Who plays the guitar in here?Music

[Shannon]

Well, there's the problem. It's tuned 2.5 steps down! The strings are like rubber bands. You can't tremolo pic with such little tension in the strings. I'd tune it normal and then try it. Then, tune down a whole step and try it again. Repeat.

Yeah, but I've had the same problem with other songs that use tremelo picking with standard tuning.

I think I might have to use some thinner picks, like .5mm or something.

 

[Solid Lifters]

Yeah, but I've had the same problem with other songs that use tremelo picking with standard tuning.

I think I might have to use some thinner picks, like .5mm or something.

Yeah, thiner pics can help when it comes to fanning. I use Dunlop Gator Grip .58mm and I can fan pretty easily.

 

[James2097]

I only ever use 1mm picks and can play fast, slow, rhythm, lead, soft, loud etc etc. Its in your wrist, not your pick. A soft pick will play softly (and compensate somewhat for sloppy strumming), but it can't be as accurate or loud and stinging as a thick pick can. With good dynamic control over picking, a thick pick can do everything.

Personally, when I want to do softer strumming/fingerpicking, or get that finger 'snap', I just curl my index finger out of the way, holding the pick with it. I can then play fingerstyle and clawhammer stuff like Mark Knopfler with my thumb and middle, ring and pinky fingers. Its not ideal, cause I can't use the index finger to pluck, but the compromise is worth it because its still easy to play most stuff (bar more technical flamenco and classical stuff that absolutely requires a 5 finger right hand - which isn't really important stylistically with an electric guitar). The main payoff is I can get the pick back into action in a millisecond (unfold index finger, grab the other side of pick with thumb). As far as I know, I'm the only guitarist I've ever noticed that can do perfectly good picking and fingerstyle techniques in the same solo, without putting down his pick (and keeping it ready for action). Dire Straits clawhammer style rythm playing, straight into a Hendrix style picked solo! I always mix it up like this, because some things really need a pick, and others need thumb and fingers. It looks wierd changing styles like this, but I don't notice when I change between fingers and pick anymore, I just do it automatically when I want a certain sound to a note.
Its funny because I only just realised about a year ago (after years of doing it) that what I do isn't common-place (surely there must be hundreds of players that do this trick?). It seems obvious, really. Give it a try guys! You can then easily do nearly ANY right hand technique in the space of the same song.

Its funny, cause I've never dropped the pick doing this, but people always think I will, it looks a bit scary as to how the pick stays (not so firmly) in my hand while doing fingerstyle! If I ever did drop the pick, oh well you would have perfectly good fingers-only technique to fall back on.

 

[ceiling_fan]

Waaaay back on the first page I mentioned getting a 3000$ guitar. Well I don't have pics of my actual one, but its basically like this except it has gold pickups(and it's not the 20th anniversary model but its very similar)

And for those of you who don't know of the make of the guitar, here's the website:

www.prsguitars.com

 

[James2097]

Waaaay back on the first page I mentioned getting a 3000$ guitar. Well I don't have pics of my actual one, but its basically like this except it has gold pickups(and it's not the 20th anniversary model but its very similar)

And for those of you who don't know of the make of the guitar, here's the website:

www.prsguitars.com

Awesome guitar in its own right but, is ceiling_fan a Santana fan by any chance?
I bet its got a very smooth high end! They really choose the woods nicely on the good Paul Reed Smiths.

Also mucho props for not getting a fixed bridge one, whammy bars are half the fun! How well does the guitar stay in tune when whammying (compared to other traditional style trem systems like on a strat)?

Edit: I've always loved the bird fingerboard inlays PRS does...

 

[Solid Lifters]

Looks good, CF. It looks like my Peavey Wolfgang Special Custom Deluxe guitar. I have gold hardware, and a cherry sunburst finish too. It also looks like my EBMMEVH. See pics below.

