question about hammer-ons /pull-offs

[pop sucks]

when I practice exercises invoving these, do I have to make sure that the hammered/pulled notes sound as loud as if they were picked? I'm not sure if it's just normal that the notes sound less loud when I do it, I know the volume does matter, and they sound loud enough so I can hear them well, but not as loud as if they were picked, is that normal? I saw the G3 dvd with malmsteen and at many occasions, he would just stop using his picking hand, and I could've sworn, if I had not been paying attention to his right hand, I wouldn't have been able to tell he wasn't even using it.

Oh, and about tapping, I can't make the notes sound very loud, it there a trick to it? Or do I hammer the notes like crazy with my right hand middle finger until I have practiced enough to develop enough finger strenght?

[Father_Sole_Kiss]

I believe with practice you can get them to sound as loud... there is alot to the way you pull your finger from the string etc...

[pop sucks]

I believe with practice you can get them to sound as loud... there is alot to the way you pull your finger from the string etc...

When I play slow, my pull-offs definitely sound louder than my hammer-ons. But when I play fast, I have no time to pull the strings properly. I guess I'll just keep on practicing slow and make them sound as as loud as possible. I've never really practiced this before... I realised how I was really lacking in this area when I learned to play "rattlehead".

[BEHN]

*giggles*



uhh yeah, you can get them sounding plenty loud with practice.

[the EDGE]

yeah, and another way not to push so hard to do pull offs sometimes is to pull on the string with that finger, but eventually it willget easier till it becoms second nature

[pop sucks]

yeah, and another way not to push so hard to do pull offs sometimes is to pull on the string with that finger, but eventually it willget easier till it becoms second nature

I'm not sure if I understand you, I though that by pulling the string with the finger (the one leaving the string), was the one an only way to do a pull-off? I usually use a combinasion of finger and some wrist movement to help the finger (esp. the pinky).

[michael322006]

*needs to learn how to play guitar

[againsttheantichrist]

When I play slow, my pull-offs definitely sound louder than my hammer-ons. But when I play fast, I have no time to pull the strings properly. I guess I'll just keep on practicing slow and make them sound as as loud as possible. I've never really practiced this before... I realised how I was really lacking in this area when I learned to play "rattlehead".

Yah, just take it slow bro. Speed on it will come naturally with practice (something I should abide by)

[davidarlette]

yeah, and another way not to push so hard to do pull offs sometimes is to pull on the string with that finger, but eventually it willget easier till it becoms second nature

What Edgecrusher means is not just take the 3rd or 4th finger off the string passively, but to pull down and away fast and hard with your finger (being careful not to hit the adjacent string), as hard as you can without bending the string. Another trick is to play the second note with vibrato.

I would practice on "Who Made Who" by ACDC.
it just goes 4-0-7-0-4-0-7-0...-5-0-8-0-5-0-8-0. Try and play it without using your right hand at all. ie pulling off from 4th fret to open string (index finger), then
7th fret to open string (with pinky). With practice, you'll get it nearly as loud as if you were picking it.

Let us know how you go :)

[ToddB]

an exercise, (from my twisted little stable of exercises)

Figure one is simple, you pick the first note and hammer on the second. Build up speed as you progress until the hammered note is as loud as the picked note. Each string is different though so you will need to experiment with different hammering techniques. What works well on one string does not always work well on the other. Repeat this little exercise up the fret board, across it, forwards and backwards. You should be able to hammer on from the high E to the low and then back up to the high e string without hesitancy.

fig. 1
E---------------------2-3--
B-----------------2-3------
G-------------2-3----------
D---------2-3--------------
A-----2-3------------------
E-2-3----------------------

Figure 2 on the other hand is a three finger hammer on exercise (fret first note and pick it, follow it with the two notes hammered), no pull offs. Pull offs are actually much easier to do than hammer ons. This is a little exercise that requires some digit stretches.

fig. 2
E--------------------------------3-5-7-
B--------------------------3-5-7-------
G--------------------3-5-7-------------
D--------------3-5-7-------------------
A--------3-5-7-------------------------
E--3-5-7-------------------------------

don't worry about the notes you're playing right now, just focus on making them sound as clean and fluid as possible. Once you nail down some exercise, experiment with sliding into a note, hammering on the next one, sliding out of another, etc..etc..

