How do I play "good"?

[bluefoxicy]

Even if I can play a song, it's... well it's okay on a tube amp, it's okay clean. Solid state amps ... I've got a Vox DA5 (which I plugged into my VJ on clean channel, it thins the sound a lot somehow...), any blues or clean channel is good but anything past Crunch 1 sounds all muddy and crap when I play it. When my fingers bump a string, I hear it; when my hand slides along the strings (muting, or fretting fingers relax a bit to move without actually coming OFF the strings), I hear it; a little bit of playing and it's just a mess of muddy reverbing sounds, harmonics, and sympathetic vibrations between strings!

 

How do I play "good"? Is this one of those things where I need someone to actually sit down with me and watch, and tell me what I'm doing wrong?

[jcwillow777]

Pretty much. Technique is important. I have one student that I am working with now, and by watching what he is doing, I can help him to get better tone, muffle strings so other notes ring through while he is playing and or bending a note, and so forth.

 

Books and DVDs are great, but they can't show you what you are doing that is actually causing the problems. A good instructor can.

[brad1]

Don't play bad.

Practice is the only answer.

[leicester35]

It sounds like you might benefit from learning how to palm mute a guitar properly. There are various lessons about this on the web if you just google it...such as this one here.

 

http://www.guitarplayerworld.com/Palm_Muting.html

 

Whilst it is important not to overuse this technique, it is valuable in getting a clear semi-muted tone, with no unpleasant ringing from unwanted notes! Also, if you are finding "noise" to be a problem generally in your playing, don't be afraid to roll a little volume off your guitar and a little gain off the amp, at least until your technique improves and you feel more confident.

 

Palm muting was one of the first techniques my instructor taught me shortly after I had picked up a guitar for the first time back in....oh, I'll try to avoid thinking about the actual year, but let's just say that Bush 41 still had plenty of time left in office...

[Just Strum]

I know this is not what you are looking for, but your writing seems to contain a little frustration and disappointment:

 

This is a portion of advice given to me that I respect very much. He has toured with known artists and done studio work with those same artist. I feel fortunate to be able to receive his simple, yet important advise. One of the first things he told me was to stop watching my fret hand, listen to the sound to determine if you are doing it right. He also said that when it sounds right to me, than it's right. That little piece of advice changed my approach and determination - I might add I thought the guy was an idiot at first.

 

===========================

Regardless of who you are, your level of experience, or how much you think you might suck... NOBODY can play like YOU! Your playing is unique... and that's what makes it an art and not a logical exercise.

 

Why sound like Clapton... the world already has one of those.

 

Why work so hard at trying to sound like SRV or Hendrix or whoever else... already been done... by SRV and Hendrix and whoever else!

 

Wouldn't it be easier for you to play like bluefoxicy? You already know how!

 

Embrace your own muse... don't waste your time coveting other's.

 

============================

 

So keep this written down some place and look at it from time-to-time. The advise the others offer you here and elsewhere are important, the items above are to go along with the other advise.

 

Good luck and remember, this journey never ends - now snatch the pebble from my hand grasshopper.

[theDeuce]

Record yourself playing and listen to it. You hear yourself better.

[Dennis G]

Record yourself playing and listen to it. You hear yourself better.

Or worse LOL!! Ask me how I know this. Seriously though, good advice on recording yourself. You'll learn a lot about what you do well and what you do "not so well".

 

Another piece of wisdom I picked up somewhere is that in order to play fast/accurate/etc. you must first slow down. If you can't play it slow, you surely won't play it fast. Develop that "muscle memory".

[Just Strum]

Record yourself playing and listen to it. You hear yourself better.

 

Very good advise.

 

also, I noticed that you said that playing "clean" and the "blues" you didn't seem to have a problem, but when you got "crunchy" it seemed to fall apart. It could be the guitar settings, the amp setting, or both. Some equipment isn't built for certain sounds. What you describe as being something to do with your ability, might not be the case at all. Most people will say they don't have a problem playing distorted (hides mistakes), but complain more of this problem when playing clean (relying on ones ability).

