"It's all in the fingers"

It's like asking way are peoples fingerprints different....I don't know how you can answer either question other than theoretically

I think you are going to sound like you regardless of what gear you are using. I mean, Slash is going to sound like Slash whether he's playing on a Gibby or an Epi (or a Fender for that matter). So in that sense, yes I do believe your tone is in your fingers.

However, I do also believe that your gear will help polish your sound. So say 90% is in your fingers while the other 10% is in your gear. That extra 10% will just help round out your sound and help get what's in your head into the air.

When it comes to replicating someone else's playing, I think you can get close but never obtain it exactly. You can use the same gear which will help. You can play the song note-for-note which will help. But in the end, you're still going to be playing their song sounding mostly like YOU. That's a good thing too, IMO.

Jason

I would also add that it's artistic impression as well. Think of the guitarists that you know you can name from their sound, Knophler, Slash, Clapton, Gilmour, etc.

It's not just the notes, it's the way they attack the string, the way the get to that note and from that note. Put it all together and that's partly what makes them who they are.

As well with most if not all of these folks, this is what they do. As we trundle off to our 9 - 5 or 11 - 7 jobs, they head to their studio to do their "work" which is about as repetitive as one can get, playing riff after riff getting to what they like and they believe that we will like enough to part with some cash for it. If this is what you do, then you are more than likely to end up with a sound that is all your own.

My $0.02 (CAD) anyway.

G

I'll agree that some of a persons personal tone is "in their fingers" but I think a lot of it is in their mind as well. Do you hold that quarter note out for a 10th of a second longer than it's written? To you barely slow down the end of that arpeggio? The answers to questions like that come from how you personally "hear" or "feel" the music in your head. So those kind of things will change from person to person and make up a lot of the little nuances that you hear in their playing. At least, that seems to make sense to me :smile:

Yeah, when people say "tone," they usually really mean "style." Frankly, the exact tone coming out of the speakers has very little to do with style, or whether it sounds good or not. As has been repeatedly said, a great player with a recognizable style is going to sound like himself whatever he's playing through. And you can't buy great sound. You've got to work at it. It's called "paying your dues."

another word could be attitude. as it utilizes style, equipment, fingers and mind.
attitude=feeling.

my 2cents (new democratic american pennies)

Here's my take on "tone" in the fingers.

It boils down to a combination of touch, attack, vibrato and timing:

1. Touch - light, medium or heavy fretting (or a combination of all 3).
2. Attack - light, medium or heavy picking technique (or a combination of all 3). Bare fingers, finger nails or pick (pick material type and thickness).
3. Vibrato - fast, medium or slow. The width of the vibrato. The use of vibrato (constant, random or rare).
4. Timing - how long a player holds notes. Playing on, before or after the beat etc.

It all works together to create tone.

I'll agree that some of a persons personal tone is "in their fingers" but I think a lot of it is in their mind as well. Do you hold that quarter note out for a 10th of a second longer than it's written? To you barely slow down the end of that arpeggio? The answers to questions like that come from how you personally "hear" or "feel" the music in your head. So those kind of things will change from person to person and make up a lot of the little nuances that you hear in their playing. At least, that seems to make sense to me :smile:

I think that's quite true actually.

What you do naturally and how you "phrase" a piece, I do feel plays a big part. Basically this is an appreciation of the many and varied routes that people take down the overall seemingly worn path of music.

Eventually I'll see myself develop a "tone" (style, etc.) and messing around with cool tricks and unusual methods will help.

Yeah, trying different things helps you learn what you like best and can best use to express yourself musically. Having more "tools" at your disposal is always a good thing.

Its Always Good Too practice different approaches to getting up the scales .try using different fingering every time to find what fits you.

Phrasing plays a huge part in a guitarists "sound". Think Jimi Hendrix and SRV, they are so beloved because they phrased their songs beautifully. Which notes and chords they mute, how heavy do they mute, in what way do they mute, how long they long notes for, which notes do they emphasize, which notes they down-pick, which notes do they up-pick....I can go on all day.

I found a post by vink that gave a great description of what I was trying to say:
I think "Tone" in someway is too broad a term, and people mean many things.

There are things that come purely from the players fingers, heart and mind, like:
- Phrasing: finding the "right" note to play and at the right time and with the right spacing. and playing certain types of connected notes. For example, Satriani will often play different modes in fast legato, and Clapton will do short, very bluesy fills between the phrases he sings (listen to the electric version of "Before you accuse me" to hear what I mean).
- Articulation: making a note sound a particular way, with a particular feeling. For example, David Gilmour will often do very long, slow, dreamy bends. BB will do very beautiful sounding single note vibratos; a perfect single note placed at the right place with the right feel. To me, the very first note he plays in "The Thrill Is Gone" sounds just perfect for the song and sets the mood, before he has done anything else. I can play that same "B" note on the 2nd string 12th fret all day, and it just does not feel anywhere close..

Then, there is the sound itself that comes from the equipment and how it is setup, and that can be very different. For example, Hendrix really plays with a very different sound in "Wind Cries Mary", where he uses a very clean tone, and "Purple Haze", which is very distorted and uses Octavia effects, I believe. (But in both cases, he does certain style of chord embellishments, which is more of phrasing..)

I am really trying to see if I can get better at phrasing and articulation of my notes, and then I can worry about the sound more ... but that's just me. YMMV.