It Might Get Loud: Documenting a unique perspective on the guitar

The guitar is an instrument which has single-handedly transformed music over generations. Depending on the modifications to the instrument itself and the additional effects and amplification it is set up with, countless sounds can be produced from the guitar which has lead to experimentation and emergence of innumerable genres of music and their variations. The musician also matters when it comes down to splendid music because it is only the most skilled guitarists who can produce truly spectacular music from the instrument. It is probably these factors put together that convinced director Davis Guggenheim to make the documentary titled It Might Get Loud.

The documentary opens with Jack White hammering nails on a plank of wood on a farm, plugging it into an amplifier and producing music from it. This is followed by the opening credits which introduce the musicians in the documentary: Jack White, The Edge and Jimmy Page. A few excerpts from each musician reveals that they are about to meet at a warehouse and what they expect to learn or establish during the course of their discussion. The discussion, held on 23^rd January 2008, was the culmination of the film where the three musicians were brought together to discuss their views with regard to the guitar, each of them being a representative of a different generation and style of music but each being masters in their own right. The documentary was shot over several days before the actual meeting where each musician explained their origins and influences. This footage is spliced between the recordings of the discussion every now and then as the occasion calls for it. The finale of the documentary has the three musicians performing an impromptu acoustic cover of the song The Weight by the group The Band.

Director Davis Guggenheim covers different aspects to the musical instrument which is in the focus of the documentary. He chooses to tell the story through the eyes and words of the three musicians he is interviewing by allowing them to speak of their journey in music which automatically tells the story of the guitar’s timeline over many decades. He follows each musician as they retrace their roots and how they established themselves as the best in the world in a way that is endearing but voyeuristic at the same time. The audience is left in awe of the musician but also able to understand their modest beginnings and rise to fame.

The documentary is segmented into different chapters which chronicle the journey of music as a whole and the transformation of the guitar as well. The segmentation is also based on each musician’s personal experience as they talk about forming a band and breaking away from popular musical styles of their time to be pioneers in rock music. Each artist speaks of influential musicians who impressed them and talk about their own experiences when writing their own music. They speak in detail about their individual guitar playing style and what drives them to constantly strive to be better. During the course of the documentary, each musician picks out one of their songs and teaches the others how to play them to share a moment with their fellow musicians.

It Might Get Loud is a unique concept which documents the world’s favourite musical instrument through the eyes of three men who have mastered techniques to playing it. It is an interesting documentary as a whole but exceptionally enjoyable for rock music lovers.