Is accompanying yourself on guitar in The Voice/America’s got talent an asset?

The TV talent show The Voice is well known around the globe. Broadcast in France on Saturday nights on TF1 and hosted by Nikos Aliagas, it is presented as follows: four coaches are seated on chairs with their backs to a stage on which talents are performing in search of recognition. If a coach is particularly drawn to a singer, he or she turns around to face the performer on stage. He/she may be selected to coach the performer. And so, the show and the competitive singing adventure continues and other elimination tests are presented to the candidates, until only one is left.

Is it a blessing to know how to play the guitar?

When among the coaches there are singers/musicians, that might have an advantage in that they may receive more recognition for being a guitarist in addition to being a singer, and the performer might be lucky enough to watch a chair turn around in support of their continuation. Coming on the set of The Voice accompanied by your guitar is an asset, provided you sing well and know how to create emotion. It seems obvious that a coach like Vianney would have an easier time guessing someone who plays the guitar than someone else. And above all, to judge the talent of the musician as well as his voice.

Did all the winners of The Voice play the guitar?

Nearly all the winners of The Voice can play the guitar From Kendji Girac (Season 3) to Lilian Renaud (Season 4), Lisandro Cuxi (Season 6), Whitney Marin (Season 8) but also Abi Bernadoth (Season 9) and Marghe Davico (Season 10), all are musicians.

Accompanying yourself on the guitar or knowing how to play it can therefore be a serious asset in The Voice. That said, Slimane (Season 5) does not play guitar, but still has a very good career. His coach Florent Pagny had turned around for his famous and extremely high register notes.

Knowing how to play an instrument is important on this show. We noticed that nearly all the winners were guitarists. Anne Sila, for her part, plays the cello, another stringed instrument!

The voice must take precedence over the instrument.

Other singers accompanied themselves with their guitar on The Voice and failed to seduce the coaches. The reason is simple: they let the music dominate the tone of expression rather than allowing the voice talent to shine through. Knowing how to play a musical instrument is therefore not necessarily an asset on the stage of the most popular TV talent show in France. To make Florent Pagny, Amel Bent, Vianney, Marc Lavoine, Garou, Mika, Jenifer or any other coach's chair turn around, you attract attention by offering something else: absolute singing talent. If your strength as a musician is not in singing, being a good guitarist or bassist will not be enough to proceed in the game, let alone win it. There’s a reason why the show is called The Voice. The voice, not the guitar solo on a Pink Floyd or Doors, will attract the coaches in a singing competition.

Now, if your instrument is like an extension of your voice, then you have a better chance of going further. Also, remember that once you get past the blind auditions, the coaches will notice you. If you have any flaws as a guitarist, your chances decrease immensely, so let your voice instead be the dominant talent that you project, and you should have much better chances of winning..