Reinvention

Hello Troubadourians! I can get bored with my playing faster than I can get bored by an old Law & Order rerun. I’ve mentioned several times in previous columns that I’ve reinvented my playing at least three different times because of having changed bands, music genres, and the need to fit in better with the new musical paradigm. Those times were refreshing for me. New music to play and new players to work with and be inspired by, made the process easier and more focused. I’ve also reinvented my playing an additional three times because I was bored with what I was playing for myself. That is much more difficult because there isn’t the external context of a new band environment in which to develop new ideas. When it’s all in your head—what you want to hear—it can be challenging to get your hands to cooperate. Muscle memory is real and retraining your hands to do new things with only your imagination as a guide requires patience and dedication to your intended result. I often struggle with getting what is coming out of the guitar to match what I hear in my head, sometimes to the point where I start to doubt if what I’m trying to play is actually playable. When I am able to play what I hear, I feel accomplished, but that is only the beginning. Will I be able to repeat that on demand the next time? Repetition is the only insurance for that but can lead to becoming bored with the new thing and starting the cycle over again.

Why does this matter and why now? I’ve experienced a lot of change with my musical endeavors over the past year or so, most of them completely out of my control. I’ve worked to maintain the status quo as best as I could, but I’ve come to the realization that some things may be forever changed. I also made the decision that I would use this year to have some nagging physical problems repaired so why not change my musical life too? In for a penny, in for a pound… or perhaps, more stressful decisions just for the hell of it? LOL…

As I said, when you have the context of new material and new bandmates to be inspired by and to practice your new ideas and style with, it is somewhat easier. You have almost immediate feedback for what works and what doesn’t, and you can refine your ideas and technique in real time. By contrast, when you are sitting alone in your room with a guitar in your hands and strange, new music in your head, it is much more difficult to make progress. I find that I hear the most beautiful and interesting music in my head, but when I try to play along with it, I can only hear my guitar and I lose the thread of what I’m trying to do. Yeah, I can hear a bunch of you saying, “Why don’t you just make a jam track and play to that?” Sure, if I could play what I was hearing well enough to make a jam track, I probably wouldn’t need it. That’s the Catch 22 of reinventing your playing. I’ve been through this process enough times now to know what works for me, your results may vary…

So, you’re on your own with some awesome new music banging around in your head and you’re struggling to get it out through your hands. Where do you start? I almost always start by trying to sing what I’m hearing. If I can do that, I have a better chance of figuring it out. I think that the music and playing that appeals the most to me—and to most people listening—are parts that can be sung, even if it is a guitar solo. Sure, shredding is cool and challenging and impresses other guitar players, but most people respond to guitar parts that they could probably sing along with. Think of an iconic guitar solo or melody; something like the solo to “Stairway to Heaven” or the intro to—god forbid—“Freebird.” Genuine earworms right there and most people can sing those melodies. So, if I can sing the part I hear in my head, I can probably figure out how to play it. Also, being able to bring the music out of your head and into the real world, but not on your guitar, helps you find it on your guitar. Try it…

Next, I’ll start getting my left hand—my fretting hand—to cooperate. It could be chords or lead lines, it doesn’t matter, just let your ear guide you to where you think the music is leading you. If you can sing the first note, find that and see if that informs you of the key or chord. Work forward and outward while continuing to follow what you are able to sing. Eventually you’ll find what you are hearing—at least most of it—and that’s where you can start to develop the idea that was in your head and is now under your fingers. Good work!

Then… we begin what could be the hard part, getting your right hand to play everything smoothly and with the expression of a musical conversation. Think of those melodies I mentioned above, or any melody that sticks in your head. Just like that conversation that you had with your teacher, friend, lover, or whomever, that you can recall word-for-word, those melodies are a musical conversation that you are having with the artist performing the song. Your ability to express your music as a conversation starts with your right hand. If you right hand is stilted, your conversation is stilted. If that’s what you want, okay then, but I’d rather have the ability to make my music flow the same way I’m feeling. Whether that’s angry, snarky, sultry, or seductive, I can speak to you through my guitar and communicate with you without words. Why bother to make the effort to reinvent your playing if you aren’t going to say something new and meaningful?

I recommend that every serious musician take stock of their playing on a regular basis and evaluate where they are. Even if you aren’t bored with you playing or have to learn a new genre, growth is always a positive thing to strive for. But if you do want to reinvent your playing, or even yourself, I highly recommend putting in the effort. For my part, while I’m reinventing my playing and my aging body, I’m considering a small reinventing of my persona too. A few years ago, a good friend started calling me “Daywalker.” I never took to it very much because I only knew that it meant a Vampire that could be outside in the daytime. But I guess that’s a pretty big deal for a Vampire… I was reminded of that nickname the other day and someone suggested that I start using it. Charlie Daywalker Loach. Is that cool or fool? The few people I’ve mentioned it to said, “Dude, that’s badass!” I’ll give it a try…

Need to know? Just ask… Charlie (ask.charlie@hotmail.com)

Charlie Loach has played guitar in the San Diego music scene for many years, primarily with the power-house original rock band the Wild Truth and the elegant Americana ensemble Folding Mister Lincoln, performing and recording several CDs with both bands. More recently, he has performed with the vocal trio the Outliers. Charlie is an accomplished session player who is well versed in multiple genres of music from bluegrass to rock to country, and his playing is both smooth and tasteful whether on electric or acoustic guitar.