[pop sucks]

ok. I got plenty of exercises to practice already, but you can never have too much exercises. I didn't know that each string was diffrent.

I have a quesition though, when you hammer on, is it obligatory that you mute the string you are hammering, the part that isn't supposed to vibrate? example, if I start off right away with a hammer on the 4th fret without putting any other fingers on the string, the are of the string that is between the nut and the 3rd fret will vibrate and produce unwanted noise. I'm can't put my amp very loud at home, and I don't know if that sound is amplified but the pickups of not.


and to execute a proper pull-off, does I need to put the very tip of my finger against the fret and then pull, of do I need to put it slightly over the fret, so it works better when I pull down? cause right now when I practice I try always to play on the tip of my fingers to make them precise.

[ToddB]

ok. I got plenty of exercises to practice already, but you can never have too much exercises. I didn't know that each string was diffrent.

I have a quesition though, when you hammer on, is it obligatory that you mute the string you are hammering, the part that isn't supposed to vibrate? example, if I start off right away with a hammer on the 4th fret without putting any other fingers on the string, the are of the string that is between the nut and the 3rd fret will vibrate and produce unwanted noise. I'm can't put my amp very loud at home, and I don't know if that sound is amplified but the pickups of not.


and to execute a proper pull-off, does I need to put the very tip of my finger against the fret and then pull, of do I need to put it slightly over the fret, so it works better when I pull down? cause right now when I practice I try always to play on the tip of my fingers to make them precise.

whatever is easiest for you to do is what you ought to do. At least that is the way I learned some 20 + years ago. Sometimes a little unwanted noise during a hammer on or even a pull off can actually compliment the riff in question......just experiment :)

[davidarlette]

Another tip is that youtube has heaps of lessons for free. You can learn from Paul Gilbert if you want, just search. I am learning some nice smooth jazz licks at the moment from free tutorials. You could learn some really fast licks and techniques if you look. A guy helped me to hit artificial harmonics (I PM'd him since he was so good at them, and he replied to me!- the tip is that you have to pick the right place on the string BTW, just like with natural harmonics). :electric:

[pop sucks]

the tip is that you have to pick the right place on the string BTW, just like with natural harmonics

I assume, that you have to pick at a certain fraction of the lenght of the string (lenght betwen fret and bridge, let's say, 1/4 or 1/3, from the bridge)? That would make sense. At 1/2 is the natural harmonic (one octave higher), at 1/3 you hit the 3rd harmonic and make a note 2 octaves higher.

Probably the only thing I remember from physics class.

[davidarlette]

Yeah, that's exactly right. I always (wrongly) thought that they differed from natural harmonics, and it was all in using the pick with the thumb straight afterwards. But what you say is right, you've got to remember where to hit them. Although I have just gotten an amp again, I am guessing that as you hold a note down (shortening the string) the places where they occur will also change. I can't wait to see if I can really get them to squeal now with a bit of gain and drive.

So I guess the name threw me. They maybe could just be called "right hand" harmonics, since they are not "unnatural", just made with the right hand, rather than the left.

[pop sucks]

Nice. I never really realised that myself and artificial harmonic was always hit or miss for me.

[Fret]

It's boring, but using a metronome/drum machine/time keeper of some sort is extremely helpful for getting your technique down. It also helps you track your progress, as you gradually increase the tempo as you're able to play your current speed cleanly. Even though I've been playing guitar 20+ years, every now and then I still do some work with the metronome just to clean up bad habits that are all too easy to fall into :)

[davidarlette]

It's boring, but using a metronome/drum machine/time keeper of some sort is extremely helpful for getting your technique down. It also helps you track your progress, as you gradually increase the tempo as you're able to play your current speed cleanly. Even though I've been playing guitar 20+ years, every now and then I still do some work with the metronome just to clean up bad habits that are all too easy to fall into :)

Is it even better than playing with the song on CD?

What exercises do you do, and what bad habits develop? Do you mean like you are learning a blisteringly fast solo and learn it slow first, then speed it up?

