1 Standard tuning
2 Alternative tunings
* 2.1 Lower tunings
* 2.2 Higher tunings
* 2.3 Dropped tunings
* 2.4 Double-dropped tunings
* 2.5 Five-string tunings
* 2.6 Seven-string tunings
* 2.7 Seven-string dropped tunings
* 2.8 Eight-string tunings
3 Classical guitar tuningsOpen tunings
* 4.1 Examples
o 4.1.1 Major Open tunings
o 4.1.2 Cross-note tunings
o 4.1.3 Modal tunings
o 4.1.4 "Extended chord" tunings
o 4.1.5 Steel guitar
5 Miscellaneous tunings
* 5.1 E-E-E-E-E-E
* 5.2 D-A-D-G-A-D
* 5.3 All fourths: E-A-d-g-c'-f'
* 5.4 All fifths: C-G-d-a-e'-b'
* 5.5 Mi-composé: E-A-d'-g-b-e'
* 5.6 Gorac: B-G-D-G-A-E
* 5.7 Ostrich Tuning: D-D-D-D-d-d
We will try to explain and give details about each of the tunings through our daily update. So dont panic people new updates about diffrent types of tunigs are going to arrive soon
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Restringing your guitar
Whether nylon or steel, strings come in many gauges, or thicknesses. Nylon strings are scarcer than steel, and there are usually only a couple of different gauges to choose from. Heavier strings have greater volume, but are harder on the fingers. Even nylon strings appear to be metallic as the thicker strings use fine wire wrapping to beef them up. You'll find there are cheap sets, and expensive sets. Unless you're performing a concert tomorrow night, the cheaper are fine.
Steel strings come in a huge variety of gauges; they can be round wound or flat wound. The flat wound use a ribbon of metal to wrap the thicker strings rather than plain wire. All brands sell strings in sets of 6, and it's recommended that you change them all at the same time so that your guitar sounds even.
Strings wear out and break. Body chemistry has a lot to do wirth how often you need to change them, but rule of thumb is, when they sound dull and become hard to tune up, it's time.
Nylon strings
Nylon strings must be tied to the bridge in such a way as to not slip under tension . The illustrations below indicate the proper way to do this. The thicker bass strings often have one end which is floppier and more bendable than the other. This is the end to use at the bridge. Make sure the twisting continues over the back edge of the bridge. This ensures that as the string is tuned up and the tension increases, the friction becomes greater and the string is well and truly fixed.
Steel strings
Steel strings are much easier to put on. All have a "ball end" which stops the string at one end.
Most acoustic guitars have a bridge with pegs that are inserted into the holes that accept the ball end of the string. Push the ball end into the holes so that the ball drops inside the guitar, then push the peg back in the hole and gently pull the string until you feel the ball is being stopped by the peg. When you feel this contact, really push the peg hard into its hole. As you tune up, you may have to keep your finger on the peg and apply pressure to keep it popping back out.
Electric guitars can be strung in a variety of ways, all of them obvious: one way or another, the ball end keeps the string from slipping through whatever device is fitted at the bridge or tailpiece..
There are also a variety of tuning gears, where the other end goes. Again, most are obvious. If it's the simple "push it through a hole in the peg", try pushing it through twice if you can.
You should leave enough slack so that it winds itself around the peg a few times before it comes up to full tension. Once you've tuned up, use a pair of pliers to snip the excess length off, or you'll be hearing all kinds of buzzing and vibrating going on.
Steel strings come in a huge variety of gauges; they can be round wound or flat wound. The flat wound use a ribbon of metal to wrap the thicker strings rather than plain wire. All brands sell strings in sets of 6, and it's recommended that you change them all at the same time so that your guitar sounds even.
Strings wear out and break. Body chemistry has a lot to do wirth how often you need to change them, but rule of thumb is, when they sound dull and become hard to tune up, it's time.
Nylon strings
Nylon strings must be tied to the bridge in such a way as to not slip under tension . The illustrations below indicate the proper way to do this. The thicker bass strings often have one end which is floppier and more bendable than the other. This is the end to use at the bridge. Make sure the twisting continues over the back edge of the bridge. This ensures that as the string is tuned up and the tension increases, the friction becomes greater and the string is well and truly fixed.
Steel strings
Steel strings are much easier to put on. All have a "ball end" which stops the string at one end.
Most acoustic guitars have a bridge with pegs that are inserted into the holes that accept the ball end of the string. Push the ball end into the holes so that the ball drops inside the guitar, then push the peg back in the hole and gently pull the string until you feel the ball is being stopped by the peg. When you feel this contact, really push the peg hard into its hole. As you tune up, you may have to keep your finger on the peg and apply pressure to keep it popping back out.
Electric guitars can be strung in a variety of ways, all of them obvious: one way or another, the ball end keeps the string from slipping through whatever device is fitted at the bridge or tailpiece..
There are also a variety of tuning gears, where the other end goes. Again, most are obvious. If it's the simple "push it through a hole in the peg", try pushing it through twice if you can.
You should leave enough slack so that it winds itself around the peg a few times before it comes up to full tension. Once you've tuned up, use a pair of pliers to snip the excess length off, or you'll be hearing all kinds of buzzing and vibrating going on.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
listing all strange sound tricks-part 4(last part)
Harmonic Bend
From - KACYJC@cs.com
simple not that hard to do. first just pop a really go natrual harmonic, then slam it down to the fret board and bend it. compare it to a normal bend, you'll hear the difference.
Blackboard Scratch
From - Seth Goldart of the Spirit Hop Foundation
This sound effect serves as an opening for a solo, transfer to a heavy part of a song or for general mayhem periods. What you do is simply plug your axe in and distort it. then you put your pick on a high fret(usually below the 12th) and just scratch the third, fourth and fifth strings down the neck.
David Gilmour's Vibrato Ghost
From - Seth Goldart of the Spirit Hop Foundation
I read about this in guitar world. What you do is bend the b-string (or second string) back on the 7th fret or higher, hold it for a few seconds then wiggle it. If all goes well it should produce a faint, ghost-like sound. Enjoy!
Moggio's Bag of Tricks
from - lzrdking@zianet.com
Under String Bar Slide
Take your bar and dip and slack the strings. While the strings are flabbing there, shove the bar UNDER whatever string you like, say the G. Let the bar up and it will be under the string, as you pick you can slide the bar up and down on it's axis UNDER the string! You can mute all strings before you dip, or just let all the string noise come through ala Hendrix.
Pop
With the move above, and preferably a floating trem, you can pop strings on your guitar. Definately an end of song thing.
Flubber
Take a string that you cut with some wire cutters or one that breaks at the nut, and play it by picking it and putting tension and releasing tension with your left hand. It's a very nice effect.
Floating Trem Technique
Don't have a Floating trem? While your playing a run, reach behind the fretting hand with your pick and use the pick as a wedge to pull the note/notes in and out of pitch.
Danger move
One of my former moves involves shoving the peghead straightdown against the floor, lean your body weight on the guitar. Use your weight to bow the neck flat and use the whammy to stretch it sharp. Many variasions on this one. Use a wall, your amp...But beware, you can crack your headstock or break it off, I have an Ibanez with a crack on the back of the headstock. Beware!
Guitar Drag
Thats a name I got from an artist who had a segment on PBS' Egg. He took a guitar an amp with a generator, he tied a guitar to the back of his truck and dragged and recorded it through the surrounding landscape. I always did a similiar trick by gribbing the tip of the headstock and swinging it everywhere. You get so many noises from it. You bang it on the stage, the cable gets tangled around the strings, you can even let it go and watch it slide across the stage. Don't knock it until you try it!
Guitar Rumble
An old SRV trick. You take your guitar off and you lay it on the ground. You grab the whammy bar and you pick up and bounce the guitar on the floor by the whammy. You bounce it up and down and as SRV did you can reach down and flip the guitar in circles.
Breath Bow
If you can get to a good place volumewise where you can take your hands off the guitar without feedback, you can hold the guitar up in the famous Jimi play with your teeth mode and blow across the strings! It's a heavenly effect. Use the bar to manipulate the sounds or if you have a guitar without a locking nut, you can push and wiggle behing the nut as well.
Digital Hissing - BASS
From - Ferkungamabooboo@aol.com
The way to do this is to use a Bass Way (like the CryBaby) and turn up your amp (mine's a practice amp) and just rock it back and forth without using any notes.
It sounds like an ocean or gas hissing through a moving tube or something like that.
Plus, It's just goofy-sounding.
Mosquito-Like Sound
From - Emmad
Take a quarter and rub the edge on the 1st or 2nd strings (it works with any strings) back and forth right near the bridge.
Weird Diving Sound
From - Emmad
Take a quarter and slide it down the bridge with the quarter perpendicular to the strings. As you slide down, you can move it slightly to get a sudden change in pitch because the edge of the quarter isn't smooth.
Fluid Tremolo
From - Emmad
Tremelo pick on the neck (where the strings are) close to where you are fretting the string and it will prduce a very smooth sound that reminds me of water, for some reason.
Noisy Transition
From - GARFUNKILL
I dont know what to call this sound/noise whatever and its kinda dumb, but hey, whatcha gonna do. its an old trick that i started using years ago that involves only distortion and very very very fast picking. generally, its best used right before a change in a song like you would use a drum fill. all i do is speed pick (im talking really damned fast. make slayer look slow) on the b and/or high e string and hold your fingers at random places over the 5-6 fret and move back down to the first. try to avoid hitting the strings open since itll make it sound stupid and you really have to move your left hand like the rest of the neck has the plague and the only escape is to the first fret. both of these techniques (the speed pick+random fast left hand harmonics) pulled off well creates a nice little bridge for that little bit of time you have in a song when ya just feel like making your drummer make funny faces.
More from Moggio's Bag of Tricks
From - Moggio
Moving Pickup
Take any pickup you are not usingor get off a guitar you're not using and mount it in a holder of some sort (I made a little hand-grip with output jack) and you connect it to your amp. You can play legato with your left hand and then you can hold this new contraption over any part of the neck to get different tones! You can also get some nasty/funny sounding overtones that play sympathetically behind your fretting hand!
Whammy bar as noise maker
Pop or unscrew your whammy bar and you can use it to make all kind of great pings and bleep sounds and long extended slide noices.
Tapping chirp
On the high E string, play any familiar tapping run but instead of hitting a note cleanly with the right hand, slide the string off the fretboard to make the tapped note chirp. It's a cross between EVH and Vai!
Right hand Vibrato/Grabbing string to add vibrato
Not so much a trick but a great technique, especially with a floating trem. For example: Hit the e note on the 3rd string 9th fret. As you are holding this note, add wide or whatever vibrato you prefer by grabbinb the 4th string or lower and pull up and down or side to side. This will cause the floating trem to rock up and down at whatever speed you prefer. Great technique.
Extra long bar
On most trems especially Ibanez 'pop' trems, you can take the bar out and put it back in with the long part of the trem into the trem hole. This will make your bar poke straight out! Alot of possibilities here, you can really pull the strings SLACK or you can use it like a gear shift in playing position.
Ugly side neck fretless
On your high or low E String, pull it off the neck with your right hand and quickly place your left hand on the string and play until you get a spot that will get picked up by the pickup. It will sound like a fretless, you'll probably only get a few spots where you'll get some notes but it sound so weird and cool when you do!
Leg whammy
A funny thing you can do is place the guitar so it's between your legs and you can do some tapping, picking and use your leg on the bar! If you record using this technique and say 6 fingered tapping, you will confuse even the most seasoned pro!!!
Crazy Reverb Noise
From - Hayeshayesj
To do this you must have spring raverb, turn distortion on max and turn your master volume up and turn your level down. Sound should come from the reverb tank instead of the speakers. You can make some really cool noises. (Warning-if feedback is not monitored it may become extremely loud very fast)
Bizzare DD-20 Ring Mod
From - NCRA
If you have the new boss dd-20 giga delay pedal, you can make a cool ring modulator noise.
1. Set effect to "Reverse".
2. Turn delay time all the way down to 10 ms
3. play. Use "effect level" knob as blend, and delay time knob like internal oscillator
R2D2 on Fire
From - Erik Sorensen
Me and a friend were playing around with a mini-amp that was fitted into box of camels (somebody had already smoked the cigarettes). At one point my friend took the amp and moved it over the the body of his telecaster and it went: "bling-whooop-za-nannah!". It's just simple feedback of course, but if you have one of these little buggers, try the trick. Simply move the amp in circles above the pickups and it'll sound like R2D2 with his main transistor on fire.
Drop D Soundscape
From - Alex Smith
Tune your guitar into Drop-D. Play the 4th, 5th, and 6th strings open, muting the 1st-3rd strings. You can play around with a Wah, blowing accross the strings, playing a quirky melody on the 1st string using the open D5 as a pedal chord [one repeated as a basso continuo]. However, the trick I like the most is playing the D5 chord, letting the amp harmonize the strings into a higher chord, and gently tapping the whammy bar, increasing tapping strength as you go continue, until you vibrate the open strings back into the original D5 chord. The vibrated fade-in sounds awesome.
Jeremy's Bag of Tricks
From - Jeremy Hunter
Here's a bunch of random guitar effects. Quite a few from mike einziger(however you spell that name) of incubus.
For the'Pardon me effect'
Also used on knice to know you and are you in. delay set it about on second and 4 repeats , theres apart in the song where he just hits a note and lets the delay repeat. That should give you the settings. He also has a phase after the delay to give it the cool tone or whatever you wnat to call it. I dont know.
then play the chord just and voume swell starting from 0.
The chords are all on tab sites. Usually prety acurate.
Here in my Room effect
That random solo from here in my room is alos phaser and delay. Its a semi slow phaser with distortion after it. Also some delay or reverb. before the phaser. I cant get the delay sounding write yet but the general idea is the phaser with a high end distortion to get teh kinda of screaming efect. the dealy helps add to it. The actual notes are (i think)
21 19 15 13 19 21 x2 on the high e string. but more likely it is played an octave lower but using an octaver pedal.
Oh and of course its very heavily tremelo picked. If anyone perfects this please tell me the delay settings.
Clean
on clean the guitar sound like a drum its awesome and very impressive. Im pretty sure its just a phaser on high resolution and etheir a muted string being play or tapping on the pickup or something.
Some other random effects
whales? screams?
trun volume down. bend a note up a fair bit. then chuck on delay pick the note then voume swell up while slowly unbending the note. also do it starting undended as well. put the delay on a fairly short delay time with about 3 repeats maaybe.
Scratch effect thing
Put a short delay on with about 4 or 5 repeats. And a fairly quick phaser scratch slowly. it is an interesting effect. could be cool. i think incubus uses it.
Computer beep sound.
With a les paul style guitar turn one pickup down and the other one up so you have a kill switch. Put long delay on and feed back on as much as possible. play a note then quickly flick the pickup up selecter on then off. then start adding a lot more random notes and you get some computer machine beep type things.
i thought i had a lot more effects but i have forgotten them now. But delay is the main thing. im not very good at explaing things so email me if need clarification.
