Guitar Tones - 3 Ways To Get A Better Guitar Sound

How many times have you been to see a band play at a local club and you've been blown away by not only the guitarist's skillful playing but also the clarity and quality of their guitar sound? Or maybe you've been less than impressed with the sound coming from the guitarist's rig? A good guitar sound is a vital component of a great-sounding live performance, or any great recording. Think about the signature guitar tones of the great players such as Mark Knopfler in Dire Straits, or David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. Would their albums be half as memorable if it wasn't for not only their great guitar playing but also their distinctly individual guitar sounds?

I've been playing guitar as a hobby for 20 years, and professionally for the past 5 years. In this time I've picked up a lot of experience that have helped me to get a guitar tone I'm happy with - it's taken many years, but by bearing the following tips in mind, I'm almost completely happy with my sound(us guitarists are rarely entirely happy!) - and I hope there's some useful info in here for you too.

1. Less Is More

The truth is that we all love to buy the latest gadgets and toys for our guitar rigs. Whether it's a new wah pedal, distortion box or multi-effects unit, it's a lot of fun to explore and experiment with the different sonic textures these add (or subtract!) from your guitar tone. The trouble is, you might find that the more pedals and signal processors you put between your guitar and your amplifier, the weaker your guitar signal gets...

One thing many of us guitar players forget is that the most important factor in determining your sound is your fingers. What you PLAY is what counts. Try using a cleaner signal path with as few digital boxes as possible, and let your amp do the talking.

2. Less Gain, Less Pain

Using excessive amounts of gain on your amplifier can have disastrous results that not only annoy your fellow band members, but also (and most importantly), your audience. Lots of gain can mean your guitar produces a horrific feedback squeal during the the gaps in your playing, which can cause hearing damage, as well as audience members leaving the gig early.

Excessive gain means your signal becomes distorted, which is great for musical styles such as rock and metal. But take the example of Angus and Malcolm Young of AC/DC... Those guys use minimal amounts of gain and let the sheer volume of their amps do the distorting. This means their sound cuts through in the mix very clear, as their sound is more solid and less broken up by distortion. Of course, you have have to work a little harder to sustain your notes (by using vibrato), but the difference in clarity to your sound is the reward.

3. Learn to really use your multieffects unit

If you're using a multi effects unit, for example a Line 6 or a Boss GT-8 or similar, you'll know just how amazing these boxes can sound. There are so many great amp simulations available, the possibilities are virtually endless. However there are so many variables, you could go mad with option anxiety before you finally find your dream guitar tone!

I think the trick here is to ignore the factory presets and design your own tones from scratch. It helps to listen to your favourite albums and try to emulate the same guitar tones you hear. The factory preset tones are usually designed to wow you in the store to make you buy it, however they're not really suitable for live use or recording. Take the time to read the manual and really understand and get to grips with the operation of the unit, and you'll be more confident in shaping your own unique guitar sound.

If you want a tip on how to really get the very best from your multi effects unit, take a look at http://www.onelouderguitars.com

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What Makes a Great Musician?

You can have two individuals, with similar musical technical ability, play the same exact notes on a guitar and receive completely different reaction from the audience. You can also have musicians who train day in and day out and become extremely good at technically manipulating their instrument but when you hear them play, they hardly evoke any emotional reaction in the audience. On the other hand, you have the other kind of musicians, who may either be technically good or not, but their delivery always triggers a palpable emotional reaction in their audience. So what is the element that makes the difference?

Maybe we can begin to answer that by following it with these questions. Does the great musician really need an instrument to become one? Or, to phrase it another way, does the instrument have anything to do in creating a great musician? The answer is, as you might have guessed, not really. The instrument is purely incidental, in fact, a great musician can merely whistle and get a favorable audience reaction. Why? because they are born with the internal knowledge of the universal language of music, also know as, the gift of music. The possession of that knowledge or talent is the critical difference between the great musician versus the instrumental player. The great musician usually has a clear connection with the musical language within themselves, making it easy for them to express it. To the extent they can tap into that energy the greater they can reach the audience. The not so great musician, on the other hand, has a blurred connection, if at all. You can play your instrument till you drop dead, if the notes are not connected to your internal language of music you are merely playing notes, not music.

The unfortunate difference between the language of music and any other language is that, you cannot learn it. If you are born with it, you can learn how to better tap into it, if you are not born with it however, you might as well take up Spanish. For those born with it, practicing your music should involve great attention to the connection of yourself to the language of music as much as the time spent with your instrument developing your technique. By that I mean, in order to tap into the energy of music easily, you will have to spend a great deal of time taking care of your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health as opposed to just concentrating on your instrument. Ultimately, it is your usefulness, in terms of inspiring and touching your audience that makes you a great musician.

Ermias Kebede is primarily a musical artist. You can listen to his work at his website: http://www.etkglobal.com

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