What do you like about your own playing? (With clips, if you have 'em.)

[rh]

What do you like about your own playing? What would you try to turn into a distinctive strength if you had more time available? Got any examples of it? Short clips, etc. ?

I'd be really interested to hear what those professionals here like about their own playing, or think is particularly distinctive about it.

(http://mysite.verizon.net/vze3jmtr/noises/ssb.mp3)

[Yossi]

This is probably not what you were looking for, but, what I like about my own playing is that it is ME playing. Listening is great but it is only when I play do I get into what the guitar is to me, an instrument of expression and enjoyment, a vehicle to grow and develop a talent into more skill.

[Tag]

Really the only thing I like about my playing, is I can hear my personality in it. I am usually in good moods, never sit still, and put a lot of enthusiasm into everything I do. Even in my worst clips, I think I can hear that. Thats probably the ONLY thing I like, because I cant stand my playing.

[Bob Savage]

I like that I get lucky more often than I ought, considering how much I actually play.

[journo]

Hi,

I think I manage to get a good sound that works for the tune and that my dynamics are getting better. Soundclips can be found on:
http://nermark.articulateimages.com

One of the things I dislike most about my playing is that my musical vocabulary is very limited so I get fed up listening to myself.

Cheers,

Mats N

[rh]

Great comment, Mondoslug...hey! Where'd it go?

[shark_bite]

What I like best about my own playing is either the phrasing (when I get it right) or the vibrato (when I get it right). I grew up listening to a lot of Clapton, and from that I inherited a proclivity for long, lyrical phrases. It was a good thing to have as a benchmark, for sure. And regarding touch, after I started doing more sessions with other people and recording myself while practicing, I realized that I have a lot more nuance than I ever hear while I'm playing. I suppose if I'm the one affecting the string to bend the when I do it's like tickling myself - it just doesn't really have much of an effect. But in addition to that, someone recently asked me why my vibrato usually never changed speed. I thought about it and realized he was absolutely right - and I try to stay mindful of that when I play now, approaching it like an B3 player would a Leslie. Let a long note start slow and speed up, or (what I like better) start faster and slow down.

Beside that I also really like the fact that I pretty much sound like me. You can hear my influences here and there I'm sure but I'm not forcing the same licks into every song, and yet it still always sounds like me playing.

There's plenty of decent stuff on my soundclick - I'd say check it out if you've got a minute. Nothing there is perfect, and getting my timing in better shape would definitely benefit me, but that's what they invented practice for and that's what I've really been focusing on - playing with non-live rhythm devices like metronomes and click tracks and still retaining that pocket I get into while playing live (which is usually a bit better). I'd be curious to hear any of your feedback on what you hear too, of course.

Interesting thread idea.... I hope people don't shy away from it because it's important as a player to take just as much inventory of what's going well as what's not.