Izzy Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 How do you make amends with the fact that you sound one way but do not relate to that sound or genre? Not to say I am not happy with my music or don't enjoy playing it, but does it ever disappoint you when you fall into a category you never were prepared to be in? Heck, has this happened to any of you? I never get compared to my favorite artists. I am far from sounding like Nirvana or The Kills or PJ Harvey... I would never force a "sound", but I just wanna be all Veruca Salt 1992 and instead I sound all...folky. Thing is, I get compared to some cool artists I don't listen to at all or have never heard of and it sort of makes me sad (and proud on a level) because it makes me realize that the audience I felt could relate or like my music is not really going to be interested in my stuff...my friends all play and get people to mosh and I wanna do that to people but instead I'm over here channeling Feist and Melisa Ethridge. WHY!?! I mean, Yes, I know Zep wanted to be an old black Mississippi blues man and came out great, but they did sound blues. Can anyone relate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I always just wanted the privildge and time and support to be able to record the stuff. You are on the other side of the record bin looking in and wanting your record in one section or the other. You need to continue making it and listening to it. Listen to it a lot. Love it for what it is and for what it isn't. Accept it for all of the warts and things you find to be shortcomings. Also accept that which bin it goes into does not matter, people will either buy it through whatever distribution you use, or they won't. That is the most you can do, especially us that don't have the luxury of doing this 24/7 and need to eat and pay bills and all that other pesky stuff. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matiac Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Hard to say. I've got so many influences, that it would be extremely difficult to nail down any one. The stuff I play (when it's not one of my made-up off-the-top-of-my-head things) is recognizable as a given song, but I've come to terms (years ago) that I'm probably never going to sound like any of my 'heroes', unless it's completely by accident. I'd like to say that while I do have a lot of heroes and influences, I sound like me, and I'm quite happy with that. If that helps at all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I can't play fast as I have nerve issues going down from the neck to my fretting hand and really cannot play the fast stuff I like, the riffs I come up with have many difference influences. Anyway Izzy maybe you can benefit from watching the That Metal Show where Billy Corgan was the guest and also the episode of Rock Icons dedicated to him. I did not realize how smart that guy is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Yes.. that's one thing I realised a while back... What you listen to and admire doesn't necessarily be the music you have to play.. Youd have thought it would be because of natural influence BUT it just doesn't always work out like that.. We know that what really gives a guitarist their sound is not the guitar or the amp but the guitarists fingers.. Now you only have so much control over that unless you want to practice 8 hours a day to perfect a certain style.. Most of us don't have the time for that so we are sort of musically limited by our own physical limitations.. Ive been playing on and off since I was about 11 years old yet I have had to come to conclusion that I will never ever be a shredder, my fingers just don't move that fast how ever much I want them too... I don't even want to be a shredder (but id like to be able to if I wanted), but a big part of me thinks, dude you been playin most your life and theres 11 year olds out there who shred better than you, why cant you do it?? But that's the way it is. I think then the rest of it comes down to production techniques.. where again your end product may lack a few of the tricks of someone who has been doing it professionally will know about.. like which keys and what speeds to play in for best effect or which effects to use and how to mix it all down.. that really is as much of an art as playing. And nothing can teach you that but time and experience, And really isn't that what you want.. to sound like yourself and develop your own style.... you are a product (like us all) of many different things in your life that lead you to this point.. Find out who YOU are (musically).. Listen to your music and find the strong and weak points of what you are doing.. Concentrate on those strong points and make it work for you and get that sound down so you can ALWAYS re-create "your style"... When you get that right then concentrate on your weak points and start adding heaviness or funkiness or whatever the specific song deserves. To me, your strongest point and what I always associate with you is your voice... you need to find a playing style that works with that....... So maybe try be more like Soundgarden than Nirvana (two very different styles of heavy) but the Soundgarden style allows for much stronger and more melodic vocals where as the Nrivana sound needs screaming :) Just ideas.... the only thing I do know for certain is the ONLY way to find all this out is to practice and try these different things out as much as you can. The only real shortcut is to work with an amazing producer.. I think if many of the acts we all love did their first album with a bad producer, they would never have become famous... a good producer really is quite essential for most bands.