 

[keram]

4.5 stairway to heaven is easy till you get tot the solo

 

[Shannon]

Waaaay back on the first page I mentioned getting a 3000$ guitar. Well I don't have pics of my actual one, but its basically like this except it has gold pickups(and it's not the 20th anniversary model but its very similar)

And for those of you who don't know of the make of the guitar, here's the website:

www.prsguitars.com

Nice, although PRS guitars are a bit out of my price range.

I'm thinking of getting an Epiphone Les Paul Studio as my next guitar, only in a different finish.

Yeah, thiner pics can help when it comes to fanning. I use Dunlop Gator Grip .58mm and I can fan pretty easily.

Well, I finally managed to pick up some new picks today. So far I've found the .88mm picks out of the bunch I got to be the easiest. I think I'm slowly getting the hang of it. 👍

Now, onto sweep picking!

 

[Shannon]

Edit: Double-post.

 

[ceiling_fan]

Awesome guitar in its own right but, is ceiling_fan a Santana fan by any chance?
I bet its got a very smooth high end! They really choose the woods nicely on the good Paul Reed Smiths.

Also mucho props for not getting a fixed bridge one, whammy bars are half the fun! How well does the guitar stay in tune when whammying (compared to other traditional style trem systems like on a strat)?

Edit: I've always loved the bird fingerboard inlays PRS does...

Not particularly a big Santana fan, but definitely like "Europa."
I'm more of a jazz guy for the most part.

Extremely smooth high end, they did choose the woods nicely. The guitar stays very well in tune when i whammy, and the neck is PERFECT. So nice.

 

[James2097]

Not particularly a big Santana fan, but definitely like "Europa."
I'm more of a jazz guy for the most part.

Extremely smooth high end, they did choose the woods nicely. The guitar stays very well in tune when i whammy, and the neck is PERFECT. So nice.

Yeah I hate Santana, his sound is just "bleh". Too compressed or something. Plus his phrasing is terrible, he always seems to play too far after the beat of something?! It just sounds dead, like its not driving the song... Anyway...

Very cool guitar though!

Here's a laugh:

How to play jazz improvisation for dummies (over a swingin' be-bop rhythm):
Play short phrases consisting of totally random notes (if notes aren't super far apart it will flow better). Intersperse said phrases with a few intermittent 'rests' on the tonic or 5th of the key you're in. This will make it look like all the other notes were on purpose. If you play a REALLY wrong note, play it again (louder) a few times to make sure it looked like you really meant it. Then start a new phrase from this wrong note and work your way up or down the neck from it until you reach either the tonic or the 5th, and then end the phrase. This just infers you were being really edgy and chromatic, but knew what you were doing.
If you play in time to the backing (and play interesting rythmically - don't just keep on the same rythm) it will make it look like you can play jazz, when in fact, you have no idea at all.

Of course, I don't encourage this soloing technique to be used in a gig situation... but it IS surprising how it seems to work - it might help break you out of certain scales/patterns etc. Its a good exercise to let you know just how far out there you can go before it sounds like you have no idea what you're doing! 👍

have fun,

James

 

[ceiling_fan]

Nice one

 

[Spyder_V]

I somewhat play the guitar. My old viola teacher sold me his and the amp for around 150 (a nice Yamaha, so it was a good deal). I've learned a couple songs, almost all the QUEEN solos (one of my favorite bands) and several others. I mostly just play it for fun and when I'm bored. By no means have I tried to concentrate on a guitar for longer than 20 minutes. So I rate myself a 0/10. I just do it when I feel like it, and it's not often at times.

 

[Silverzone]

Im learning some blink-182 right now. pretty easy.

 

[Silverzone]

Well, Just a little update, I fully learned the intro to "Dammit" last night, and will be moving on to another ong soon.. any reccomendations?

