News: Do you have too much technique?

We practice technique so we can be fluent on the guitar. Hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, grace notes—there’s a reason these techniques are called articulations. They’re what Frank Zappa called the “eyebrows” of music. They’re expressive.

When I name modes like phrygian, aeolian, and lydian, some players would accuse me of being pretentious and technical. But though those terms might sound arcane, in truth each of those scales has its own unique mood, its own character. When I say “aeolian,” I’m thinking of that scale’s brooding, dark feel. “Lydian,” meanwhile, is quite happy-sounding for the most part, but with just a touch of twisted dissonance. It sounds like a sunny day gone slightly wrong.

Find out what Guitar Muse proposes: http://www.guitar-muse.com/does-too-much-technique-make-you-sound-like-a-tool-4682