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08-27-2015, 04:08 AM #51destinytot GuestOriginally Posted by MatsP
I've just discovered the joys of low string tension. (I want that on all my guitars now.)
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08-27-2015 04:08 AM
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Originally Posted by destinytot
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08-27-2015, 05:08 AM #53destinytot GuestOriginally Posted by MatsP
Yes, the +1 is for harnessing the power of the pick on the first joint of the index finger for up-strokes.
Low tension makes an ally of string resistance against pick pressure. Subjectively speaking (of course), it becomes a joy to pick, press and strum.
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Originally Posted by destinytot
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08-27-2015, 06:42 AM #55destinytot GuestOriginally Posted by MatsP
On the one hand, I'm suddenly enjoying low tension with .014 - .055 flatwound strings - but the guitar's got a shorter scale than I was used to.
On the other hand, I've just put a set of .011 - .047 flats on my longer-scale 18" archtop - and I've tuned it down a whole tone. The tension is just right, and it's a joy to play - especially acoustically. (Right now, I'm listening closely to the scordatura of Al Viola with Julie London, and my hero João Gilberto.)
The main thing I'm finding is that the act of producing single notes and chords with the right hand - regardless of speed - feels the same, in terms I can only express (verbally) with onomatopoeia - 'pop'. (Soft, fresh bread with a firm crust.)
This 'discovery' is very exciting for me. I feel we never truly 'own' a good instrument - but we certainly don't want the instrument to 'own' us. A good set-up with low tension is like a handle on the door to a whole new world of playing.Last edited by destinytot; 08-27-2015 at 06:50 AM. Reason: multiple typos!
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[QUOTE=destinytot;562108]
On the one hand, I'm suddenly enjoying low tension with .014 - .055 flatwound strings - but the guitar's got a shorter scale than I was used to.
Aren't some strings, regardless of gauge or scale length, more "low tension" than others?! I think, if I recall, this is true with some of the "tape wound" strings.
(I don't really understand this...but I'm probably just missing something. Some of the people playing the LaBella tapewounds talk about a 14 gauge acting more like a 12 or 13...I think Howard Roberts played really thick gauge strings, 15's I think...maybe it has to do with the way the string is wound, or made?!)
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Speaking of plectrums again, sorry, I have noticed that the red Dunlop Jazz III sounds really good angled and with a "rest stroke" kind of picking. The black Jazz III doesn't sound very good angled to my ears... there's some high-frequency buzz going on. I suppose the difference in materials between the red and the black one DOES make a difference here. Also, my pickups may contribute. I have a Seymour Duncan SH-2 neck pickup, and it's a bit "hi-fi" in the treble, which I don't really like. I would like a more recessed treble.
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Originally Posted by MatsP
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Originally Posted by destinytot
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Besides the Hoover, I didn't see much in terms of books for right hand development. I have the following for my right hand:
1. Jimmy Bruno's The Art of Picking -- I don't pick from the elbow, I pick mostly from the forearm rotation and very little elbow. But his exercises are extremely musical
2. The Johnny Smith Guitar Method -- Those 3 octave arpeggios not only hone your shifts, but get you picking across strings. He advises a strict alternate picking method for arps, but I have been using a modified gypsy style. Getting the alternate picking going on arps is a good work out.
3. Segovia's Diatonic Scales in Major and Minor . James Chirillo told me to do these all with rest strokes as slow and even as possible. He said to strive for a nice full sound in the attack of the string. I alternate this with Johnny Smith's book.
4. William Leavitt's Classical Studies for Pick Style Guitar-- get your string skipping on
5. Barry Galbraith's Bach Inventions for Guitar -- Leavitt has some of the same Inventions (I studied Barry's first), but they are transposed in different keys. Leavitt mixes the parts, while Barry has a different guitar for each pianist's hand.
Let's keep going... Any more good literature out there for right hand development?
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I'm not able to provide any examples of good literature, but I like that notion of "striving for a nice full sound in the attack of the string."