 

[E55Power]

yeah, I've play a litte, I'm relatively new to guitar (Acoustic)
Maybe 3/10

 

[Silverzone]

I think I may try and learn Metallica's frantic 👍

...or maybe not.. just looked at the tabs Im not that good yet

 

[Saleen Man]

I think I may try and learn Metallica's frantic 👍

...or maybe not.. just looked at the tabs Im not that good yet

Hmm, if you're looking for some Metallica songs that aren't too challenging, the intro riff from Fade to Black, that's playing in the background behind the solo is pretty cool and not too hard. Also, One's rhythm part, and maybe the Nothing Else Matters intro. I'm not sure where you are as a guitar player, but I think those are pretty good Metallica starters.

 

[Omnis]

I just learned Need To Be Strong from Naruto or something. I don't watch the show but I heard the song and I thought it was cool.

Anyway, i have to play it like half speed to get it more or less perfect because i'm still noobin' the chords in the song. It's just kind hard to play at speed.

 

[Silverzone]

Hmm, if you're looking for some Metallica songs that aren't too challenging, the intro riff from Fade to Black, that's playing in the background behind the solo is pretty cool and not too hard. Also, One's rhythm part, and maybe the Nothing Else Matters intro. I'm not sure where you are as a guitar player, but I think those are pretty good Metallica starters.

Thanks, I'm gonna have to check that out 👍

 

[Gil]

I try to play but I've picked up too many bad habits when teaching myself to play on my acoustic like strumming (what? Hah, I rarely strum rather pick very poorly) around the 12th string.

I'm a complete noob I'll admit it. I get pissed off because the sound dies off so quickly (acoustic guitar remember) and because it is so wildly out of tune it isn't funny.

But I try, for 10 minutes before I lose my temper, pack my guitar back in it's bag and put it in the corner casting dirty looks at it.

First off, get a damn tuner, and learn how to use it.
I know all the guitar teachers in the house, want you to learn to tune by ear.
I've been playing seriously for the last ten or twelve years and I still can't do it.
I can tell when the box is out of tune, and which string. But I resort to the tuner, mosly due to lack of patience.

Secondly, get one of the Mel Bay books on 'Fingerpicking techniques'. Spend 6 months learning your way thru the lessons. (using the CD of course).
Once you learn to Travis pick you won't be as fast as the "sweep pickers" but you'll be a damn sight more articulate with your instrument.

Third, work at the speed you are comfortable. Then as you get the fluidity, speed will develop.👍

 

[Funkshen]

I tune with my ears all the time. i only used a tuner when i started. I dont know why... but my ear and the tuner give the guitar pretty much the same sound.

 

[Solid Lifters]

I never use a tuner, either. I tune strickly by ear. If I need to be accurate, I'll use a A tuning fork, and tune the rest of the strings to it. Easy-smeazy. Usually, I tune the strings about one third to one half way lower than one half step from standard tuning. That's around the middle of E and E flat. That slight tension release in the strings still gives me great tone, playability and awesome pinched harmonics, yet gives me better string life and reduced finger fatigue. It's the way to go!

But, I can't touch the intonation without a tuner. I currently don't have one working, and haven't been able to intonate my guitars. One is still dead-on-balls accurate, but the rest are off. I'll be shopping for a tuner soon, and a intonation tool since I can't seem to find mine at the moment.

 

[Omnis]

My Korg thing works pretty well. I can tune by ear, but it's always nice to get a readout.

 

[James2097]

I really recommend tuning by ear, and only using a tuner to reference the starting pitch - the D or G strings - I like to start from the inside of the guitar and work out, thats just me though. A guitar really does sound sweeter if tuned by ear - the well tempered guitar, if you like. The bass string ends up being very very slightly lower in pitch than what an electronically "correct" tuner will tell you, and the high E very very slightly higher in pitch than what is 'mathematically' correct also (as in the idea that the octave should be divided up into 12 perfectly equally spaced tones - good in theory, but sounds slightly outta tune to the human ear - ask any really good pianist).
This is indeed the same thing piano tuners do to achieve a perfectly in-tune sound in all keys/voicings. (eg J.S. Bach's "The Well Tempered Claviachord/Harpsichord/Whatever"). This same approach works beautifully for guitars also. Listen to the crystal clear, scarily 'in-tune' guitar work of Mr Eric Johnson for the proof! Also, Buzz Feiten has done a lot of good work (look for his tuning system on various new guitars) trying to make guitar intonation better. I believe that with just a regular style guitar (without a Buzz Feiten style setup) the way I tune is the best compromise given the nature of the instrument.

