Those are good points Howard, but for me the main thing that influences style is what lights your fire! Something happens in music that strikes a chord, makes you feel something. Like Jerry once said, all we’re trying to do is make a pleasing sound. You can dissect it to death but it’s the emotion in the tone and phrasing and the heart of the player that defines his style.

Excellent point, Greg.

If I wasn't so moved by the music I honestly don't know what I'd be doing at this point in my life.

h

I'll go with the linguistic analogy: style comes from your phrasing (both note choices and timing) and tone.

Study a player long enough, and you start to hear similar phrasing across recordings. You can hear it really evolve over time in players like Jerry Douglas, Rob Ickes, etc.

I think of the main component of style as being someone's "accent". What makes a player identifiable? This comes from your knowledge and skill *but also your limitations*. Think of Tut Taylor, for instance, who had an identifiable style in part because he's limited to a flatpick instead of 3 fingers. It doesn't make it wrong, just different. 

You might play the same melody as those guys note-for-note, but how you deliver it (tone, timing, etc.) will naturally vary. This is a good thing! Variety is the spice of life.

Indeed!!! Agree on all points.

h

All good points.

I’d add “personality” to the list - how a player thinks and their tolerance for risk.

Analytical players may play very “inside the harmony”, others are more intuitive and phrase more vocally. Same with risk - some stick to what they know works, others are more adventurous and exploratory in real time.

The tendencies can manifest in all aspects of playing - fills, transitions, note choices and phrasing, even how much space they leave. IMO those choices become part of style as much as anything.

I read this somewhere…”Style is not just what you CAN play, it’s what you choose to play under pressure.” And those choices are tied to risk tolerance and a desire to express (vs control).

So yeah, analytical vs creative, risk averse vs adventurous - personality traits that contribute to style.

All excellent points, Jamie.

I confess that in my live performance playing:

- I can never play the exact same solos at every performance.

- I'm always open to playing/soloing "off the cuff" and take ideas as they happen from band mates.

- My playing is highly reflective of my mood of the moment.

quote:

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Originally posted by hlpdobro

You don't roll? You don't hammer-on/pull?

That's 2 missed opportunities in music/style development.
 

 

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As someone who doesn't do a lot of rolling or pull-offs, I thought I could attempt to explain the way I think about it. Of course I'm just a hack, so take it for what it's worth.

I agree that not using these techniques is limiting, but in the bluegrass milieu I play in, there are at least three other instruments (guitar, banjo, mandolin) that do their fair share of hammering-on and pulling-off, and to my ear it's hard to out-roll a banjo. 

I thought about writing in the "roadblock" thread, but it's not a personal roadblock, just observations I've had when people seem to be baffled on how to approach the dobro. Often players seem to feel stuck down the neck in open position, when there is a whole world of fretboard that doesn't require you to capo. Staying down the neck, coupled with not playing hard enough, usually leads to anemic sounding playing, like someone who sings in too low of a key for their voice in a large jam. 

And even those who do a lot of rolling/hammering/pulling off likely have other limitations. I'm sure it's not hard to find players who can rip off Whiskey Before Breakfast at 120 bpm without missing a note, but can't get anywhere near Gene Wooten's facility with slants and two string harmonies. It's just about what you like to hear and what you want to work on.

When I first started playing, I was thinking that Uncle Josh played dobro in a bluegrass band, so I wanted to observe how he did it. What I saw was that while he did roll, pull-off, and hammer-on sometimes, I would say the majority of his playing involved closed positions. It had to a lot of the times, because he was playing without a capo except in a few cases. Rather than try to emulate what the banjo was doing, he relied on classic pre-bluegrass, lap-steel, Hawaiian techniques. He wasn't emulating a flatpick guitarist, either, because that kind of playing was in its infancy at the time.

So getting back to the inherent limitations in such an approach, while this is true, I find that since this pre-Auldridge/JD style is not in fashion, perhaps it sounds cool just by being different. If a flatpicker models his playing after Bill Napier or Don Reno, he'll stand out from the 80% of players who are heavily inspired by Tony Rice. Similarly, not even trying to sound like Auldridge or JD can set someone apart, as they are such dominant influences for many of today's players.

quote:

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Originally posted by gadobro

So getting back to the inherent limitations in such an approach, while this is true, I find that since this pre-Auldridge/JD style is not in fashion, perhaps it sounds cool just by being different. If a flatpicker models his playing after Bill Napier or Don Reno, he'll stand out from the 80% of players who are heavily inspired by Tony Rice. Similarly, not even trying to sound like Auldridge or JD can set someone apart, as they are such dominant influences for many of today's players.

 

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I do understand. 

Much of my leanings has to do with the people that hire me to play. I am a "professional" side man and the primary expectation is for me to support the artist in ways that they define and presumably I can execute.

Sometimes I am more in a "classic" mode of which thankfully I can at least emulate. Chordal. Slants, etc. Fine by me.

When I find myself in a contemporary situation I'm pleased that I also have the techniques that allow me to support (and enjoy) that environment.

I think of myself as a utility guy. I do have a "sweet spot" but my knowledge is fairy broad (if not deep).

h

As an example of me, playing more in a classic style, here is one that I tracked last year for Matthew Geiger. The old "When The Golden Leaves Begin To Fall".  A keen observer will figure out that I did not use a capo, used slants and still managed to get a hammer-on/pull off in there.

LOL! It's my style!!  

quote:

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Originally posted by hlpdobro

All excellent points, Jamie.

I confess that in my live performance playing:

- I can never play the exact same solos at every performance.

- I'm always open to playing/soloing "off the cuff" and take ideas as they happen from band mates.

- My playing is highly reflective of my mood of the moment.

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And that's where the magic happens!  (IMO)

quote:

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Originally posted by JC Dobro

And that's where the magic happens!  (IMO)

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Hope so. That's all I got! LOL!

Another great thread Howard. A point that several earlier posts have suggested is that the greats are never satisfied with where they are technically and stylistically. They are always learning and evolving. Self improvement is their goal and in that too they inspire us. Nobody ever knows all there is to know about anything, and constantly trying to improve is part of what makes us human.