[Gabriel]

if you think about it playing to a cd is playing to a metronome cause they recorede it perfectly in time , i think its better cause you have to fit your shred etc into the right places to make it sound good!

[Gabriel]

yeah a while back my bass player played a scale using harmonics which was faster than me playing normally at the time , a lot faster!!!

oh yeah another tip is , practice without your amp a lot , it makes you a lot more expresive and i found im a lot better at my acoustic as well even though i never practice it!

[Gabriel]

sorry about three posts in a row but i forgot to ask, you know these harmonics your talking about, these are different from pinch harmonics right?

[davidarlette]

Hi Gabriel,

No, I think what we are talking about are also called pinch harmonics. You know the really high pitched squeal that people were enamoured with in the 80's. So the left hand is playing a normal note, and the right hand makes the harmonic down over the pickups.

What scale could the bassist play using harmonics? That sounds impressive. Were they natural (eg over frets 5,7, 12) or AH? I've never heard of Artificial harmonics on a bass before, but I'm sure someone would have done it before.

[axeman2415]

What scale could the bassist play using harmonics? That sounds impressive. Were they natural (e.g. over frets 5,7, 12) or AH? I've never heard of Artificial harmonics on a bass before, but I'm sure someone would have done it before.

The same scales that a guitar would. If you have ever heard Billy Sheehan from Tals, David Lee Roth Band, Mr. Big, or now touring w/ Steve Vai, you would hear a bass player tearing it up with open, Tapped, and pinch Harmonics.

you know these harmonics your talking about, these are different from pinch harmonics right?

Allow me to clarify something; often you will read terms such as "Artificial Harmonics" or "Pinch Harmonics" or "Natural Harmonics". Those names are somewhat misleading. All harmonics are natural. They occur anytime a string is struck. But you do not hear them resound because the fundamental note overides the hamonic overtones. The terms of "artificial","pinch", and "natural" refer to a specific technique to produce the overtone series that we hear as harmonics. In other words, an open, or natural harmonic is produced when the string is struck while you lightly brush your finger over a particular fret (i.e., the 12th fret or the 5th fret). A "pinch" harmonic is a particular kind of "artificial" harmonic produced when you pick the string with a plectrum (pick) and simultaneously brush your pickhand thumb (or even forefinger, or fingernail) against the string, thus splitting the harmonic overtones. Zakk Wylde is absolutley notorious for this technique (and I love it!).

Another type of "artificial" harmonic is to pick a note, then lightly apply your pickhand forefinger (or any finger) right over the desired fret, going in increments of 12, 7, or 5 frets above the note you pick. A certain Mr. Edward Van Halen generated quite an income with this trick, as it is heard all over his work (another favorite of mine).

I assume, that you have to pick at a certain fraction of the lenght of the string (lenght betwen fret and bridge, let's say, 1/4 or 1/3, from the bridge)? That would make sense. At 1/2 is the natural harmonic (one octave higher), at 1/3 you hit the 3rd harmonic and make a note 2 octaves higher.

Yes, playing the harmonic at the 12th fret produces the octave of the fundamental note (on the 1st strinG "E" that would be the ovtave"E"). But remember, the 12th fret splits the string length in half, not necessarily the fretboard. If you play the harmonic at the, say 7th fret on th "E" string, you produce a "B" note equivalent in pitch to the 17th fret "B" on the 1st string. If you strike the harmonic over the 5th fret of the "E" string, you produce the equivalent pitch of the 24th fret "E" (try it you'll see). And if you pluck the 4th fret harmonic on the "E" string, you will produce a pitch equivalent to the "G#" at the theoretical 28th fret (2 octaves higher than your fourth fret "G#").

do I have to make sure that the hammered/pulled notes sound as loud as if they were picked? I'm not sure if it's just normal that the notes sound less loud when I do it,

Yes they do. I experienced the same problems, so what I would do is I would use a metronome to play both picked notes and hammer-ons, trying to make the volumes as equal as possible. Great legato players like Malmsteen, Satriani, and Vai all have strong hammer-on techniques. If you've ever seen John Petrucci's "Rock Discipline" DVD, he discusses this very subject. Legato playing requires a lot of frethand strength and stamina.

