# Do You Have To Move Your Mouth When You Play?



## Guest (Nov 30, 2018)

I see many good players' vids and they mouth the notes or make a face as they play. I don't do this, but I am wondering if I should start.


----------



## Guest (Nov 30, 2018)




----------



## Guest (Nov 30, 2018)




----------



## Guest (Nov 30, 2018)




----------



## Guest (Nov 30, 2018)




----------



## AirForbes1 (Jan 11, 2015)

That's where the tone is


----------



## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

According to two friends, I do have a "guitar-face" when I play, but it's more of a zoning out blankness. Not when I play live, but in a setting of info exchange. I don't fully understand it, but two guys who have never met each other both say I do it. And they both hate it immensely! I'm not allowed to talk and play, or play while they're talking. I should video it to find out what they're on about.


----------



## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

Interesting question ! 
I show quite a neutral poker face on most of my videos : I did recorded them when I became quite fluent ((I would not say good !) at playing a fingerstyle instrumental. 

I am a bit more expressive when I am still learning how to play a tune : I would react to more difficult sections or bag notes.

Curiously, I was quite poker face on video of a duplex interview. Curiously, I say, because in my actual life I would express myself as much with my body and face gesture as my words.


----------



## ronmac (Sep 22, 2006)

If you have ever seen David Wilcox tilt his head back and watch his eyeballs roll to the whites you knew he was going to launch into something special.


----------



## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I've noticed most players especially YouTubers make face's when playing. Not sure if I do or not. I'm not consciously aware of it if I am.


----------



## Guest (Nov 30, 2018)

Watching vids of myself, my relaxed face looks like an uninterested scowl.
I'm consciously trying to smile.


----------



## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

Just don't do the Jonny Lang guitar face.


----------



## Guest (Nov 30, 2018)

or John Mayer


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

To hell with that, make whatever face you're going to make. It's more fun.

Signed,

Guy who makes faces for some parts


----------



## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)




----------



## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

There was a Guitar Player article with Carlos Santana from I believe back in the 70's where he said it's absolutely necessary to orgasm faces (guitar faces) while playing guitar. 

I just hope he wasn't doing both at the same time....


----------



## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)




----------



## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

If I'm not moving a part of my body and\or face I'm probably bored. When I really get in to it, let loose and let if fly, I'll most likely loose a little bit of control.


----------



## Guest (Nov 30, 2018)

Like facial tourette syndrome.


----------



## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)




----------



## johnnyshaka (Nov 2, 2014)

This guy has an interesting YouTube channel as he likes to build/mod both guitars and amps but can also play some mean blues and makes the appropriate faces as well.


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

No


----------



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I suspect many players who use their guitar to effectively "sing" what their voice could probably not negotiate successfully will mouth along.

You could always tell when Frank Zappa was really into it because his head would bob from side to side.


----------



## Guest (Nov 30, 2018)

johnnyshaka said:


> This guy has an interesting YouTube channel as he likes to build/mod both guitars and amps but can also play some mean blues and makes the appropriate faces as well.


Hahahaha that guy has the best faces.


----------



## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Best Guitar-Face was Alvin Lee at Woodstock!


----------



## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

johnnyshaka said:


> This guy has an interesting YouTube channel as he likes to build/mod both guitars and amps but can also play some mean blues and makes the appropriate faces as well.


I'm sure his dentist has told him he's going to chew his tongue off one day! 

Great playing though


----------



## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Guitar face is generally horrible for the audience - looks like an O face and nobody wants to see that.

I will footnote this by saying that the one exception to the above (I mean maybe he does make O faces like that too, but they're great) is G E Smith. Epic guitarface. Everyone else looks brain damaged.


----------



## DeeTee (Apr 16, 2018)

I suspect I do pull stupid faces, but largely as a result of thinking "oh god, oh god, oh no, it's all going wrong!" as the string slips off the side of the fretboard, I choke a note and pull another one sharp.


----------



## Guest (Nov 30, 2018)

It's really bad if the audience is all making grimacing faces when you play...


----------



## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)




----------



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Insomuch as their brains are generally not quite as lateralized as right-handed folks, I'd be curious if the incidence of "guitar face" is different amongst left-handed players.


----------



## Boogieman (Apr 6, 2009)

butterknucket said:


> There was a Guitar Player article with Carlos Santana from I believe back in the 70's where he said it's absolutely necessary to orgasm faces (guitar faces) while playing guitar.
> 
> I just hope he wasn't doing both at the same time....


I think Santana mentioned guitar faces in the Mesa Boogie King Snake amp launch video.

And then, there is Billy Zoom of X, the anti-guitar face player. The following is an excerpt from an interview:

_"A lot of what I did in X was making fun of '70s music," says Zoom with a laugh.

"I remember watching the Doobie Brothers on this Christmas rock concert. The songs were already boring and pretentious to begin with, and then they did this one where the whole band stopped and the guitar player took this solo-wheedly-wheedly-wheedly-playing lots of notes and making all these faces and shaking his hair. And he wasn't even doing anything. There were a lot of notes, but it was a real easy riff, you know? I noticed that all of these rock groups were always making these faces, trying to make it look hard but not really playing anything. So as a joke, I would play something difficult and just smile and not look at the guitar and act like it was nothing. To me, that was funny. In the beginning, most of the audience got it, but after a while, people looked at it and thought, 'Well, he isn't doing anything hard, or he wouldn't look like he was.'"

















_


----------



## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

I clench my jaws and grind my teeth like ol Roy Buchanan when I'm zoned in.


----------



## Guest (Dec 1, 2018)

cboutilier said:


> I clench my jaws and grind my teeth like ol Roy Buchanan when I'm zoned in.


Something like this will help you:


----------



## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Player99 said:


> Something like this will help you:


If I could get away with it, I'd go for the tobacco pipe ala Albert King or SRV.


----------



## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

No. Unless I'm using a wah-wah (which seems to have some sort of wireless connection to my facial muscles. Or is it the other way around????)


----------



## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

I used to know a mechanic, who made "guitar faces" constantly while he worked. Everything he did with his hands was reflected on his face, with lots of mouth and tongue movements. 
I don't think he played guitar, probably a good thing.


----------



## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Wardo said:


>


That's "_The Reverend Muddy_". He was a member/contributor of the now defunct Vanderbilly.com turned Guitar.com (also defunct)

I learned a lot of Blues licks from this guy. He's a hell of a player. He released an album of Blues covers and Blues versions of songs. I have a copy of it somewhere. His version of "_Ain't No Sunshine_" is amazing. And I'm a Bill Withers purist.... don't mess with that, it's already perfect!

Great to see this. Thanks for posting.


----------

