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In many Jazz videos I sometimes see guitarists constantly fiddling with the volume and tone knobs, while others just set the knobs and go. What is accomplished by this? Are they trying to control feedback? Maybe they are purposefully trying to lower and raise the volume to create contrast?
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12-01-2012 09:46 AM
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I do it to have my volume blend with the band.
As the dynamics of the tune change, I adjust the volume. Small volume adjustments I change with technique, larger adjustments I use the volume knob.
When I'm playing differently I change the volume... when I finger-pick I raise the volume as my finger-picking technique is softer than .... when I do the Freddie Green kind of thing I turn the volume way down, sometimes all the way down and I just play acoustically... when I take a solo I turn up. It's a matter of listening and trying to have the appropriate volume for the moment.Last edited by fep; 12-01-2012 at 10:30 AM.
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I've seen this very often with certain players, and usually put it down to a nervous 'tic', as there is seldom any discernible difference produced, imho. Can become annoying to idiots like myself.
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I agree with Fep completely. Different passages or techniques may require a change in volume or tone.
If the effect isn't noticed, that's probably a good thing. You may want to pick harder on a passage but not actually have it sound much louder to the audience or, play softer and not have a volume drop, because a dynamic change is an extremely different thing than a volume change. Dynamics are so important.
I've actually started playing with a volume pedal full time if I'm playing electric. I do use it for swelling effects, but even for just conventional sounds its a HUGE help to be able to instantly change the output volume on an electric guitar. HUGE. I highly recommend it. For example, if I'm comping for somebody maybe I'll want to play single note lines along with him, but then play larger chords...at each moment there may be a specific dynamic I want to be using, and a volume pedal allows me to play at exactly the dynamic level I want and instantly adjust the output so I'm in the 'mix' exactly as loud as I want.
I think one of my least favorite things about performing music is when I have to pick at with an unnecessarily aggressive dynamic just so the guitar is heard over the band! I HATE the sound of a guitar picked too hard when it's not the right context for it!
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Agree completely. I hate to say it but watching videos of Ted Greene just put me on edge. That constant fiddling and twitching.
Originally Posted by Dad3353
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Your feelings are your feelings, but I think there's respect due that that fiddling and twitching is for YOU. It's so that the sound they produce is as close to how they want it as they can get it, for you, the listener. It's not a nervous tic, it's controlling the volume level with the intention of getting a more pleasing result.
This is kind of like saying it's annoying when artists take extra time to tune their guitars.
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Best guitar sound I ever had was from a p-90 in a cheap nearly junk electric, with the p-90 wired direct to a jack, no volume control at all. A real revelation for clean, full sound - revealed my lack of playing skills unmercifully. If I were to play live I'd look at that kind of instrument. Controls on an instrument are for perceived efficiency of control.
Ted Greene's movements never bothered me because of the beauty if his playing
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With respect, Jake; whilst this is doubtless true for many players (and is rightly appreciated...), it is certainly not always the case. I've seen many players, pro and amateur, who do this fiddling even when playing alone. Please don't take this as a dig at anyone with the courage and talent to play guitar, and it's not a major source of irritation (there are worse..!), but there are those who just fiddle, even only to touch the knob, without turning it, as if to check that it's still in the same position. Originally Posted by JakeAcci
Some folks count their change three times, others go back to check they've not left the lights on. Some folks have strange habits; I'm sure I have mine, and probably annoy too..!
No malice intended.
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I think that during live performance sometimes dynamic changes...may be this is a reason.
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I remember Frisell back with Bass Desires. Forget the guitar's knobs. He was working the amp's knobs and the pedals' knobs continually, so much so that at first it seemed as though he was worried about something. I never saw anybody do even half the fiddling. It was fun to watch, because you always heard what he was trying to do. And dynamics were only 10% of it.
Last edited by jster; 12-01-2012 at 03:35 PM.
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I tweak my knobs because I know my gear, I know the sound I like, and when I get it it feels great. Ultimately, music is meant to be listed to. If it's annoying to look at, oh well.
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Of course it is. The room changes, the number of people in it, how many drinks they've had and how noisy their conversations are, the temperature, humidity, heaps of things. And a set must have a shape of some kind, you can't just start fast and loud and keep going, you have to vary the tempo and the feel, with the aim of keeping people's attention all the way through and ending on a high point. Originally Posted by kris
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+1 Originally Posted by JohnRoss
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Most of the time, I fiddle with the volume knob in order to produce the pick attack I'm looking for.
For instance, if the volume is higher than I'd like, or than the music demands, I will have to pick softly producing a soft attack. On the other hand, if the volume is too low, I need to dig in more to get the desired volume which results in a stronger attack than needed.
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People fiddle with controls because they don't hear the sound from the perspective of the listener. They have an idealized sound in their head at any given time and are trying to replicate that aural picture - often unsuccesfully. There's a reason why there's been a strong trend among luthiers to experiment with tone ports, side-body sound holes and other methods for giving the player a richer, more accurate sonic experience. This applies mostly to sound in the moment. Recorded sound is a whole 'nother subject.
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You'll always need to adjust your volume & tone to the room and sound you're after for the whole set. Everyone deals with that or other things onstage as they work towards finding the perfect mix. I once saw Wallace Roney (trumpet) play with Tony Williams and he kept changing his mouth piece thoughout his solos, distracting at times, but not enough to take away from the performance.
Tube amps such as a princeton reverb (or tweed deluxe) can be run at full volume and adjusted via guitar volume. This can be done to nice effect, allowing a rich sound that can be pushed to overdrive when desired by dialing up the vol at the guitar. It can allow you to get the amp to break up where & when you want it to, like the way in which a sax or trumpet player can over blow or blast to get that raw driving sound.
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I just check if it's where I set it, . On Tele, it's common to turn the knob accidently, by sleve, or whatever. Sometimes, one just have to turn up the amp. You know what I mean.
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Check out Mike Landau's masterful use of all of the controls on a strat - 5 pickup combinations, hi freq rolloff on the volume pot, the bridge tone pot, volume swells, etc. I think this is the one, but there are plenty of his vids on youtube and he is constantly working his controls..
Even for archtop tone, the hi freq rolloff on the volume pot can take you someplace you'd like to go. Wes supposedly liked his amps turned up and the volume rolled off by half or more.... different sound. Try it. And, different volume and tone pots have different values, the same guitar might respond differently through different pedals (if you use them) and respond to tweaking. It's all fun and not everyone is crazy.
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