The Electric Guitar

Now that I’m playing with a band, I can finally do what I’ve always wanted to do: rip some shred-tastic solos. Not really. But kinda.

I love the idea of a guitar solo enhancing a songs emotional weight. There’s just so much more I can do on an electric guitar than I can on an acoustic. Like throw it through a Marshall full-stack. Well, I suppose I could do that with an acoustic but it brings up too many questions. For example, “If you’re playing acoustic guitar, why do you have a Marshall full-stack on the stage with you?” And frankly, I don’t think I’ll ever know the answer to that.

So, I’m not sure if you’ve seen me play electric guitar before. You might have if you’ve seen me perform with my good friend John Hull in his band (happy birthday, John!) If not, this is what it looks like:

Yep, you guessed it. I actually require all pictures of me playing electric guitar be taken when my hair is in my face and I’m looking downward at the stage (at the exact same angle, mind you).

Back to what I was saying… Playing acoustic for the last three years has given my solo, acoustic singer/songwriter nature a lot of time to develop and be all “sensitive”. But now with my awesome backing band, the Rock God side of me is ready to show off and be “sexy”. That’s right. I said it. Look up “Darling Nikki” by Prince. I’m going to cover it. Take that Tipper Gore!

The hardest part is to figure out what the best guitar tone for my sound is. I want it to be like the ocean. Kinda dirty, kinda salty. It can be tumultuous and dangerous but it can also calming and serene when it needs to be. Plus, it’s filled with all sorts of creatures and was probably where the Earth’s first organisms came from. Yes, that’s exactly what my guitar tone should be. Have I taken this analogy too far? All signs point to, “obviously”.

Be sure to check out a band show soon and prepare to be moved by my ocean of sound!