Guitar Feedback

Feedback is caused by the sound waves coming from the speakers exciting your guitar strings, which causes them to sound into the pup, which then goes to the amp, which amplifies the sound, which comes back out of the speaker and excites your strings even more,which...........

You get the picture. Plenty of volume and move the guitar in the direction of the speakers. Feedback will find you before you find it.

So, if I just turn the volume up and place my guitar next to the speaker, I should get some feedback?

Yes. Thing to work on is being able to control the feedback sound so that you can utilize it and incorporate it into your playing.  

There are also ways of getting feedback without having the volume turned full tilt. I use a rack mount tube preamp along with other racked equipment and overdrive it into a power amp. Even at low volumes I can create controlled feedback when I feel the need.

How I have the drive into the preamp tube, EQ settings, compressor, exciter, delay, reverb, how everything is connected, the strings, pickups, all the way down to how I attack strings.

It will take some experimenting and practice.  

Joe

As forrok says, you can do it without having the amp at full tilt, you will probably have to start that way to understand how to get control. once you have that, you can refine your technique by gradually lowering the volume to "normal" playing levels.

So, would it eventually become possible to create the feedback with nearly total control, and therefore allowing me to choose the pitches that I create?

I have a midi-sound of Guitar Feedback.  The sound is really interesting, so I was just wondering if I could create those pitches actually with my guitar.

Go back to some of the 60's records, like the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, etc. They used feedback to create sounds that are nowadays created by pedals.

endorfin

Yes, to your Question if its possible to create feedback with nearly total control even at low volumes. I don't know how well I can explain it for you to understand but I'll try. You'll need to realize I use numerous pieces of high end equipment which allows me control over every aspect of my tone and sound.
I also have spent years thinking, experimenting, practicing, to perfect my style and sound.

Sometimes I use harmonics,(artificial/pinch), pick scrapes, even other noises like taping the on the body of the guitar with my fingers, or on the back of the neck behind the first and second frets, even strum above the nut sometimes creates usable feedback. On some presets, all I have to do is turn to the speakers and at different areas in the speaker sound field to get it started. And this is from the sound I create with the way I have my equipment set.

I (kind of) think the sound I want to create in my mind, then move or do whatever I need to so I can hear the feedback but also mostly I FEEL the different feedback sounds in my guitar and fingers. All this can be achieved at low volumes with experimenting with your amp, guitar, or effects controls. Mostly its trial and error to see what it takes to get control of it.

Once learn how to get your guitar to talk you'll have control for whatever you want it to. At these low volumes, when I do this surprise's people because everyone is use to a guitar being loud in order for it to work. I just don't play to the same tune as the rest.

Joe  

I just turn the level knob on the guitar all the way down and do a harmonic and then slowly turn it up.  Its the closest to real feedback Ive gotten.

Wow Joe, you know your stuff. I've heard a few clips, you da Blues Man!!

I use feedback a lot myself. You can hear those notes, just move toward the amp. Then a little Whammy Bar.

Ted Nugent was awesome at playing feedback. He uses a hollowbody Gibson. Hollowbody's feedback easily. He would experiment and find different areas on the stage where certain notes would feedback, and mark those areas with Duct-tape.