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Sweet Spots


Delta

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As in on the neck. Obviously a decent player should be able to play all over the fretboard whether it be chords or notes. Where are your favorite places to go for the sounds and tones that you prefer? For me I tend to gravitate to the upper strings low to medium on the neck for chords. For lead passages I really like the mid neck from the A string all the way up to the upper E string. For screaming leads I like to go G,B,E higher on the neck.
"Let me stand next to your fire!", Jimi Hendrix
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Every time I [pick] up the guitar, I start playing scales and improvising at the 5th fret in the key of A...I like the feel and the sound there and for some reason, it has become my sweet spot for chords too. I think it's because it is a central location with enough frets below and above the 5th fret to get my scales in order for ascending and descending through the major/minor and pentatonic modes. I can then shift this root tone starting point anywhere on the neck and utilize the same scale work in different keys... :cool:
Take care, Larryz
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Yes different strings resonate different in different ranges. Your low E at the 12th has less bite than the A at the 7th. Your high E has plenty of bite at the 12th. I can't explain the physics but my son probably could.

 

But sometime you like the duller attack on things like woman tone stuff.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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As in on the neck. Obviously a decent player should be able to play all over the fretboard whether it be chords or notes. Where are your favorite places to go for the sounds and tones that you prefer? For me I tend to gravitate to the upper strings low to medium on the neck for chords. For lead passages I really like the mid neck from the A string all the way up to the upper E string. For screaming leads I like to go G,B,E higher on the neck.

I play all over the place! All up 'n' down the fretboard! :grin: The darker areas of my fretboards, darker from playing and thus gettin' finger-grease on the wood and not drying out quite so much, show that I leave very little in the way of fret-positions untouched, in all registers. You can see that here:

 

http://i566.photobucket.com/albums/ss103/CaevanOShite/Picture_0056.jpg

 

Up high, on the plain strings, especially the 2nd and 3rd, I really like playing little double-stop oblique-bends that have one note held, the other bent up by a quarter or a third of a step- less than a half-step, a little flat of that, so that you get something right in-between minor and Major. You can lay one fingertip, usually your 1st-finger (index), across the 2nd/B and 3rd/G strings at, say, the 12th-Fret, and pull down across them, pulling/bending the 3rd/G up sharper, while letting your finger slide over the 2nd/B string, leaving it stay put, unbent; still fretted, just not bent. This gives you a cool 'ringin' a bell', Bluesy sound, that evokes Chuck Berry a little and was something that Eric Clapton did a lot.

 

To find exactly where to make this maneuver, the note fretted on the 2nd-String will be the 5th of the Key that you're playing in; the note bent on the 3rd-String will be 3rd of that key, going between minor and Major. For example, 12th-Fret for the Key of E; 10th-Fret for the Key of D; 5th-Fret for the Key of A; and so on.

 

Just a little practice will getcha there, it's more complicated to describe and explain than it is to actually do. Go forth and have a cow! :D:thu:

 

lightbulb.gif Now, it's worth pointing out here, that if a particular guitar seems to have "dead spots" in certain positions- frets where notes are dull or lackluster, kinda dead- it may not be the guitar, but an issue with the amp- IF you're playing a tube-amp, and IF it has a "phase-inverter"/"driver" tube the splits the signal going from there to the output/power-tubes.

 

If experiencing such "dead spots" on the fretboard, try the guitar through different amps to hear if that changes.

 

If so, replace the PI tube with a good one for the job that's been tested to be "Matched" or "Balanced". This can make a real "Night and Day" difference and be a fantastic improvement! I first experienced this with the help of the esteemed Myles Rose, all around great guy, renaissance man, and genuine tube-amp guru. He set me straight and it was like getting a new amp with that one MPI alone!

 

Note: not all tube-amps need a "Matched" or "Balanced" driver-tube; it varies with the design. But a lot of tube-amps do.