[Gollum]

My best advice about hammer ons and pull offs is wait for a time of day you can get the amp turned up louder, and THEN practice your technique. There's nothing that's more painful for me to see than guitarists that have terrible tone technique because they're not used to playing in a loud environment.

When I say "tone technique" I'm talking about the foundational playing skills that shape the way your tone sounds. Seasons guitarists and pro's alike will agree that a HUGE amount of your tone comes from your hands. It's extremely hard to develop this tone when you're playing quiet, simple as that. When you don't understand the dynamics of your own volume and touch then you can't create a skill base of it.

All that being said, work on striking the string harder for your pull offs and work on coming down at a slight angle for your pull offs. You don't need to pull off very hard if you get the string to catch just right. But if your finger comes off the string directly away from the fretboard then you won't get much of a sound. But if you come off at just the right angle you won't hit the next string down and you'll have tones of volume as if you'd picked it.

Another thing about hammer ons is that the longer you wait the harder it is to make it loud. It doesn't mean you can't, but when you're practicing a quick run but at slow speeds it might not sound the same as once you're able to speed it up.

Watch the hands of the greats, and watch how effortless they make it. Satriani is a great example. Steve vai even more so I think, but he's got very lanky hands which less people can relate to. Joe though, just sings with his guitar and he keeps his movements very relaxed at all times. He's got a very easy going style which is great for overall flexibility and is a huge contributor to his tone. Eddie has AMAZING tone, and it's not his rig, it never has been his rig, it's his hands. Watch his hands. Same thing, very very relaxed. Both these guys are using easy to perform movements that are coupled with good playing position and wrist position.

So focus on how the guitar FEELS in your hands as much as these little things. They're just as, if not more important to your future growth as a player.

[axeman2415]

My best advice about hammer ons and pull offs is wait for a time of day you can get the amp turned up louder, and THEN practice your technique. There's nothing that's more painful for me to see than guitarists that have terrible tone technique because they're not used to playing in a loud environment.

Watch the hands of the greats, and watch how effortless they make it. Satriani is a great example. Steve vai even more so I think, but he's got very lanky hands which less people can relate to. Joe though, just sings with his guitar and he keeps his movements very relaxed at all times. He's got a very easy going style which is great for overall flexibility and is a huge contributor to his tone. Eddie has AMAZING tone, and it's not his rig, it never has been his rig, it's his hands. Watch his hands. Same thing, very very relaxed. Both these guys are using easy to perform movements that are coupled with good playing position and wrist position.

So focus on how the guitar FEELS in your hands as much as these little things. They're just as, if not more important to your future growth as a player.

I absolutely agree with your second assessment, as almost all of the professionals will tell you all of your tone is in your hands. Way too many players concern themselves with gear (I do as well), and forget that it is how you handle the instrument that creates your identity and style. There's an old tale Eddie used to tell of when VH opened for Ted Nugent, ole Ted would ask Edward if he could plug into his system. Ed told Ted that he could, but of course, it still sounded like Ted Nugent, even through VH's rig.

All of that being said, Gollum, and no disrespect intended, but I have to respectfully disagree with your first point. I never plug in to an amp when I am practicing, unless I am rehearsing with the band or I am going over my parts at home, or I am just jamming for the sheer pleasure of it. But I practice most all of my techniques in an acoustic environment (unplugged). To me, if you can play all of your techniques without the aid of any distortion or effects, then you will play better dynamically, when it is easier to produce the notes amplified. If indeed your tone is in your hands, then it stands to reason that it is your hands that must be trained to produce your dynamics.

However, I will digress to a point: I think it is important to learn to play at high volumes, because you also have to learn how to play your amp, as well as your guitar.

[Gollum]

I agree it takes more work to get techniques right on acoustic, most acoustic only type players have a hard time transitioning to electric and still sounding good, while most electric die hards can transition to acoustic just fine and sound great. Unless you have very poor mechanics or weak hands it's not too hard of a jump to play acoustic.

But when you're plugged into an amp you'll hear many more subtle details in your playing that you might not even hear on acoustic. A loud amp with lots of clarity can be one of the best things for technique because it's so easy to hear if you're doing something wrong.