From - KACYJC@cs.com
simple not that hard to do. first just pop a really go natrual harmonic, then slam it down to the fret board and bend it. compare it to a normal bend, you'll hear the difference.
Blackboard Scratch
From - Seth Goldart of the Spirit Hop Foundation
This sound effect serves as an opening for a solo, transfer to a heavy part of a song or for general mayhem periods. What you do is simply plug your axe in and distort it. then you put your pick on a high fret(usually below the 12th) and just scratch the third, fourth and fifth strings down the neck.
David Gilmour's Vibrato Ghost
From - Seth Goldart of the Spirit Hop Foundation
I read about this in guitar world. What you do is bend the b-string (or second string) back on the 7th fret or higher, hold it for a few seconds then wiggle it. If all goes well it should produce a faint, ghost-like sound. Enjoy!
Moggio's Bag of Tricks
from - lzrdking@zianet.com
Under String Bar Slide
Take your bar and dip and slack the strings. While the strings are flabbing there, shove the bar UNDER whatever string you like, say the G. Let the bar up and it will be under the string, as you pick you can slide the bar up and down on it's axis UNDER the string! You can mute all strings before you dip, or just let all the string noise come through ala Hendrix.
Pop
With the move above, and preferably a floating trem, you can pop strings on your guitar. Definately an end of song thing.
Flubber
Take a string that you cut with some wire cutters or one that breaks at the nut, and play it by picking it and putting tension and releasing tension with your left hand. It's a very nice effect.
Floating Trem Technique
Don't have a Floating trem? While your playing a run, reach behind the fretting hand with your pick and use the pick as a wedge to pull the note/notes in and out of pitch.
Danger move
One of my former moves involves shoving the peghead straightdown against the floor, lean your body weight on the guitar. Use your weight to bow the neck flat and use the whammy to stretch it sharp. Many variasions on this one. Use a wall, your amp...But beware, you can crack your headstock or break it off, I have an Ibanez with a crack on the back of the headstock. Beware!
Guitar Drag
Thats a name I got from an artist who had a segment on PBS' Egg. He took a guitar an amp with a generator, he tied a guitar to the back of his truck and dragged and recorded it through the surrounding landscape. I always did a similiar trick by gribbing the tip of the headstock and swinging it everywhere. You get so many noises from it. You bang it on the stage, the cable gets tangled around the strings, you can even let it go and watch it slide across the stage. Don't knock it until you try it!
Guitar Rumble
An old SRV trick. You take your guitar off and you lay it on the ground. You grab the whammy bar and you pick up and bounce the guitar on the floor by the whammy. You bounce it up and down and as SRV did you can reach down and flip the guitar in circles.
Breath Bow
If you can get to a good place volumewise where you can take your hands off the guitar without feedback, you can hold the guitar up in the famous Jimi play with your teeth mode and blow across the strings! It's a heavenly effect. Use the bar to manipulate the sounds or if you have a guitar without a locking nut, you can push and wiggle behing the nut as well.
Digital Hissing - BASS
From - Ferkungamabooboo@aol.com
The way to do this is to use a Bass Way (like the CryBaby) and turn up your amp (mine's a practice amp) and just rock it back and forth without using any notes.
It sounds like an ocean or gas hissing through a moving tube or something like that.
Plus, It's just goofy-sounding.
Mosquito-Like Sound
From - Emmad
Take a quarter and rub the edge on the 1st or 2nd strings (it works with any strings) back and forth right near the bridge.
Weird Diving Sound
From - Emmad
Take a quarter and slide it down the bridge with the quarter perpendicular to the strings. As you slide down, you can move it slightly to get a sudden change in pitch because the edge of the quarter isn't smooth.
Fluid Tremolo
From - Emmad
Tremelo pick on the neck (where the strings are) close to where you are fretting the string and it will prduce a very smooth sound that reminds me of water, for some reason.
Noisy Transition
From - GARFUNKILL
I dont know what to call this sound/noise whatever and its kinda dumb, but hey, whatcha gonna do. its an old trick that i started using years ago that involves only distortion and very very very fast picking. generally, its best used right before a change in a song like you would use a drum fill. all i do is speed pick (im talking really damned fast. make slayer look slow) on the b and/or high e string and hold your fingers at random places over the 5-6 fret and move back down to the first. try to avoid hitting the strings open since itll make it sound stupid and you really have to move your left hand like the rest of the neck has the plague and the only escape is to the first fret. both of these techniques (the speed pick+random fast left hand harmonics) pulled off well creates a nice little bridge for that little bit of time you have in a song when ya just feel like making your drummer make funny faces.
More from Moggio's Bag of Tricks
From - Moggio
Moving Pickup
Take any pickup you are not usingor get off a guitar you're not using and mount it in a holder of some sort (I made a little hand-grip with output jack) and you connect it to your amp. You can play legato with your left hand and then you can hold this new contraption over any part of the neck to get different tones! You can also get some nasty/funny sounding overtones that play sympathetically behind your fretting hand!
Whammy bar as noise maker
Pop or unscrew your whammy bar and you can use it to make all kind of great pings and bleep sounds and long extended slide noices.
Tapping chirp
On the high E string, play any familiar tapping run but instead of hitting a note cleanly with the right hand, slide the string off the fretboard to make the tapped note chirp. It's a cross between EVH and Vai!
Right hand Vibrato/Grabbing string to add vibrato
Not so much a trick but a great technique, especially with a floating trem. For example: Hit the e note on the 3rd string 9th fret. As you are holding this note, add wide or whatever vibrato you prefer by grabbinb the 4th string or lower and pull up and down or side to side. This will cause the floating trem to rock up and down at whatever speed you prefer. Great technique.
Extra long bar
On most trems especially Ibanez 'pop' trems, you can take the bar out and put it back in with the long part of the trem into the trem hole. This will make your bar poke straight out! Alot of possibilities here, you can really pull the strings SLACK or you can use it like a gear shift in playing position.
Ugly side neck fretless
On your high or low E String, pull it off the neck with your right hand and quickly place your left hand on the string and play until you get a spot that will get picked up by the pickup. It will sound like a fretless, you'll probably only get a few spots where you'll get some notes but it sound so weird and cool when you do!
Leg whammy
A funny thing you can do is place the guitar so it's between your legs and you can do some tapping, picking and use your leg on the bar! If you record using this technique and say 6 fingered tapping, you will confuse even the most seasoned pro!!!
Crazy Reverb Noise
From - Hayeshayesj
To do this you must have spring raverb, turn distortion on max and turn your master volume up and turn your level down. Sound should come from the reverb tank instead of the speakers. You can make some really cool noises. (Warning-if feedback is not monitored it may become extremely loud very fast)
Bizzare DD-20 Ring Mod
From - NCRA
If you have the new boss dd-20 giga delay pedal, you can make a cool ring modulator noise.
1. Set effect to "Reverse".
2. Turn delay time all the way down to 10 ms
3. play. Use "effect level" knob as blend, and delay time knob like internal oscillator
R2D2 on Fire
From - Erik Sorensen
Me and a friend were playing around with a mini-amp that was fitted into box of camels (somebody had already smoked the cigarettes). At one point my friend took the amp and moved it over the the body of his telecaster and it went: "bling-whooop-za-nannah!". It's just simple feedback of course, but if you have one of these little buggers, try the trick. Simply move the amp in circles above the pickups and it'll sound like R2D2 with his main transistor on fire.
Drop D Soundscape
From - Alex Smith
Tune your guitar into Drop-D. Play the 4th, 5th, and 6th strings open, muting the 1st-3rd strings. You can play around with a Wah, blowing accross the strings, playing a quirky melody on the 1st string using the open D5 as a pedal chord [one repeated as a basso continuo]. However, the trick I like the most is playing the D5 chord, letting the amp harmonize the strings into a higher chord, and gently tapping the whammy bar, increasing tapping strength as you go continue, until you vibrate the open strings back into the original D5 chord. The vibrated fade-in sounds awesome.
Jeremy's Bag of Tricks
From - Jeremy Hunter
Here's a bunch of random guitar effects. Quite a few from mike einziger(however you spell that name) of incubus.
For the'Pardon me effect'
Also used on knice to know you and are you in. delay set it about on second and 4 repeats , theres apart in the song where he just hits a note and lets the delay repeat. That should give you the settings. He also has a phase after the delay to give it the cool tone or whatever you wnat to call it. I dont know.
then play the chord just and voume swell starting from 0.
The chords are all on tab sites. Usually prety acurate.
Here in my Room effect
That random solo from here in my room is alos phaser and delay. Its a semi slow phaser with distortion after it. Also some delay or reverb. before the phaser. I cant get the delay sounding write yet but the general idea is the phaser with a high end distortion to get teh kinda of screaming efect. the dealy helps add to it. The actual notes are (i think)
21 19 15 13 19 21 x2 on the high e string. but more likely it is played an octave lower but using an octaver pedal.
Oh and of course its very heavily tremelo picked. If anyone perfects this please tell me the delay settings.
Clean
on clean the guitar sound like a drum its awesome and very impressive. Im pretty sure its just a phaser on high resolution and etheir a muted string being play or tapping on the pickup or something.
Some other random effects
whales? screams?
trun volume down. bend a note up a fair bit. then chuck on delay pick the note then voume swell up while slowly unbending the note. also do it starting undended as well. put the delay on a fairly short delay time with about 3 repeats maaybe.
Scratch effect thing
Put a short delay on with about 4 or 5 repeats. And a fairly quick phaser scratch slowly. it is an interesting effect. could be cool. i think incubus uses it.
Computer beep sound.
With a les paul style guitar turn one pickup down and the other one up so you have a kill switch. Put long delay on and feed back on as much as possible. play a note then quickly flick the pickup up selecter on then off. then start adding a lot more random notes and you get some computer machine beep type things.
i thought i had a lot more effects but i have forgotten them now. But delay is the main thing. im not very good at explaing things so email me if need clarification.
listing all strange sound tricks-part 3
Crazy Reverb Sounds
From: Angus MacLeod
This works with mine and one of my friends amps, however they are both laney valve state amps, so it may not work for everyones. Using maximum distortion sounds best. Turn reverb up all the way on the amp and hit the top of it with the palm of your hand. Dont break it, just give it a pretty hard tap. It should produce weird warbles and spacey type sounds. Could be a cool stage stunt if you use your guitar to hit the top of the amp instead of your palm.
Also, Evan Price sent in this little FYI to the site -
I just thought I'd explain the reverb trick. It does this because it's a spring reverb (using a spring to create reverb). So when hit your amp, it causes the spring to move and cause noise.
Behind-the-nut raking
from - Angus MacLeod
A simple one. With maximum distortion strike the strings behind the nut. should produce, cool noise is probably the only way to describe it. This is not an original way of noise making - nirvana,radiohead,smashing pumpkins are just a few that have done this.
Hope this helps
Hot Girl Whistle
from Tyler at www.liltylermac.com
This is one if you see a hot girl. On the high E start on the 3rd fret and quickly slide up to the 20th fret. And then on the b string start from the 3rd fret and then quickly slide up to the 16th fret and then slide back down. It sounds like a whistle .
Flying UFO
From - Raimundas
This effect is called "Flying UFO." You have to stab at random with your fingers above the 12th fret and you will hear the sound. (Simulate computers bleeping.)
CD Drum Set
From - Raimundas
This effect is called Drum set. I will describe it like I usually do. I place a CD between the strings (1st string over the CD, 2nd under it, 3rd over it, and so on...). Then, hit the CD like a drum. CD's placed in different places of the fretboard will produce different sounds. Write if it gave any use to you.
Psycho
From - Andrew Zeylemaker
I like to call this sound Psycho. Mute all strings and strum behind the nut hard and fast in a downward motion using a straight crotchet rhythm - this makes a dissonant sound which my friends and I consider to be close to the strings sound used in the shower scene from the movie Psycho . This sound comes in handy when you are at a jam and someone is fucking up so badly that you would like to kill them!
Electric Shaver trick
From - CsHaRp8869@aol.com
This one is probably the easiest trick ever....All u gotta do is get an electric shaver turn the shaver on and put it up to ur pickups....if u have that little beard trimmer thing on the back of ur shaver pull it in and out it makes a pretty cool sound also when put up to the pickups
Watch Metronome
from CsHaRp8869@aol.com
Here is Another easy trick...just take ur watch it has to be the one with the hands not digital...and put it up to ur pickups its like a metranome (or however u spell it)
Tape Recorder Trick
from CsHaRp8869@aol.com
ok Here is Another easy trick...if u have one of those tape recorders that u stick tapes in and record peoples voices onto the tape just turn it on and push either Play,Fast Forward or Rewind and hold it up to ur pickups it makes a pretty cool sound...also if u have a recorder like i do that lets u control how fast and slow the tape goes just keep turning it back and forth from Fast to Slow and it sounds pretty sweet....i have posted tricks about the Watch,Electric Shaver and this one..if u have any comments email me at CsHaRp8869@aol.com
P.S. I am not responsible if u mess ur guitar up while performing these Tricks/Noises
Pedal-less Wah
from Mike917974@cs.com
step 1) strum any chord
step2) turn the tone dial back and forth to create a wah
Creepy Spring Scraping
by Evan Price evn_111@hotmail.com
Hi there, here's a creepy kind of sound I didn't see on your site. Take the back off of your guitar and scrape or pluck the spring.
Drill Sound (Poundcake)
by Ben Woodrow - woodros3000@yahoo.com
i know you all probably know how to do this one but get and electric drill and hold it over your pick-ups ala EVH, if you use a decent amount of distortion you get a really wild sound reminiscent of "poundcake" its an obvious one but just try it i guarantee you wont be dissapointed
Brass Slide Tricks
From - RTAT1051@kingstec.nscc.ns.ca
try this with a brass slide. hold it in your picking hand, and tap the strings around the area where you would pick. i should also mention that this works best on the high e string. fret high on the fret board and tap as fast as you can. you may want to use some gain or anything else you have to boost the signal. but you can get a sound similar to the old NES video game console. next try scraping the d string with the end of the slide with delay. you want to play bulls on parade? go ahead. just practice, without the delay of course.
Vibrator Relaxxx!
from 5177ns
Ok, I got this way of making noises out of the guitar that has to do with using a dildo (vibrator), turning it on and running it close to the pickups. It should then interfere with the magnetic fields or something and create lots of weird noises depending on what effects and what motion you run it in. Ahem... I havent actually tried it, and I guess courage is needed to actually go up to a sex shop and buy one, especially if you're male... hehe. Anyhow, I suppose that another thing that might work is a vibrating or rotating toothbrush, or anything else that has an electric motor in it.
"Freebird" Bird Noises
from Adam Hart - Hammet1@aol.com
When Lynard Skynard plays live, they make these high pitched bird chirping noises before going into Freebird. Since they sound better with highs, but your guitar to your treble pick up and grab your glass slide. (Rounded edges help a lot but aren't necessary.) Jack up your volume and knock your tone back a little. Remember, you're about to play something very high pitched. You want all your trebles up so the noise gets picked up very clearly, but you don't want to shatter your fans' ear drums with rediculous highs. Softening up the tone just a little takes the edge away.
