Kill the Properness: Why Your Guitar Playing Needs More Nuance

guitar groove tips guitar playing nuance guitar recording tips for songwriters how to make chords sound better guitar kill guitar properness songwriting guitar strumming Sep 23, 2025

Last week in a coaching session, I was strumming along to a client’s song while it played on Spotify. They stopped me mid-play and said:

“Oh, I really like what you’re doing there.”

Honestly? It was nothing special.

What made it sound different was simple: I had a groove to my strumming, I wasn’t rigid, and—most importantly—I wasn’t playing all the notes in the chord. I wasn’t strumming down through every single string.

And that’s the key.

Too many songwriters get stuck thinking every chord has to ring out perfectly. In reality, trusting your technique and embracing nuance is what makes a guitar part shine.

1) Stop Being Too Nice

Do you ever struggle to figure out guitar parts when listening to recordings? Chances are, your ear is tuned to hear full chords—every note ringing out properly. But great recordings aren’t always about perfection.

You officially have permission to let that go.

Sloppy (in a good way) picking patterns are interesting. Brushing strings, muting some notes, and letting others ring adds flavor and dimension.

I’m not trying to play wrong notes. I’m playing with confidence, knowing I’ve muted what shouldn’t be heard.

This kind of intentional looseness creates bursts of tonal variety. For example, an A minor chord played with subtle variations can carry an entire verse because each pass gives the ear something slightly new.

2) Let the Groove Live

When you obsess over hitting every note of a chord, the groove dies. The solution? Strip it down.

Play fewer notes, highlight the rhythm, and suddenly the groove shines through. Palm-muted strums, light percussive hits, or focusing on two or three strings can transform your playing.

The result? The song feels more alive. The melody and lyrics stand out, and the listener connects more deeply.

Rigid playing sounds cold. Groove adds personality, emotion, and movement.

3) There Is a Time for Properness

All this doesn’t mean full chords are useless. In fact, chord properness has its place.

When writing from scratch, playing full chords helps you hear all the notes and structure.
When performing, hitting big, proper chords at dynamic peaks can make a song explode with energy.

The key is balance—knowing when to let loose and when to lock in.

4) It’s How You Play It

Think of strumming like speaking. It’s not just the words—it’s the inflection.

Remember that Seinfeld moment where Tim said, “Why would Jerry come?” Depending on where you put the emphasis—WHY would JERRY come? Why would JERRY come?—the meaning completely changes.

It’s the same with guitar. The way you approach a chord—muting, accenting, brushing—creates different emotional inflections. That’s why even a simple A minor chord can carry an entire verse with different shades of meaning.

Final Thoughts

Guitar parts don’t need to be perfect—they need to be expressive.

When you stop obsessing over every note and start focusing on groove, nuance, and intentional imperfection, your guitar stops filling space and starts shaping the song.