Hey guitar noise forums, I've been browsing your site for a while now, and it's great. I decided to make a forum account because I have a question on something that bothers me when playing my newly bought electric guitar (I played 5 years of acoustic before).
It's the unwanted resonance I get when I play open strings. The tone seems to continue forever. For example I take wonderful tonight (a solo arrangement). The song starts with a sequence with a few opens strings, being G D G E, then into the high riff, probably well known to everyone that's heard the song.
The problem is, the D and G tones seem to go on forever, even till long into the high riff (like 2 measures beyond). I have tried to solve this, half succesfully, by muting the strings with my wrist/palm. It's very hard though (maybe I'm just getting used to it, I have my electrical guitar for 2 days now), and the song sounds a little "empty" when I continue playing after muting all the strings.
Any advice? Thanks in advance.
It sounds like you are saying you don't like the sustain in the electric guitar. Maybe you need to work on muting the strings so they don't ring out.
There are alot of different nuances between the acoustic and electric that you will have to get used to.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
you can also mute with your fretting hand. it works a lot better.
adding more of the same: most electrics (esp solids and semi-hollows) are not simply amplified acoustic guitars. they are different instruments, primarily in timbres -- including sustain. depending upon your use of effects and amplification, you will very likely need to develop a different playing style for your electric. and even though some electrics are closer to acoustics in timbre, nearly all will show up the more critical aspects of your playing unless you use such effects such as distortion/saturation, chorus, phasing and/or reverb in certain way which can "smooth" the sound. a clean (no distortion), dry (no echo, chorus, reverb) Fender sound is perhaps one of the most critical mirrors of ones playing.
learning to mute with both hands is important to electric guitar proficiency. also important is learning to make sparser playing sound good. many strums on an electric are done on muted or partially muted strings, and often on fewer strings. this is going to be a new world for you, give it some time and practice. if you've been playing acoustic for five years, and are somewhat accomplished, you'll get this too.
-=tension & release=-
welcome to the forum.
gnease has said it well.
electric guitar is different than acoustic. you develop a style of playing so to speak with one.
it is kinda fun as the guitar responds to how you play it.
three strings are often much better than all six. three is a chord anyway.
I like to play with my hands and fingers very close to the strings.
I can control the sustains and such. with a lot of distortion or high gain palm muting the entire time is almost de rigeur.
learn the different damping and muting techniques and work them into your playing.
both hands. you will have power over your tone then.
I have tried to solve this, half succesfully, by muting the strings with my wrist/palm. It's very hard though (maybe I'm just getting used to it, I have my electrical guitar for 2 days now
Keep at it...this is the way to do it.
Geez, WHY does everyone try to build Rome in a day???
Cat
"Feel what you play...play what you feel!"
because everything else in the world is easier than playing the guitar well.
