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what can i improve?

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  • voutoreenievoutoreenie "the good land"New
    Posts: 395

    @davidjazzfan I mean, you've asked similar questions in a few threads now. A few of us have tried to address but I think at this point it's worth saying again your technique is good and reality is it might just be a matter of building consistency -- do you ever hear the kind of "pop" you're going for while practicing? If so, to me that would again imply it could be simple as just continuing to woodshed until the sound becomes consistent.

    Should also reiterate you might consider trying out different picks/strings/bridges etc. because all 3 can make a huge difference in tone/projection as well.

  • adrianadrian AmsterdamVirtuoso
    Posts: 586

    Every guitar has a different range for the following:

    • The hardest you can hit a string before it starts sounding bad ("fretting out")
    • The weakest you can hit a string in order to get a note that sounds warm, round and full

    In my opinion, one of the most important skills in this style (and perhaps any guitar style?) is to quickly identify that range and adjust your playing to compensate.

    The most effective exercise for me has been simply paying attention. I try to listen to myself and constantly gauge whether the tone could have been fuller (or whether it fretted out, going beyond the guitar's limit).

    As we play, we constantly make tiny physical adjustments (intentional or not), with some positive results and some negative results. It's kind of like evolution / natural selection. If you pay attention to your playing and make a mental note of "Hey, that sounded particularly good" or "That sounded bad," your brain will make connections between the sound you produced and whatever subtle technical things you did with your fingers/hands/arms/body. And perhaps next time, you'll be slightly more likely to get better results.

    Get in the habit of being mindful of it, and your tone will naturally improve.

    A logistical detail: whenever I work on this aspect of playing, I do it with repertoire that I have down cold, like scales or arpeggios. That simplifies the cognitive load, because I don't have to think about playing the right notes. Then the brain can spend as much of its capacity as possible on thinking about tone (specifically the relationship between physical movement and tone).

    Adrian

    sadowflacobillyshakesMichaelHorowitzdjazzyBillDaCostaWilliamsvoutoreenie
    Give my albums a listen: Melodic Guitar Music and Layer Cake
  • pdgpdg ✭✭
    Posts: 660

    "Every guitar has a different range for the following:

    • "The hardest you can hit a string before it starts sounding bad ("fretting out")
    • "The weakest you can hit a string in order to get a note that sounds warm, round and full."

    True, but I also think that this at least partly affected by setup -- action, neck relief, choice of strings (gauges, round vs. hex core), and even pick tip.

  • JSantaJSanta NY✭✭✭ Duffell, AJL
    Posts: 358

    It sounds like you would benefit greatly from some lessons. The progress I've made even in my late 30s/early 40s with a teacher has been really incredible. I've gone from completely not knowing what I'm doing to feeling like almost a competent player.

    We can offer all of the resources available, but IMO nothing replaces having someone that really knows what they're doing helping to guide you along.

    billyshakesvoutoreenie
  • Posts: 30

    Looks like i can feel the strings more and have more even attack on both strokes. Im so happy

  • voutoreenievoutoreenie "the good land"New
    Posts: 395

    @JSanta not sure if you noticed, but OP did post a couple vid links of him playing and tbh, his technique is pretty solid. 100% agreed that lessons are so important. Also playing with other GJ guitarists any chance you can get. But yeah, either way, OP's technique looks really decent imo and it seems more like he's just not happy with his guitar or just being needlessly hard on himself to have everything "perfect" - can't never let perfect be the enemy of good, or something like that...

  • JSantaJSanta NY✭✭✭ Duffell, AJL
    Posts: 358

    I did, and with there being several of the same questions, thought I'd share what worked for me. Obviously he's a solid player, but IMO nothing beats some time 1:1 with a great teacher. And hopefully reinforcing that by playing with others.

  • Posts: 30

    Is someone willing to give me lesson via whatsapp?

  • Posts: 30

    And how much is it gonna cost?

  • Posts: 30

    i feel kinda lost i have no idea gow to get good tone and i watched every video on youtube and every forum thread. it feels like i cant play one lick nicely.

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