Add more art, expression and vibe to your playing at ANY level

Connect with Andy and other AAA members between live sessions with the Andy Guitar AAA Discord community - the link is on the membership page here.

This weeks member live stream covers the following topics - see timestamps below to skip to a section!

• 00 mins - Introduction and checking in with members

• 16 mins - News: Athens trip, meet-up with Sotiris & new Beginners Course/ Intermediate updates

• 20 mins - Stumblin' In Chris Norman and Suzi Quatro working out by ear & quick tutorial

• 35 mins - Chord/ tab apps you should know

• 42 mins - Tuner chat

• 46 mins - What to STOP aiming for perfection

• 52 mins - Add more art, expression and vibe to your playing at ANY level

See written notes for the final point below!

Add more art, expression and vibe to your playing at ANY level

Here are five ideas to help your students add more expression and artistry to their playing in pop, rock, and folk styles, with a focus on techniques, approaches, and concepts:

1. Explore Dynamics and Volume Swells: Encourage students to experiment with dynamics—playing softer or louder in different parts of the song.

   1. Not strumming all the strings at all times, strum with a small twist of the wrist.

   2. On electric, longer, reverb or delay saturated notes can add huge amounts of atmosphere

   3. Techniques like volume swells (using the guitar's volume knob or a volume pedal) can also create expressive, vocal-like phrasing that’s especially effective in rock ballads and folk.

2. Bending and Vibrato with Feeling: Bends and vibrato add emotional depth, but it’s essential they’re controlled and tasteful.

   1. bending to specific pitches and experiment with subtle to wide vibrato

   2. In blues-based rock and expressive folk, bends and vibrato can emulate vocal qualities that resonate deeply

   3. Always add vibrato or a bend on any longer note

3. Integrate Effects for Texture: Simple effects like reverb, delay, or light overdrive can enhance the atmosphere and expressiveness of their sound.

   1. use effects subtly to build mood, making their sound fuller without overwhelming the song’s natural feel.

   2. Next time you play over a jam track, instead of asking “which note should i start on”, instead ask yourself “what texture should I start with?”

4. Use Silence and Space: Teach students to incorporate pauses or hold back from filling every moment with sound.

   1. See pauses in lead playing as “taking a breath” like singers or wind players do

   2. Well-placed rests and spacing can create tension and allow phrases to "breathe."

   3. This technique is often powerful in folk ballads and atmospheric rock.

5. Improvise with conscious use of intervals: Each interval has a specific emotional resonance that can be exploited to give a song or solo a certain mood, vibe or emotion

   1. octaves, 4s and 5ths are heroic aka Superman themes, fanfares, Sweet Child O Mine

   2. Minor 3rd to major 3rd (or 2nd the 3rd) is cheeky for fun rock n roll or blues

   3. 9ths are expressive aka John Mayer solos

   4. 6ths give a country or an everyman/ working man vibe; Fortunate Son,

   5. More nuanced: melodies that go up are more optimistic and extroverted, melodies that go down are more solemn or introspective. Same is true for bass lines and chord progression

Connect with Andy and other AAA members between live sessions with the Andy Guitar AAA Discord community - the link is on the membership page here.

Join me here on the website for weekly live sessions where we can work directly on your playing & give the feedback needed for you to move forward and get inspired!

Every week we cover topics such as;

• How to make the most of your practice time

• Songs and exercises at your level and based on your music taste

• How you can stay motivated and maximise your progress

You can also request a tutorial for a song YOU want to learn and Andy will teach it during the session live! Each live stream is automatically available as a replay so you can catch up anytime and never miss a beat!