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Broadening Your Palate: How To Escape Noodling
We’re all guilty of it at one point or another. Comfort dishes are always easier than committing to cooking something with more substance. And it seems like guitar players are especially known for overindulging in one particular sonic dish: Noodling. Ahhh yes, the dreaded noodle. I’m no stranger to engorging myself. I’ve been caught casually noodling in between songs at band practice. I’ll catch myself noodling a bit at Maple Street when I’m working on a description of a used guitar, though I can swear up and down that I’m “familiarizing myself with the instrument.” Sure, Chris, get back to work. And I can’t forget all the times I’ve had a heaping helping of noodles on the couch while my wife tried to actually talk to me. You know what they say, the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem. I, Christopher Capitanio, am a Noodler. If you’re somehow unfamiliar with the phenomenon, noodling is a partially onomatopoetic term that we use for playing mindlessly with no substance. Noodling is often done with no semblance of time or space, occasionally done with utter disregard for keys or harmonic structure. In many ways, it's like Guitar Auto-Pilot. Sure, you’re playing, but who’s really steering here?
Okay, now that I’ve gotten all of my hyperbole out of the way (and maybe lost a few readers), here’s the thing… there’s nothing wrong with noodling! I think noodling can actually be helpful when trying out an instrument. Turning on auto-pilot means that you’re comfortable playing the instrument and you’re (hopefully) paying attention to how it sounds. The real problem with noodling is that you’re not making actual music nor are you practicing in any meaningful way. So here are some tips to move past noodling and get playing properly!
Identify the Noodle: This is a task that’s easier said than done. For most of us, we don’t realize that we’re noodling until it’s far too late and we’ve been completely abandoned by anyone in the vicinity who’d been looking/listening on. Sorry, there I go with the hyperboles again. But still, how do we recognize that we’re doing it? I’ve found the best route is focusing on intent. While we can all agree that some of our best playing comes when we’ve mentally checked out and are feeling the music, it’s important to pay attention to what you’re playing and why you’re playing it. Practice listening while you play, not only to yourself but to anyone you may be playing with. Take breaks while you play and make it a habit to analyze what you were just doing so you can then diagnose it as music, practice, or noodling.
Sharp Practice: Practice is a word that so many of us are tired of hearing. The reality is that practice is a key way to continue getting better on the instrument! But what is just as important as spending the time jamming in practice is having a clear regiment or goals. You need to always be able to answer the question, “What is it that I’m practicing?” Then you can take the proper steps to ensure that you actually are doing it.
Time Out: A surefire way to stop noodling is to hold yourself accountable with some kind of rhythm. A metronome is always a great option and something that I would recommend for any practice regiment. Metronomes can feel lifeless, the kind of thing that can sometimes make playing seem like a chore, but there may not be a better way to make sure you’re checked into what you’re doing! Otherwise, you can play along to some music if the metronome ends up a bit too boring. The goal here is to make sure that you’re focused on the task at hand and offer at least some structure to what you’re doing.
Play A Song: Most of us gravitate towards songs or compositions in our usual listening habits so why not make them a part of your playing habits, too? Learning songs has innumerable benefits and perhaps chief among them is giving you something to play! Whenever I pick up a guitar to demo for a customer, I try to play a song. It makes for a far more pleasant listening experience rather than running through scales or arpeggios. In some cases, it even opens up a dialogue. Some of my favorite experiences with customers have been when I recognize an obscure song that they’re playing and the ensuing conversation when I mention it. In one such instance, a customer was playing a song from one of my favorite “underground” bands. I brought it up and he said, “I’ve been playing that song at guitar stores for years just waiting for someone to recognize it. You’re the first!!”
Keep a Record: Recording yourself is always a great way to not only take a snapshot of what/how you play at any given time but also a means to analyze what you’re doing. The important (and oftentimes painful) thing to do here is to listen back after you’re finished. This is where we’ll get concrete evidence of all of the mistakes we may be making such that we can take the proper steps to correct them.
The Accompany You Keep: One trick I’ve been trying to use to make my playing more meaningful when I’m improvising on my own is to find ways to accompany myself. I adore watching some of my favorite jazz players like Bill Frisell, Pat Metheny, and Julian Lage playing solo guitar because they find ways to imply chord changes, add basslines or counterpoint, and do any number of other things to keep what they’re playing interesting and musical. Though I’m nowhere near the player they are, practicing this kind of idea and implementing it whenever I notice myself falling into the “noodle-zone” helps me develop as a player. This can even be as simple as adding a drone note, such as improvising on the 5 top strings while playing the open low-E over top.
So there we have it, some tricks to cut noodling from your musical diet. Like any other diet, this task is one that requires discipline. There may be missteps along the way! I’m positive that incorporating some of these tips will make for a far better playing experience for you AND a more pleasant listening experience for your audience. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go “jam” over my looper for the next hour… - C. Capitanio, May, 2022
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