The Guitarist: Technician vs. Explorer

While a musician is usually a combination of both a Technician and
Explorer, most identify primarily with only one of these labels. It's easier to understand both of these "definitions" as states of mind. A musician is rarely only one or the other, as both aspects of musicianship enhance each other, as well as the musician. Keep in mind that these labels are stereotypes and generalizations. We will begin first, however, by "exploring" the label of Technician.

The entertainment industry, as well as the online community of musicians and guitarists, is drenched in competition and egotism. Popular tablature sites, educational sites, and forums, to a certain degree, romanticize and glorify technical accomplishment. A common benchmark for a musician's proficiency is the speed at which they play, and the difficulty of their musical piece. This way of thinking leads many guitar players to practice hours upon hours of technique, finger exercises, sweeping patterns, and guitar stunts. New guitarists, especially young musicians, often fall into this category. The guitar, when played extremely well and eloquently, can be an incredible ego and confidence booster. There are a significant amount of guitarists that train specifically to play only fast licks and cool tricks. True Technicians, however, are often thought of as musicians who spend most of their time and effort dissecting music theory, and notation. Technicians often play pre-written pieces and movements rather than performing original works, such as members of a symphony or orchestra. For example: Erik plays classical guitar. He's a member of the local orchestra, and he learns one piece of music every few weeks. The pieces are usually numbers by Bach, Mozart, Haydn, and Vivaldi. Erik practices diligently on speed and dexterity to accomplish such challenging works. He also studies the theory of scales and chord shapes to better understand the pieces. Erik has also learned written notation, as reading music is necessary to learn most classical music. Erik rarely, if ever, ventures into composing his own music.
Technicians are sometimes looked down upon as being unimaginative and "boring". This is merely a matter of taste, as some prefer learning and performing to creating and imaginative exercises. However, in the pursuit of becoming a balanced musician, it would be unhealthy to become exclusively technical. Imagination and creativity are extremely powerful when learning music.

The Explorer is generally thought more of as an "artist", and a "do-it-yourself" guitarist. This is usually someone who learns the guitar on their own, gathering knowledge as they go along, using what they want and discarding what doesn't work. Stereotypically, an Explorer rejects most of the Technician's doctrine. Less importance is placed on theory and technique, while high importance is placed on creation and imagination. Explorers spend most of their "practice" time jamming and writing riffs. However, technique plays an integral role in the Explorer's method; at least a very minimal amount of theoretical and technical knowledge is needed to create and explore. If there is absolutely NO knowledge of the guitar and it's mechanics, the "musician" would simply be plucking away at string at random; they will never progress as an artist. They can explore all they want, but they will remain at the same level of proficiency (or at least take a very long time to improve).

A common argument against the Technician is, "If I learn all that theory and technique, it will rob me of my creativity. My music will be reduced to formulas and chord shapes! I want the music to come from my heart, not my brain." While the goal of any musician is to play from the heart, it's in this argument that we see the duality of both styles of thinking.
The Explorer needs the Technician, and the Technician needs the Explorer. Both are states of mind that musicians constantly find themselves dipping in and out of. When the Explorer wants to write something a bit more complex, or stylistic, he/she needs to learn a bit more theory and technique to achieve the desired goal. The Technician on the other hand, needs to question and explore the instrument; otherwise they become a mindless robot. Anyone can learn a song with enough time invested, but to truly feel and understand piece, creative thought is needed. The best musicians spend an equal amount of time in both areas, or are considered to be "both at once". Composers, such as Mozart and Bach are good examples of this; both musicians are incredibly proficient and have an incredible understanding of music. But both also create beautiful pieces of music.

Musicians interested in becoming well rounded strive to do well in both areas. Usually, due to personality traits, a musician identifies more with one category or the other. But both states of mind are integral in becoming a proficient, balanced, and healthy artist.