The Guitar Player's Resource
One of the most challenging topic in guitar playing seems to be guitar phrasing - at least judging form the number of questions about it that I receive. You ask, and I answer!
In this article and in the video below, what I mean by phrasing are all the techniques like legato, vibrato, bends, etc. So the emphasis is not on what we play (things like scales, chords, etc) but how we play it. Phrasing can make a critical difference in your playing.
I like to explain guitar phrasing to my students using what I call "3-dimensional phrasing". Here is what I mean with that.
On one side, I mean "3 dimensional" as opposed to "2-dimensional, flat, lifeless" playing. Phrasing is supposed to add some depth to your playing after all.
But in this case I also mean "3 dimensional" in the technical sense: there are actually 3 dimensions to phrasing and it's important that you know them, train them separately at first, and then put them back to get the best results with minimal effort.
In this very short video we will see how 3-dimensional phrasing will make your playing better and how to use it in your everyday practice:
If you have any questions about all of this, write them down in the comment below and I will be happy to answer!
Tommaso Zillio is a professional prog rock/metal guitarist and composer based in Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Tommaso is currently working on an instrumental CD, and an instructional series on fretboard visualization and exotic scales. He is your go-to guy for any and all music theory-related questions.
