A common problem found in many guitarists is the belief that their playing is not creative or perhaps inventive enough; musicians feel as though there is no separation between themselves and others. The reality of the matter is that the foundations for all music are very limiting. There are only 12 pitches that a musician can utilize, which brings about a challenge to make your playing/writing unique.

Perhaps the main thing that separates us as musicians is not what notes we play, but rather how we play and shape the notes to our liking. Phrasing is a musical concept that is incredibly hard to teach. Different people will obviously have different personalities, and since music is a form of personal expression, there is no right or wrong in phrasing. Keep in mind however that you have an audience, and that too much repetition will become boring to listeners. The point of this article is not to try and "teach" phrasing, but rather get you to think about what more you can do to shape your phrases into the art form you desire.

There are three main categories when thinking in terms of phrasing: Articulation, Rhythm, and Ornamentation. Experimenting with the different ideas and techniques of these categories will help you to develop your phrasing. The whole idea behind phrasing is to promote self-expression as well as convey emotion. This is very important, because as you will see through the following examples that different techniques will have different emotional attributes and appeals. Being able to recognize these subtle differences will make all the difference with your improvising and songwriting.

Record yourself playing a simple chord progression (just 3 or 4 chords) that you feel comfortable improvising over. Stick to one key for the purposes of this example. Play a few simple phrases over the chords in the progression. Be VERY basic with these phrases. Once you have a few different phrases mapped out, you can begin to apply variations in rhythm, articulation, and ornamentation.

Lets begin with rhythm. Rhythmic variations are a great way to bring diversity to your phrases. Play the phrases you had created in as many different rhythmic possibilities as you can. Make huge exaggerations between your fasts and slows! Practicing this will open up a whole new world of possibilities to you. Playing very fast can certainly add some fire and drive to your solo (or lick), but playing fast all the time may bore your listeners. Also it is hard to convey emotion through strictly fast playing. Playing slow all the time will also create a sense of too much repetition, however it is important to have melodic phrases. Try taking a phrase and stretching it out, allowing it to take up the entire length of the progression. Take the same phrase and condense it. Give only certain notes a longer duration, stretching them out for all they are worth. Make note of the different emotions the variations have. Experiment with rubato ( rhythmic freedom that often plays against a steady accompaniment. In other words gradually slowing down or speeding up). Rubato can make your phrases very unique and interesting.

Next work with articulation. In your phrases accent certain notes heavier than you do others. Accenting the end of your phrase is a great way to build emotional tension just in the quality of the sound (or timbre), even when setting the pitches themselves aside. Play the phrases very staccato (short and light), leaving space between each note. Then play very legato (long and full), fluently connecting the notes of the phrase. These two ideas make a HUGE difference, and each have obviously different emotional appeals. Another great couple of techniques to apply are pitch bending and fast slides. Over the recorded progression, play every note of your phrase by bending from a note that is not in the key. This is a very hard exercise, but a provides a very valuable tool to use as well as very cool sound to experiment with. Now try sliding quickly to the notes of your phrase from notes higher on the fretboard. These rapid slides carry a unique sound and can make a huge difference if applied properly.

The last area to think about and apply to your development in this area of your playing is the ornamentation. Ornamentation is defined as: the addition of elements that enhance beauty, or a set of notes that embellish (add to) a melody or harmony. This would include techniques such as hammer-ons and pull-offs, as well as trills. Apply these to the phrases you have been working with, and notice how the slightest use of these ideas can make the biggest difference.

Things to avoid in your phrasing:

• Change it up. You will find certain combinations of the above ideas more appealing than others, and will naturally tend to use them more in your playing. You don’t want to overuse it! It will get very boring to listeners if you continually do the same thing over and over again.
• Don’t always start and end your phrases at the same point in a progression or measure. Always starting on the downbeat of a measure and ending just before the beginning of another will not only become boring, but will give the perception of an inexperienced and weaker player. YOU ARE SEVERELY LIMITING YOURSELF!!! Experiment starting and ending your phrases in more unusual (and often uncomfortable) places.
• Don’t always start your phrases on the sixth string. Many players use this string as a reference point for which scale patterns/fingerings to use over the chords or other accompaniment being played. It also gives the appearance that you are an inexperienced and somewhat uneducated player. To avoid this simply memorize the patterns in respect to all strings in ALL areas of the guitar.

The focus of all this information as well as these exercises is to get you to THINK about these concepts. Phrasing is something that you as a player must develop on your own over time, and it takes a lot of experience and knowledge to get to the level you desire. There are nearly infinite combinations of the above concepts. Finding ways to express yourself through phrasing your ideas is one of the largest obstacles in music…but isn’t expressing yourself in one way or another not the point of writing/playing music? Find combinations/ideas that you like and that really define you, so that your own style can truly develop. Do not be discouraged if you think you sound similar to another player, or a thousand other players for that matter. DO NOT hinder your writing and playing because you fear that you are unoriginal. The reality is that there is almost nothing in music that is truly original. If your phrasing is similar to someone else’s, who cares? You are expressing yourself and your emotions. That is what is important, and what truly matters.