How to Play with Feeling

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Expressing Yourself

One of the most popular questions from my adult students is “how do I sound like (insert player)?” Perhaps a better question to ask is, how do you express yourself through the music? One of my favorite quotes comes from John Mayer about Eric Clapton. He mentions that “Eric has a way of connecting with people who don’t even know the guitar has six strings.” How does he do it?

The answer is feeling, playing with feeling. It’s the emotion that you put into a performance that can carry across and hit people in a way that makes them feel it too. So, how do we play with feeling?

Playing with Feeling

“Practice?”

“Just get really into it, man.”

While the above two comments are correct, let’s dive a bit deeper by taking a look at an example piece played on the ukulele.

Melody A

Press play to listen to Melody A:

Melody B

Press play to listen to Melody B:

Melody A vs. Melody B

In Melody A, everything is played in a simplified way: just the chords and melody, with no frills. While it sounds nice, it lacks depth. When we compare it to Melody B, the listener is drawn in more because it adds layers to the music.

The way you interpret a piece and accent the notes and rhythms adds character to your playing. This is what makes your favorite players great: their overall approach to the music and the small nuances they bring to it.

Article by: Andrew Hardel