INTRO 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: Allman Brothers Band and Gov’t Mule’s Warren Haynes.
GT: What is it about guitar instrumentals that appeals to you?
WH: Guitar is an ‘edgy’ instrument so when it becomes the lead voice, the overall performance takes on an edginess that I like. There’s a lot of different examples of this. Whether it’s Wes Montgomery, Jeff Beck, Hendrix, the Meters, Zappa, or Booker T And The MG’s, having the guitar be the centrepiece creates a really cool sonic picture that’s different than with a vocal.
GT: What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal song can’t?
WH: When listening to a vocal your brain is also listening to the lyrics which directly or indirectly demand your attention. When you remove that factor your brain focuses more on the melody and the sound of the lead instrument. Also, in a traditional approach to a vocal song the guitar has to stay out of the way of the vocal to a certain extent. That obviously changes with the concept of a guitar instrumental.
GT: Any tendencies with instrumentals that you aim to embrace or avoid, such as rhythms, harmony, playing approach, tones?
WH: I tend to shy away from instrumentals that sound like someone just removed the vocal from the track. To me there needs to be a lead voice (instrument) or several lead voices, along with a melody, that maintains the listener’s attention -not just a background landscape. However, this is not always necessary in every section of the song.
GT: Is a typical song structure always relevant for an instrumental? ?
WH: Not necessarily. It’s not even always necessary to be able to label which section is the verse and which is the chorus in an instrumental. Some instrumentals have too many sections to categorise that way. I don’t really believe in adhering to traditional norms in general but in some cases the traditional form works great.
GT: How useful is studying a vocalist’s approach for guitar melodies?
WH: I personally feel that it’s important for any musician to study the best singers and learn how great vocalists phrase, not just when it comes to instrumental music but in any situation. Musicians can learn as much or more from studying and listening to instruments other than the one they play, and the human voice is the greatest instrument of all. Also, since singers have to take a breath, vocal phrasing has always provided a great lesson in punctuation that all musicians should study. That carries over to soloing as well but again there are exceptions. Some really cool i
