Hi all,
How do you feel about the way your playing sounds? Are you reasonably satisfied or is it something that still bugs you a lot?
We hear a lot of music these days that has been played in studio conditions by professional musicians – with all the opportunity for multiple takes, etc. And if it's still not up to snuff they can alter it and clean it up with software until it's exactly what they wanted. I've seen it described as "music that never was.." – in other words the end product that you hear was not played in the one take, but assembled and shaped.
Does that make it harder to be happy with our own efforts – that are bound to sound fairly raw and under-produced by comparison?
I assumed that I'd always be more or less dissatisfied with how I sounded. But I've been happy to realise recently that on acoustic (which is mostly what I play – I still never seem to get the amp settings quite right on electric…) I'm actually starting to enjoy the way I sound when I play. That's not to say it's of any sort of real quality or standard – it's not – just that I'm happy with what I hear now.
Somehow it seems like a real milestone. I'm aware that my sound could be way better than it is, but it's not getting in the way of enjoying it right now.
I have a friend who is Classically trained and very good. He used to be in a duo who played a similar repertoire to the pieces that John Williams and Julian Bream played. At that level, the attention to every nuance of sound and technique was extraordinary. He could play something that sounded flawless to most of us, and still be well short of what he'd been aiming at.
I remember him telling me that his musical knowledge and background actually worked against him in many everyday situations. He and his young wife would be listening to rock or pop on the radio in the car, and she would be cheerily bopping along and enjoying it, while he'd hear every cheesy short cut, just how poor a lot of the arranging and musicianship was and so on. His ear was tuned to dissect and criticise while hers was just set to enjoy. It was to his credit that he said that he needed to learn (or re-learn) from her how to just enjoy it for what it was - without being too demanding about what he was hearing.
So what about you?
How do you sound? And how hard are you on yourself about it?
Cheers,
Chris
My guitar sounds awesome. my singing is another matter....but overall i'm pretty happy with the way i sound.
To be honest I am absolutely happy with the sounds I can make. Both my guitar and piano setup is basically low-budget but I don't care. On the other hand, I'm not often happy with how the final mix sounds: a big part of how a note sounds is unfortunately still a matter of instrumental skills and those could do with some upgrading. Anyone able to recommend a good brand of brains?
whatever brand john frusciante uses is pretty great, imho.
I absolutely love my tones. I found the instruments I want to play and I found some pedals and amps that give me what I want. it took time.
I am satisfied where I am at.
of course i am not. i am not happy with my tone and i am not happy with my playing, that's why i am constantly playing hours on hours each day, so i stop sucking
No, my acoustic needs a truss-rod adjustment. :(
Other than that.....yes. :wink:
"That’s what takes place when a song is written: You see something that isn’t there. Then you use your instrument to find it."
- John Frusciante
once i figure out to assemble drums bass and a singer along with my guitar with members forming what ive began to call a "band" then i may be happy with my sound. jamming alone doesnt satisfy me anymore.
"This is a public service announcement....with guitars!"
Interesting answers.
I guess what has been a pleasant surprise for me has been suddenly realising that I was finally starting to sound like I knew what I was doing. :)
That's not to say that everything sounds top notch - there's plenty of work to be done yet. Hard to say exactly what the difference is. But after months of making progress it was still sounding pretty clumsy and amateurish. And then one day it started to sound fluid and relaxed. And somehow that seemed more important than whether the tone was always spot on, or the detail was always perfect. Maybe confidence has a sound. But I guess it's not really a surprise to discover that there's more to sound than just the noise it makes... if you see what I mean...... :wink:
Chris,
I cant remember which forum it was but someone asked "When do you know you can play the guitar". Well for my money when you:
.. discover that there's more to sound than just the noise it makes... if you see what I mean
I know exactly what you mean, it means your a guitar player, well done.
cheers
Paul
'maybe confidence has a sound'
hi chris.....that is a very thought provoking question.....with the straight answer....YES :idea:
maybe that should be added to all the beginner lessons on here
ps
love the garden :D
Incredibly happy - Cheap, old guitar with a few hatchet jobs, strings as old and heavy as I can manage; small, old practice amp and a cheap, newish multi-fx pedal. One day I'll have my '59 Les Paul and a Marshall stack, but I wouldn't trade it for what I've got in a million years :D
Thanks Pbee and Ballybiker. Kind words and much appreciated. :)
Cheers,
Chris
Former guitar owner, now guitar player. 8)
Yes, both in the way i sound and the tone from what i've got. i guess that's why i haven't had GAS for more that a year now.
Minus Human
And all the things you said to me
I need your arms to welcome me
But a cold stone's all I see
Let my heart go
I love the sound of my Selmer Accoustic.
Amplified, I'm happy with my Fender Twin, but I really dislike my archtop's tone. I want to upgrade to a carved top and back and and move away from the laminate ASAP.
I'm not a big pedal user. I'll add a little chorus or delay for ambiance, a touch of my tube screamer on occassion, and a loop pedal are all that sit in my chain besides my eqs (Thanks Forrok!)
Overall I'm happy, but I still need a bit of an upgrade before I'll be completely satisfied.
I would like to upgrade my mic pre-amps to something with a bit warmer sound, and I might still try a different mic or two, but mostly it's about the archtop construction at this point.
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST
