Temujin
01-29-2005, 12:46 PM
I decided to go ahead and post this as a user lesson after searching through tons and tons of past posts, threads and questions here at Guitar Lodge. It is just an old thread of mine I may have put in the wrong place.
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When people are just starting out learning other people's tunes and they start getting frustrated because they cannot get certain parts to sound exactly right, even when they have a hyper-accurate Tab/Score in front of them, they seem to forget all about these things:
1: picking dynamics
2: volume and tone controls
3: picking area
Picking dynamics:
Picking dynamics simply means how hard or soft you pick a string; the volume of each note picked, plucked, fretted, tapped or fingered. Picking dynamics are what most people subconsciously use to judge emotionality among guitarists (along with bending and vibrato) - whether they know it or not. Picking dynamics, equally on par with a very well developed vibrato and bending technique, goes a long way in the art of expression.
Take the intro to Sweet Child O' Mine for example. It is an exceptionally easy passage to play, and yet very, very hard for a beginner to intermediate player to nail flawlessly in an emotional sense. That is because every following note is picked at a noticeably different level of "importance."
Vai, Slash, Malmsteen and Vaughan are masters at dynamics. Take one listen to Vai's Tender Surrender and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. The same goes for Malmsteen's Crying.
Volume and Tone Control Usage:
This goes hand in hand with picking dynamics. As a matter of fact, turning the volume control up or down is a method of using dynamics in and of itself. Malmsteen and Vai are constantly alternating the volume in the middle of tunes (used in conjunction with picking dynamics). Take a look at their videos and look at the way they abuse those volume controls.
As for tone control usage, that is pretty self-explanatory, but many people forget that they can be used in the middle of songs, not just at the start! This is another thing that you'd better master if you want to cover any Malmsteen tune accurately and justly. After mastering the art of abusing your tone control on a whim, you can actually emulate the use of effects without using any.
Picking Area:
What I mean by this is the place that you pick a string; closer to the bridge or farther away, even on the fretboard itself. When I decided to cover some of Vai's tunes as sort of a "tribute," I found out in a hurry how important it was to review his videos and watch where he actually picks or strums strings at. I just could not nail a few things at all, no matter how hard I tried... It all boiled down to where I was picking strings at. Picking strings right at the bridge used in conjunction with whammy antics can produce very expressive and musical sounds. Try it!
Anyway, the next time you are finding something extraordinarily difficult to get to sound right - but you can play it mechanically almost while sleeping - remember to try these few little things.
-Temujin
Lessons coming soon: 12-Week Picking Boot Camp; The Sinful Art of Expression; How to Attain Perfect Tone (Without your hair greying or falling out in the process); Developing a Killer Stage Show; Speed and Accuracy Development
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When people are just starting out learning other people's tunes and they start getting frustrated because they cannot get certain parts to sound exactly right, even when they have a hyper-accurate Tab/Score in front of them, they seem to forget all about these things:
1: picking dynamics
2: volume and tone controls
3: picking area
Picking dynamics:
Picking dynamics simply means how hard or soft you pick a string; the volume of each note picked, plucked, fretted, tapped or fingered. Picking dynamics are what most people subconsciously use to judge emotionality among guitarists (along with bending and vibrato) - whether they know it or not. Picking dynamics, equally on par with a very well developed vibrato and bending technique, goes a long way in the art of expression.
Take the intro to Sweet Child O' Mine for example. It is an exceptionally easy passage to play, and yet very, very hard for a beginner to intermediate player to nail flawlessly in an emotional sense. That is because every following note is picked at a noticeably different level of "importance."
Vai, Slash, Malmsteen and Vaughan are masters at dynamics. Take one listen to Vai's Tender Surrender and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. The same goes for Malmsteen's Crying.
Volume and Tone Control Usage:
This goes hand in hand with picking dynamics. As a matter of fact, turning the volume control up or down is a method of using dynamics in and of itself. Malmsteen and Vai are constantly alternating the volume in the middle of tunes (used in conjunction with picking dynamics). Take a look at their videos and look at the way they abuse those volume controls.
As for tone control usage, that is pretty self-explanatory, but many people forget that they can be used in the middle of songs, not just at the start! This is another thing that you'd better master if you want to cover any Malmsteen tune accurately and justly. After mastering the art of abusing your tone control on a whim, you can actually emulate the use of effects without using any.
Picking Area:
What I mean by this is the place that you pick a string; closer to the bridge or farther away, even on the fretboard itself. When I decided to cover some of Vai's tunes as sort of a "tribute," I found out in a hurry how important it was to review his videos and watch where he actually picks or strums strings at. I just could not nail a few things at all, no matter how hard I tried... It all boiled down to where I was picking strings at. Picking strings right at the bridge used in conjunction with whammy antics can produce very expressive and musical sounds. Try it!
Anyway, the next time you are finding something extraordinarily difficult to get to sound right - but you can play it mechanically almost while sleeping - remember to try these few little things.
-Temujin
Lessons coming soon: 12-Week Picking Boot Camp; The Sinful Art of Expression; How to Attain Perfect Tone (Without your hair greying or falling out in the process); Developing a Killer Stage Show; Speed and Accuracy Development