Chapter 1

Self-expression with the Guitar

There are many who, in their quest to learn to play the guitar, start by trying to play the songs and riffs that they hear others play in an attempt to develop their skills. Developing technical skills is the focus of these individuals. They approach music as if it were a physical skill that had to be mastered by re-training the body to accommodate it. Brick by brick, they build increasingly complex shapes with the clinical precision of a mathematician. They focus their skills on that which is the most incidental aspect in music - the positions where the strings are depressed when they are struck with the pick. As they progress, they build a repository of riffs, styles and techniques of others. They focus themselves to sound as close as possible to the original sound. The underlying belief in this process is that with a large enough vocabulary of expressions, self-expression will flow naturally when they play. But what self is being expressed? Certainly, not an original self. They are really portraying themselves as what they truly are: mimics. They are mimicking the expressions of others. Moreover, the majority of those that they emulate did the same thing, but somehow attained recognition through the use of some type of commercial gimmick. So where is the originality? Where is the original "self" expressed? In such cases (which are the majority), it is not. This is why the overwhelming majority of commercial music sounds like rehashed garbage. There are entire genres of music that are based on a single individual's unique expression somewhere back in the past. Music expresses life. And our energy flows across the moments of our life. Life is flowing energy. Music is the most natural way to more fully express the emotional state of the moments of our experiences.

It's about motion. The texture as you move the energy out across the strings. It is that energy that jumps up to your groin and into your gut, and swells up your heart until it bursts out in your voice as you sing your expression of Self out across what is. THAT is the experience of BE'ing, on stage. You tie your performance in a show, to the real events from which the expressions are derived. But you do it with your own natural local energy acting as the final editor of the expression. All of the personal dynamics and little aberrations, that make you, you, are the flow that you will use to express your Self. Each performance of a song is performed with a unique combination of drives that are the balance of one's current energy level, One's current level of ability (and inclination) to "open the gate" so to speak, of energy to flow into the guitar. And if each of your songs is constructed from a specific perspective, a specific state of being, and a specific "self", well then, THAT is stage presence.

This piece of work that I am compiling, is for those who desire to rise above the "wannabe" status and to truly establish a relationship with their instrument in order to complete their being and develop a sincere way to express their original self. The world is full of "wannabe's". I urge you to not be one of them. I urge you to learn to express your "self" in a genuine way, unique to your persona at any given moment. In this piece of work, that way is with your guitar.

It all comes down to "why". Why do you play? Is it for applause? Do you want to be showered with recognition? Just how noble and deserving is that cause? Not very. A cheap thrill sought by those with low aspirations for their life. A little showmanship at the right time during a performance may get the crowd to react, but to indulge in it would make it look like what it is: showing off simple skills of dexterity for that recognition. Demonstrating skills of dexterity is NOT self-expression. If you apply what you read as you progress thru this material, you will see for yourself that there is nothing that will grab a crowd more strongly than when your performance is a sincere expression of self. That is, a SINCERE expression of SELF. To perform in this way is to truly BE. You choose to BE, and you choose to express your "BE'ing" from your unique expression of self. You shine, with no notions of acceptance or rejection, for they are irrelevant to your Be'ing. You choose to BE irrespective of the opinions of others. It is not as if you choose to ignore them. It is really a matter of them not being part of the equation to begin with. So it is incumbent upon you to choose to be a self of yours that is as perfect as can be at any given moment. In this usage, perfect does not refer to notes played "perfectly", nor does it refer to any other such perspective. Perfect, in this usage, means that you are sincerely expressing your self at any given moment. In doing so, everything you do when you play IS prefect for that performance. Even if the notes that fill your framework differ, or a slide along the strings started slightly earlier or later. It is still the perfect expression of self. Each time we play, we are different. Our energy level is different. We move in different ways in different moments. Our local "self" in the here and now is unique. We differ in many ways from every other time that we perform.

It is not about how many notes you can play per second. It is not about learning new "techniques" which always means emulating someone else's style and expressions or else repeating a sound for the sake of the sound itself. If you learn to be a "natural guitarist", you will be as fast as you want or need to be. The difference is that you won't have to study nor practice techniques to achieve it.

You must face the fact that you will never be unique if you copy the expressions of others. You also need to understand that being cool isn't what the media tries to sell you. It is a state of being. It is not about imagery. It is about substance of being. Everything that comes out of your guitar and vocals is an expression of Self! You are the music and the music is you. You are part of each other, always. Everyone is a fledgling when they start. But if you are sincere and push out sound that reflects your state of being, unashamed (put it out there for all to see), you will begin the process.

Continue to Chapter 2 »