittedly, there are amazing guitarists like Tal Farlow who are pretty vanilla in their articulation, but guys like Wes and Grant Green really show the power of good articulation. But even they show a lot of restraint--compared with the wild stuff you hear from horn players--which seems to be the convention for the guitar for whatever reason.

Like everything else I'm working on, I'm keeping an actual written catalogue of concepts and I'm exercising my technique methodically and diligently. There really are a lot of things available to use on the guitar once you permit yourself to use them. Hendrix-style hammer-on trills can sound surprisingly appropriate, and unpicked slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs of varying intervalic length give a distinctive sound worth getting comfortable with. Bends seemingly aren't kosher in jazz guitar, and as corny as they sometimes are, I'm starting to consider implementing them--if my heavy gauge strings allow it. As with everything else in this music, you have to use these things with moderation and discretion. Let me hear your thoughts.

[Bill C]

In my own playing, I've found that careful attention to picking and fingering helps a lot with articulation. How the pick hits the strings, the picking direction vs the rhythm of the line being played, and where on the neck the line sounds best. Transcribing and learning a solo, trying to get all the nuances of note placement and articulation, is also something I've found very helpful.

my $0.02 ...

[Tom Karol]

To my way of thinking, especially in this context, thinking like a horn player is good; thinking like a vocalist is even better.

[cosmic gumbo]

For my own playing, I think articulation is so important that I refuse to use strings that are so heavy that I have to fight with them. It's a fine balance between the great tone you get from heavier strings and being able to really control every nuance available on the instrument. I think some guys get sucked into the heavy string trip because they're told that's where the best tone comes from, and they are forever fighting with their guitar.

Even horn players have to choose a reed thickness or mouthpiece bore that works for them. On guitar, tone is in the fingers, and don't let people tell you you're a wimp if you can't articulate well with 13s on your axe. Articulation trumps almost everything when it comes to a personal voice on the instrument.

[AmundLauritzen]

I wouldn't say Tal Farlow was vanilla in his articulation. But it is a matter of definition and who you compare and your own standards of course. I don't like to compare musicians, but in a discussion like this it is unavoidable. If you compare Tals articulation to Pat Martinos, it is very legato in comparison. Tal was one of the first to translate bebop horn playing to the guitar and he used a lot of hammer ons and pull offs to achieve the legato sound. Martino is more a "typical" guitarist in his articulation as he will alternate pick long 8th note runs. But he seems to use it for a more aggressive sound as opposed to Tal.

In my own experience, I find that the instrument I play dictates my articulation to some degree. When playing my Gibson Herb Ellis, I seem to unconsciously go for that Tal Farlow kind of articulation, but when I play my D'Aquisto I gravitate more towards Martino or Benson(not implying that I sound like them at all. I wish though). On a solid body I bend notes - I never do that on an archtop.
In my opinion, one can never have enough guitars and considering how different instruments can inspire you to play in different ways, I'd say one can never have enough of them

Django Reinhardt influenced guitarists, particularly gypsy jazz players who play on the Selmer type guitars use a picking technique where they alternate when playing on the same string, but use a downstroke on every string change, no matter the direction. Joe Pass used this technique also, always playing a downstroke when going from one string to the other. This technique causes a strong pulse in the playing - may be worth investigating if you haven't already.

[newsense]

This may not be a name that most users of this forum would identify with, but for a masterclass in articulation listen to (or better, watch) Jeff Beck. The Live at Ronnie Scott's DVD (or whatever it is called) has taught me a lot. I was so inspired, I had to go out and buy a Strat !