My point is that electric and acoustic are two VERY different instruments, just like fretted and fretless guitars are two entirely different instruments. Sure you can work on fundamentals on acoustic and I think all guitarists should have at least one acoustic around for the simple fact there's many things that are just better to lean on it, but the majority of things I feel should be practiced the way it's going to be played life. Learning how to play a loud amp right isn't something that happens overnight. Amps (especially good tube amps) are very organic even at super high gain levels. A good amp responds to every little thing just like a good car responds to inputs from the driver. There's feedback the amp gives that gives insight to what you've done.

Acoustics don't have nearly the same tone impact from your hands as electric. If you hear an acoustic player and think "this must be so and so" it's not usually because of tone unless they're using effect, it's due to their melodic tones and the way they choose to arrange them. On the opposite side you can tell who an electric player is within 5 notes sometimes for the shear way it's played, because EVERY little thing makes a difference.

That's why I make my point. If you want to develop tone based technique it's going to come from playing an amp at the volumes you'll be performing at, which is why it's also important for a band to practice at true stage volumes, so they're at home on the stage once they're there.

[Lunkwill]

Acoustics don't have nearly the same tone impact from your hands as electric.

The world's top acoustic players would strongly disagree with that statement.

Tommy Emmanuel (world class Aussie fingerpicker) is known for his incredible ability to get tons of ring, resonance and sustain from his guitar. He gets so much ring out of his guitar that many assume he uses alternate tunings to use open strings to create the ring, but he doesn't.

When Guitar Player magazine asked him how he did it he replied, "It's about striving to get the most sustain you can out of your fingers so that fretted notes ring organically, so that the melody doesn't sound like you're jumping from one position to another, but just flows."

If anything, the effect of fretting technique on tone with an acoustic guitar is even more pronounced than it is on an electric.

Other than that you bring up some very valid points, especially concerning the organic nature of a tube amp.

[Gollum]

Maybe I should rephrase.

For the majority of musicians it's much easier to have an impact on tone with their hands on electric vs acoustic.

Fair enough?

[axeman2415]

But when you're plugged into an amp you'll hear many more subtle details in your playing that you might not even hear on acoustic. A loud amp with lots of clarity can be one of the best things for technique because it's so easy to hear if you're doing something wrong.

Just to clarify guys, I wasn't meaning playing an acoustic guitar, I meant practicing your techniques on your electric guitar acoustically, meaning sans your amp.

Learning how to play a loud amp right isn't something that happens overnight. Amps (especially good tube amps) are very organic even at super high gain levels. A good amp responds to every little thing just like a good car responds to inputs from the driver. There's feedback the amp gives that gives insight to what you've done.

I do not disagree with this, and yes, tube amps do tend to respond much more organically to players' touch. Yes a good amp responds to every little nuance, and practicing with your amp should be part of every electric players regimen. I do not disagree with any of that.

However, you do not need an amp to discern the physical amplitude between picked notes and slurred notes. If you can discern that your picked notes sound louder than your hammered notes in an acoustic enivronment (or, rather, in an unplugged environment), then you can adjust your technique to accomodate that weakness, amplification notwithstanding. Yes, there will be subtlties that you cannot hear well without your amp, but that is a separate issue from being able to produce discreet dynamics with your hands.

Acoustics don't have nearly the same tone impact from your hands as electric. If you hear an acoustic player and think "this must be so and so" it's not usually because of tone unless they're using effect, it's due to their melodic tones and the way they choose to arrange them. On the opposite side you can tell who an electric player is within 5 notes sometimes for the shear way it's played, because EVERY little thing makes a difference.

I would agree with this statement, except that you yourself cited Edward Van Halen's highly recognizable tone. His own playing proves that, whether acoustically ("Spanish Fly", which is all acoustic, and you can hear every technique the man is famous for, and "Take Your Whisky Home", in which the into is also acoustic guitar) or electrically, you tone is identifiable by how you play, not necessarily what you play.

To the original query poted by Popol, while I agree that practicing with your amp is important, and I will defer to Gollum's reason that it will help you learn the subtlies you cannot hear unplugged, I still maintain that you should practice you particular physical techniques unplugged, because if you cannot play you hammers with comparable volume in proportion to your picked notes unplugged, then you will still have the technical deficiency when your plugged into an amp. An amp cannot produce what you do not have in the first place. All it will do is make your bad technique easier to hear.