Take the slide in your right hand and position it over the pickups, strike the edge of the slide on the high e string , and slide a short way with it. You should get a little chirp. Make sure to be muting the strings with your left hand on the neck, or else the string will sound when you remove the slide.
Repeat this as necessary, and you can use any of the unwound strings. High e just sounds better than the rest. It sounds even better with 3 guitarists doing it, a la Lynard Skynard. Enjoy.
last part of strange guitar tricks will come very soon
From: Angus MacLeod
This works with mine and one of my friends amps, however they are both laney valve state amps, so it may not work for everyones. Using maximum distortion sounds best. Turn reverb up all the way on the amp and hit the top of it with the palm of your hand. Dont break it, just give it a pretty hard tap. It should produce weird warbles and spacey type sounds. Could be a cool stage stunt if you use your guitar to hit the top of the amp instead of your palm.
Also, Evan Price sent in this little FYI to the site -
I just thought I'd explain the reverb trick. It does this because it's a spring reverb (using a spring to create reverb). So when hit your amp, it causes the spring to move and cause noise.
Behind-the-nut raking
from - Angus MacLeod
A simple one. With maximum distortion strike the strings behind the nut. should produce, cool noise is probably the only way to describe it. This is not an original way of noise making - nirvana,radiohead,smashing pumpkins are just a few that have done this.
Hope this helps
Hot Girl Whistle
from Tyler at www.liltylermac.com
This is one if you see a hot girl. On the high E start on the 3rd fret and quickly slide up to the 20th fret. And then on the b string start from the 3rd fret and then quickly slide up to the 16th fret and then slide back down. It sounds like a whistle .
Flying UFO
From - Raimundas
This effect is called "Flying UFO." You have to stab at random with your fingers above the 12th fret and you will hear the sound. (Simulate computers bleeping.)
CD Drum Set
From - Raimundas
This effect is called Drum set. I will describe it like I usually do. I place a CD between the strings (1st string over the CD, 2nd under it, 3rd over it, and so on...). Then, hit the CD like a drum. CD's placed in different places of the fretboard will produce different sounds. Write if it gave any use to you.
Psycho
From - Andrew Zeylemaker
I like to call this sound Psycho. Mute all strings and strum behind the nut hard and fast in a downward motion using a straight crotchet rhythm - this makes a dissonant sound which my friends and I consider to be close to the strings sound used in the shower scene from the movie Psycho . This sound comes in handy when you are at a jam and someone is fucking up so badly that you would like to kill them!
Electric Shaver trick
From - CsHaRp8869@aol.com
This one is probably the easiest trick ever....All u gotta do is get an electric shaver turn the shaver on and put it up to ur pickups....if u have that little beard trimmer thing on the back of ur shaver pull it in and out it makes a pretty cool sound also when put up to the pickups
Watch Metronome
from CsHaRp8869@aol.com
Here is Another easy trick...just take ur watch it has to be the one with the hands not digital...and put it up to ur pickups its like a metranome (or however u spell it)
Tape Recorder Trick
from CsHaRp8869@aol.com
ok Here is Another easy trick...if u have one of those tape recorders that u stick tapes in and record peoples voices onto the tape just turn it on and push either Play,Fast Forward or Rewind and hold it up to ur pickups it makes a pretty cool sound...also if u have a recorder like i do that lets u control how fast and slow the tape goes just keep turning it back and forth from Fast to Slow and it sounds pretty sweet....i have posted tricks about the Watch,Electric Shaver and this one..if u have any comments email me at CsHaRp8869@aol.com
P.S. I am not responsible if u mess ur guitar up while performing these Tricks/Noises
Pedal-less Wah
from Mike917974@cs.com
step 1) strum any chord
step2) turn the tone dial back and forth to create a wah
Creepy Spring Scraping
by Evan Price evn_111@hotmail.com
Hi there, here's a creepy kind of sound I didn't see on your site. Take the back off of your guitar and scrape or pluck the spring.
Drill Sound (Poundcake)
by Ben Woodrow - woodros3000@yahoo.com
i know you all probably know how to do this one but get and electric drill and hold it over your pick-ups ala EVH, if you use a decent amount of distortion you get a really wild sound reminiscent of "poundcake" its an obvious one but just try it i guarantee you wont be dissapointed
Brass Slide Tricks
From - RTAT1051@kingstec.nscc.ns.ca
try this with a brass slide. hold it in your picking hand, and tap the strings around the area where you would pick. i should also mention that this works best on the high e string. fret high on the fret board and tap as fast as you can. you may want to use some gain or anything else you have to boost the signal. but you can get a sound similar to the old NES video game console. next try scraping the d string with the end of the slide with delay. you want to play bulls on parade? go ahead. just practice, without the delay of course.
Vibrator Relaxxx!
from 5177ns
Ok, I got this way of making noises out of the guitar that has to do with using a dildo (vibrator), turning it on and running it close to the pickups. It should then interfere with the magnetic fields or something and create lots of weird noises depending on what effects and what motion you run it in. Ahem... I havent actually tried it, and I guess courage is needed to actually go up to a sex shop and buy one, especially if you're male... hehe. Anyhow, I suppose that another thing that might work is a vibrating or rotating toothbrush, or anything else that has an electric motor in it.
"Freebird" Bird Noises
from Adam Hart - Hammet1@aol.com
When Lynard Skynard plays live, they make these high pitched bird chirping noises before going into Freebird. Since they sound better with highs, but your guitar to your treble pick up and grab your glass slide. (Rounded edges help a lot but aren't necessary.) Jack up your volume and knock your tone back a little. Remember, you're about to play something very high pitched. You want all your trebles up so the noise gets picked up very clearly, but you don't want to shatter your fans' ear drums with rediculous highs. Softening up the tone just a little takes the edge away.
Take the slide in your right hand and position it over the pickups, strike the edge of the slide on the high e string , and slide a short way with it. You should get a little chirp. Make sure to be muting the strings with your left hand on the neck, or else the string will sound when you remove the slide.
Repeat this as necessary, and you can use any of the unwound strings. High e just sounds better than the rest. It sounds even better with 3 guitarists doing it, a la Lynard Skynard. Enjoy.
last part of strange guitar tricks will come very soon
listing all strange sound tricks-part 2
Remote Control Sounds
from pedman@bellsouth.net
To do this take a remote control for your T.V. or something and with the volume on your guitar turned up, press one of the buttons on your remote. You should here a weird kind of beep. Also, different remotes will give you different sounds.
Blips III
by Vince Malave - vmalave@ptdprolog.net
I've been experimenting with controlling microphonic feedback. First, you need to get your guitar's pickups to squeal. I use a cheap strat for this. Then adjust volume and gain until it squeals uncontrollably (try several distortion devices if one won't do it, and put the pickups as close to the speaker as possible). Now to control it you'll need a pedal. With a wah, you can play a note, and raise the pedal to make it sustain into a squeal. I discovered this this with a Boss flanger, set all the knobs about half-up, then make it squeal. You should hear all these blips that rise and fall in sequence. You can also try using the tone knobs to control the "blips".
Plane Diving
from jimi@henge.com
I just got my first amp today and came across this site... This is the sound of a plane pulling up and then quickly losing altitude (in my opinion:) You set the pickups to the neck and slide a bottle neck from the bridge to the neck with lots of distortion.. You could probably simulate engine problems with the tremolo.. Enjoy!
Here's a very COOL .WAV File plane.wav - .WAV File 148K
Moggio's Bag of Tricks
from - lzrdking@zianet.com
Church Bells
You grab the g-string with your left hand ring finger and pull it over the b-string. Make sure their touching each other and then pluck them. It sounds just like a church bell. Try overdubbing a few tracks and you'd be surprised how great it sounds.
Helicopter
Turn guitar volume down, and also push your whammy bar down to an almost slack position with your left hand wrist. Slowly start tremolo picking with your right hand and then slowly turn up the volume with your left. As your doing all this slowly start to release and reapply pressure with the left wrist on the whammy. You get(especially very loud distorted guitar)a giant WWIII Helicopter sound! Experiment!
Hot Rod Car Sound
You need some pretty good gain on this but it's pretty easy to do. Turn your volume knob off, almost slack your whammy bar with your left hand wrist, hit say a low E, and with your right hand start to turn your volume knob up and simaltaneuously bring your bar up.Quickly shut off the volume But leave the bar in the position you shut it off at, then start to turn your volume on again and simaltaneuously raising your bar up. Find the right rythmn and time the volume knob and bar to the gear changes of a hot rod.
Poor man's Echo
Play a lick and say you end your phrase on the 2nd string/12th fret (B Note), with your left hand slide the note down the neck, quickly hit the same note with your right hand middle finger, slide the same note down the neck, repeat the same note with the left hand and slide again. Repeat as much or little, as slow or as fast as you desire. Just make the movement as smooth as possible.
Another Eddie Sound
Grab and depress the whammy with your left hand and with your right hand middle finger push the low E against the bridge pickups pole pieces and simultaniously bring the bar up and down. It will change the pitch of the bleep and it works on all the other strings too!
The Laugh
Grab the bar with your left hand and slack the strings about halfway. Now with the edge of your pick, scape and bounce it on the strings (start in between your humbuckers) Angle the pick so that it's it at a slight angle (like this __/_), so it catches the string alittle, and bounce it towards the neck pickup as you time the release and depresion of the bar. Get a feel for the big sounding HA HA HA HA.
Chug
If your trem has a bar that screws in, don't tighten it up all the way. Cranked up and muting the strings with your left hand, rock the bar back and worth in it's loose slot. Try not to get any string noise, just the sound of the bar rocking, the tailpiece shouldn't even move. Just another cool NoIsE.
Hog snort
Once again, depress the whammy bar with your left hand and time the raising and lowering of the low E with the picking of your right hand.
Alley Cat
Mute the strings, depress the whammy bar, keep the strings QUIET. Once you hit a note, let the bar SWOOP up and while it's ringing depress it slowly and let it back up again. Once again mimic the kittie's meow. Using a Wah Wah pedal does wonders but it's not really needed.
Thunder
from tnemf96@student.hv.se
I don't know if this works on a regular guitar,but it works great on a bass. While holding the bass in your lap,take a small rubber ball(like a superball or something) and roll it slowly down the strings.You get a low, rumbly sound that reminds you of thunder. I find it works best if you lower your treble as much as possible, and turn the iunstrument and amp way up.
Car Sound
from edman@bellsouth.net
1) First take your wammy bar and drop it all the way down so that it is toching the body of your guitar. (You might want to use your left hand to do this so that your right hand is free to hit the stings) It should make your guitar lower if you have Tremolo system and it sounds higher you went the wrong way. It might be fun to try that too. I don't have one so I don't know what it would sound like.
2) Hit the low E-string and let the bar go up. The speed dosn't matter one if done quikly it sounds like you it the gas hard and left it there. Slowly makes it sound like your are taking off in a powerful car slowly.
3) If you move the bar up and down quikly it sounds like a car reving up. I will try to send a sound file as soon as I figure out how.
Bell Harmonics
From - Shiloh@nci2000.net
Lift up the high E string with a finger on your fretting hand, push it up and over the B string, and back down to the fretboard. The high E string will be laying across the B string. Now pick both strings at the same time. It creates a kind of ring modulation, like in a bell. It never fails to raise eyebrows in a group of musicians, and the inevitable question, "How'd you do that??"
Marshall sqeally
from aaron@melbay.com
The only amp I've been able to do this effect with is a Marshall Tube amp (JCM800) - using a wah pedal, turn the amp on about 5 with the gain all the way up in the high gain channel-stand with the pickups as close as you can get them to the output transformer( on the right side looking at the amp) The Wah and proximity to the transformer will give a sqealling/whammy-able type sound....Don't thank me, thank Billy Corgan!
Slap Guitar
from Alien3snow@aol.com
I've got a couple of noises here for you. One is really easy. You just strike the strings like a slap bass and it gives you some awesome possibilities. You can double bass lines with your bassist, it sounds awesome. Another is you just slide your whammy bar across your strings. You can touch them and then come of or go back and forth.
Feeling
by J Hanna & H Gill - jofta@bigpond.com
...However, no pedals, no amplifiers, no drummers, no bass players, no fender technicians are really required to add effect to a guitar.
Feeling, and self expression, produce some of the greatest effect I've ever experienced in music. Witness :
Joni Mitchell
Neil Young
Chet Atkins
Tommy Emmanuel
John Lee Hooker,
and every busker who ever earned a dollar honestly.
Kirk Hammet's Psycho Descent
from - Rohanjw@aol.com
Here is a very cool noise made by Kirk Hammet on Metallica's 'Garage Inc.' Mercyful fate track. The noise is hard to explain. You need at least a floyd rose for this. Do a very very fast trill between frets 14 and 17, then graduly divebomb, then, holding the arm at slack, play fret 17 and pull it up as high as it can go, then release fret 17 to fret 0 (duh!) and do a quick dive bomb. If played properly it sounds amazing!
Tea & Bacon
from - chrisa1@flash.net
This is a pretty hard and unreliable noise, but I love it when it works well. Most of the time, it's just tea (high pitched squeal, like a screaming tea pot), but sometimes you get bacon, too (sizzle). Okay, the effect: It's basically your standard harmonic squeal, but it's higher than usual because it's not done on the fretboard. Another plus is you can do it with just one hand. Also note: You have to have a fingernail to do this. With your right middle (or index or ring) fingernail, pop the string (usually for me the high E). Then immediately stop the string to almost mute with your thumb, but do not completely mute it. Leave it barely buzzing. You can do this two ways, one with the thumb already on or near the string, and the second is done by nearly slapping the thumb (result of this method is louder, but more difficult to stop the string just right). Distortion is a must! I discovered it with mucho distortion (simultaneous Big Muff and heavy metal pedals going). It works with smaller. Make sure the distortion does not kill the effect, because the string is barely vibrating, and a pervasively distorted signal or noise gate could kill the effect. But, the sizzle comes best with excessive distortion. It's a hard deal to describe, so try it, get frustrated with it, and improve it. Works best with bridge pickup. And if done right, there will be some high frequencies going on, so keep it down or wear ear plugs -- I wouldn't subject a hole-in-the-wall club full of people to this.
To the 25th fret and Beyond!
From - chrisa1@flash.net
Here's an effect that someone else has already described, but I don't know if they mentioned that it can create a whammy bar effect, too, not to mention the highest note you can get without artificial harmonics. Take any string (better with plain, best with high E). Push it down on one of the coils of the neck humbucker, or one edge if there's a cover (this happens to be my setup [Les Paul]; don't know if it works with Strats or similar guitars). Pick as you push the string into the pickup. The pickup should tilt, making the note go up, but then you should depress it, making the note come back down. The result sounds like a bend, only more fluid -- like a whammy bar. You can pick at different times to make it sound like you're going up or going down, too. It's kind of a trick, but it's also a noise because it's a damn high note. It's good when you reach the 22nd or 24th fret and you realize it's not high enough. Actually, doing this with the B string sounds more like a "25th fret and beyond" continuation than doing this with the E string does. On the E string it's just a damn high note.
