3. Playing the Electric Guitar


Can You Hear Me Now?


Techniques…

The techniques were always there, but the volume and sustain provided by an amplifier expanded the options.

Vibrato - Vibrating the note on the fret with the playing finger - a technique used by violin players.

Bends - Stretching notes by pulling on the strings was made easier as lighter strings were used on electrics.
Hammer-ons  - as well as lift offs, and slides - up and down the neck -  these techniques requires volume to be effective.

The Slide - Early blues played would us a bottleneck instead of fingers to bring another dimension to the sound and allow a smooth transition from note to note up and down the neck.

These were some of the things that make the guitar unique and versatile – especially when you add the volume and distortion / sustain that an amp provides.

The added volume and thicker sound of the electric guitar also expanded the options for rhythm playing.

The player could do more than simply strum chords, and the rhythm guitar part could be a more noticeable part of a song's sound.

Examples:

That's Alright Mama - one of the first Rock n' Roll Records - uses a mixture of strumming and individual notes to provide a backbone to the song.

Chuck Berry used a blues based figure in songs like Johnny Be Goode that, with slight variations, appeared hundreds of times over the next few decades.
Elvis, in Jail House Rock, used dramatic chords to introduce the song, a technique that also developed a life of its own.

Rhythm

Strong rhythm was one thing that set Rock n' Roll apart from the Pop music of the day. One of the first things I noticed about the Beatles was the way the guitar was more dominant throughout the song. It was thick and rich. It pushed the songs forward. It made other songs on the radio sound wishy-washy and weak.

Intros & Fills

With the increasing influence of the guitar, and the guitar player, intros and fills became more interesting and innovative.

Solos

Instrumental Solos in rock n' roll were taken over by the guitar.

The Result: You could have a band that was just guitar…no other melody instrument.
Then you could write songs featuring the guitar.



From Johnny Be Goode to Whole Lotta Love - the solos got... louder    &      longer
The sound got enhanced with the use of effects and new techniques.


Early on it was established that in rock and roll, you had to look the part while playing the notes.