[pop sucks]

My best advice about hammer ons and pull offs is wait for a time of day you can get the amp turned up louder, and THEN practice your technique. There's nothing that's more painful for me to see than guitarists that have terrible tone technique because they're not used to playing in a loud environment.

I can't play loud at home. But, I can put the amp loud enough to hear what I play, isn't that enough?

Another thing about hammer ons is that the longer you wait the harder it is to make it loud. It doesn't mean you can't, but when you're practicing a quick run but at slow speeds it might not sound the same as once you're able to speed it up.

Yes, this is true for hammer-ons. I figured that out and now Ipractice slowly and focus on precision of my finger movements. I want to make sure my finger always falls at the right spot, and to do that, I have to move it slowly too. This means my hammer-ons don't sound very loud now, but I think it's better to focus on precision now and then the volume will come when I'll become faster. Makes sense?

[axeman2415]

I want to make sure my finger always falls at the right spot, and to do that, I have to move it slowly too. This means my hammer-ons don't sound very loud now, but I think it's better to focus on precision now and then the volume will come when I'll become faster. Makes sense?

Yeah, I think so. Joe Satriani said almost the exact same thing in a recent interview. He said that legato playing requires proper location in the fret area to get proper execution. I think you're on the right track, Popol.

[Gollum]

All it will do is make your bad technique easier to hear.

Isn't this exactly why I said to do this in the first place. If you're playing unplugged electric you need a VERY quiet environment to REALLY hear all the little details of your playing. If you're playing an amp decently loud you'll be very subconscious and will focus on correcting those mistakes.

Oh yea, and I agree, precision is much more important than speed. Knowing the right feel is key like i've said, and feel is about precision.

[axeman2415]

Isn't this exactly why I said to do this in the first place. If you're playing unplugged electric you need a VERY quiet environment to REALLY hear all the little details of your playing.

Yes, and I think your point has some validity. But, the problem with playing higher volumes, especially with the aide of distortion, is that you tend to rely on the aide of the overdrive, rather than feeling it in your fingers.

On stage, even with monitors at ungodly volumes (which really doesn't help), once you step out of the field of your amp cabinet (or whatever speaker soundsource) the other instruments tend to overcome your ear, especially the drums. Or if you don't have a sufficient monitor system period, or a sound guy who knows what you need on stage (an experience that occurs way too often for many bands), you are effectively "blinded" (well, deafened is probably much more accurate) from your sound. But you have to play the show anyway. You need to be able to feel your dynamics, even when you cannot effectively hear them.

I think you and I are saying much the same thing, but approaching from different angles.

[Gollum]

I think we are too. For me I'm more concerned about guitarists that won't learn style and just learn technique. If you're really concerned and care your technique will get better no matter what, playing blind is about having a built up knowledge of feel, and this you learn from experience, not so much how you learn what you do. You can learn good motor skills many ways, but ANY way you learn them you need to CARE to learn them correctly, that's the biggest key.

The reason I stress the amp issue is that there's SO much more to playing than motor skills. Tone doesn't come from "perfect" technique, as it does "unique" technique. If this wasn't the case all "good" guitarists would have the same tone, and this just isn't the case.

That's all I'm saying, is that you can develop good AND bad technique on anything, nothing ever forces you to play perfect, so you may as well play on a loud amp so you can develop technique AND tone.

It's just the way I approach it because it was a insufficiency early on in my playing, where I had good technique but my tone sucked because I was too robotic. Playing on a loud amp gets you out of your comfort zone and makes you learn something about tone. Worked for me at least.

[axeman2415]

The reason I stress the amp issue is that there's SO much more to playing than motor skills. Tone doesn't come from "perfect" technique, as it does "unique" technique.

That's a great point. Indeed, that's quite quotable. There are plenty of players who can shred well, yet have no "voice" they can call their own.

I like what Tom Morello said in a recent interview. He said that rather than chase his tone, he decided to accept how he sounded as his voice. Obviously, he practiced tons, but he decided that what was unique to him was his sound. That makes sense.

