VINNIE MOORE

Guitar instrumentals have supplied some of music’s most evocative moments. Jason Sidwell asks top guitarists for their take on this iconic movement. This month, American virtuosic rock legend, Vinnie Moore.

- Jason Sidwell

GT: What is it about guitar instrumentals that appeals to you?

VM: I love playing and writing, and instrumentals seem like a direct and immediate way for me to express myself. I learned to improvise by recording chord progressions that I made up, and then playing over them every day. So without really being aware that I was writing instrumentals, I was well down the path when my intention was really just to work on my playing. Hearing Jeff Beck, Larry Carlton, Al Di Meola, and Carlos Santana opened up all kinds of doors in my mind.

GT: What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal song can’t?

VM: An instrumental can provide a more intricate melody because there are less limitations than with a voice. I don’t actually prefer one over the other, a good song is a good song. So I guess the best of both worlds is a great vocal song with some awesome guitar melodies and solos in there too. You could maybe say that since an instrumental song has no lyrics, it can leave more to the imagination whereas a vocal song clearly tells you what it is about.

GT: Any tendencies with instrumentals that you like to embrace or avoid?

VM: I mostly aim to avoid things I’ve done too many times before. If I become aware that I have done something similar, it kind of kills the spirit for me. So ignorance is bliss in a way. Having said that, there are a million great songs with the same chord changes. But I do get a big thrill when I’m writing and I do something I haven’t done before.

GT: Is a typical song structure always relevant for an instrumental?