Question about comping and pick technique

[conniesnider]

Hello,

I'd like to conduct a survey with two questions.

First, do you adjust your volume when transitioning between comping/chords and soloing/single notes in a band? I'm particularly interested in swing settings, where the comping sound is intended to be more acoustic. This assumes you're strumming the full chord, without fingerpicking or hybrid picking.

Second, do you let your pick hit the muted 6th string (low E) when your root (or another note) is on the 5th string? This could apply to the 1st string or any other muted string. Do you simply mute it with your left hand and strum all the strings, or do you consciously aim your pick to avoid hitting extra strings?

[AllanAllen]

Great questions.

1. Yes. I manually adjust volume for rhythm and solo in a big band setting (turn a knob). In a quartet I physically adjust volume (strum softer or hybrid pick for comping).

2. I try to hit the strings I want to sound and not hit ghost notes. With 12 horns and a full rhythm section, I don't think I need to add any extra noise. This is personal taste.

[mr. beaumont]

You talking a big band? Or a quartet? Different answers for different situations...

[AllanAllen]

You talking a big band? Or a quartet? Different answers for different situations...

I'm particularly interested in swing settings, where the comping sound is intended to be more acoustic

I think this means big band. Nobody knows about quartet swing groups until they meet you.

[GuyBoden]

I believe, you just need to press the "Rhythm" button when comping with a "Rhythm Chief". See pic below:

[Christian Miller]

Yes


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[Mick-7]

I believe, you just need to press the "Rhythm" button when comping with a "Rhythm Chief". See pic below:

I suspect it would be ineffective to press that button if you've removed the pickup from your guitar - unless there's a Uri Geller version of the pickup I don't know about.

[rpjazzguitar]

I play with my foot on a volume pedal. So, I'm adjusting constantly. Main weakness is that I can't do it standing up.

I learned my basic chords from an old big band player. Mostly, the grips muted the A and high E strings. I don't recall any that required muting the low E. Would you do it with the left thumb?

A typical grip might be 3x231x for C7. That's the 5th in the bass. Avoids having to mute the low E.

[starjasmine]

I play with my foot on a volume pedal. So, I'm adjusting constantly. Main weakness is that I can't do it standing up.

I have spent many a gig standing on my left foot and riding the vol pedal/doing the pedal dance with the other :-) Given all the contortions we go through to play guitar, this is just one more...

To answer the original questions, I'm more of a hybrid picker so I usually don't hit any strings that aren't sounding a note. If I'm in a "full strum" situtation, I'll mute unsounded strings with the left hand. If I'm chunkin' away Freddie-Green-style, that little extra percussive sound is a bonus, IMO.

A lot of volume variation can come just from controlling how hard you hit the strings. I use the vol pedal mostly for swells and effects, or to act as a master volume without having to turn around and fiddle with the amp. Changing the settings on the amp or the guitar can often change the sound (especially adjusting the pots on a guitar with passive PUPs - the vol pedal lets me keep the guitar volume at the "sweet spot" for tone) but the vol pedal changes the sound pressure without changing the tone. An added benefit is that you can maintain a pretty consistent pick attack but still change your volume.

[sgosnell]

I prefer to use a pedal to change volume between comping and soloing. Any boost pedal will work, but I use a Boss GE7 because I have it. It works as either a boost when on, or to reduce volume when on, depending on how the level slider is set.

[rpjazzguitar]

The volume pedal decouples how hard you pick from how loud you are.

So, I can get the sound of gentle picking at an audible volume and, conversely, get the sound of hard picking without getting too loud. Or vary the volume of the same picking attack.

[pauln]

Hi conniesnider

Trio is bass, drums, guitar
Venues are quiet upscale drinks and dining
Tunes are 30s - 60s swing, blues, popular
And a dozen originals in the same styles

Barefoot (guitar, cord, amp) only
-> First, volume changes are adjustments in picking/strumming, I use a thin nylon pick which changes tone and volume with pick slant, very expressive, instantaneous

Both hands collaborate to damp strings
-> Second, I play very close to the strings, instinctively damp any strings I don't want to hear within the string span of a chord... never include in the strum a damped string outside the string span of a chord