Of course if you can't tune by ear properly, you should use a tuner at moments where time is of the essence, but if you're at home (ie. not a gig) you should try and train your ear to tune properly. Hey, if you have 'perfect pitch', you won't even need a tuner for the starting note! - I'm not quite at that point yet, I still often end up about 1/4 of a semitone off the mark (starting with a string-less guitar, no tuner and a new packet of strings). My aim is to hit exactly the right pitch (and be miraculously in-tune with a keyboard) without any reference point to start with. Even without 'perfect pitch', you can very almost get there just by the sound, in conjunction with how tight the strings feel... changing string gauges often will screw you up here however! As with all things, the harder you try, the better you get...

If tuning gives you the ****s, just practise it more - although this idea runs contradictory to your distaste for tuning. You'll soon find its not so bad as you get much faster at it. A tuner is ultimately avoidance tactics IMO! I don't think many guitar players really 'enjoy' tuning all that much, but its such a basic skill and a reality of playing the guitar, you have no choice but to get good at it, or limit your progress on the instrument severely.

Just my two cents.

 

[Omnis]

for some reason, 5th fret tuning does not stay consistent with the higher 3 strings after the lower 3 when tuned electronically. It never used to be like that, but I just noticed it recently. It's always on the 6th fret or something now.

Is there an exception to the rule that i'm missing, or is there definitely something fishy about?

 

[Gil]

When you tune the G, b, e. You fret the G on the fourth fret to tun the b.
Then back to the 5th fret for the e.

I also have started using heavier gauge strings, 12-52 set vs. 11-50 set. Still not a 13-54 set but allow me to tune a half step flat then capo the first fret for a little better action on the instrument.
My tuner gets me in the ball park initially, Then I use it to "even out" the tones.
But I also listen for the "oscillation effect" and tune it out for a more even tuning.

 

[James2097]

To hear the "oscillation effect" Gil mentions (in full impact), a bit of distortion brings it to the fore like nothing else! Its that wow-wow- wow - wow sound that gets faster/slower depending on how similar the two notes (played at the same time) are in pitch (you want the oscillation to be as slow as possible, ultimately to be inaudible). Some guys prefer tuning with lots of distortion on, it certainly sounds more "horrible" if your tuning is slightly out of wack, plus it helps tuning with harmonics etc. Another good tuning technique.

I also like to tune in fourths, I just pluck two adjacent strings and tune the notes to create a pleasant sounding perfect fourth. When the notes sound really nice together, it automatically 'tempers' the tuning over the guitar so it sounds nicer than with a tuner.
For the B string (not a fourth up from G) I sometimes play it and the low E, and tune for a pleasant sounding perfect 5th. I dunno, tuning to different intervals is just more fun for me than tuning with unison notes - partly because its easier to tune during a song and sounds cooler (less like, umm, tuning), you can work it into riffs while playing etc. A guitarist should be constantly correcting slightly out of tune strings as they play... I hardly ever sit down and go "Oh lets tune the guitar now, its totally screwed", I just adjust tuning while playing and it stays pretty much perfect unless I break a string with a floaty bridge guitar like a strat (AHHHH! - everything is thrown out so bad you can't even finish the song!). Luckily I don't take chances like that and replace strings far before what I guesstimate their potential breaking point to be. Sometimes you get a dud string that breaks in 1 day (usually get at least 3-4 days outta them, much longer on the Les Paul (no trem, much thicker strings)). I spend too much money on strings, but the way I play neccesitates it, plus my hands seem to oxidise the strings really quickly (within half a days playing usually) to the point where a shiny new string has lost all shinyness in mere minutes. Very annoying! I wish Willy Wonka would make an everlasting guitar string!

