Guitar Player vs Song Player

[markd]

When I hear / see clips from many members here it makes me realize that I am much more a player of songs than a guitarist. I don’t have much patience for all the work necessary. I would rather learn a new song to share or perform. I’m not proud of this, but I think it comes from learning to play so I could lead songs in a youth group. One of my favorite memories is leading a group of 350 high school kids at a weekend camp, getting them to sing their hearts out with both fun and spiritual songs. I basically do the same thing now, but in pubs w a couple of friends. So fun to get folks joining in on choruses. Are there other song players out there?

[Acousticado]

Yep, I’m one. I’m not the greatest singer, but I just can’t help myself so I do the best I can. My guitar playing has greatly improved over the past 45 years, but by no means am I more than intermediate. But that’s ok...I want to play well enough to support the vocal and the song. Vocals carry the load of the melody for song players such that we don’t have to work out complex arrangements for it on the guitar. If I didn’t sing, perhaps I would’ve dived into fingerstyle. Personally, I enjoy playing and singing and those who I play for on occasion seem to enjoy it.

[Rukulele]

I’m definitely more of a guitar player, but I often wish I was a bit more of a song player/leader.

[YamahaGuy]

I'm a singer who learned to strum out some chords a few years ago. I know a little music theory and a few scales, so I'm not sure where that puts me in the spectrum. People tell me I'm a decent guitar player but most people aren't musicians, so...

[DownUpDave]

Song player.......I like that phrase. That’s me for sure, I picked up the guitar because I love the way it sounds and I wanted to use it to accompany the songs I sing. I keep thinking I should work harder on technical skills. But I am always working on learning a song. It gives me great joy to play and sing, even if it’s just for the cats while I sit at the kitchen table.

[JustMunkee]

Funny how things aren't always as you'd expect, or imagined...

I started learning guitar 5 years ago (give or take). Bought an Ibanez electric cheap online, and got into the Justin Guitar Beginner's course. Fast forward a couple of months and I bought a cheap Vintage acoustic, just for variation. Add another couple of months and I bought a PRS SE Custom 22, and I thought that was it, I was going to keep learning electric guitar and (slowly) become good enough that I could think about looking for a band...

Instead that PRS didn't get played all that much, I traded acoustics, going up in numbers and quality. I realised that what I really wanted to do was play songs, specifically acoustic songs.

So, here I am. 5 years in, a handful of nice acoustic guitars, a PRS that lives in its gig bag, 50 songs in my memory banks, a regular local open mic night (well, before Covid anyway) and a duo partner that together we were working up a set list to go out playing live (before C... well, you know).

So, I guess I'm very much a song player, not a guitarist. I'm okay with that. Just wish I was a better singer!

[SprintBob]

I’m both, I play guitar and the guitar is my vocalist that sings the melody (solo fingerstyle). Two for one .

[Cromwell]

Yep, I'm definitely a song player. However I get bored learning songs and always end up creating my own instead haha. It's quite a curse actually, I start learning a song then I'll just start adding and changing bits, then before I know it I've got a completely new song, it's like I can't help myself. Never intended to be a singer songwriter, but it just turns out that way.

Same goes when I'm trying to just become a better guitarist and learning new scales ect, somewhere long the way it turns into a new song instead haha.

It's a curse lol

[Nymuso]

Originally Posted by markd

I would rather learn a new song to share or perform. I’m not proud of this,

WHAAA . . . . . ??!! Exactly what is it that you’re not proud of? Use the guitar the way it pleases you. There’s no rule book that says you must be a great singer, a monster guitar player or a spellbinding showman. Pick one. Pick none. Pick them all. But pick what satisfies you as a player.

[Rogerblair]

Originally Posted by markd

When I hear / see clips from many members here it makes me realize that I am much more a player of songs than a guitarist. I don’t have much patience for all the work necessary. I would rather learn a new song to share or perform. I’m not proud of this, but I think it comes from learning to play so I could lead songs in a youth group. One of my favorite memories is leading a group of 350 high school kids at a weekend camp, getting them to sing their hearts out with both fun and spiritual songs. I basically do the same thing now, but in pubs w a couple of friends. So fun to get folks joining in on choruses. Are there other song players out there?

I think you should be very proud of this.

I have found great joy in playing the guitar in the support of song writing and performance over the past 60 years, and I’m just fine with that. Would I love to be another Tommy Emmanuel? Sure, but I don’t have that degree of talent and that’s ok.

I have heard it said that most folks would rather sit through an evening of sung songs than a full concert of guitar solos. Don’t know the accuracy of that, and nothing against great solo performance, but most of us can’t get to that level on the guitar...all those strings, and those darned frets....

Heaven knows the world needs more music. Be proud of what you bring to light.

Rb

[Bob from Brooklyn]

I play just well enough to cover up my singing and vice versa.

[ohiopicker]

Also a song player. To be more specific, a song player where the guitar simply accompanies my voice. Why? Because I only wanted to be able to play and sing songs I enjoyed. That did lead to being able to fingerpick, and perform some instrumentals, and even lead to a stint backing classical string players. but it is always about the song. The idea of scales or patterns has little appeal because it did not lead to something enjoyable.

[raysachs]

Not terribly good at either, so I do both. Pretty bad singer, but I love playing and singing songs. Haven’t played in public in years, but occasionally a few friends and family around. I also really enjoy recording, adding a lead guitar part and/or backing vocals. Sometimes doubling up on a vocal helps hide the flaws in either on its own.

But I’m also learning fingerstyle blues. It’s the least spontaneous thing I do on a guitar - almost pure muscle memory. But I’ve always wished I could do it, so pretty happy to be able to a little bit. And sometimes I love just jamming on electric - mess around with rhythms and progressions, when I hit on something I like, record it into a looper pedal, then jam to it for a while. When I get tired of playing to it, I come up with something else and do it again. So a lot of stuff is just purely guitar playing, with no vocals. But I love songs too, so I do plenty of both...

-Ray

[Sammmydee]

I’m a songer/singwriter too but I’d say I’m more of a guitar player.

Studied in a music college and harmony always interested me. Always found joy in music theory and finding out how things worked. That and I was obsessed with practicing and techniques and all that fun stuff.

Always nice to have a balance between the two.

[fitness1]

I've always said I'm "a singer who just happens to play the guitar"