 

Always replace the driver-tube whenever the output/power-tubes are replaced; they work and wear out together like a team of Clydesdales. The removed tube might still be fine for other sockets, or it might be best tossed.

 

Yes different strings resonate different in different ranges. Your low E at the 12th has less bite than the A at the 7th. Your high E has plenty of bite at the 12th. I can't explain the physics but my son probably could.

 

But sometime you like the duller attack on things like woman tone stuff.

 

Exactly! One of the great things about having the same note available in multiple positions on the fretboard- same note, different strings, different frets- is that you can often pick and choose for the right tone for the specific part. I love that!

 

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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That's the thing about playing Juniors and also my Esquire though the Esquire has more tonal options from the wiring scheme. But playing my Junior at gigs I've had to delve into how to create different tones with the hands. That has been a liberating experience because I'm a spaz at heart. Give me switched and buttons I'll play with them.

 

The Guitars are a bit overpriced for what you get but I would reccomend everyone play a SG or Les Paul Junior at some point in their journey. The new SG Juniors looked nice but they're $1300 for a mahogany slab and single P90.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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I pretty much use all the notes on the fret board. (In each key of course) my songs tend to be in E, G, A, C, D, most of those I play the pentatonic minor and full natural minor, Sometimes I do use a major pentatonic and major full scale if it fits the progression. I try in my practice sessions to cover the whole fret board in one of those keys to keep myself familiar with all of the sounds available to me in that key. I rarely think in terms of which note goes well (by name) against any chord. However I think in terms of sound to sound not third to fifth etc. I just grab sounds not think in theory. Thinking in theory is only when I form the song (Originals) or in my version of a cover tune. Once I have that thought out, I just grab a sound.
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That's the thing about playing Juniors and also my Esquire though the Esquire has more tonal options from the wiring scheme. But playing my Junior at gigs I've had to delve into how to create different tones with the hands. That has been a liberating experience because I'm a spaz at heart. Give me switched and buttons I'll play with them.

 

The Guitars are a bit overpriced for what you get but I would recommend everyone play a SG or Les Paul Junior at some point in their journey.

 

Agreed. I could be very happy with a good Les Paul Junior or similar guitar with just a single bridge-pickup. A Rock 'n' Roll machine! (Or a Jazzy guitar with just one neck-pickup.) Especially a nice carved-top Les Paul, "standard", but with just one P-90 "soap bar" at the bridge- I can get Les Paul AND Tele/Esquire tones out of such an axe with my "touch" and the volume-knob.

 

:cool::rawk:

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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If I only had one pickup it would be in the jazzy neck position as that's where I leave the 3 way most of the time. For a little more rock and roll, I'll go to the center and for a little more country twang I'll go to the bridge...It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it...I also like the 4 volume and tone controls and humbuckers. That's where I find my sweet spot on electrics. I also find a sweet spot on the amp and leave it. I ignore the rest of the controls once I find my zone. I'm only using one Comp pedal and some reverb both set on their sweet spots...I keep crafting the sound I want and leave it for the most part. Equipment makes a difference and each piece seems to have a sweet spot for me. Even the volume and tone positions are all up full for now on my main axe...each guitar gets set differently than the others. I think Sweet spots make you appreciate the instrument and it improves my playing, once I find the sound(s) I'm lusting after... :cool:
Take care, Larryz
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That's the thing about playing Juniors and also my Esquire though the Esquire has more tonal options from the wiring scheme. But playing my Junior at gigs I've had to delve into how to create different tones with the hands
I definitely like a 3 pickup guitar. In fact 2 of my guitars have 3 pickups and one has 2 humbuckers. I use all three pups on the 3 pup guitars (the middle one only for that between sound of the two end pups) and both on the two humbucker guitar although the 2 pup guitar has a 5 position switch which gives me a split between the two humbuckers to give that strat style between pup sound for cleans and chords.

 

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That's the thing about playing Juniors and also my Esquire though the Esquire has more tonal options from the wiring scheme. But playing my Junior at gigs I've had to delve into how to create different tones with the hands. That has been a liberating experience because I'm a spaz at heart. Give me switched and buttons I'll play with them.

