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Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | We all seek guitars that sound good and work our way through bushells of strings to find just the right tone...
Less talked about is the effect on tone as result of attack and pick orientation on the string. More than just the force with which you strike the strings, the angle of the pick (or of course, which part of your finger) when it strikes the string has a big effect.
Yes, I know, this is obvious, but I find I can forget to concentrate and experiment with these aspects when I play....
This morning practicing scales, was point in fact. Instead of concentrating on my left (fret) hand, I paid close attention to my right hand. It's remarkable the difference in tone one can generate in indentical scales, by changing attack and pick orientation....
(go ahead.... start the abuse....) |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 1421
Location: Orange County, California | Here we go with the "nails vs. nubs vs. plectrum" debate again... :D :p :p :D
You are absoutely correct about another completly subjective and rhetorical topic. |
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Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 1126
Location: Omaha, NE | The part of this that I find fascinating is how guitarists will discuss and debate ENDLESSLY the tonal qualities of the most arcane things: Brazilian vs Indian rosewood sides, bone vs fossilized walrus ivory bridge pins, nitrocellulous vs UV finishes, etc, etc, etc. All fiercly and furiously argued over with a level of intensity usually only seen in the middle east.
Any yet those factors, to the extent they matter at all, are at most 1/100th of 1% of the impact that even a minimal change in technique can make. Guitars don't make tone. Guitarists do.
Jeff's right: there are a million different ways to pluck a string. Each one has its own tone. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | Wow. You were practicing scales? First thing on a Monday morning? I haven't practiced scales since the third grade. |
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Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Omaha get's my point...
and yes, I've gone back to 3rd grade and started practicing scales for about half an hour before noodling around any further... |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7224
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | ... and add different types of picks to mix and yet another world opens up. For single notes, leads, scales, etc. I got turned onto holding the pick vertical or rather perpendicular to the strings. You can easily double your picking speed without even trying with this technique. It's easier to do this with a heavy pick (I use the Adamas Graphite ones) and the tone become very smooth because of the way the pick is touching the string. When I started doing this, the hard part is getting the left hand notes to keep up with the right hand picking. |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | I'll add one more dimension . . . left hand string pressure. Acoustic guitars require more pressure than pure electrics. Consequently, after playing nothing but acoustics for a week or two with medium strings, then switching back to a solid electric with very light strings, chords sound out of tune because I find myself inadvertently bending at least two and often times more strings with too much pressure. No matter how hard I strike the strings with my right hand (100% with a pick and lots of dampening with my palm), I try hard to keep my left hand totally relaxed and light on the strings. |
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Effects on Tone