WARNING: I don't know if it's just my cheap Korean (Epiphone) guitar, or the trick, but the right side my neck pickup sunk into the body. It wasn't like the minute or the day after I did this trick, but it was after I discovered it. So do this if you have faith in your neck pickup, and/or you can easily repair this kind of stuff yourself. I did, and it's not a problem anymore.
More Thunder
from BassDemon apache33@bellsouth.net
On bass, if you turn on some moderate distortion, (no dist. may work too...... i've never tried it tho), turn your volume way up, and tap the back of the neck about middle ways between the headstock and the body with the palm of your hand, it will produce a low, brooding thunder sound.
Morello DJ Scratching
from 'Wes Borland' wesborland415@icqmail.com
I know of another noise that concerns a Tom Morello technique, the DJ scratching sound.
To do this you need a les paul style geetar or a guitar with a volume for each pickup, then set the neck pickup to "0" and the bridge pickup to "10", so you create a kill switch when you toggle between positions 2 and 3.
Now with the switch set on 2 (the middle of the 3) smart moving your hands over the strings, but not fretting any notes, then push the toggle switch into the 3rd position then put it back into the 2nd. flick the toggle switch to get the desired speed of the cuts. flipping the toggle switch gives the same effect as a crossfader for turntables, and your hand is the scratching. so flip the toggle switch to the beat of the music and rub your hand up and down at any speed. voila!
i can't send an example cuz my computer doesn't have the ability to record sound (no mic) but if you want to hear this in action check out Bulls on Parade by Rage Against the Machine on Evil Empire.
Also, Adam Hart sent in this FYI:
If you have a Les Paul or similar, and you want to do the Morello switching pick up trick, be warned! Rapidly switching between totally on and totally off pick ups builds up heat in the selector circuit board and can fry it! my guitar tech friend has affected this repair countless times and warned me not to try it for prolongued amounts of time on my own guitar.
Be warned!
Flowing Stream
from - MetalMoth2@aol.com
I call this something like a flowing stream. You need a Zoom 505 to do this though. Hit the edit key and set the following effects listed below;
Comp. C2
Dist. Dist.
Gain. 20
ZNR\Amp. A6
EQ\Phase. P5
Mod. P9
Dly\Rev. D7
Level. How ever loud you want
After you've done this, on the High E string speed pick while palm muting between the 14th and the 22nd fret.
Delay Pedal DJ Sounds
from - Michael Robson
I was messing about with the delay time and found a cool new effect.Have all the dials on the delay pedal on full, If you play a power chord with heavy distortion then spin the time dial on your delay pedal it sound like a dj spinning a record backwards (be careful near you amp while you do this as the sound get very loud). I'll try to send a sound file of this soon.
More Stream Sounds
from The Mighty KUDZU
I use a BOSS EQ pedal set with the mid boosted, bass slighly below 0, and the highs gradually approaching the bottom to form a sort of ^ shape. then i kick on distortion and sit in front of my cabinet while keeping all of the strings vibrating. i don't know if this is reproduceable by others, but on my amp it sounds exactly like flowing water
NBC Theme with natural harmonic
from - Cole W Kuzmish
Here's how you play the NBC theme with natural harmonics.
E-------------|
B------5------|
G---7-----5---|
D-------------|
A-------------|
E-------------|
It's sorta hard to pull off, but cool, too! It's works better with a lot of distortion.
A Plethora of Creepy Sounds
From Kurt - Smashpmkns@aol.com
For a creepy sound, play the strings above the nut, and if your guitar has a Les Paul-type bridge, you can also play behind the bridge.
For a turntable-esque screetchy sound, have lots of distortion, and turn the pick sideways, so the thin side is touching the strings, and slide it up and down.
For helicopter sounds, have a flanger with a slow, deep sweep, and put a square wave tremolo after it.
For a funky, bass-like sound, don't use a pick, and pull a coiled string away from the fretboard, then release.
For seagull sounds, plug a wah pedal in backwards (input to amp, output to guitar), and experiment with it.
Korn squeal
from - Kingofrock379@aol.com
I figured out the end part of the song Blind by Korn. When it slows down and there is that high pitched noise. What you do is get a wah pedal and switch the cables around so that the cable that should connect it to the amp is in the instrument's hole and the cable that should connect it to the instrument is in the amp's hole. You then just press the pedal and lift it up to hear the noise
Feedback Soundscapes
from Hilaro Garcia
Microphonic pickups are normally rather awful but they could be good sometimes. I've got a '91 Gibson Les Paul. Well one of the PUs has gone microphonic, making a loud noise if you go anywhere near a loud amp. Well that howling noise could be used in a musical context. Look for the right location and move your guitar about.
You want a proof?
O.K. then, listen to the very first part of "JesusChrist Pose" by the mighty Soundgarden.Can you hear that turbid yet great effect? Yes, you're right. An awful, cheap humbucking PU next to a loud Marshall was the most likely suspect.
Funny or what!! (still, you Gibson people, you have no excuse I'm afraid...)
Unorthodox Pitch Shifting
from Hilaro García
I bought a second hand Digital pitch shifter pedal (Boss) -that's it the one with the delay facility-. I didn't buy it for its hability to create harmonies. I believe that if you aren't a certain Mr Vai, harmonies played on the guitar can sound rarther clumsy, cliched and very, very '80s. Still, I use it for creating textures. Set the feedback to the maximum and control the pitch shifting knob to go a 5th or an octave ABOVE the current note. Together with a delay unit afterwards you'll get a never ending cascade of cosmic sounds.
Want to hear it? You don't have the pedal? Please E-mail me and find out how
Tom Morello's Buzz
from Paul Kilpinen
Take the cord out of the guitar and touch it on the metal parts of your guitar (or your hands/fingers) and use effects pedals (whammy/wah/flanger, etc) to make it sound different. This is done in the solo for 'Testify'. Tap the cord on and off quickly for a similar effect to the pickup switch technique
Oscillating Effect
from - Kevin
This one is a weird one. From guitar to amp: wah, distortion (I use a proco rat), phaser (I use EH small stone), and then another distortion unit (I use my amps distortion). After you get that hooked up, tune the low E on your guitar down to a much lower note like A. Set the phaser on a fast rate and start playing the low string with both distortions on. rock the wah back and forth. It's like a crazy oscillating type thing... very hard to put into words but very cool. For more variety, adjust the depth or rate on the phaser and use more or less distortion on both units.
Delay Tricks
From Kevin McCoy killxrockxstars@subdimension.com
This is cool. For this you will need a delay unit set to about 1 second with a decent amount of repeats. Turn your guitar volume all the way down. Strike a chord, then smoothly fade in and out with your volume knob. Sounds like a cool spacey volume swell, this is used extensively on the Incubus song "Pardon Me".
Another delay one. Set the delay on about 1 sec with as much repeat as you can get. Strike a fretted note on say, the B string. Tremelo pick the note and bend it slightly upward and then back down, varying the rate of picking and bending... sounds like 1000 out of tune guitars.
That's all for now, I will send more soon... peace man....
from pedman@bellsouth.net
To do this take a remote control for your T.V. or something and with the volume on your guitar turned up, press one of the buttons on your remote. You should here a weird kind of beep. Also, different remotes will give you different sounds.
Blips III
by Vince Malave - vmalave@ptdprolog.net
I've been experimenting with controlling microphonic feedback. First, you need to get your guitar's pickups to squeal. I use a cheap strat for this. Then adjust volume and gain until it squeals uncontrollably (try several distortion devices if one won't do it, and put the pickups as close to the speaker as possible). Now to control it you'll need a pedal. With a wah, you can play a note, and raise the pedal to make it sustain into a squeal. I discovered this this with a Boss flanger, set all the knobs about half-up, then make it squeal. You should hear all these blips that rise and fall in sequence. You can also try using the tone knobs to control the "blips".
Plane Diving
from jimi@henge.com
I just got my first amp today and came across this site... This is the sound of a plane pulling up and then quickly losing altitude (in my opinion:) You set the pickups to the neck and slide a bottle neck from the bridge to the neck with lots of distortion.. You could probably simulate engine problems with the tremolo.. Enjoy!
Here's a very COOL .WAV File plane.wav - .WAV File 148K
Moggio's Bag of Tricks
from - lzrdking@zianet.com
Church Bells
You grab the g-string with your left hand ring finger and pull it over the b-string. Make sure their touching each other and then pluck them. It sounds just like a church bell. Try overdubbing a few tracks and you'd be surprised how great it sounds.
Helicopter
Turn guitar volume down, and also push your whammy bar down to an almost slack position with your left hand wrist. Slowly start tremolo picking with your right hand and then slowly turn up the volume with your left. As your doing all this slowly start to release and reapply pressure with the left wrist on the whammy. You get(especially very loud distorted guitar)a giant WWIII Helicopter sound! Experiment!
Hot Rod Car Sound
You need some pretty good gain on this but it's pretty easy to do. Turn your volume knob off, almost slack your whammy bar with your left hand wrist, hit say a low E, and with your right hand start to turn your volume knob up and simaltaneuously bring your bar up.Quickly shut off the volume But leave the bar in the position you shut it off at, then start to turn your volume on again and simaltaneuously raising your bar up. Find the right rythmn and time the volume knob and bar to the gear changes of a hot rod.
Poor man's Echo
Play a lick and say you end your phrase on the 2nd string/12th fret (B Note), with your left hand slide the note down the neck, quickly hit the same note with your right hand middle finger, slide the same note down the neck, repeat the same note with the left hand and slide again. Repeat as much or little, as slow or as fast as you desire. Just make the movement as smooth as possible.
Another Eddie Sound
Grab and depress the whammy with your left hand and with your right hand middle finger push the low E against the bridge pickups pole pieces and simultaniously bring the bar up and down. It will change the pitch of the bleep and it works on all the other strings too!
The Laugh
Grab the bar with your left hand and slack the strings about halfway. Now with the edge of your pick, scape and bounce it on the strings (start in between your humbuckers) Angle the pick so that it's it at a slight angle (like this __/_), so it catches the string alittle, and bounce it towards the neck pickup as you time the release and depresion of the bar. Get a feel for the big sounding HA HA HA HA.
Chug
If your trem has a bar that screws in, don't tighten it up all the way. Cranked up and muting the strings with your left hand, rock the bar back and worth in it's loose slot. Try not to get any string noise, just the sound of the bar rocking, the tailpiece shouldn't even move. Just another cool NoIsE.
Hog snort
Once again, depress the whammy bar with your left hand and time the raising and lowering of the low E with the picking of your right hand.
Alley Cat
Mute the strings, depress the whammy bar, keep the strings QUIET. Once you hit a note, let the bar SWOOP up and while it's ringing depress it slowly and let it back up again. Once again mimic the kittie's meow. Using a Wah Wah pedal does wonders but it's not really needed.
Thunder
from tnemf96@student.hv.se
I don't know if this works on a regular guitar,but it works great on a bass. While holding the bass in your lap,take a small rubber ball(like a superball or something) and roll it slowly down the strings.You get a low, rumbly sound that reminds you of thunder. I find it works best if you lower your treble as much as possible, and turn the iunstrument and amp way up.
Car Sound
from edman@bellsouth.net
1) First take your wammy bar and drop it all the way down so that it is toching the body of your guitar. (You might want to use your left hand to do this so that your right hand is free to hit the stings) It should make your guitar lower if you have Tremolo system and it sounds higher you went the wrong way. It might be fun to try that too. I don't have one so I don't know what it would sound like.
2) Hit the low E-string and let the bar go up. The speed dosn't matter one if done quikly it sounds like you it the gas hard and left it there. Slowly makes it sound like your are taking off in a powerful car slowly.
3) If you move the bar up and down quikly it sounds like a car reving up. I will try to send a sound file as soon as I figure out how.
Bell Harmonics
From - Shiloh@nci2000.net
Lift up the high E string with a finger on your fretting hand, push it up and over the B string, and back down to the fretboard. The high E string will be laying across the B string. Now pick both strings at the same time. It creates a kind of ring modulation, like in a bell. It never fails to raise eyebrows in a group of musicians, and the inevitable question, "How'd you do that??"
Marshall sqeally
from aaron@melbay.com
The only amp I've been able to do this effect with is a Marshall Tube amp (JCM800) - using a wah pedal, turn the amp on about 5 with the gain all the way up in the high gain channel-stand with the pickups as close as you can get them to the output transformer( on the right side looking at the amp) The Wah and proximity to the transformer will give a sqealling/whammy-able type sound....Don't thank me, thank Billy Corgan!
Slap Guitar
from Alien3snow@aol.com
I've got a couple of noises here for you. One is really easy. You just strike the strings like a slap bass and it gives you some awesome possibilities. You can double bass lines with your bassist, it sounds awesome. Another is you just slide your whammy bar across your strings. You can touch them and then come of or go back and forth.
Feeling
by J Hanna & H Gill - jofta@bigpond.com
...However, no pedals, no amplifiers, no drummers, no bass players, no fender technicians are really required to add effect to a guitar.
Feeling, and self expression, produce some of the greatest effect I've ever experienced in music. Witness :
Joni Mitchell
Neil Young
Chet Atkins
Tommy Emmanuel
John Lee Hooker,
and every busker who ever earned a dollar honestly.
Kirk Hammet's Psycho Descent
from - Rohanjw@aol.com
Here is a very cool noise made by Kirk Hammet on Metallica's 'Garage Inc.' Mercyful fate track. The noise is hard to explain. You need at least a floyd rose for this. Do a very very fast trill between frets 14 and 17, then graduly divebomb, then, holding the arm at slack, play fret 17 and pull it up as high as it can go, then release fret 17 to fret 0 (duh!) and do a quick dive bomb. If played properly it sounds amazing!
Tea & Bacon
from - chrisa1@flash.net
This is a pretty hard and unreliable noise, but I love it when it works well. Most of the time, it's just tea (high pitched squeal, like a screaming tea pot), but sometimes you get bacon, too (sizzle). Okay, the effect: It's basically your standard harmonic squeal, but it's higher than usual because it's not done on the fretboard. Another plus is you can do it with just one hand. Also note: You have to have a fingernail to do this. With your right middle (or index or ring) fingernail, pop the string (usually for me the high E). Then immediately stop the string to almost mute with your thumb, but do not completely mute it. Leave it barely buzzing. You can do this two ways, one with the thumb already on or near the string, and the second is done by nearly slapping the thumb (result of this method is louder, but more difficult to stop the string just right). Distortion is a must! I discovered it with mucho distortion (simultaneous Big Muff and heavy metal pedals going). It works with smaller. Make sure the distortion does not kill the effect, because the string is barely vibrating, and a pervasively distorted signal or noise gate could kill the effect. But, the sizzle comes best with excessive distortion. It's a hard deal to describe, so try it, get frustrated with it, and improve it. Works best with bridge pickup. And if done right, there will be some high frequencies going on, so keep it down or wear ear plugs -- I wouldn't subject a hole-in-the-wall club full of people to this.
