#Paulie Beladino

[livingwithbands]

Paulie Beladino on the Philosophy of Lead Guitar

Paulie Beladino is a guitarist from New York. He is the songwriter and frontman of his own project Paulie and the Bluechips, as well as a lead guitar player in the bands Vinegar Mother & A Will Away. Beneath is an interview we did about how playing guitar is connected with your emotions, the spirituality inherent in playing music, and his philosophy on playing lead guitar.

Jake: Are your emotions connected to your guitar playing, and are there any riffs or keys that you find yourself constantly returning to elicit a certain feeling within yourself?

PB: My emotions are directly connected to my playing. The reason I practice so much is to cut the latency between what I’m feeling and my fingers. Music as a medium helps me connect with people in a way conversation can’t. I really use my lead playing as my voice; it helps me say all the things I couldn’t normally verbalize. For me, the key of E feels the most natural. If I’m ever in an emotional mood, good or bad, major or minor, I gravitate to E.

Jake: For me, Back in Black by AC/DC sounds like Power, while Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd sounds like Wisdom. Do you follow that line of thought, and if so why do those albums feel that way? Is it the style of playing, the guitar tones, the backgrounds of the musicians? Are there any albums you know that you can say sound like they have one overarching theme?

PB: It’s interesting, my approach is a little different.. Naturally my brain ties albums to memories. For example, Dark Side always sounds like night time whereas something like Pet Sounds will sound like summer. When I hear Layla for some reason I think of a cold sunny day in October. I think it has a lot to do with how I fell in love with that record in the first place. It’s why I'll always find myself pulling out revolver on a cold rainy day or blasting Enema of the State on that first day in spring where it gets real warm. I’ve never been too analytical with music. I’m not properly trained, so for me, every thing is feel based. Albums aren’t so much an idea as they are group of feelings to me.

Jake: For most of human history, music was a spiritual exercise and experience - do you think that people today generally miss the spiritual aspect of music? And do you think that musicians have a responsibility to promote their own philosophical insights?

PB: For me, music allows me to achieve the most spiritual state that I can as a human. However, I think the majority of people do miss out on that today. I think it’s a consequence of popular music being saturated with empty, vulgar ear worms. To me, the only responsibility musicians have is to express themselves as truly as they can. With that, I think your philosophy comes through naturally.

Jake: What role does nostalgia play when you are writing not just guitar parts, but songs in general? Do people respond well to nostalgia?

PB: I love to throw in little bits of bands I grew up with because I like it hearing it as a listener. To me it was always cool hearing Beatles songs that sound like the Everly Brothers. It never bothers me when people say they hear Hendrix or Nirvana in my writing. It helps establish a connection between the listener and I through common ground which is totally cool.

Jake: What role does a lead guitarist play in bringing out the melodies left unwritten by the rest of the group? And how is this lead guitarist's parts related to the lyrics and vocal melody?

PB: My philosophy as a lead player is to fortify the melodies that already exist. I usually work on bringing depth to the song playing by layering contrasting parts. For example, if the other guitar is playing low, I’ll play high. If everyone is busy, I’ll play simple. Lead parts are auxiliary to the composition so it’s all about finding your own space and not stepping on anyone’s toes.

Jake: Furthermore, how does a guitar solo emphasize and exaggerate the emotion that builds throughout the entire song?

PB: I can’t really explain guitar solo’s to be honest. For me, it truly comes from somewhere else. I grew up playing blues, funk, and rock so I was constantly forced to improvise. I really just go with whatever I’m feeling in the moment.

Jake: What guitar players speak to you and why? Be as in depth or as brief as you'd like.

PB: My top 3 are Jimmy Page, Ace Frehley from KISS and Jimi Hendrix. Pagey is my number one because he can do it all. Through him I’ve learned jazz technique, rockabilly, blues, fingerpicking, you name it. He was the guy who taught me not to pigeonhole myself as a guitarist which has helped me so much throughout my life. Ace Frehley was one of the first guitarists I really connected with. I had been into Stevie Ray and Page but both of those guys just sounded so unattainable when I was first starting out. The thing I loved about Ace was that he could be flashy but his leads were simple enough for me to learn at a young age. You can sing every single solo he plays in the KISS catalog and that’s a lesson I’ll never forget as a guitarist. Hendrix is everyone’s stereotypical guitar hero but for me, the thing I admire most is his rhythm playing. His approach is more like a piano player which is so clever to me. Learning that technique in the past few years has helped me grow exponentially as a guitarist and a musician.

Listen to Paulie and the Bluechips here:

https://paulieandthebluechips.bandcamp.com/