INSTRUMENTAL INQUISITION!
Guitar instrumentals have supplied some of music’s most evocative moments. Jason Sidwell asks top guitarists for their take on this iconic movement. This month a fingerstylist who is stunning everyone from Steve Vai to Al Di Meola.
GT: What is it about guitar instrumentals that appeals to you?
MM: I like that you have much more freedom to explore the instrument compared to a more traditional song context. I recorded most of my album in a trio setting, and sometimes you can’t just play rhythm or solo parts, you have to come up with chord melodies, different techniques, or unorthodox sounds that you will never use on a song, so that’s why it's such a fun process to me.
GT: What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal song can’t?
MM: I don’t really know if there is something that an instrumental can do that a vocal can’t, but sometimes I feel that in some vocal songs there is a sort of 'language barrier' that instrumental songs with a good melody don’t have. In a way I always felt that a well-written instrumental song can be more accessible than a vocal song. Take for example Europa by Santana, you don’t have to be a guitarist to Matteo Mancuso's fingerpicking has caught the attention of numerous guitar icons enjoy it, plus you can associate the song to your own meaning rather than being influenced by the singer’s words.
GT: Any tendencies you embrace or avoid rhythms, harmony, playing approach, tones?
MM: I don’t think there is something to really avoid during a song, but a ‘rule’ that I tend to follow is to combine a complex element with a really simple one. So if I have a complex chord progression, I then write a simple melody over it, or If I have a really busy rhythm part I try to have another element that is rhythmically easy to follow, like some kind of counterweight. I always believe that if something is too simple, you will lose the listener’s attention quite quickly, but if you exaggerate it with too many elements then your tune will be quite a task to listen to. It’s a matter of balance.
GT: Is a typical song structure always relevant for an instrumental?
MM: I don’t like to follow a prepared structure when I compose, but sometimes song structures can help you to make some order if you have more than one idea in mind, so they are useful for sure.
GT: How useful is studying a vocalist's approach for guitar melodies?
MM: I think it is really important! Back when I was at the Conservatory in Palermo I studied a lot of jazz standards, and what I noticed is that, most of the time, the melodies didn’t extend their range too much, so I always try to write melodies relying on only one octave; this helps you to write more singable melodies.