To the 25th fret and Beyond!
From - chrisa1@flash.net
Here's an effect that someone else has already described, but I don't know if they mentioned that it can create a whammy bar effect, too, not to mention the highest note you can get without artificial harmonics. Take any string (better with plain, best with high E). Push it down on one of the coils of the neck humbucker, or one edge if there's a cover (this happens to be my setup [Les Paul]; don't know if it works with Strats or similar guitars). Pick as you push the string into the pickup. The pickup should tilt, making the note go up, but then you should depress it, making the note come back down. The result sounds like a bend, only more fluid -- like a whammy bar. You can pick at different times to make it sound like you're going up or going down, too. It's kind of a trick, but it's also a noise because it's a damn high note. It's good when you reach the 22nd or 24th fret and you realize it's not high enough. Actually, doing this with the B string sounds more like a "25th fret and beyond" continuation than doing this with the E string does. On the E string it's just a damn high note.
WARNING: I don't know if it's just my cheap Korean (Epiphone) guitar, or the trick, but the right side my neck pickup sunk into the body. It wasn't like the minute or the day after I did this trick, but it was after I discovered it. So do this if you have faith in your neck pickup, and/or you can easily repair this kind of stuff yourself. I did, and it's not a problem anymore.
More Thunder
from BassDemon apache33@bellsouth.net
On bass, if you turn on some moderate distortion, (no dist. may work too...... i've never tried it tho), turn your volume way up, and tap the back of the neck about middle ways between the headstock and the body with the palm of your hand, it will produce a low, brooding thunder sound.
Morello DJ Scratching
from 'Wes Borland' wesborland415@icqmail.com
I know of another noise that concerns a Tom Morello technique, the DJ scratching sound.
To do this you need a les paul style geetar or a guitar with a volume for each pickup, then set the neck pickup to "0" and the bridge pickup to "10", so you create a kill switch when you toggle between positions 2 and 3.
Now with the switch set on 2 (the middle of the 3) smart moving your hands over the strings, but not fretting any notes, then push the toggle switch into the 3rd position then put it back into the 2nd. flick the toggle switch to get the desired speed of the cuts. flipping the toggle switch gives the same effect as a crossfader for turntables, and your hand is the scratching. so flip the toggle switch to the beat of the music and rub your hand up and down at any speed. voila!
i can't send an example cuz my computer doesn't have the ability to record sound (no mic) but if you want to hear this in action check out Bulls on Parade by Rage Against the Machine on Evil Empire.
Also, Adam Hart sent in this FYI:
If you have a Les Paul or similar, and you want to do the Morello switching pick up trick, be warned! Rapidly switching between totally on and totally off pick ups builds up heat in the selector circuit board and can fry it! my guitar tech friend has affected this repair countless times and warned me not to try it for prolongued amounts of time on my own guitar.
Be warned!
Flowing Stream
from - MetalMoth2@aol.com
I call this something like a flowing stream. You need a Zoom 505 to do this though. Hit the edit key and set the following effects listed below;
Comp. C2
Dist. Dist.
Gain. 20
ZNR\Amp. A6
EQ\Phase. P5
Mod. P9
Dly\Rev. D7
Level. How ever loud you want
After you've done this, on the High E string speed pick while palm muting between the 14th and the 22nd fret.
Delay Pedal DJ Sounds
from - Michael Robson
I was messing about with the delay time and found a cool new effect.Have all the dials on the delay pedal on full, If you play a power chord with heavy distortion then spin the time dial on your delay pedal it sound like a dj spinning a record backwards (be careful near you amp while you do this as the sound get very loud). I'll try to send a sound file of this soon.
More Stream Sounds
from The Mighty KUDZU
I use a BOSS EQ pedal set with the mid boosted, bass slighly below 0, and the highs gradually approaching the bottom to form a sort of ^ shape. then i kick on distortion and sit in front of my cabinet while keeping all of the strings vibrating. i don't know if this is reproduceable by others, but on my amp it sounds exactly like flowing water
NBC Theme with natural harmonic
from - Cole W Kuzmish
Here's how you play the NBC theme with natural harmonics.
E-------------|
B------5------|
G---7-----5---|
D-------------|
A-------------|
E-------------|
It's sorta hard to pull off, but cool, too! It's works better with a lot of distortion.
A Plethora of Creepy Sounds
From Kurt - Smashpmkns@aol.com
For a creepy sound, play the strings above the nut, and if your guitar has a Les Paul-type bridge, you can also play behind the bridge.
For a turntable-esque screetchy sound, have lots of distortion, and turn the pick sideways, so the thin side is touching the strings, and slide it up and down.
For helicopter sounds, have a flanger with a slow, deep sweep, and put a square wave tremolo after it.
For a funky, bass-like sound, don't use a pick, and pull a coiled string away from the fretboard, then release.
For seagull sounds, plug a wah pedal in backwards (input to amp, output to guitar), and experiment with it.
Korn squeal
from - Kingofrock379@aol.com
I figured out the end part of the song Blind by Korn. When it slows down and there is that high pitched noise. What you do is get a wah pedal and switch the cables around so that the cable that should connect it to the amp is in the instrument's hole and the cable that should connect it to the instrument is in the amp's hole. You then just press the pedal and lift it up to hear the noise
Feedback Soundscapes
from Hilaro Garcia
Microphonic pickups are normally rather awful but they could be good sometimes. I've got a '91 Gibson Les Paul. Well one of the PUs has gone microphonic, making a loud noise if you go anywhere near a loud amp. Well that howling noise could be used in a musical context. Look for the right location and move your guitar about.
You want a proof?
O.K. then, listen to the very first part of "JesusChrist Pose" by the mighty Soundgarden.Can you hear that turbid yet great effect? Yes, you're right. An awful, cheap humbucking PU next to a loud Marshall was the most likely suspect.
Funny or what!! (still, you Gibson people, you have no excuse I'm afraid...)
Unorthodox Pitch Shifting
from Hilaro García
I bought a second hand Digital pitch shifter pedal (Boss) -that's it the one with the delay facility-. I didn't buy it for its hability to create harmonies. I believe that if you aren't a certain Mr Vai, harmonies played on the guitar can sound rarther clumsy, cliched and very, very '80s. Still, I use it for creating textures. Set the feedback to the maximum and control the pitch shifting knob to go a 5th or an octave ABOVE the current note. Together with a delay unit afterwards you'll get a never ending cascade of cosmic sounds.
Want to hear it? You don't have the pedal? Please E-mail me and find out how
Tom Morello's Buzz
from Paul Kilpinen
Take the cord out of the guitar and touch it on the metal parts of your guitar (or your hands/fingers) and use effects pedals (whammy/wah/flanger, etc) to make it sound different. This is done in the solo for 'Testify'. Tap the cord on and off quickly for a similar effect to the pickup switch technique
Oscillating Effect
from - Kevin
This one is a weird one. From guitar to amp: wah, distortion (I use a proco rat), phaser (I use EH small stone), and then another distortion unit (I use my amps distortion). After you get that hooked up, tune the low E on your guitar down to a much lower note like A. Set the phaser on a fast rate and start playing the low string with both distortions on. rock the wah back and forth. It's like a crazy oscillating type thing... very hard to put into words but very cool. For more variety, adjust the depth or rate on the phaser and use more or less distortion on both units.
Delay Tricks
From Kevin McCoy killxrockxstars@subdimension.com
This is cool. For this you will need a delay unit set to about 1 second with a decent amount of repeats. Turn your guitar volume all the way down. Strike a chord, then smoothly fade in and out with your volume knob. Sounds like a cool spacey volume swell, this is used extensively on the Incubus song "Pardon Me".
Another delay one. Set the delay on about 1 sec with as much repeat as you can get. Strike a fretted note on say, the B string. Tremelo pick the note and bend it slightly upward and then back down, varying the rate of picking and bending... sounds like 1000 out of tune guitars.
That's all for now, I will send more soon... peace man....
listing all strange sound tricks-part 1
Tom Morello's Allen Wrench Scratching
From Guitar World (i believe)
In the song "People of the Sun", Tom Morello puts a new spin on an old trick. He plays heavy slide guitar in the tune to create droning single note riffs. However, instead of a usual brass or silver slide, he uses an allen wrench. This creates a dissonant, scratchy tone. Try it with heavy distortion to get the desired tone.
"People of the Sun" Intro/Verse:
w/ Allen Wrench
E|------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------|
A|---2/3\2/3\2\0-------2/3\2/3\2\0----|
E|------------------------------------|
/ - slide up
\ - slide down
Tom Morello's Dead Pickup Switching
from Guitar World (I believe)
Another trick used by Tom Morello, used in several songs, is pickup switching. This isn't switching between two pickups to get a different tone, though. He turns one pickup on full, and another completely off ( you can do this on guitars that have a volume knob for each pickup, such as a les paul ) and plays notes while switching in between. This results in a stuttering effect that sounds like a really fast tremolo unit.
"Bullet in Your Head" Lead Break Intro
----x---x-x--x---x-x--x---x-x--x--x-x--x-x-x-x---x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
all notes sounded from hammer-ons
E|-12---0-0--10--0-0--8---0-0--7--0-0--5-0-3-0---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-12---0-0--10--0-0--8---0-0--7--0-0--5-0-3-0---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0------------|
x - pickup flick (turn pickup on long enough to sound the note, then turn it off)
John Petrucci's Warble
from Mark Henderson - danewmh@yahoo.com
Hey, alright! Its the VERY FIRST .wav file on this site. It was sent to me by someone on IRC (You know who you are.). And you all should follow his example! Send as many .wavs as you can!!
Well anyway, enough babbling on, here it is. This one comes from John Petrucci of the band Dream Theater. In one of his songs, during the solo (I cant say I'm a Dream Theater fan so I dont know which one.) He kind of hits the wammy bar hard enough for it to go down, and spring back up, vibrating the note all the way back up. As far as I know, this only works on a Floyd Rose style locking system.
Here it is! petru.wav - 151K WAV file
This guy Dave Ostrer sent me this little FYI too - I enjoyed looking through your site. Just figured you would want to know, what you call a "wiggle guitar" sound actually is call a "worble effect" or "warble" in most effects books and guitar magazines.
Thanks Dave! Come back soon!
Boingy Slide
by Mark Henderson - danewmh@yahoo.com
I was messing around with my acoustic when I came up with this one. If you have a slide (glass with rounded edges works best) you can use this effect. Bow the string with the slide on a fret. Press down so that the fret and the slide are touching, then lightly vibrate the note. The result is a boingy wah-type of sound. It also works with an electric guitar, but the effect isn't as prominent.
Steve Vai's Funky Sitar
From jschrepfer@fimatinjapan.com
The end of Boy from Seattle has a cool effect in it. He makes a Sitar-type sound by bending ta note on the B string many steps up, enough to pull it off the fretboard on on the side of the neck. Then vibrato-bend the string so it repeatedly goes on and off the edge of the neck. The rapid rise and fall of the pitch gives it a sitar-like quality.
This is hard to explain via tab, so one is not included.
Floppy Strings
from Art Cohen - artcohen@pgg.peco.com
A double-locking vibrato is necessary for this. It also works best with extreme distortion settings (I use a Deluxe Big Muff into a RAT). Dive down until the low E string is almost completely slack. Then pick the string. If your rig has enough low end you get sime great rumbles and floppy speaker noises. While doing this you can also fret the string and bend it up, creating a sudden bump in pitch. You can also whammy down just a little more so that the string is pulled against the magnets of the pickups. This causes a crashing noise which is abruptly damped. Jiggling the vibrato arm will cause the string to bang into the pickups repeatedly. If your distortion and bass response is heavy enough, you can grab the floppy string with your fingers and move it back and forth across the pickup, making a scraping sort of noise with each pass.
I play electronic space music on the guitar and have used the above techniques on my albums "Real Time" and "Available Space"
Glissando
from Art Cohen - artcohen@pgg.peco.com
Bow the open unmuted B and high E strings with a slide (brass works for me) near the 12th fret while muting the other strings. There's a certain sweet spot where both halves of the strings start to vibrate and an otherworldly high harmonic comes in. This even works on acoustic guitars!
Use the slide to bow the string or strings near the bridge while fretting. This works best using the neck pickup. On the low strings excellent growls can be created, while haunting out of tune melodies can be played on any strings. The strings can also be bowed lengthwise instead of transversely. A circular motion creates and interesting slow vibrato.
I play electronic space music on the guitar and have used the above techniques on my albums "Real Time" and "Available Space"
Duane Allman's Steel Drum Effect
from - RPMTN@aol.com
Duane Allman would place a large plastic pick under the strings near the bridge, thereby keeping them from vibrating. However, when picked, these strings will produce a steel-drum type of sound. I've done this live for years,and it never fails to have some guitar player coming up to me later to ask how it's done. Try it out.
Other Slide Tricks
From - ?
Another suggestion for interesting slide work - try using a Bic lighter or an M&M Mini's candy container as a slide. You get a real short sounding note with practically no decay, almost like a slide banjo.
Microtone Scale Guitar
from soundman@tiac.net
I've got a technique that will turn a regular scale length guitar into a Microtonal scale. First, you need a pick with rough texture on its edge. This can be the pick design such as a stone pick or you can create your own texture with a nail file. Second, select the rhythm pickup. Thrid, using the rough edge of your pick scrape the string behind the pickup but before the bridge. This shorten the scale length. My suggestion is to find the fifth interval of whatever tuning your using (on the high E in standard look for the B) Fourth, use the pick as a bow and fret away as needed. All fretting will be reduced to a scale length shorter than the Western half step/Whole step system thereby creating a more Far Eastern tone. It rocks with distortion and either a phaser (preferably a Mutron BiPhase or the underrated Boss Auto-Wah. Next time I'll attach a wav. file.
My personal e-mail address is soundman@tiac.net. Drop me line
Steve Genovese Boston, MA
PS: Pick up a copy of Mick Goodrick's The Advancing Guitarist. He totally encourages this type of unorthodox playing along with theoretical improvising techniques.
Seagulls
from george4908@aol.com
I do this on Les Pauls with humbuckers. Whether or not it works with other guitars will depend on the setup. Just press one of the unwound strings down hard between the end of the fretboard and the neck pickup. The string initially contacts the back edge of the pickup, then tilts the pickup until the string hits the forward edge. Voila -- you've got a seagull squawking. The E, B and G strings each do it at a different pitch. With a delay/repeat it sounds like (sorry) a flock of seagulls. Also, try with a wah for variation. Note: it will scratch your pickup covers, so if you're a dead mint freak, don't bother.
Bass Sounding Guitar
From - jgoula@scnc.blissfield.k12.mi.us
Ok, I take NO responsibility for any damage This causes. But, all you need is a guitar with a tremolo. Put it the whammy bar, bend the whole thing foward, and while there is space behind the trem, jam a pencil in it. This creates really low low almost bass level sounds. Oh, and you'll almost surely need to retune after this little stunt. And to appreciate it you need a good size amp (30 or more watts).
"squealsound"
from ??