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skilsaw Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Wear sequin covered yoga pants. The tribe will mosh to your jive. I need tylenol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryUK Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I've always found that how you think you sound isn't how you actually sound. Others hear it different to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matiac Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 He's right you know...you need to stop worrying about TRYING to sound like someone else, and just sound like you. I've listened to your stuff, and your not bad at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErickC Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I rarely get compared to artists that I think I sound like at any particular time, but it's usually to artists who've had some definite influence anyway. For example, I'd think a song sounds a whole lot like Husker Du and I'd get told it sounds like Sonic Youth. I don't mind it so much, because the confusion probably means I'm putting my own fingerprint on it, which is, ultimately, what I'd rather have anyway. Occasionally, I'll get compared to a band I've never heard of, which leads to some discovery, which is usually cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted May 26, 2015 Author Share Posted May 26, 2015 lashurst That is so true....it is like hearing yourself on an answering machine....and you're like "wow. THAT'S what I sound like?" matiac I am not worried about how I sound for any reason besides.......well......gear I mean, I have a mean SG and I love how my stuff sounds on it, and if I am careful to set the amp right and have the right pup dialed in...I can get the sound I want, but then I hear my songs recorded on acoustic and I am blown away by the crisp and perfect accompaniment and all I can think is, "for the sound's sake, I should play these properly...with a proper instrument." ErikC makes an excellent point...when you hear you sound like someone you go hear that person and sometimes...its a pleasant surprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErickC Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 You could always go the grunge route and track it once electric and once acoustic. If you muddy up the two a bit so they sound like one track, it can really confuse people, and if you ever get famous, they'll wonder what effects pedal you used, and debate it endlessly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 ... I just wanna be all Veruca Salt 1992 and instead I sound all...folky. Can anyone relate? Definitely! In my own case, I've always straddled the acoustic/electric music fence and they are like the two warring sides of my personality. I always wanted to be both Jimmy Page and Clarence White! Or maybe Jimi Hendrix and Tony Rice. One week I'm obsessed with bluegrass or country licks and the next week I'm overdosing on stoner metal! My current trio is very folky and yet sometimes I just wanna blast. What we do is jam out on a few tunes where I can kick in the fuzz and just go off - usually at the end of a set... then we go back to Byrds and Eagles tunes.... Seems to work well enough. To be honest I think most players are similarly conflicted IF they are also listeners/consumers/fans of other musicians. Don't sweat it. Find a way to mix it all together and what comes out will be you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markini Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 oh yea, I can relate! We're all riding the same bus Izzy. I'm amazed with some of the "likenesses" people (mostly people who are not musicians) will tell me what they think I sound like. On the other hand, fellow musician will just hear "you". I don't know about you guys but I don't tend to drop people into "sound like" categories like folks who don't play an instrument would. Unless it's an incredibly noticeable likeness. I think it's simply because we know the game here, everyone is an individual.. they're gonna sound how they sound. plug a les paul into a fender deluxe, line up 10 guys, each one plays the same thing, without touching anything, each player will sound different. so how do you make amends? I like what rct said, embrace it.. Keep working it, your sound, your unique approach, will always come through, we just have to let it happen. This is stuff you can't and shouldn't over think, in fact, the less thinking, the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 ...my friends all play and get people to mosh and I wanna do that to people but instead I'm over here channeling Feist and Melisa Ethridge. WHY!?! Clearly, an exorcist is needed. I hear an increased tempo drives those demons away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 how does one find an exorcist? I don't think they're any on Facebook... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketman Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Honestly I never think about it. I just play what I feel like doing. One day I felt like writing a Spanish type song so I wrote this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF1Kshc_d6s Another day I wanted to rock it out so I wrote this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CaGo8agoBs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valeriy Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 We know that what really gives a guitarist their sound is not the guitar or the amp but the guitarists fingers.. Now you only have so much control over that unless you want to practice 8 hours a day to perfect a certain style.. Most of us don't have the time for that so we are sort of musically limited by our own physical limitations.. Rabs, it is not absolutely so yet. The guitar sound is very vulnerable since too dependent on different things: preamp, loudspeaker, pickups etc. Because of this, the electric