My Own Style
I don't think I have one yet. But I've spent more time thinking about it than I expected when I came to the woodshed. I wanted to focus on developing the skills to play professionally and then start searching for my own voice. But I'm finding that all my efforts to gain the same skills everyone else has, although I enjoy the process, don't seem so important if I don't have a plan for doing something unique.
I was in Borders for a few minutes this evening, picking up random books in the jazz section. I opened a book by Larry Coryell, and he was talking about exactly what I'm going through. He had just fallen in love with Hendrix's music and wanted to apply that intensity to jazz. He wanted it to come naturally and was wary of the pitfalls of "jazz rock." I had only glanced at the page when I had to leave, and it was overpriced so that's about all I read. Never heard much of Coryell's music. I guess that's about to change.
A reader mentioned to me that it seems like I'm trying to pursue two diverging styles in SRV and jazz. Those are exactly what I'm trying to combine. But, like Coryell, I don't want it to sound forced. I'm not trying to bluesify every jazz tune I study. I'm more interested in Stevie's approach to the guitar and the physical strength it required than the notes he played.
What if Stevie had lived long enough to study Coltrane?
That about sums up my intentions.
Josh (10 Jan 2008 at 6:58am)
I don't think merging SRV and jazz are diverging styles at all. In fact, I think that moving towards a more jazzy direction was exactly what Stevie was doing at the end of his life. When listening to In Step, I hear a lot of jazz starting to be incorporated into his music, and I love the direction he was moving.
Jeff (10 Jan 2008 at 11:56am)
I grew up playing SRV and Jimi, and after a while, I began noticing how many other people were "cloning" their styles, especially young guitar aces. It seemed like labels were just using these kids as marketing ploys to attract fans of SRV. Well anyways, I started getting into jazz and jazz theory myself, in my lessons and from jazz books. One thing I like about playing through jazz books is that you can play the notes how you want to play them, adding your own touch. This really helped break out of the SRV box and incorporate some more advanced harmonic ideas. And don't worry, if you love SRV, it will naturally come out in your playing. A few books I recommend are Jazz Structures by Andrew Green, Single Note Jazz Lines by Ted Greene, and The Guitarist's Guide to Composing and Improvising by Jon Damian. Let me know what you think!
Joe (12 Jan 2008 at 12:46am)
Ha, I have two of those books. I love Ted Greene's soloing books (2 volumes), and I try to work through a few of his licks every day. Very helpful, but his fingerings hurt my hands, so I have to change them. I love throwing in slides and microbends, so I know exactly where you're coming from on adding your own touch to licks from jazz books. I'll have to check out that Jon Damian book, thanks.