Use a quarter in the place of your pick, and rub the edge of it against the sting rapidly. When used on the high e string near the bridge, this creates a spooky, high pitched "squealing" sound.
Alcohol-Wiping
from edman@bellsouth.net
This is similiar to the "sqealsound" effect. i was cleaning some shit off the fret board of my guitar with a small alcohol wipe( like doctors use). if you rub it on the high E, B , and G strings lightly it produces a high pitched squeal. You don`t even need your amp to hear it.
Computer Sound
from Mike Konshak - (?)
I have a Noise for you that I remember sounding like a cheap computer sound like on an old cartoon - basically a series of beeps. Basically, get a bunch of distortion, mute the strings with your left hand on the neck (about 5th fret, not important) and use a golf ball or some other ball about that size and hardness in your right hand- golf ball works fine. The idea is to use the ball as a slide, but it only touches one string at a time. Therefore, abrupt changes in pitch occur when moving from string to string (sounds good only on unwound strings) producing "beeping" noises. cool effects are also made by sliding up and down a string. A cool advantage to this technique is the super high notes available near the bridge. Thanks for reading all of this.
Bleeping Computers
by Christian Moffitt - (?)
To make your guitar sound like one of those computers from old time science fiction movies, all you need is a pitch shifter and a distortion petal(I use an Ibanez Power Lead for this particular effect). Turn all the knobs all the way up on both pedals and get far enought away from your amp that you aren't being deafened by high pitched shrieking feedback. Now just randomly hit high notes, especially above the twelth fret, hammering on and pulling off randomly with out picking. It'll never sound the same twice, but it sounds damn cool.
Whales Crying
from Isaac Taylor - Isaac.Taylor@nashville.com
Ok, this sounds sort of like whales crying, but very extremely (doesn't really involve the guitar either) all you do is plug the amp into the instrument jack and the instrument into the amp jack on a wah-wah, if the pedal is in the back position, it doesn't do anything, but as you move it forward it makes an eerie (and loud) high pitched screaming noise I've only done this on my 1970 vox wah-wah, so i don't know how it'll work with other newer pedals
Custom Flanger
From ???
This trick involves a guitar, an amp, and a digital delay pedal like a DOD FX-9. Turn the delay all the way up, and manipulate the feedback knob to get a cool custom flanging sound. Simple!
Alien Noises
from Moffittw2@tiger.uofs.edu
I stumbled across this trick screwing around making feedback with my band. First, you need heavy distortion, a phaser set at a very high rate, and a digital delay pedal, or sampler(some kind of pedal that has a repeat on it.) Nexr, turn all your gear all the way up, and stand as close to your amp as possible. By moving your guitar around, over, against your amp, constantly changing it's position. This combination makes your guitar sound like the second coming of those litte green guys from "Mars Attacks!" Enjoy!!
UFO Crash
by sysop (?)
Select the BRIDGE pickup only. Mute all strings at the neck with the palm of your LEFT hand (assumes you play non-hendrix style) and take your right index finger and instead of picking, PUSH a string (high "E" is great) all the way toward the guitar body until it contacts the edge of your pickup. This will almost sound like a clicky beep. Raise and lower the string against the pickup while slowly slackening the string with the whammy bar (using your palm on the bar). This gives a really cool effect, which can be enhances (?) by distortion or any variety of other effects. I will send in a WAV file soon.
From Guitar World (i believe)
In the song "People of the Sun", Tom Morello puts a new spin on an old trick. He plays heavy slide guitar in the tune to create droning single note riffs. However, instead of a usual brass or silver slide, he uses an allen wrench. This creates a dissonant, scratchy tone. Try it with heavy distortion to get the desired tone.
"People of the Sun" Intro/Verse:
w/ Allen Wrench
E|------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------|
A|---2/3\2/3\2\0-------2/3\2/3\2\0----|
E|------------------------------------|
/ - slide up
\ - slide down
Tom Morello's Dead Pickup Switching
from Guitar World (I believe)
Another trick used by Tom Morello, used in several songs, is pickup switching. This isn't switching between two pickups to get a different tone, though. He turns one pickup on full, and another completely off ( you can do this on guitars that have a volume knob for each pickup, such as a les paul ) and plays notes while switching in between. This results in a stuttering effect that sounds like a really fast tremolo unit.
"Bullet in Your Head" Lead Break Intro
----x---x-x--x---x-x--x---x-x--x--x-x--x-x-x-x---x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
all notes sounded from hammer-ons
E|-12---0-0--10--0-0--8---0-0--7--0-0--5-0-3-0---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-12---0-0--10--0-0--8---0-0--7--0-0--5-0-3-0---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0------------|
x - pickup flick (turn pickup on long enough to sound the note, then turn it off)
John Petrucci's Warble
from Mark Henderson - danewmh@yahoo.com
Hey, alright! Its the VERY FIRST .wav file on this site. It was sent to me by someone on IRC (You know who you are.). And you all should follow his example! Send as many .wavs as you can!!
Well anyway, enough babbling on, here it is. This one comes from John Petrucci of the band Dream Theater. In one of his songs, during the solo (I cant say I'm a Dream Theater fan so I dont know which one.) He kind of hits the wammy bar hard enough for it to go down, and spring back up, vibrating the note all the way back up. As far as I know, this only works on a Floyd Rose style locking system.
Here it is! petru.wav - 151K WAV file
This guy Dave Ostrer sent me this little FYI too - I enjoyed looking through your site. Just figured you would want to know, what you call a "wiggle guitar" sound actually is call a "worble effect" or "warble" in most effects books and guitar magazines.
Thanks Dave! Come back soon!
Boingy Slide
by Mark Henderson - danewmh@yahoo.com
I was messing around with my acoustic when I came up with this one. If you have a slide (glass with rounded edges works best) you can use this effect. Bow the string with the slide on a fret. Press down so that the fret and the slide are touching, then lightly vibrate the note. The result is a boingy wah-type of sound. It also works with an electric guitar, but the effect isn't as prominent.
Steve Vai's Funky Sitar
From jschrepfer@fimatinjapan.com
The end of Boy from Seattle has a cool effect in it. He makes a Sitar-type sound by bending ta note on the B string many steps up, enough to pull it off the fretboard on on the side of the neck. Then vibrato-bend the string so it repeatedly goes on and off the edge of the neck. The rapid rise and fall of the pitch gives it a sitar-like quality.
This is hard to explain via tab, so one is not included.
Floppy Strings
from Art Cohen - artcohen@pgg.peco.com
A double-locking vibrato is necessary for this. It also works best with extreme distortion settings (I use a Deluxe Big Muff into a RAT). Dive down until the low E string is almost completely slack. Then pick the string. If your rig has enough low end you get sime great rumbles and floppy speaker noises. While doing this you can also fret the string and bend it up, creating a sudden bump in pitch. You can also whammy down just a little more so that the string is pulled against the magnets of the pickups. This causes a crashing noise which is abruptly damped. Jiggling the vibrato arm will cause the string to bang into the pickups repeatedly. If your distortion and bass response is heavy enough, you can grab the floppy string with your fingers and move it back and forth across the pickup, making a scraping sort of noise with each pass.
I play electronic space music on the guitar and have used the above techniques on my albums "Real Time" and "Available Space"
Glissando
from Art Cohen - artcohen@pgg.peco.com
Bow the open unmuted B and high E strings with a slide (brass works for me) near the 12th fret while muting the other strings. There's a certain sweet spot where both halves of the strings start to vibrate and an otherworldly high harmonic comes in. This even works on acoustic guitars!
Use the slide to bow the string or strings near the bridge while fretting. This works best using the neck pickup. On the low strings excellent growls can be created, while haunting out of tune melodies can be played on any strings. The strings can also be bowed lengthwise instead of transversely. A circular motion creates and interesting slow vibrato.
I play electronic space music on the guitar and have used the above techniques on my albums "Real Time" and "Available Space"
Duane Allman's Steel Drum Effect
from - RPMTN@aol.com
Duane Allman would place a large plastic pick under the strings near the bridge, thereby keeping them from vibrating. However, when picked, these strings will produce a steel-drum type of sound. I've done this live for years,and it never fails to have some guitar player coming up to me later to ask how it's done. Try it out.
Other Slide Tricks
From - ?
Another suggestion for interesting slide work - try using a Bic lighter or an M&M Mini's candy container as a slide. You get a real short sounding note with practically no decay, almost like a slide banjo.
Microtone Scale Guitar
from soundman@tiac.net
I've got a technique that will turn a regular scale length guitar into a Microtonal scale. First, you need a pick with rough texture on its edge. This can be the pick design such as a stone pick or you can create your own texture with a nail file. Second, select the rhythm pickup. Thrid, using the rough edge of your pick scrape the string behind the pickup but before the bridge. This shorten the scale length. My suggestion is to find the fifth interval of whatever tuning your using (on the high E in standard look for the B) Fourth, use the pick as a bow and fret away as needed. All fretting will be reduced to a scale length shorter than the Western half step/Whole step system thereby creating a more Far Eastern tone. It rocks with distortion and either a phaser (preferably a Mutron BiPhase or the underrated Boss Auto-Wah. Next time I'll attach a wav. file.
My personal e-mail address is soundman@tiac.net. Drop me line
Steve Genovese Boston, MA
PS: Pick up a copy of Mick Goodrick's The Advancing Guitarist. He totally encourages this type of unorthodox playing along with theoretical improvising techniques.
Seagulls
from george4908@aol.com
I do this on Les Pauls with humbuckers. Whether or not it works with other guitars will depend on the setup. Just press one of the unwound strings down hard between the end of the fretboard and the neck pickup. The string initially contacts the back edge of the pickup, then tilts the pickup until the string hits the forward edge. Voila -- you've got a seagull squawking. The E, B and G strings each do it at a different pitch. With a delay/repeat it sounds like (sorry) a flock of seagulls. Also, try with a wah for variation. Note: it will scratch your pickup covers, so if you're a dead mint freak, don't bother.
Bass Sounding Guitar
From - jgoula@scnc.blissfield.k12.mi.us
Ok, I take NO responsibility for any damage This causes. But, all you need is a guitar with a tremolo. Put it the whammy bar, bend the whole thing foward, and while there is space behind the trem, jam a pencil in it. This creates really low low almost bass level sounds. Oh, and you'll almost surely need to retune after this little stunt. And to appreciate it you need a good size amp (30 or more watts).
"squealsound"
from ??
Use a quarter in the place of your pick, and rub the edge of it against the sting rapidly. When used on the high e string near the bridge, this creates a spooky, high pitched "squealing" sound.
Alcohol-Wiping
from edman@bellsouth.net
This is similiar to the "sqealsound" effect. i was cleaning some shit off the fret board of my guitar with a small alcohol wipe( like doctors use). if you rub it on the high E, B , and G strings lightly it produces a high pitched squeal. You don`t even need your amp to hear it.
Computer Sound
from Mike Konshak - (?)
I have a Noise for you that I remember sounding like a cheap computer sound like on an old cartoon - basically a series of beeps. Basically, get a bunch of distortion, mute the strings with your left hand on the neck (about 5th fret, not important) and use a golf ball or some other ball about that size and hardness in your right hand- golf ball works fine. The idea is to use the ball as a slide, but it only touches one string at a time. Therefore, abrupt changes in pitch occur when moving from string to string (sounds good only on unwound strings) producing "beeping" noises. cool effects are also made by sliding up and down a string. A cool advantage to this technique is the super high notes available near the bridge. Thanks for reading all of this.
Bleeping Computers
by Christian Moffitt - (?)
To make your guitar sound like one of those computers from old time science fiction movies, all you need is a pitch shifter and a distortion petal(I use an Ibanez Power Lead for this particular effect). Turn all the knobs all the way up on both pedals and get far enought away from your amp that you aren't being deafened by high pitched shrieking feedback. Now just randomly hit high notes, especially above the twelth fret, hammering on and pulling off randomly with out picking. It'll never sound the same twice, but it sounds damn cool.
Whales Crying
from Isaac Taylor - Isaac.Taylor@nashville.com
Ok, this sounds sort of like whales crying, but very extremely (doesn't really involve the guitar either) all you do is plug the amp into the instrument jack and the instrument into the amp jack on a wah-wah, if the pedal is in the back position, it doesn't do anything, but as you move it forward it makes an eerie (and loud) high pitched screaming noise I've only done this on my 1970 vox wah-wah, so i don't know how it'll work with other newer pedals
Custom Flanger
From ???
This trick involves a guitar, an amp, and a digital delay pedal like a DOD FX-9. Turn the delay all the way up, and manipulate the feedback knob to get a cool custom flanging sound. Simple!
Alien Noises
from Moffittw2@tiger.uofs.edu
I stumbled across this trick screwing around making feedback with my band. First, you need heavy distortion, a phaser set at a very high rate, and a digital delay pedal, or sampler(some kind of pedal that has a repeat on it.) Nexr, turn all your gear all the way up, and stand as close to your amp as possible. By moving your guitar around, over, against your amp, constantly changing it's position. This combination makes your guitar sound like the second coming of those litte green guys from "Mars Attacks!" Enjoy!!
UFO Crash
by sysop (?)
Select the BRIDGE pickup only. Mute all strings at the neck with the palm of your LEFT hand (assumes you play non-hendrix style) and take your right index finger and instead of picking, PUSH a string (high "E" is great) all the way toward the guitar body until it contacts the edge of your pickup. This will almost sound like a clicky beep. Raise and lower the string against the pickup while slowly slackening the string with the whammy bar (using your palm on the bar). This gives a really cool effect, which can be enhances (?) by distortion or any variety of other effects. I will send in a WAV file soon.
Eddie's Elephant Noise
This one is a little tricky, but with fast hands, it can be done.
1: Turn the volume all the way down on your guitar or with a volume pedal.
2: Hit these harmonics, in this order (Im doing this from memory, so it might be wrong.)
E|-----------------------------------<12>------------------------|
B|-------------------------<7>-----------------------------------|
G|---------------<5>---------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------|
(Correction made by moggio@bigfoot.net)
3: Now dive with your whammy bar/pedal and fade in with your volume knob/pedal. Viola! Elephants!
1: Turn the volume all the way down on your guitar or with a volume pedal.
2: Hit these harmonics, in this order (Im doing this from memory, so it might be wrong.)
E|-----------------------------------<12>------------------------|
B|-------------------------<7>-----------------------------------|
G|---------------<5>---------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------|
(Correction made by moggio@bigfoot.net)
3: Now dive with your whammy bar/pedal and fade in with your volume knob/pedal. Viola! Elephants!
Eddie Van Halen's Horse
This one is easy. You've heard Eddie go off in a concert, making all sorts of animals noises, elephants, birds, etc. Here's how he does the "neighing horse" sound.
