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Been doing most of my practice of late unamplified thinking that it helps me play cleaner by "feeling" the strings better. Anyone disagree?
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08-15-2009 01:31 AM
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I play acoustic almost all the time, so I'm rarely amp'd up. But the amp is another tool and you have to practice using it, too -- especially if you gig with that amp. I'm currently doing all-acoustic gigs (no amp, no mics, no PA, etc), so I don't worry about working the system.
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Hey!
Originally Posted by Stackabones
May I ask you in which setting you do these gigs and in front of how much people?
I'm just curious because I'm playing in a duo setting and often we too 'only' play acoustic sets.
kind regards, Tobias
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If you gig with an amp, you should practise with an amp. Years ago I used to practise unamplified on a semi-acoustic until I started gigging with it amplified. Guess what — I found all my mistakes, which normally went by unnoticed, were suddenly amplified
Last edited by musicalbodger; 08-15-2009 at 06:51 AM. Reason: spelling correction
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That's a good one, musicalbodger, they were 'amplified'.
I practice amplified and unamplified, use headphones though, as I like my place and want to remain in this house... But the sound with amp is much better I think, well, the acoustic sound is nice too, especially from the artcore, but I like the smoothly humping sound from the amp. For late night practice though, I rarely have the go to get over to the amp and click it on. Simple laziness I suppose...
Peace
Skei (the enjoying sun through the window one)
Originally Posted by musicalbodger
If you gig with an amp, you should pratctise with an amp. Years ago I used to practise unamplified on a semi-acoustic until I started gigging with it amplified. Guess what — I found all my mistakes, which normally went by unnoticed, were suddenly amplified
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whenever possible, I practice amplified. It´s a different way of playing for me and needs to be practiced.
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very important point, theo — different attack, different feel with the pick, different everything.It´s a different way of playing for me and needs to be practiced.
Hi Skei, how're you doing these days.
Bodge (the supposed to be practising, looking out the window at the rain — again, one.)
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Well, oh mighty Bodger over there, doing fine is a good way of describing the situation. Practice runs smoothly, much like money out of the wallet by end of month...
No, seriously, enjoying joblessness as it were, and practice. As usual. trying different things, like a simple jazzy blues finger style chomp. Which is a new thing to me, and also which sounds very nice. To my ears. Slowly getting there, time on the instrument as a well known member of this forum so eloquently puts it. Also finding that using a softish bass pick gives more of the finger sound when using a pick. Which I like. I guess I'll have to get a les paul copy one of these days. To get that Wakenius sound I want. I just can't get that sound out of a hollow body, they sound great, but not the sound I want as the only sound. Too much resonance. Or build a solid body myself. Just buy pups and neck & such. Did that once long ago, quite easy, just get the right balance, and off we go. But then again, laziness is always a problem.
And you? Playing much? Developing mastery? Drinking enough coffee?
Anyway, keep on jazzin'!
Peace
Skei (the should visit the outside, but the guitar keeps calling for attention one)
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I always practice with my full set up after my warm up
I warm up with no volume just so I can just focus really intensely on my warm up to make sure everything is going.
In Practice, I maintain everything is ear training, especially tone. Therefore I want to have my sound on when I practice so I can adjust and react to how new things sound as if I was on the stand. For me it works.
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I agree with this. Playing unamplified can create differences in attack and technique. Practice like you perform better prepares you for performance imo. Originally Posted by musicalbodger
If you gig with an amp, you should practise with an amp. Years ago I used to practise unamplified on a semi-acoustic until I started gigging with it amplified. Guess what — I found all my mistakes, which normally went by unnoticed, were suddenly amplified
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well, I'm glad we're all agreed about that one then!
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Yup, I agree too! If you're playing an electric guitar, plug it in. Otherwise it's like playing an acoustic with the body full of sand. How else will you get the proper feedback of attack, decay, tone, etc.? If you're practising for live performance, this is even more important. Originally Posted by derek
What sort of guitar are you playing? People seem to get confused about archtops, and think they're acoustics with pups, or semi-acoustic. Most of them are electric guitars. Just 'cos they're hollow, doesn't make them acoustics. Even my Peerless jazz city, loud though it is acoustically, is an electric guitar, and the unplugged sound, though quite interesting, isn't on a par with a proper acoustic. I'll get me coat.......