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08-27-2015, 10:48 AM #62destinytot Guest
[QUOTE=goldenwave77;562116]
Originally Posted by destinytot
I'd be interested in trying LaBella flatwounds (because I like their 900B nylon strings with polished basses).Last edited by destinytot; 08-27-2015 at 11:02 AM.
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All those pounds of tension don't ruin the neck? I had a nightmare guitar with a sunk truss rod, so I'll stay with 13s until I have enough money to get a custom guitar built able to withstand the tension of 14s.
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Here's a rhythm and picking ex I came up with that is based on a BH concept:
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pick through everything
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08-27-2015, 11:48 AM #67destinytot GuestOriginally Posted by Irez87
PS I have an .085mm 6th string on another guitar.Last edited by destinytot; 08-27-2015 at 12:07 PM.
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Did you check with a luthier? I did when I got a luthier to make my custom bone ebony bridge. He said that if I kept putting 13 gauge strings on my guitar, that it would eventually ruin the neck. I've settled for a mixed set of 12's for E A and D and 13's for G B and E rounds. Honestly, the sound is more balanced than it was before. But I would love to play a non cutaway 4inch-5inch deep archtop guitar strung with .15 phosphor bronze stings. Billy Bean had a pretty thick guitar for amplified playing.
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08-28-2015, 03:02 AM #69destinytot GuestOriginally Posted by Irez87
But there are things I'd rather learn to do for myself (with a little help, of course) - including truss rod adjustment. As the player, it's become important to be in the driving seat as far as maintenance goes - and the same goes for picking. I'm done with deference to mythology.
Picking involves more than the player and the pick - and it's all quite measurable and quantifiable. I can say with confidence that there are no scary monsters under the bed.Last edited by destinytot; 08-28-2015 at 03:22 AM.
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I didn't mean "check with a luthier" to be condescending. The reasoning behind it is because my guitar tech and the luthier have different backgrounds. One is an expert at servicing and restoring guitars, while the other is an expert at building them from scratch. My luthier said it would be an issue, my tech said just don't go higher than 13s. Is the .16 tuned at pitch with flats? Wow, that must be wild.
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08-28-2015, 10:08 AM #71destinytot GuestOriginally Posted by Irez87
Having experimented, I'm sticking with lighter strings and regular tuning on my 18" archtop (with its big acoustic bark). Looking down at my right (picking) hand, the pick looks roughly like: \ whereas on my small hollow-body with .014s it's like: / I've decided to use the scordatura on my trusty beat-up nylon, which I've tuned down a tone. Played fingerstyle (without nails except on the pinky), I think it sounds great - especially with a condenser mic.
The .016mm is tuned to D as part of a custom set (by the wonderful Welcome to Newtone Strings). The tension is also pretty low, but I needed to change the bridge and have the nut a tuning peg modified (for the .085) on the Godin 5th Ave acoustic that I use. I'm learning to play in Marty Grosz's tuning. One day, when I get my chord-soloing chops together in that tuning, I might get a vintage 16" acoustic archtop specifically for playing that way - but, for now, close mic'ing is working out fine:
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You play harmony beautifully and I love the singing. I'll post my Parking song once it goes up on soundcloud. It's really rough, I sung in chorus in high school (hated it at the time, stupid kid didn't know how much it would help my guitar playing). But I'll post it ASAP, as long as you give me some vocal tips and warm ups (like the ho ho hoes and the buzzy lip thing, oh brother!)
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08-28-2015, 10:45 AM #73destinytot GuestOriginally Posted by Irez87
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Originally Posted by Irez87
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Speaking of something else, I've started to look into economy picking a la Jimmy Bruno and Frank Gambale a bit. The last time I tried it, it just felt awfully weird. But I can see the benefits of it. It's just a matter of developing a strong upstroke that sounds the same as the downstroke. And rest stroke picking is of course impossible when using this technique.
Can anyone date this? goodwill epiphone
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