1. Start off with string rake, usually with three or four strings.
2. Hit a relatively high pitched note with a pick harmonic.
3. Hold it for as long as you need to, then dive with the whammy bar, but vibrato it as you fall with it. Example:
"Source of Infection" Intro:
*PH full -----------------|^^^^^^^^^^
E|---------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------)-----------------------(----------------|
G|--------------9-------------------------\----------------|
D|----------X------------------------------\---------------|
A|------X-----------------------------------\--------------|
E|---X---------------------------------------\-------------|
* X - Fret Hand Muted Notes
* ) - Bend up
* ( - Bend down
* \ - Fall with bar
* ^ - Vibrato
* *PH- Pinch Harmonic
1. Start off with string rake, usually with three or four strings.
2. Hit a relatively high pitched note with a pick harmonic.
3. Hold it for as long as you need to, then dive with the whammy bar, but vibrato it as you fall with it. Example:
"Source of Infection" Intro:
*PH full -----------------|^^^^^^^^^^
E|---------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------)-----------------------(----------------|
G|--------------9-------------------------\----------------|
D|----------X------------------------------\---------------|
A|------X-----------------------------------\--------------|
E|---X---------------------------------------\-------------|
* X - Fret Hand Muted Notes
* ) - Bend up
* ( - Bend down
* \ - Fall with bar
* ^ - Vibrato
* *PH- Pinch Harmonic
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
playing guitar with a violin bow
It’s not as easy as it may look…but if you love what bands such as Led Zeppelin, The Creation and Sigur Ros have done in the past, the violin (or cello) bow can be a great trick to add to your repertoire!
Led Zeppelin, The Creation, Sigur Ros
Playing with the bow: Led Zeppelin, The Creation and Sigur Ros
Sure…an eBow is a really cool effect that we recommend to any guitarist interested in further sonic explorations of his instrument…but using a violin bow can produce different sounds, and be much more challenging…besides, playing an actual violin bow looks really cool onstage, too!
Basically, there’s no “correct” way to do it as a violin bow is not meant for guitar anyway, but here’s a few tips we collected, that may help you to achieve some good results:
You’ll need three things: One- An electric guitar (they sound better bowed compared to acoustic.) Two- A bow (Note: You will need rosin.) Three: an amp with more than one distortion setting (recommended reverb/delay more than any other.)
Once you have all you need to adjust your shoulder strap so that the guitar comes down below your stomach. (Adjust the strap all the way lose.) You want to hold the bow the same way you hold it as if you were playing violin. One exception- you may want to extend your finger across the bow. It makes it easier when you’re playing. Don’t let any pedantic killjoy tell you you’re holding the bow wrong- you’re not. This is completely different from playing a violin.
Set your amp to a regular tone (no freaky metal stuff yet) and set just a little bit of distortion, with added reverb/delay for best results.) Slide the bow across the strings (You’re sliding where you’d normally pick.) It may take several times for you to get a vibration. Okay around with the amount of pressure you place on the bow. It may also take you a while to find a comfortable position. You want to avoid hurting your wrist at all costs (though playing with a flat neck will hurt your wrist anyway.) There are some special guitars that have a curved neck. This allows you to play the strings more accurately.
It’s hard to play chords with a bow- but you can still try. You could make an entire 4-minute song based off of G and A with a bow. It’s also hard to hit higher notes (above fret 12.) without it sounding scratchy. I recommend watching this for technique inspiration:
You can notice the player’s body position. (Note how the back is slightly arched and one knee is up.) It may take you a while to figure out how you want to play.
Vibrato: Yes, you can do it. It’s difficult, but it can be done. You can even bend the strings; as well as hammer-on’s pull-off’s. (Play around with other guitar techniques as well. You may end up with a cool new sound!Refer to the link above for vibrato and string bending inspiration!)
Usually, it’s easier to do power chords. But there’s no list of what works with a bow and what does not. You’re gonna have to figure that out by yourself. Also refer to this other video for inspiration:
Important points
Cleaning: A rag! Get a cloth rag (preferably cotton) and wipe your strings. You need to do this after every time you play with the bow. Guitar strings weren’t made to have rosin on them- and I’m sure if you want to play Metallica later on, you don’t want sticky strings. So wipe them down with a dry cotton rag.
Rosin: All you need to do is apply it to the bow. You don’t need to place it in water or chip pieces of it off. Just slide it across the hair of the bow. (About 14 slides will do for guitar.) You’ll need a lot of rosin to make the strings vibrate. (Amount of rosin may need to increase depending on the type of your strings.)
Bow: Try tightening it to the highest it can go without ripping the hair. You don’t want it too lose, and you don’t want it too tight- so somewhere in the middle there- have it firm, that’s all.
Effects: All effects need to be tweaked from scratch based on the bow squeaky sounds. in other words your normal distortion settings won’t be good when you replace the guitar pick for a violin bow. Best results as a matter of fact may be by using the bow and only one pedal (a BOSS DD3 digital delay or a RE-20 Space Echo for instance).
Strings: Because the Bow basically rubs on the strings to produce a noise, older the strings the better, as older strings loose their smooth texture by the pickups due to the constant picking and strumming. Also using a cleaning solution for the strings before playing with the bow will help you A LOT.
Palm Muting: it will be hard to do while playing with a bow, but you could (only to try) use a little masking tape by the bridge to simulate the muting technique, it’s worth a try!
Playing: Yes- you may want to play like Jimmy Page. That’s cool. But he wasn’t the first nor the last to use a violin bow, so besides Jimmy Page, you may want to check 60’s freakbeat combo The Creation (Eddie Phillips was the first guitarist to use a violin bow) and Sigur Ros.
Violin Bow
Dolphin Music offers some affordable violin and cello bows, so if you’re a guitarist looking to expand your horizons, why don’t you try one?
Led Zeppelin, The Creation, Sigur Ros
Playing with the bow: Led Zeppelin, The Creation and Sigur Ros
Sure…an eBow is a really cool effect that we recommend to any guitarist interested in further sonic explorations of his instrument…but using a violin bow can produce different sounds, and be much more challenging…besides, playing an actual violin bow looks really cool onstage, too!
Basically, there’s no “correct” way to do it as a violin bow is not meant for guitar anyway, but here’s a few tips we collected, that may help you to achieve some good results:
You’ll need three things: One- An electric guitar (they sound better bowed compared to acoustic.) Two- A bow (Note: You will need rosin.) Three: an amp with more than one distortion setting (recommended reverb/delay more than any other.)
Once you have all you need to adjust your shoulder strap so that the guitar comes down below your stomach. (Adjust the strap all the way lose.) You want to hold the bow the same way you hold it as if you were playing violin. One exception- you may want to extend your finger across the bow. It makes it easier when you’re playing. Don’t let any pedantic killjoy tell you you’re holding the bow wrong- you’re not. This is completely different from playing a violin.
Set your amp to a regular tone (no freaky metal stuff yet) and set just a little bit of distortion, with added reverb/delay for best results.) Slide the bow across the strings (You’re sliding where you’d normally pick.) It may take several times for you to get a vibration. Okay around with the amount of pressure you place on the bow. It may also take you a while to find a comfortable position. You want to avoid hurting your wrist at all costs (though playing with a flat neck will hurt your wrist anyway.) There are some special guitars that have a curved neck. This allows you to play the strings more accurately.
It’s hard to play chords with a bow- but you can still try. You could make an entire 4-minute song based off of G and A with a bow. It’s also hard to hit higher notes (above fret 12.) without it sounding scratchy. I recommend watching this for technique inspiration:
You can notice the player’s body position. (Note how the back is slightly arched and one knee is up.) It may take you a while to figure out how you want to play.
Vibrato: Yes, you can do it. It’s difficult, but it can be done. You can even bend the strings; as well as hammer-on’s pull-off’s. (Play around with other guitar techniques as well. You may end up with a cool new sound!Refer to the link above for vibrato and string bending inspiration!)
Usually, it’s easier to do power chords. But there’s no list of what works with a bow and what does not. You’re gonna have to figure that out by yourself. Also refer to this other video for inspiration:
Important points
Cleaning: A rag! Get a cloth rag (preferably cotton) and wipe your strings. You need to do this after every time you play with the bow. Guitar strings weren’t made to have rosin on them- and I’m sure if you want to play Metallica later on, you don’t want sticky strings. So wipe them down with a dry cotton rag.
Rosin: All you need to do is apply it to the bow. You don’t need to place it in water or chip pieces of it off. Just slide it across the hair of the bow. (About 14 slides will do for guitar.) You’ll need a lot of rosin to make the strings vibrate. (Amount of rosin may need to increase depending on the type of your strings.)
Bow: Try tightening it to the highest it can go without ripping the hair. You don’t want it too lose, and you don’t want it too tight- so somewhere in the middle there- have it firm, that’s all.
Effects: All effects need to be tweaked from scratch based on the bow squeaky sounds. in other words your normal distortion settings won’t be good when you replace the guitar pick for a violin bow. Best results as a matter of fact may be by using the bow and only one pedal (a BOSS DD3 digital delay or a RE-20 Space Echo for instance).
Strings: Because the Bow basically rubs on the strings to produce a noise, older the strings the better, as older strings loose their smooth texture by the pickups due to the constant picking and strumming. Also using a cleaning solution for the strings before playing with the bow will help you A LOT.
Palm Muting: it will be hard to do while playing with a bow, but you could (only to try) use a little masking tape by the bridge to simulate the muting technique, it’s worth a try!
Playing: Yes- you may want to play like Jimmy Page. That’s cool. But he wasn’t the first nor the last to use a violin bow, so besides Jimmy Page, you may want to check 60’s freakbeat combo The Creation (Eddie Phillips was the first guitarist to use a violin bow) and Sigur Ros.
Violin Bow
Dolphin Music offers some affordable violin and cello bows, so if you’re a guitarist looking to expand your horizons, why don’t you try one?
Monday, November 23, 2009
Guitar parts
Action
How far the strings are from the fretboard. "Low action" means the strings are very close to the frets. "High action" means they're farther away. Low action makes a guitar easier to play, but if the strings are too close to the frets, they'll touch the frets when they vibrate, causing fret buzz.
Binding
A strip of plastic or hardwood running around the edges of a guitar's body. Binding protects the guitar from nicks and dings.
Chord Chart
A diagram that shows where to place your fingers to fret a given chord. Chord charts usually show the first few frets. Sometimes the chord shown is played further up the neck. In that case, text next to the chart will show which fret the chart starts with.
Dreadnought The most popular style of acoustic guitar body. Martin Guitars introduced the first Dreadnought in 1931.
Flight Case
An airtight, reinforced instrument case. Flight cases are often made of metal.
Gauge
A string's diameter (thickness) in fractions of an inch.
Gig Bag
A padded fabric guitar case (usually nylon). Gig bags are less bulky than hardshell cases, but offer less protection.
Hardshell Case
A hard plastic or plywood guitar case.
Lap Steel Guitar
A specialised guitar, designed to be held flat in the player's lap (or on a stand) and played with a slide. For more information about lap steel guitars, see Brad's Page Of Steel.
Pick
Anything that is used to pluck the strings of an instrument. Most commercially produced picks are flat pieces of plastic or nylon. Some picks (called "finger picks") are designed to fit over the tips of the fingers. Picks come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and thicknesses.
Pickup
A magnet wrapped with wire. The motion of the guitar's strings interferes with the pickup's magnetic field. This creates an electrical impulse, which is transmitted to the amplifier. The amplitude and quality of the impulse can be modified by the volume and tone controls.
Strap Lock
A device that attaches to a guitar where the strap peg ordinarily goes. It prevents the strap from coming loose unexpectedly.
String Winder
A small crank that fits over a tuning knob. String winders save a lot of time when you're installing new strings. They usually also have a notch on them designed for pulling bridge pegs.
Tablature
A way of writing music for stringed instruments. Guitar tablature uses a six-line staff. Each line represents a different string. The top line represents the 1st (top E) string, the second line is the 2nd string, and so on. Notes are represented by a number on a line, indicating which fret on which string to play. "0" represents an open (unfretted) string.
Tremolo Bar
A metal bar attached to the bridge assembly on an electric guitar. When pushed down or pulled up, it changes the position of the bridge, altering the pitch of the notes being played. It can be used to acheive either a tremolo effect or a more dramatic bending of pitch. (i.e. the "dive-bomber" effect Jimi Hendrix used in his rendition of the U.S. national anthem.)
Truss Rod
A metal rod that runs along the inside of a guitar's neck, underneath the fretboard. It allows the neck to be adjusted if it is not perfectly straight. Classical guitars, Martin guitars, and most handmade acoustic guitars do not have truss rods.
Things you should keep in mind when you buy a guitar
Picking out a guitar is a lot of fun -- at least if you have enough money to buy the one you want. It's also difficult. It's even more difficult if you haven't bought a guitar before. When you buy your first guitar, you may not even know what kind of music you'll wind up playing, or whether you're going to play it enough to make it worth spending so much money.
Fortunately, guitars are relatively cheap compared to most other instruments, and there are a lot of good, inexpensive models out there. By comparison, try to buy a cheap bassoon sometime. You'll be grateful that you're a guitar player, I promise.
Here are some important things to keep in mind when you're buying a new guitar:
Electric or acoustic?
One of the first things to decide is whether you want an acoustic or an electric guitar. I recommend that beginning guitarists buy an acoustic first. The main reason for that is that it's harder than you think to get an electric guitar to sound good. The nicest guitar in the world won't sound good if you plug it into a cheap amplifier. It also won't sound the way you expect it to. Most of the electric guitars you hear in recorded music are being played through an effects box -- or, more likely, a whole rack of them. If you start with an electric guitar, you'll also need to buy effects and an amplifier, and that can get very expensive. If you're just starting out and you're not even sure you're going to keep playing, you shouldn't spend that kind of money.
When you buy an acoustic guitar, you don't have to worry about all those extras. You just have to worry about finding something that feels and sounds good. Keep in mind that you can always buy another guitar later. Once you've been playing for a while, you'll know a lot more about what you want, and you'll be able to choose more wisely. If you're really hung up on the idea of an electric guitar, though, Larry Lapierre has a lot of good advice on the subject.
Don't buy cheap guitars.
If the guitar you buy doesn't feel good and sound good to you, you won't play it. I know many more people who have a guitar they never play than I do actual guitarists. That happens because a lot of people think, "Well, I don't know if I'll stick with this, so I won't buy a really good guitar." They buy the cheapest guitar they can find and think they're being practical. In reality, that's not practical at all. A cheap, badly made guitar is no fun to play. If a guitar is no fun to play, chances are very good that it will end up living in the back of your closet, right next to your lawn darts and your hula-hoop.
This doesn't mean you have to spend a lot of money. There are a lot of good, inexpensive guitars out there. The first guitar I picked out for myself was a no-name brand I've never seen before or since. It cost $99 new (1983 dollars), and I still play it more often than I play the $1200 guitar I bought for performing.
If you're worried that you won't get your money's worth, remember that if you buy a good guitar and you never play it, you can always sell it and get most of your money back.
Play everything.
The best way to find out what features and feel you like is to play as many guitars as you can get your hands on. Play your friends' guitars. Go to guitar shops and play everything there. Take notes. There are a lot of factors to consider.
