Guitar Playing Help!

BlueGrass · #1 06-25-2003, 03:13 PM

Hi, I have been attempting to play the acoustic version of Big Love and it isn't coming out right. I just tried to get the main melody down but to me it doesn't sound right - sounds much to low.

I use a capo and I think my guitar is in good tune. Also, since the main chords use the D A E strings I get the annoying sound of my finger scratching the brass coating on the strings. How does Lindsey manage never to have that problem?

These are the tabs I used

http://home.swipnet.se/~w-83987/arch...ig_love_97.htm

Guys got any tips Seteca or ChiliD or Carne?? Thanks

seteca · #2 06-25-2003, 10:11 PM

Those tabs look fine to me.

If you're using a capo on the 4th fret and your guitar is in tune, I don't see how it could be coming out "too low", unless by too "low" you mean too "bass-y", as opposed to the actual notes being wrong. I think that's probably what you mean, in which case you can correct the sound (crudely) using your amp's EQ. Turn the bass down and the treble up. For example, if your bass and treble are both on 5 at the moment, try reducing the bass to 2 and increasing the treble to 7 or 8. You should notice a sharp differnce in tone. Apart from the fact that Lindsey is playing a very different guitar from you and his is going through a Roland synth module, his guitar also has an "individual string volume" control, which means it will be practically impossible for you to achieve an identical tone.

The "finger scratching problem". I can only guess that you're having this problem because at least part of your nail is coming into contact with those strings. You should try to play the A and E strings with only the "flesh" of your thumb, not the nail. Playing them with the nail makes it sound far too treble-y and they will start to drown out the melody notes. Remember, this is Travis picking at its finest: you have two VERY independent bass and melody sections going on at the same time, and those notes on the A and E strings are supporting bass notes and should underlie the melody notes of the other four strings. You should play the bass line of the entire song by moving your whole HAND up and down while your thumb is in a pretty much fixed position. The four fingers should move, NOT the thumb. (Watch the Dance video if you're unsure about this.) If you try to play the bass line by moving your thumb up and down, you'll never get the rhythm of the song right and it will sound jerky.

Hope this helps ya out!

BlueGrass · #3 06-26-2003, 11:59 AM

Thanks Seteca. I just need to trim my nails down and I could play it with the flesh of my skin fine. Also, I don't have my amp yet! I don't have the money but I will have it in a month or two then I could play around with the sound.

This is what I find the hardest for me abut playing guitar, having the alternate bass parts going at a different rhythm than the lead parts. I still can't get the mechanics and coordination down. I guess I gotta keep practicing and it will start to work.

I noticed that when I strum the bass notes the sound lasts a bit longer and is more echo-y. When Lindsey play the bass notes they have less echo to them.

tuigirl · #4 06-27-2003, 01:35 AM

Youv'e got me being curious...please explain ( but not too technically..coz, I don't understand!!) how does Linds guitar have "individual string volume"?

CarneVaca · #5 06-27-2003, 08:35 AM

Lindsey's guitar is wired differently from the average guitar. This is something of an innovation by Rick Turner, even though Lindsey is using a Gibson on Big Love.

Guitars have pickups that "pick up" the sound from the strings and the vibration of the wood, and send the signal to an amplifier. The conventional guitar has one to three pickups (acoustics usually have just one). The pickup processes the sound from all the strings together. Lindsey's guitar has pickups for each string, making it possible to adjust volume and EQ for each string individually. This is a huge breakthrough, but not one that too many people would likely take advantage of -- too much of a pain in the ass to go through all that.

chiliD · #6 06-27-2003, 09:59 AM

I think Fishman has put that pickup technology into a production model. I've seen a few different guitar maker ads that reference "individual string" pickups.

seteca · #7 06-30-2003, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CarneVaca
Lindsey's guitar is wired differently from the average guitar. This is something of an innovation by Rick Turner, even though Lindsey is using a Gibson on Big Love.

Has Rick Turner claimed to have installed that technology into LB's Chet Atkins???

I'm 99% sure that the "individual string volume" is a standard feature on all Gibson Chet Atkins CE guitars. Unless Rick was the person who originally created that technology for Gibson while he was working for them, I don't see how he is involved with it.

Edit to post: I just checked the Gibson site and the "individual string volume" is indeed a standard feature of all Chet Atkins CE/CEC guitars. There's nothing special about LB's one.

http://www.gibson.com/products/gibso...ins/CECEC.html