One of the best ways to improve good tuning: new strings will make a guitar infinately easier to tune (and keep it there) than with old worn out strings. Much more consistent and predictable to deal with. If a guitar is having a hard time staying in tune, time for fresh strings.

How often do other guys need to change strings? Does your playing style/s require loads of strings or can you stretch 1 set out over weeks, even months with it still sounding good?

I just don't "get" the logic of tuning guitars to in-betweeny 1/4 tones (eg half way between Eb and E)... Surely standard semitones are small enough pitch variations to get the desired tension/tone etc, while still actually allowing you to play with other musicians (ie actually have a band), unless one is solely a bedroom guitarist, in which case it doesn't really matter, but is still kinda strange.

I suppose if you're just playing with yourself, you don't need to be in-tune to the needs of others... hang on that came out wrong

 

[Omnis]

To hear the "oscillation effect" Gil mentions (in full impact), a bit of distortion brings it to the fore like nothing else! Its that wow-wow- wow - wow sound that gets faster/slower depending on how similar the two notes (played at the same time) are in pitch (you want the oscillation to be as slow as possible, ultimately to be inaudible). Some guys prefer tuning with lots of distortion on, it certainly sounds more "horrible" if your tuning is slightly out of wack, plus it helps tuning with harmonics etc. Another good tuning technique.

I also like to tune in fourths, I just pluck two adjacent strings and tune the notes to create a pleasant sounding perfect fourth. When the notes sound really nice together, it automatically 'tempers' the tuning over the guitar so it sounds nicer than with a tuner.
For the B string (not a fourth up from G) I sometimes play it and the low E, and tune for a pleasant sounding perfect 5th. I dunno, tuning to different intervals is just more fun for me than tuning with unison notes - partly because its easier to tune during a song and sounds cooler (less like, umm, tuning), you can work it into riffs while playing etc. A guitarist should be constantly correcting slightly out of tune strings as they play... I hardly ever sit down and go "Oh lets tune the guitar now, its totally screwed", I just adjust tuning while playing and it stays pretty much perfect unless I break a string with a floaty bridge guitar like a strat (AHHHH! - everything is thrown out so bad you can't even finish the song!). Luckily I don't take chances like that and replace strings far before what I guesstimate their potential breaking point to be. Sometimes you get a dud string that breaks in 1 day (usually get at least 3-4 days outta them, much longer on the Les Paul (no trem, much thicker strings)). I spend too much money on strings, but the way I play neccesitates it, plus my hands seem to oxidise the strings really quickly (within half a days playing usually) to the point where a shiny new string has lost all shinyness in mere minutes. Very annoying! I wish Willy Wonka would make an everlasting guitar string!

One of the best ways to improve good tuning: new strings will make a guitar infinately easier to tune (and keep it there) than with old worn out strings. Much more consistent and predictable to deal with. If a guitar is having a hard time staying in tune, time for fresh strings.

How often do other guys need to change strings? Does your playing style/s require loads of strings or can you stretch 1 set out over weeks, even months with it still sounding good?

I just don't "get" the logic of tuning guitars to in-betweeny 1/4 tones (eg half way between Eb and E)... Surely standard semitones are small enough pitch variations to get the desired tension/tone etc, while still actually allowing you to play with other musicians (ie actually have a band), unless one is solely a bedroom guitarist, in which case it doesn't really matter, but is still kinda strange.

I suppose if you're just playing with yourself, you don't need to be in-tune to the needs of others... hang on that came out wrong

LOL, I was just gonna give a big

 

[Gil]

When I play a lot, I change the stings on my acoustic about every 6 weeks.
Otherwise, I change 'em whenever they start to feel funky, and sound really bad.
Can be as much as three months.

However, Since I want to play a certain song at the family reunion in 2 years, I have to get back to the "woodshed". I figure 6 weeks to get it down, and 20 months or so to get it perfect.