Chantel McGregor's top 5 tips for guitarists

(Image credit: Steve Howdle)

Introduction

“I think it sounds like me… I didn’t want to sound like anyone else,” says Chantel McGregor of upcoming second album Lose Control. The Yorkshire queen of blues speaks the truth.

Her influences span as far and wide as folk legend Nick Drake, grunge heroes Soundgarden, progressive metal titans Opeth and dubstep powerhouse Nero, all of which make for a sonic palette that truly knows few bounds.

“The first album was more a collection of songs I’d written over quite a long period of time,” she admits.

“There was acoustic, rock, folk, country… the first track was like a Lady Gaga kind of pop song! It was a mishmash of everything. I wanted this album to be focused and have more of a theme to it. In that regard, it’s definitely more cohesive.”

Released this October, one similarity that Lose Control does share with the debut that came four years prior is its release via Chantel’s very own label Tis Rock Music Ltd. Being in charge of her own destiny is something that has allowed the singer/guitarist to focus on what she wants to do, rather than anyone else.

“I’ve always been involved in business - my dad is an accountant,” laughs McGregor. “And he taught me the importance of understanding tax, business operations and more. So in that sense, creating a label, doing all the business myself came very naturally.

“I’m also a bit of a control freak, I like things being done my way and being able to say when it’s done without being told by someone else! I don’t want a record company breathing down my neck telling me what to do… it’s my own creative thing so I want to do as much as I can myself.”

Today, Chantel McGregor gives us her five commandments of guitar playing…

Chantel McGregor’s new album Lose Control is released on 9 October. She tours the UK until mid-December. Album and tour date info: www.chantelmcgregor.com

(Image credit: Ian Stafford)

Push yourself and never ever settle for less

“For me, music is all about pushing yourself and furthering your boundaries. Try new things out, even if you’re on stage playing a gig, why not? What could be more exciting? Because if you start getting stale and bored, so will your audience. And then they’ll stop coming to your shows!

“As a musician, you should always strive to better yourself - there’s always more to learn, more ways to improve. I don’t want to stagnate, I want to evolve and grow. Broaden your horizons: what’s the point in trying to rip off Stevie Ray Vaughan to the millionth degree? You might as well just listen to his music, because he’ll do it better than you!

“Take your influences, twist things around, improvise a lot and hopefully it’ll come out sounding different to anyone else.”

(Image credit: Steve Howdle)

Listen to everything and everyone and learn from it

“So many guitarists are guilty of listening to just one thing. There are a lot of blues players who only listen to the blues - which stops them from thinking outside the box. If you mainly listen to blues, maybe try something totally different like dubstep? Or metal?

“Just listen to absolutely everything and absorb it all. If you don’t, you’ll just become really good at one thing and struggle taking it anywhere else. It’s good to have outside influences - I mean, I listen to a lot of dubstep stuff like Nero. It’s great and actually can influence my guitar phrasing despite being completely different.

“I’m really into progressive music too, artists like Steven Wilson. It’s all part of a melting pot and you should really be able to learn from all of it.”

(Image credit: Steve Howdle)

Improvise with new musicians as often as you can

“I know this one is a bit of a given, but you’d be surprised how many musicians out there never leave their bedroom. They never play anything different with anybody different. It’ll just be the same songs every night at home, never getting round to playing with other people or gigging.

“You don’t need to practice the things you know, it’s what you don’t know. I grew up on jam sessions, from 12 to 16 I was doing about 4 a week - even more during school holidays. Most of what I play is improvised, I don’t think I could do that without the jam session background. Because someone might lob a song over, put you on the spot and it forces you to figure out what key and use your ear.

“Without that experience, you might just end up ripping off Slash solos for the rest of your life. You can learn so much from other instrumentalists too, like a drummer can show you to phrase in a more rhythmic way.”

(Image credit: Steve Howdle)

Know that you're not the best and you never will be

“You meet so many people that have had smoke blown up their ass and think they’re better than everyone. Remember that there will always be loads of people that can do things better than you.

“It’s walking into a room and knowing someone in there will be able to do something better than you. You might be the best shredder, but not so great at rhythm playing or modes or flamenco.

“Don’t get the deluded idea that you’re really great… because you’re not. Remember to be nice to people, because that is incredibly important. We all want to do the same thing: have a career doing something we really enjoy. There’s no reason to be nasty or bitter.”

(Image credit: Keith Newhouse)

Learn then forget the technicalities to play with feel

“Learn how to do everything inside out, but once you’ve done that put it to the back of your mind and start actually creating. Listen to someone like Richie Kotzen and think about how little he’s using his head and playing more from the heart.

“Obviously he knows what’s he’s doing because he learned all the theory early on - you have to know how to do things. For example, reading music can be very important. Sure, it can be boring, but you may very well need it at some point.

“Same with playing different styles or scales, it can be a laborious task but once you’ve got it under your belt, then it can all start coming out naturally. Close your eyes and use your ears. That will definitely help make your playing distinctive.

“Learn the theory to give you license to have more fun being creative. Sometimes I’ll flick through a magazine and learn some I know I’m not good at, because it will make me a more rounded player.”

Chantel McGregor’s new album Lose Control is released on 9 October. She tours the UK until mid-December. Album and tour date info: www.chantelmcgregor.com