guitar sound is often not optimal, as for acoustic guitar, maybe too. I.e. if guitar player is lucky with the sound of his guitar (fortunate :) ) then usually he will quicker find his own style, progress etc For example, the sound of keyboards doesn't depend on all this, it is possible not to look for a model of the amplifier for them etc, but, here, perhaps, guitarists are more popular in society :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Rabs, it is not absolutely so yet. The guitar sound is very vulnerable since too dependent on different things: preamp, loudspeaker, pickups etc. Because of this, the electric guitar sound is often not optimal, as for acoustic guitar, maybe too. I.e. if guitar player is lucky with the sound of his guitar (fortunate :) ) then usually he will quicker find his own style, progress etc For example, the sound of keyboards doesn't depend on all this, it is possible not to look for a model of the amplifier for them etc, but, here, perhaps, guitarists are more popular in society :) Yes my main point here is an electric guitar with distortion will always sound in broad terms like an electric guitar with distortion.. What really makes a player is the way they play... So take said electric guitar and distortion and put BB King (R.I.P) behind it, its going to sound totally different if you then say put Slash behind it.. So whatever guitar Slash or BB play or what ever amp they use, they will still sound like themselves... And in that way I think its a way more important factor than what guitar or amp you use.. A players style, the way they attack the strings, their phrasing, even down to how they hold an instrument I think is what really gives a player their sound.... In saying all of that.. of course all amps and guitars sound slightly different.. so I think the idea is that you match that with your playing style... which as I say above I think we have slightly less control over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the dog Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 .. So take said electric guitar and distortion and put BB King (R.I.P) behind it, its going to sound totally different if you then say put Slash behind it.. So whatever guitar Slash or BB play or what ever amp they use, they will still sound like themselves... I read a long time ago that Ted Nugent plugged into Eddie Van Halens live rig thinking he would sound like Eddie.....he still sounded like Ted Nugent.... it's all in the fingers....the touch..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 I read a long time ago that Ted Nugent plugged into Eddie Van Halens live rig thinking he would sound like Eddie.....he still sounded like Ted Nugent.... it's all in the fingers....the touch..... Yes it happens every time I play any guitar no matter whos it is what it is or what amp im using... I still sound like I cant play that well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 My style has continued to grow as I learn But now after 18 years in the same band, my guitar sound has changed. I finally found the tone that I always wanted. Less gain than I used to use. Clean enough, in fact, to be able to fingerpick and still hear everything clearly. My bandmates have not commented so far, but at least they havent sacked me yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matiac Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Yes my main point here is an electric guitar with distortion will always sound in broad terms like an electric guitar with distortion.. What really makes a player is the way they play... So take said electric guitar and distortion and put BB King (R.I.P) behind it, its going to sound totally different if you then say put Slash behind it.. So whatever guitar Slash or BB play or what ever amp they use, they will still sound like themselves... And in that way I think its a way more important factor than what guitar or amp you use.. A players style, the way they attack the strings, their phrasing, even down to how they hold an instrument I think is what really gives a player their sound.... In saying all of that.. of course all amps and guitars sound slightly different.. so I think the idea is that you match that with your playing style... which as I say above I think we have slightly less control over. I been sayin' this for years to people who strive to sound just like their heroes. Give Duane Allman a Teisco Tulip, and he's still gonna sound like Duane Allman, he plays a Strat occasionally, I don't really hear a difference apart from the obvious. A friend went and bought himself a 1995 Jimmy Page Signature Les Paul, thinking he was gonna be another Jimmy. Didn't happen for him, and now the guitar hangs on his wall, some sort of 'trophy', flatly refuses to sell it...I'd LOVE to get my mitts on it! My home-made Les Paul sounds like my Epiphone Les Paul sounds like my Gibson les Paul...the advantage to the home-made one is...well, I made it! After about 25 years of trying to sound like someone else, I gave up, and just tried working on my own thing, which is always gonna be a 'work-in-progress'... Edit: the friend with the 'Jimmy' guitar got visibly upset when my 2004 Epiphone Les Paul Classic (pre-modified) drove that guitar into the dirt...it ain't never the guitar, but whoever's behind it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joevacc Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 I been sayin' this for years... [snip] Edit: the friend with the 'Jimmy' guitar got visibly upset when my 2004 Epiphone Les Paul Classic (pre-modified) drove that guitar into the dirt...it ain't never the guitar, but whoever's behind it... Tru dat. It Ain't the guitar man, it's the guitar-man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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