 

Analyze the situation, ask a friend to play the same settings on the same amp and guitar to see if it is you or the setting/equipment.

[thunderstruck507]

practice

don't overdo the gain

practice

play with tones

practice

play slow and at low volume first

practice

 

I know exactly what you're talking about...I've been playing for years, and while I actually know fewer songs now from not playing an hour everyday like I used to, I hear how much my playing has come along by how much cleaner and more precise it is, also I'd settled into my tone and that plays a big part...I know what the tone should sound like so I can focus on the playing more and not fiddle with the amp and guitar so much

[MarxBros]

Don't try to overplay your skill level. Period. It's that simple.

 

BB King for example is no fretboard god, but he respects his limitations and plays within them and sounds great.

[Dave]

String noise is a problem that you have to overcome using your own technique. Turn off the reverb and crank the distortion just to the point of breakup. Don't play with the gain so high that every little movement creates loud string noise. You want to hear just your own intended notes ring on the strings, not the sliding from position to position. Now, practice palm muting (using the palm of your picking hand to silence the strings during left hand movements). This means that you control the strings that you are not playing by tilting the palm back and forth slightly as you play so that only the strings you are playing are allowed to ring. Sometimes if means damping the string that you are actually playing. Listen to some Eddie Van Halen for examples. EVH plays with insane distortion and produces some excellent sounds using plam muting.

 

You can also find some examples on youtube. After a while, this will become second nature and you will do it without thinking about it. Too much treble on the amp can also create string noise, since much of the noise is on the upper end of the spectrum.

[sexygibson]

A couple of these guys hit the nail right on the head. Practice, practice, practice. Play clean as much as you can; you can really hear where you are making mistakes. It could possibly be amp and guitar settings if you are getting alot of unwanted noise when playing dirty so experiment with your settings.

[Ed Zeplin]

To reduce string noise you could try "Fast Fret". It is a string cleaner/lubricant that allows you to slide with less friction. You can find it at any music store.

[layboomo]

While I agree that playing clean will help your overall technique,if you don't learn to palm mute correctly with an overdriven guitar it's gonna sound like ***. And the only way to do that is with an overdriven guitar. The way you set up your overdrive and amp have a lot to do with the quality of the tone. The problem with high gain is that it amplifies everything notes noise and all...and the noise can get away from you if you don't learn how to control it. Some cheap distortion pedals are just plain nasty sounding but you don't have to spend crazy money for a quality tone either...try a pedal like a bad monkey it has very smooth sounds for an inexpensive pedal. It's not super high gain but it will allow you to get your technique and sounds together before you kick it up another notch.

[RobinTheHood]

Here's a universal exersize for improved playing that I learned from my drummer. You can use it for learning songs, scales or technique. I'll just use the generic term "riff" for the example.

 

Four steps:

 

1. Play the riff normal speed, all the way through as clean and correct as possible

2. Play the riff slowly all the way through, clean and correctly.

3. Play the riff as fast as possible, all the way through, the best you can.

4. Wash, rinse, repeat.

 

Dont stop and start over part way through. Go all the way regardless of mistakes.

 

Everyone here has really good advice. Hopefully this will add to your list of ways to improve your tone and playing skills as well.

And its been said before...practice practice practice. A LOT. Unless your a natural, improved playing is a constant uphill battle. Taking anymore than a day away from practice can be like taking a step backward for a lot of people.

Also, warm up. Sometimes it takes anywhere from 1/2 hour to an hour to get my hands to do what i really want...especially if i'm trying to learn something new.

[mrjones200x]

When i play on my Valve junior on max it sounds great but when i use the setting on my Vox AD30VT on metal its terible. you hear all the mistakes and its not clear at all. When i play mettalica type riffs on the vox say enter sandman its an E5 power chord (think thats right, open low E and fret 2 on A string) the slide on A string 5-7 but can never hear it because of the low E string is so prominant. Have tried palm mutting the string but it sounds wrong as it should ring. This is on the numetal sound and no matter how much i adjust the setting it never gets any better. I guess the amp cant pull off there settings very well.