Electric rhythm guitar?

learn to play the bar chords.

Oh, I can play barre chords--I've been playing guitar (part-time, my primary instrument is keyboard) for over 30 years! I am not a beginner. I never really got a feel for electric, however.

Best, Jersey Jack

Some well intonated electrics with the right strings and setups can be played a lot like acoustics, though the timbre is different, they are in tune and sound good -- first position "cowboy chords" or barre chords or jazz chords. I find this particularly true of Fender solid bodies, as well as many hollows (e.g., Gretsch, Gibby, Epi, Ibanez Artcores) and semis. But in all cases, it is important to have the intonation and setup done correctly or all bets are off. And if you are really a hard strummer, avoid use of light and extra-light strings, as hard picking, strumming will pull these out of tune during the attack. Floating trem systems also can play havoc with hard pickers/strummers, as a hard attack will also pull on the strings and detune the guitar for a short time or even result in "trem gargle," which is a wavering in pitch as the floating bridge oscillates in response to the string pull during the strum.

If you are playing with any significant amount of distortion, this will emphasize tuning and intonation issues.

So, start with the basics: Do you know your intonation is good? Simple test is to tune using an electronic tuner, then lightly strum various first and higher position chords. Try all of the CAGED forms. If some sound okay, and other not so good, you probably have intonation issues that need correction via bridge adjustments.

Another thought: If you have a Buzz Feiten nut and are using a standard electronic tuner, you will not be properly tuning your guitar. BF nut compensation requires a special version tuner.

Tell us about your setup (guitar, amp, EFX) and what type of music you play.

You mentioned that -"I never really got a feel for electric, however." It could be as simple as too much pressure from your fretting hand. Playing an acoustic for 25 years, it took me a while to realize how much less pressure is required for an electric. Just a thought.

Denny

Denny makes an important point. also, electrics sustain longer. you adjust to the that in many ways. mainly is not to over play, which causes a slurring, if you will, between chords.

You mentioned that -"I never really got a feel for electric, however." It could be as simple as too much pressure from your fretting hand. Playing an acoustic for 25 years, it took me a while to realize how much less pressure is required for an electric. Just a thought.

Denny

And a good thought. In particular, the combination of jumbo frets and ligher gauge strings make too much fretting force a real outta tune problem. If you have difficulty fretting and strumming lightly on an electric, upping the string gauge may make the guitar less sensitive to your "power."

Dogbite's comment on electrics' typically greater sustain is another reason to alter playing and do the "less is more" on electric: Greater sustain means all the intonation imperfections of an electric become more obvious as the chords ring out and the ear has more time to process the pitch relationships between all the notes and harmonics. As a result, electric players use a lot of fretting hand muting and palm muting to limit the length of chords. Where "chords" are sustained -- especially with distortion -- we will play simpler intervals, such as 1-5 "power chords," as these are tonally less complicated and are more passable when sustained. The guitars I mention above as being somewhat playable like acoustics all have one thing in common: They have less sustain than many other solid body electrics such as Les Pauls and the Ibanez and Jackson "shredding machines."

This is helpful guys, thanks! I have decent gear--an American Tele and a Gretsch 6120--and I normally play through a Fender Twin Reverb. I don't have access to the Fender amp at the moment, so I'm currently playing through a small Vox Valvetronix. The problem I'm experiencing has less to do with the tele than with the Gretch. The Gretsch is in the shop now getting a set-up, and I'm optmistic that when it comes back things will be better. I'm also thinking that the presets on the valvetronix are not good presets for rhythm playing, so I'll be experimenting with manual settings as well.

I play primarily country, alt-country, americana, etc. A little bit of rock, but no punk, metal, or jazz.

I'd like to know about chords and effects as well--do you shorten chords? do you add particular effects?

Thanks again,
Jersey Jack

Interesting -- The Gretsch has a movable bridge. If in the wrong place, that alone would cause big problems with tuning, similar to those you descrbe. Guess you will find out when it gets back. But even in that case, I suspect you have a combination of problems with the guitars and your technique.

Typically, a 6120 is not a sustain machine, especially played clean. Plenty of players grip (chord) and pick with force on these guitars. Usually they will be set up with medium or heavier strings to emulate the original sounds of these guitars. But if you have chosen to go light, then ease up on your playing too.

Shortening chords is done by a combination of fretting hand and palm muting. If playing barre chords, simply release the fretting force, and that will mute all strings. This is a bit more complicate if playing first position chords, but can be done by releasing the chords and laying the fretting fingers lightly across the strings to mute them -- in whatever way is comfortable and fast. Many players choose to mute with the strumming/picking hand by lightly laying the palm or heel of that hand across the strings. Advanced players use both methods as required. Just takes practice to get it all down, and develop a rhythmic sense for using muting. If you have never used muting before, it can make your acoustic playing a lot more interesting as well.

Effects for the styles you play? These will not shorten the chords, but add atmosphere, esp if you are shortening through muting: I would think about a good reverb and slap-back echo. These are commonly used in country, rollabilly and early rock to create a nice ambience for clean guitar. Dry (no reverb or slight echo), a clean electric can sound awfully sterile.

HI JJ - think I know what you are talking about. I started on electric a few years back after 15 years of strumming accoustic guitar. I think it is a major transition like to another instrument. Still after some years 50/50 electric and accoustic, I kinda feel more comfortable doing just backing/rhythm on a accoustic type guitar. THe closest I've ever come to the accoustic feeling on an electric was on a 20 years old Ibanez jazz box with .013 string on. Like you my right hand technique has never been very good developed. But I'm constantly working on that.

Not playing full chords can be one good thing. LEarn all different voicings you can think of. Avoid open strings? - maybe often yes, at least practice muting both with the fretting hand and strumming hand. Try different sizes of picks. I found that repositioning my right hand much closer to the strings with a smaller, thicker pick was a good thing - still working on that too ;-). One effect box I like is the compressor - evens out the tones.

Some loose and random thoughts from an inexperienced electrified player - good luck

lars

I don't play acoustic, but I find muting with each hand to be important!

That tele is a rythm MACHINE !
Use the middle position (both pups),strum over the neck pup.
11's would help for rythm.

JJ

Keep the gain way down, don't max the volume and play clean if you want to do full chords.

That tele is a rythm MACHINE !
Use the middle position (both pups),strum over the neck pup.
11's would help for rythm.

JJ

I agree. Even with 10s on my Lite Ash Tele, it's a great strummer. Ringing, open string chords sound great. Given a Tele's pristine note articulation, I would expect it to be better than the Gretsch for clean country rhythm.

This is an interesting thread for me as well as I am playing rhythm accompaniment with an international-folk style music group. I play a MIM strat that I never feel rings clean tone wise. Mostly I feel that its due to my lack of experience on the guitar as I've only been playing a year and a half.
Just from reading this thread I see things that might apply to my case, like I find myself strumming all the strings on all of the chords both open & barre. As well as I don't add any reverb or chorus with my Cube 60 amp which someone mentions makes for a sterile sound. Nor do I incorporate any type of muting aside from lifting my fingers to change chords which mutes only at those times and sounds off to me as well. I'd like to hear more from the experience electric rhythm playes as to how somoene like me could go about maximizing tone quality more with technique than equipment because this is the equipment I'll be playing on for a while.