Guitar Professional Standards & Competencies 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'playing for the song' mean as a professional standard for guitarists?
- Memorizing the lyrics to every song in the set
- Subordinating your personal expression to serve what best supports the track's overall arrangement and feel (Correct answer)
- Playing the exact recorded guitar part note for note
- Choosing songs that showcase your technical abilities
Correct answer: Subordinating your personal expression to serve what best supports the track's overall arrangement and feel
Playing for the song means making musical choices that elevate the track rather than showcase individual technique, a cornerstone of professional musicianship.
Question 2: A guitarist is asked to recreate a specific recorded tone for a tribute show. What professional approach should they take?
- Use whatever gear they own and hope it's close enough
- Research the original guitarist's signal chain, approximate it with available equipment, and refine by ear (Correct answer)
- Refuse unless provided with the exact original equipment
- Tell the client that tone cannot be exactly replicated
Correct answer: Research the original guitarist's signal chain, approximate it with available equipment, and refine by ear
Researching and approximating target tones through critical listening and informed gear choices is a standard professional competency.
Question 3: Which copyright principle is most important for a professional guitarist who performs cover songs at paid gigs?
- Cover songs are always free to perform publicly for any purpose
- Venues typically hold public performance licenses (ASCAP/BMI/SESAC) that cover live cover performances, but the guitarist should verify (Correct answer)
- The guitarist must personally pay royalties for each cover song performed
- Copyright only applies to recorded music, not live performances
Correct answer: Venues typically hold public performance licenses (ASCAP/BMI/SESAC) that cover live cover performances, but the guitarist should verify
Most venues carry blanket performance licenses from PROs like ASCAP or BMI, but understanding this protects a guitarist from inadvertent liability.
Question 4: When networking at a professional music event, what approach best serves a guitarist's long-term career?
- Immediately hand out demos to every person present
- Listen actively, build genuine relationships, and follow up thoughtfully with relevant contacts (Correct answer)
- Focus only on meeting artists more famous than yourself
- Discuss only your achievements and upcoming projects
Correct answer: Listen actively, build genuine relationships, and follow up thoughtfully with relevant contacts
Authentic relationship-building and strategic follow-up create durable professional networks that generate ongoing opportunities over time.
Question 5: What is the purpose of a 'click track' in professional recording, and what competency must guitarists demonstrate with it?
- A click track signals when to change chords; guitarists must read chord changes from it
- A click track provides a metronomic pulse; guitarists must record in tight synchronization with it (Correct answer)
- A click track marks the end of each take; guitarists stop playing when it clicks
- A click track records room ambiance; guitarists should ignore it
Correct answer: A click track provides a metronomic pulse; guitarists must record in tight synchronization with it
A click track is a metronomic reference signal used in recording; playing accurately in time with it is an essential studio competency.
Question 6: A professional guitarist who teaches privately should maintain student progress records primarily to:
- Justify higher lesson fees to parents
- Track individual learning goals, identify gaps, and plan efficient, personalized future lessons (Correct answer)
- Share student progress publicly on social media
- Meet a legal requirement for music teachers in all states
Correct answer: Track individual learning goals, identify gaps, and plan efficient, personalized future lessons
Progress records help teachers deliver more targeted instruction, demonstrate professionalism, and adapt curriculum to each student's evolving needs.
Question 7: Which factor most directly distinguishes a professional guitarist's stage presence from an amateur's?
- Playing with more expensive equipment
- Maintaining confident, purposeful body language and engaging the audience even when not soloing (Correct answer)
- Wearing distinctive clothing or costumes
- Playing louder than the rest of the band
Correct answer: Maintaining confident, purposeful body language and engaging the audience even when not soloing
Professional stage presence means staying engaged and projecting confidence at all times, not just during featured moments.
Guitar Professional Standards & Competencies 5
What does 'playing for the song' mean as a professional standard for guitarists?