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OK, so I knew I'd have to play devil's advocate here, so I just wanted to share what I've found practicing unplugged. First and foremost, it makes me more aware of the real dynamics of the instrument,the whole soft, loud, muted, semi muted, sustain, clarity and accuracy thing. Accuracy is a big one, focusing on absolute synchronization of pick stroke and fret hand. I find practicing amplified distracts me from focusing on all the above, maybe it's just me. I do find, however, that electric guitarists suffer from a lack of dynamic control more than most instruments and it really bugs me, yet when I hear Segovia or Django, I'm reminded that the guitar has a multitude of colors available from the hands of the player alone.
Now, I know that you are thinking that the amp is part of the instrument, just as the piano board is part of the piano, but I insist practicing without an amp has improved my tone, dynamics and accuracy- all of which I then bring to my amplified playing.
Unlike an earlier post which suggested that plugging in "amplifies" mistakes, I find that plugging in "masks" many deficiencies. Am I alone in this?
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No, you're not. I usually practice unplugged, because of laziness, as stated in the above. When I plug in, I find it's much easier, and it's probably a good thing I play lots unplugged, but one should also practice with amp, just as someone said, because if you gig with amp you have to be used to playing with amp, it's another thing when you're plugged in, and it has to be mastered fully, but there are several sides to a coin, two big one and one thin going around it.
Peace
Skei (the adrian monk is my idol one)
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Hey Prince,
in my experience it´s just the other way around. I find that playing acousticallylacks dynamics in contrast to plugged. But that´s just my observation
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it's funny, because I hear some teachers say the same thing, practice unamplified to draw the sound from the wood, get your sound clean. Then Bob Conti tells me "never practice without an amp, b/c it's a completely different instrument. You get all these overtones, ect."
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I imagine it depends on the acoustic quality of your instrument.. I find that I need a little AMP volume in the background to hear the real tone of my Super 400 but the Johnny Smith that I just purchased is far more alive acoustically and is better played as an acoustic instrument. So that's the way I will probably practice each.
Mike
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True. And if you gig standing, you should practise standing. Gig sitting, etc. Originally Posted by musicalbodger
If you gig with an amp, you should practise with an amp. Years ago I used to practise unamplified on a semi-acoustic until I started gigging with it amplified. Guess what — I found all my mistakes, which normally went by unnoticed, were suddenly amplified
There is the odd chord that I have found I cannot play seated because I cannot emulate the same guitar/body position. So I have to stand. Being lazy, this means I don't play those chords and the band has to change key. LOL
I like to spend some of my practise time amplified, but with no reverb, and pretty flat eq. With my practise amp this keeps me very honest.
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Mainly restaurants at lunch -- small to medium sized rooms. The biggest room is 150 people. I play acoustic and sing at these gigs for about 2 hours a day. I figure that for about half-an-hour it will be too noisy to be heard all over the restaurant (only heard by a few tables nearby), but for the other 90 minutes I can be heard throughout the place. Originally Posted by The Korux
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Yep, me too. I also tend to pick with a harder pressure when I practice acoustically. I direct out from my amp to my computer and then monitor through headphones to keep my practicing quiet. Originally Posted by musicalbodger
If you gig with an amp, you should practise with an amp. Years ago I used to practise unamplified on a semi-acoustic until I started gigging with it amplified. Guess what — I found all my mistakes, which normally went by unnoticed, were suddenly amplified
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Well, yes, you do tend to play harder when unplugged as you really need to feel each note to be secure. But this is a good thing, improves articulation in much the same way that playing a guitar with monstrously high action forces you to exaggerate certain aspects of your playing. These are good habits and go some way to undoing certain bad habits. I'd like to think that any great player can sound convincing and compelling playing a Les Paul (RIP) unplugged! The real test of pure technique?
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It's easier me to focus and practice longer/better when plugged in because of the improved tone quality, so I usually do that.
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Another analogy, when running athletes run in water or train running up hills. It's not how they do their gig, and it's not the only training they do, but it help develop certain strengths faster that ordinary training......
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The story goes like this---Wes always practiced with an amp, and at home with a wife and kids, the old lady told him to pipe it down. So, his solution: keep practicing with the amp, but use his thumb in lieu of a pick.
Thus , sometimes great art emerges from strict domestic necessity
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Would the guitar equivalent be playing on a .015 string set, then switching to .008's for the gig? Originally Posted by princeplanet
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