5 Ways To Make Your Guitar Parts More Interesting
Even with extensive knowledge in theory, harmony, and rhythm, it can be challenging to keep your playing fresh and interesting. Here are a few ways to help think outside the box and inspire new ideas. Before giving these a try, come up with a chord progression you like – then, use one or more of the tips below to flush out the idea.
Pro Tip: record each groove you come up with as your tweaking the progression!
I’ll use the progression: | C#m | B | A | B :|| to illustrate examples for each point.
1. Beef-Up Chords
We all have our go-to voicings under our fingers, but take a minute to expand on them. Adding different notes to a basic chord can give your playing color and more options for harmonic functionality. In the example above, we can add the m7, 9, and/or 11 to the C#m chord. Each of these extensions introduces a unique flavor to the chord and will also sound different depending on where you place them in the chord. Try making one of these the highest note in the chord and experiment from there. You can apply the same idea to the other two chords too, adjusting the type of extensions for each as they lay diatonically speaking.
2. Simplify Chords
If your go-to voicings typically include more than just a triad, use the reverse approach and take away notes in the chord. Remember: 3rds and 7ths are all you need to imply the harmony of a chord! Try limiting yourself to only 2 notes for each chord and experiment from there. Example: use the root and 3rd of each chord on the third and fourth strings, applying a staccato-like/palm-muted rhythm. Throw on any Michael Jackson song you’ll likely hear the guitar playing something like this! Take this exercise one step forward by recording a loop of the progression using only the roots to imply the harmony. Then, choose two notes making at least one an upper extension of the chord.
3. Apply a Specific Rhythm
Once we have a progression we like, we often strum along to create a vibe or style we want to get across – but how much attention are you giving to the specific rhythm you’re playing? Force yourself to dissect what you’re playing and you may find it’s not a complete thought. Try thinking up a specific rhythm to apply over the 4-bar phrase – bonus points if you write it out! Once you get precise with the rhythm, you can start adding other elements like the melody/vocal lines to make sure everything is cohesive and sounds closer to what you want. Tweak the rhythmic idea as you go and add variations to give yourself a few options.
4. Structure Voice Leading
Simply put, voice leading is the analysis of how each note in any given chord moves to its next closest note in the following chord. Example: G# is played as the highest note in your C#m chord on the second string, which moves down to F# (on the same string) if you move down to the B chord next. Alternatively, you could voice the B chord differently so the G# moves up to an A (the b7 of a B chord) or up to a B. Experimenting with voice leading can help spark melodic ideas or counter melodies.
Another fun exercise is selecting a common note to keep in the highest voice of every chord in the progression. Using our progression above, let’s select F# to be our highest note in each chord. Over the C#m chord, F# is the 11 (an upper extension mentioned in topic 1 above). Over the B chord, F# is the 5. Over the A chord, F# is the 6. Try creating a static rhythm for the common note while the chords move underneath it. Later, select a different common note applying the same concept.
5. Re-harmonize Your Progression
Theory can be complex, frustrating, and discouraging when it doesn’t click – but it is extremely useful and thought provoking when digested in smaller bites. Re-harm doesn’t mean, “Change everything!” but rather, suggests tweaking one little thing at a time. One way to do this is by inserting passing chords to our existing progression:
You’ve heard this many times in all types of music! A passing chord is used to connect one chord to the next. One way is to use chromatic movement between chords that are a whole step apart with a diminished chord. Before returning to the C#m in our example, insert a C diminished chord after the B chord on beat 3 or 4 of bar four. This creates a moment of added tension, which then resolves nicely to the minor chord. Why this works is a topic for a different day!
Another type of passing chord is a secondary-dominant chord. Simply put, you can always insert a chord’s dominant chord before it, regardless of the key signature. In our example, try inserting E7 on beat 3 of bar two. E is the five of A, making E7 the dominant chord in the key of A. You’ll notice, again, this creates a moment of tension that resolves nicely to A in the progression.
Both the diminished and secondary-dominant passing chord examples theoretically function in a similar way. However, it’s far more important for you to familiarize yourself with the way these techniques sound first! After experimenting with these re-harms and others, you’ll start to hear and identify these types of chord progressions in music you listen to all the time. Then, understanding the theory and why this works will make sense and open new doors to exploring more advanced harmony.