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The image of guitar players of various types has been formed over the years by many guitarists and music lovers who believe that the dramatic expressions in the middle of a solo indicate an expression that comes from the soul. This facial expression has been linked to some of the performances of the greatest hits and guitarists of all time and has spawned many imitators who don’t understand why they contort their faces as they play, which is sure it’s entertaining.
Many ask, “Are these faces necessary when performing? ” and “Should a beginner guitarist practice these ugly, dramatic facial expressions during solos and bends? “
When I planned to improve my guitar skills, I was skilled enough after several years of study. Still, I needed to improve my skills in unfamiliar genres. I enrolled in a professional guitar school taught by American Berklee graduates. I wanted to be like the great, famous guitarists and know how to play solos in different styles.
It was a difficult, long, and complex challenge. Most of the guitarists I admired played in famous bands; others were independent. Most of them had one common denominator: They contorted their faces when bending a string or doing a special lick. The facial expression broadcasted a message as if they were trying to do something particularly difficult and challenging.
This strained facial expression also affected me and many guitarists and students worldwide who insist on doing it in a way, even when there is no need for it. One day, I showed my father a solo part of a famous American song, and at the end, he asked me: “Why do you make a face when you play?” I had no answer for him. I kept silent.
This question of his kept resonating with me. As the years passed, I met with guitarists more famous than me who played normally without dramatic facial expressions. I started to understand that everything is a show without meaning and value.
Quite a few analysts who have researched the matter and even different, less famous guitarists, think differently, so in this article, I will present opposite and different positions to mine, alongside videos of different guitarists, so that every time you see a guitarist playing and contorting his face, you will know if it is a pretense or the real thing. As you continue to watch different guitarists, even ones that don’t distort their faces, you will be able to form your own opinion on the matter.
When a guitarist starts playing the guitar, they create music, experiences, and emotional content that are sometimes expressed through facial expressions. The variety of facial expressions guitarists offer during a performance is almost unfathomable. A fascinating discussion has developed around this topic, focusing on the importance of the matter, with the main question being whether it is necessary to present dramatic expressions while playing or to focus only on the music itself.
One way to address this question is to understand the reasons behind guitarists’ facial expressions. Fortunately, some factors may affect the internal expression of the guitarist during a performance. For example, it is mainly related to the effort both on stage and in the rehearsals preceding the performance, which in some cases causes pain in the muscles of the hand during the performance, and the dramatic facial expression indicates this.
Quite a few people believe that the guitarist’s facial expressions are a direct result of a deep engagement with the music as someone who dives deep into the depths of the soul, merges with the song and the sounds, expresses emotions and feelings he experiences during the performance and expresses his inner feelings through the facial expressions.
Professional guitarists will testify that facial expressions link the guitarist and the audience, who are looking for this theatricality as part of the show. These facial expressions convey emotions and create a personal connection with the audience, thus creating a shared experience of music.
Other guitarists will testify that the importance of facial expressions express a poetic value of artistic significance, one of special value and are convinced that these facial expressions are an integral part of the musical performance, expressing intensity, emotion, power, and the merging of the soul with the instrument and the sounds as an integral part of them. Many music lovers who are not among the various musicians believe that the facial expressions of the guitarists are not just an addition or a treat but an integral part of creativity.
Many guitarists, musicians, and music lovers believe the pure origin of these facial expressions is emotion.
Unlike other musical instruments, playing solo on an electric guitar is a very exciting experience for the player and the listener. You can hear when a guitarist puts his heart and soul into playing.
Many guitarists testify that when playing a solo during a song, they express frustrations and feelings about what they are going through, which is reflected in their body or facial expressions during the performance.
Other guitarists admit that the dramatic facial expressions are a mask, but this is what makes the show more interesting, and to be precise, subconsciously, it is the audience’s demand. Of course, guitarists are accompanied by dramatic facial expressions and other masks, such as smoking a cigarette during the performance and sticking the cigarette at the top of the neck where the keys that adjust the strings are located.
Many famous guitarists drew inspiration from Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Gary Moore, known as artists with dramatic faces while playing and performing. Not only did these guitarists influence entire generations, but equally famous actors who broadcast extroverted drama for the benefit of their audience. There is a need to entertain and show the audience that the guitar is another part of your body.
As you have noticed, the opinions on this matter are divided, and everyone has a different perception and belief. What is certain is that without these faces at rock or blues concerts, the show could have seemed quite shallow.
It’s all a matter of perspective.
