Steve Morse has defined himself as one of music’s most versatile shredders, not only through his work with Deep Purple but also with the Dixie Dregs and the Steve Morse Band, where he’s demonstrated his talent for crafting inspiring instrumental fusion and rock guitar songs. What does it take to write a successful guitar instrumental? We asked, and he answered.
What about guitar instrumentals appeals to you?
The main thing is that the guitar can control the mood and energy. It’s totally a composed creation mixed with some improvised soloing. Vocals are very expressive, and the guitar can be too when you use a wide range of attack, tone, vibrato, bends and so on.
What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal song can’t?
Less repetition, for one thing. In songs, the music often stays the same for three rounds of verses. Instrumentals work better when there’s always something changing, or when you add more parts to them.
How do you start writing one?
I use a combination of experimentation, inspiration and transcribing what’s in my head.
Do you try to retain a typical song structure?
Usually not. I tend to revisit the melody with some changes at the end. That said, the typical song format can work fine if you inculde some changes on each verse.
When it comes to writing guitar melodies, is it useful to study a vocalist’s approach?
I think it’s good to study horn melodies and vocal melodies. Vocalists tend to use many different techniques, and guitarists can always learn from trying to sing a melody.
How do you keep a solo performance interesting over a long stretch?
I use a variety of tones or attack, changing from a mono to a more polyphonic approach, or changing the density of the