BTW, don't misunderstand; I wasn't trying to discredit your point, or argue for the sake of arguing (that's what the theology thread is for...lol). I think you have a legitimate point, but I think that our voice can be developed despite the gear we run through. Perhaps I should have said that from the beginning. It would have saved me a whole lot of typing...lol

[Gollum]

Probably would have, but this was fun wasn't it?

We both got to pursue our own thoughts and ideas, that's what debate is about really, to find out as much about yourself as others.

If there IS any disagreement it's probably more about what should be "foundational" learning points. A good example would be this (though this isn't necessarily us, I'm just saying) : One guy might say an acoustic is better to learn on because you can develop good strength. But another guy might say you should learn on electric because you can be more precise in your practice and such.

Both schools of thought might be right, but it's dependent on many things and it's universally true about all players and situations.

Me and you are just coming from different mindsets about our advice, even though we agree about both philosophies in the end.

Ya know?

[davidarlette]

Hey Lunkwill,

Ever watched Tommy play? You can tell he is holding down those left hand notes as hard as he can to get that sustain. His left hand looks as strong as iron. Having said that, even as an Aussy I would not buy his album, it just seems souless somehow, despite his great technique and following.

Another AH question. Axeman mentioned Zakk before. Surely for say Zakk's AH's to sound as loud as fretted notes some of that must come from his rig, right? I mean in terms of gain/ sensitivity/ volume. He couldn't pull that out of an acoustic guitar could he? If so, would he hit the string exceptionally hard? WOuld there be another trick besides knowing and remembering where to strike?

[Lunkwill]

Ever watched Tommy play?

Oh yeah. Here's a vid of him doing Amazing Grace :cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxKjg6Yy23Y

As far as th AH stuff, you can get them to sound out acoustically if you hit them well, but it's mostly the gain that makes them squeal so loud. I've also seen some guys use just a touch of compression to make them "pop out" more as well.

[axeman2415]

As far as th AH stuff, you can get them to sound out acoustically if you hit them well, but it's mostly the gain that makes them squeal so loud. I've also seen some guys use just a touch of compression to make them "pop out" more as well.

If you notice, Zakk tends to strike the lower, thicker strings when he pops harmonic squeals. And he usually strikes right over the pickup. That's not a hard and fast rule, because you can adjust the position of the picking hand to find different pitches. But there is a reason for pickup placement on the body.

I have found no real problem in reproducing AH squeals on acoustic guitars, when I play on the lower strings. The Treble strings tend to be more difficult to sound, but it can be done.

Another thing Zakk uses to help pop those squeals out is his wah pedal. I use a way as a filter for my leads, and it really makes a difference. But I think Lunkwill is right on about the compression, as I don't use the wah on my rhythms (doesn't sound right to me). Since tube amps compress naturally, they tend to reproduce harmonics clearer, but solid state amps are improving vastly on that front (just ask Dimebag...well, you know what I mean).

[davidarlette]

Had to post this guy in this thread. Now the guy is a "freak" (compliment for someone rediculously good at something), but have a look at these hammers/ pull-offs!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt1fB62cGbo :eek:

I watched the Tommy Emmanuel Video, and love Over The Rainbow on Guitar, but I just cannot bring myself to like his playing, even though it is very, very, competent. I can't figure out why. Maybe it sounds robotic? Too perfect? Even when he plays blues he'll have a hint of SRV, and then all of a sudden it just doesn't swing somehow. I don't know what it is.

My first guitar was owned by a relation of his (cousin, I think) named Frog. If you have a look at Phil, you can see the eyes run in the family. I actually bought that guitar from a pawn shop and it had a toothpick acting as the nut, sort of tucked in front of it, but it still sounded OK. The guy who pawned it (Tommy's cousin) lived in my street, and goes, "Hey that's my old guitar." Apparently the 12 or so different JD labels on the case were not stickers but actual labels from bottles. Talk about character!

I'll give the lower string thing a go on an acoustic. Also interesting axeman about pickup placement, I thought it was just mellow near neck vs trebly (lead), near bridge. I'll have to remeber them as landmarks when looking for AH places.