Don't be swayed by popular brand names. Just because a guitar has a name you've heard of on it doesn't mean it's a good guitar. It also doesn't mean it's right for you. It's best not to go shopping with preconceived notions about which guitars are "the best." Every individual guitar is different. Martin is known for making some of the best acoustic guitars in the world, but I've played Martins that I wouldn't have paid $50 for. Every manufacturer turns out the occasional dud -- and the occasional gem. Don't be a snob and refuse to look at unknown brands. You might miss out on something special.
What is it made of? Some cheap guitars have tops made of plywood. You don't want that, because over the years the guitar will pull itself apart. (It also won't sound very good, since plywood isn't known for its fine resonant qualities.) For acoustic guitars, a spruce or cedar top is ideal. Most acoustics you see will use one of these two for the top. As long as it's real wood, though, if you like the sound, it's probably fine. The back, sides, and neck can be just about any solid wood; mahogany and curly maple are both popular and attractive.
Electric guitars can be made of almost anything, but again, avoid plywood. Very hard woods are better, both because they're more durable and because they'll improve the guitar's sustain. Good electric guitars are usually heavy as a result. Ash, maple, and walnut are all popular.
The fretboard is usually either rosewood or ebony. (Fender Guitars puts lacquered maple fretboards on many of its models, which seem to hold up well.) Ebony is preferable, because it's extremely hard and won't wear as easily, but rosewood is perfectly fine. If the fretboard has been painted or stained, it's probably bad news.
Is it well-made? Look carefully. The frets should be even, and none of them should stick out more than the others. Many acoustic guitars have binding around the edges of the body. That's a good sign, but it isn't strictly necessary. Run your hands all around the edges of the body. If it feels like the wood doesn't quite meet properly in some places, don't buy that guitar. Hold the guitar up and sight down the neck. The fretboard may be either flat or slightly curved side-to-side, but if it doesn't look even, the neck may be twisted or warped. (This is something you're more likely to find in used guitars than new ones.) From the side, the neck should look straight. The tuning machines should work smoothly. (That isn't a primary concern, since you can replace them easily, but it gives you a clue about how meticulous the manufacturer is.) On an electric guitar, all the switches and knobs should work smoothly.
Does it feel good? This is the most important consideration. It's even more important than the guitar's sound. A guitar sounds different from behind than it does to your audience anyway. The thing you'll be most aware of is how it feels.
Is the neck a comfortable width? Different guitars have necks of varying widths. Classical guitars have very wide necks. Electric guitars usually have narrow necks. Most steel-string guitars' necks are somewhere in between. If you have thick fingers, a wider neck will make it easier for you to play. If you have small hands, a narrow neck is more comfortable.
Are the strings at a comfortable height from the frets? This is called action. Most people prefer a guitar with "low action," meaning the strings are relatively close to the frets. Low action makes a guitar easier to play.
Is the body a comfortable size? This is something a lot of people overlook. Most steel-string acoustic guitars have what's called dreadnought style bodies. These are big guitars, and if you're a small person they can be quite uncomfortable to play. When you sit down with the guitar in a normal playing position, you should be able to reach the soundhole easily, without having to stretch. If it's even a little uncomfortable, it will affect your playing. People play best when they're relaxed and comfortable. If the dreadnought body is a problem for you, consider a smaller guitar.
If it's an electric or acoustic/electric guitar, are the controls in a convenient place? Some guitar makers put controls in places where you might accidentally hit them while you're playing.
Does it sound good? Have someone else (a salesperson or a friend) play the guitar for you. Just because it sounds good to you when you play it doesn't mean it will sound good to your audience. What "sounds good" means is subjective, of course. If you like the sound, it sounds good.
What else do you need?
* A case. A flight case or hardshell case is best. Cardboard cases and nylon gig bags don't provide nearly as much protection.
* A strap. Pretty much any strap will do, but it's a good idea to buy a strap lock at the same time.
* Something to tune with. Since you're just starting out, a pitch pipe or electronic tuner will make things easier for you.
* Strings. The strings that are on the guitar when you buy it have been on it too long already. You need to change them. To start out, (for electric or steel string guitars) buy "light gauge." They're reasonably easy to play, but aren't so thin you'll break them right away.
* Picks. Buy a lot. You're going to lose them. To start out, get an assortment of sizes, shapes, and thicknesses, and try them all. Decide what works best for you.
* Music. Unless you're already taking lessons, the best way to start out is to buy a book of songs with simple chord diagrams.
Fortunately, guitars are relatively cheap compared to most other instruments, and there are a lot of good, inexpensive models out there. By comparison, try to buy a cheap bassoon sometime. You'll be grateful that you're a guitar player, I promise.
Here are some important things to keep in mind when you're buying a new guitar:
Electric or acoustic?
One of the first things to decide is whether you want an acoustic or an electric guitar. I recommend that beginning guitarists buy an acoustic first. The main reason for that is that it's harder than you think to get an electric guitar to sound good. The nicest guitar in the world won't sound good if you plug it into a cheap amplifier. It also won't sound the way you expect it to. Most of the electric guitars you hear in recorded music are being played through an effects box -- or, more likely, a whole rack of them. If you start with an electric guitar, you'll also need to buy effects and an amplifier, and that can get very expensive. If you're just starting out and you're not even sure you're going to keep playing, you shouldn't spend that kind of money.
When you buy an acoustic guitar, you don't have to worry about all those extras. You just have to worry about finding something that feels and sounds good. Keep in mind that you can always buy another guitar later. Once you've been playing for a while, you'll know a lot more about what you want, and you'll be able to choose more wisely. If you're really hung up on the idea of an electric guitar, though, Larry Lapierre has a lot of good advice on the subject.
Don't buy cheap guitars.
If the guitar you buy doesn't feel good and sound good to you, you won't play it. I know many more people who have a guitar they never play than I do actual guitarists. That happens because a lot of people think, "Well, I don't know if I'll stick with this, so I won't buy a really good guitar." They buy the cheapest guitar they can find and think they're being practical. In reality, that's not practical at all. A cheap, badly made guitar is no fun to play. If a guitar is no fun to play, chances are very good that it will end up living in the back of your closet, right next to your lawn darts and your hula-hoop.
This doesn't mean you have to spend a lot of money. There are a lot of good, inexpensive guitars out there. The first guitar I picked out for myself was a no-name brand I've never seen before or since. It cost $99 new (1983 dollars), and I still play it more often than I play the $1200 guitar I bought for performing.
If you're worried that you won't get your money's worth, remember that if you buy a good guitar and you never play it, you can always sell it and get most of your money back.
Play everything.
The best way to find out what features and feel you like is to play as many guitars as you can get your hands on. Play your friends' guitars. Go to guitar shops and play everything there. Take notes. There are a lot of factors to consider.
Don't be swayed by popular brand names. Just because a guitar has a name you've heard of on it doesn't mean it's a good guitar. It also doesn't mean it's right for you. It's best not to go shopping with preconceived notions about which guitars are "the best." Every individual guitar is different. Martin is known for making some of the best acoustic guitars in the world, but I've played Martins that I wouldn't have paid $50 for. Every manufacturer turns out the occasional dud -- and the occasional gem. Don't be a snob and refuse to look at unknown brands. You might miss out on something special.
What is it made of? Some cheap guitars have tops made of plywood. You don't want that, because over the years the guitar will pull itself apart. (It also won't sound very good, since plywood isn't known for its fine resonant qualities.) For acoustic guitars, a spruce or cedar top is ideal. Most acoustics you see will use one of these two for the top. As long as it's real wood, though, if you like the sound, it's probably fine. The back, sides, and neck can be just about any solid wood; mahogany and curly maple are both popular and attractive.
Electric guitars can be made of almost anything, but again, avoid plywood. Very hard woods are better, both because they're more durable and because they'll improve the guitar's sustain. Good electric guitars are usually heavy as a result. Ash, maple, and walnut are all popular.
The fretboard is usually either rosewood or ebony. (Fender Guitars puts lacquered maple fretboards on many of its models, which seem to hold up well.) Ebony is preferable, because it's extremely hard and won't wear as easily, but rosewood is perfectly fine. If the fretboard has been painted or stained, it's probably bad news.
Is it well-made? Look carefully. The frets should be even, and none of them should stick out more than the others. Many acoustic guitars have binding around the edges of the body. That's a good sign, but it isn't strictly necessary. Run your hands all around the edges of the body. If it feels like the wood doesn't quite meet properly in some places, don't buy that guitar. Hold the guitar up and sight down the neck. The fretboard may be either flat or slightly curved side-to-side, but if it doesn't look even, the neck may be twisted or warped. (This is something you're more likely to find in used guitars than new ones.) From the side, the neck should look straight. The tuning machines should work smoothly. (That isn't a primary concern, since you can replace them easily, but it gives you a clue about how meticulous the manufacturer is.) On an electric guitar, all the switches and knobs should work smoothly.
Does it feel good? This is the most important consideration. It's even more important than the guitar's sound. A guitar sounds different from behind than it does to your audience anyway. The thing you'll be most aware of is how it feels.
Is the neck a comfortable width? Different guitars have necks of varying widths. Classical guitars have very wide necks. Electric guitars usually have narrow necks. Most steel-string guitars' necks are somewhere in between. If you have thick fingers, a wider neck will make it easier for you to play. If you have small hands, a narrow neck is more comfortable.
Are the strings at a comfortable height from the frets? This is called action. Most people prefer a guitar with "low action," meaning the strings are relatively close to the frets. Low action makes a guitar easier to play.
Is the body a comfortable size? This is something a lot of people overlook. Most steel-string acoustic guitars have what's called dreadnought style bodies. These are big guitars, and if you're a small person they can be quite uncomfortable to play. When you sit down with the guitar in a normal playing position, you should be able to reach the soundhole easily, without having to stretch. If it's even a little uncomfortable, it will affect your playing. People play best when they're relaxed and comfortable. If the dreadnought body is a problem for you, consider a smaller guitar.
If it's an electric or acoustic/electric guitar, are the controls in a convenient place? Some guitar makers put controls in places where you might accidentally hit them while you're playing.
Does it sound good? Have someone else (a salesperson or a friend) play the guitar for you. Just because it sounds good to you when you play it doesn't mean it will sound good to your audience. What "sounds good" means is subjective, of course. If you like the sound, it sounds good.
What else do you need?
* A case. A flight case or hardshell case is best. Cardboard cases and nylon gig bags don't provide nearly as much protection.
* A strap. Pretty much any strap will do, but it's a good idea to buy a strap lock at the same time.
* Something to tune with. Since you're just starting out, a pitch pipe or electronic tuner will make things easier for you.
* Strings. The strings that are on the guitar when you buy it have been on it too long already. You need to change them. To start out, (for electric or steel string guitars) buy "light gauge." They're reasonably easy to play, but aren't so thin you'll break them right away.
* Picks. Buy a lot. You're going to lose them. To start out, get an assortment of sizes, shapes, and thicknesses, and try them all. Decide what works best for you.
* Music. Unless you're already taking lessons, the best way to start out is to buy a book of songs with simple chord diagrams.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Learning to Fingerpick the Guitar
I think first it helps to identify what sort of music you want to play, though if you don’t know yet that is fine. There are kind of two schools of thought when it comes to picking hand position. The first are those play alot of alternating bass, and perhaps wear a thumbpick at times. Alternating bass style sounds best if you slightly mute the bass strings with the heel of your hand, which means dropping your wrist, which in turn puts your fingers at a different angle to the strings. I personally can’t play this way, it feels awkward picking the strings with my fingers and that i have no power. But i don’t play much alternating bass music, so don’t take my word for it. People like Chet Atkins, Merle Travis, and Tommy Emmanuel certainly don’t sound awkward.
The other position is a more classical position, with the wrist raised a bit, which to me gives the fingers power to pluck the strings. The finger plucks the string at an angle, not parallel, pivoting from the big knuckle, and drawing the tip of the finger back towards the palm. Be sure to keep enough tension in your finger joints so they don’t extend to much, which would cause you to brush the next adjacent string on your way back. I still have trouble with this. Try not to bounce off the string or bring the finger up after you pluck it, always follow through to the base of the palm. This may take some work.
So i just wanted to distinguish between those two schools of playing. Neither one is right or wrong, it just depends what kind of music you want to play. Some folks see musicians with a thumbpick and just think thats the only way to play, others think you have to study classical guitar. While i always feel some basic classical guitar training is good, both from a technique standpoint plus the advantage of learning to read music, it may not make sense if someone wants to learn to play alternating bass or country blues.
Moving onto simple songs. Besides the alternating bass lessons presented in the beginning of this post, i like House of the Rising Sun as a simple fingerpicking guitar song. It gets you in the mindset of assigning a certain finger to each string. We have a free lesson here which outlines the chords. For fingerpicking you are going to want to assign your index finger to the 3rd string, your middle finger to the 2nd string, and your ring finger to the 1st string. The main fingerpicking pattern for House of the Rising Sun involves what is called an appregio for the right hand. Lets take the first chord, A minor. You thumb is going to pluck the open 5th string, and then you will pluck the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st strings consecutively with the assigned fingers. The pattern is the same for all the other chords, except that the string the thumb plucks is going to change depending on the chord. The main rule of thumb, (pardon the pun), is that the string is the lowest note of the chord. So for the D chord its the open 4th string, for the F chord its the fretted 6th string, etc.
If folks are thinking about learning to take up fingerpicking guitar i hope that gives you some good basic information.
The other position is a more classical position, with the wrist raised a bit, which to me gives the fingers power to pluck the strings. The finger plucks the string at an angle, not parallel, pivoting from the big knuckle, and drawing the tip of the finger back towards the palm. Be sure to keep enough tension in your finger joints so they don’t extend to much, which would cause you to brush the next adjacent string on your way back. I still have trouble with this. Try not to bounce off the string or bring the finger up after you pluck it, always follow through to the base of the palm. This may take some work.
So i just wanted to distinguish between those two schools of playing. Neither one is right or wrong, it just depends what kind of music you want to play. Some folks see musicians with a thumbpick and just think thats the only way to play, others think you have to study classical guitar. While i always feel some basic classical guitar training is good, both from a technique standpoint plus the advantage of learning to read music, it may not make sense if someone wants to learn to play alternating bass or country blues.
Moving onto simple songs. Besides the alternating bass lessons presented in the beginning of this post, i like House of the Rising Sun as a simple fingerpicking guitar song. It gets you in the mindset of assigning a certain finger to each string. We have a free lesson here which outlines the chords. For fingerpicking you are going to want to assign your index finger to the 3rd string, your middle finger to the 2nd string, and your ring finger to the 1st string. The main fingerpicking pattern for House of the Rising Sun involves what is called an appregio for the right hand. Lets take the first chord, A minor. You thumb is going to pluck the open 5th string, and then you will pluck the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st strings consecutively with the assigned fingers. The pattern is the same for all the other chords, except that the string the thumb plucks is going to change depending on the chord. The main rule of thumb, (pardon the pun), is that the string is the lowest note of the chord. So for the D chord its the open 4th string, for the F chord its the fretted 6th string, etc.
If folks are thinking about learning to take up fingerpicking guitar i hope that gives you some good basic information.
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