 

The Guitars are a bit overpriced for what you get but I would recommend everyone play a SG or Les Paul Junior at some point in their journey.

 

Agreed. I could be very happy with a good Les Paul Junior or similar guitar with just a single bridge-pickup. A Rock 'n' Roll machine! (Or a Jazzy guitar with just one neck-pickup.) Especially a nice carved-top Les Paul, "standard", but with just one P-90 "soap bar" at the bridge- I can get Les Paul AND Tele/Esquire tones out of such an axe with my "touch" and the volume-knob.

 

:cool::rawk:

 

 

You may like Trogly's new guitar.

 

[video:youtube]

 

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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That's the thing about playing Juniors and also my Esquire though the Esquire has more tonal options from the wiring scheme. But playing my Junior at gigs I've had to delve into how to create different tones with the hands
I definitely like a 3 pickup guitar. In fact 2 of my guitars have 3 pickups and one has 2 humbuckers. I use all three pups on the 3 pup guitars (the middle one only for that between sound of the two end pups) and both on the two humbucker guitar although the 2 pup guitar has a 5 position switch which gives me a split between the two humbuckers to give that strat style between pup sound for cleans and chords.

You may like Trogly's new guitar.

 

Not a chance I do not like Les Pauls or any Gibson guitar these days I am more into 25-1/2 scale strat style instruments.

 

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That's the thing about playing Juniors and also my Esquire though the Esquire has more tonal options from the wiring scheme. But playing my Junior at gigs I've had to delve into how to create different tones with the hands. That has been a liberating experience because I'm a spaz at heart. Give me switched and buttons I'll play with them.

 

The Guitars are a bit overpriced for what you get but I would recommend everyone play a SG or Les Paul Junior at some point in their journey.

 

Agreed. I could be very happy with a good Les Paul Junior or similar guitar with just a single bridge-pickup. A Rock 'n' Roll machine! (Or a Jazzy guitar with just one neck-pickup.) Especially a nice carved-top Les Paul, "standard", but with just one P-90 "soap bar" at the bridge- I can get Les Paul AND Tele/Esquire tones out of such an axe with my "touch" and the volume-knob.

 

:cool::rawk:

 

 

You may like Trogly's new guitar.

 

[video:youtube]

 

 

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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Sweet spots? Well, one very old favorite is holding the 7th fret "A" on the 4th string, to get the open 5th string to start feeding back. Started using that one way back in the early 70's. I've been into controlled feedback for a lo-o-ong time.

 

For leads, I find that I can cover a lot of tonal range playing between the 10th and 14th frets on all six strings, unless I need some Duane Eddy-style lows. (Of course, on an 8-string in Standard F#-E tuning, the 10th fret on the 8th string is the same "E" as your open 6th string: In E-B-E-A-D-G-B-E low-to-high tuning, that 10th fret "D" is one Whole-step lower than your open 6th string.)

 

Tonally, I tend to favor the Neck PU, and I'm a dedicated HB user. I've played, and owned, ALL manner of Guitars, some of which I wish I still had, but WTH, I suppose all of us in here can say that. After just over 45 years, the SG remains my Instrument of choice; I love the feel and the sound, and, admittedly, the look. BTW, used SG's still show up at reasonable prices, if you look.

 

Playing in a duo with a Synth/Groovebox Musician, while using a Guitar Synth and FX myself, it's very easy for us to wind up in or near the same frequency range. Sometimes, we're working on a groove, so it's cool if the sounds layer together, other times, it's better if each of us is in our own tonal territory, so to speak. That's also when I tend to bring up the Guitar voice, rather than the Synth.

 

One thing I've noticed in improvising with a Keyboardist, maybe some of the other Keyboard players in here can comment? Her approach to scales is strictly Major/minor, while mine is largely Modal. Makes for some interesting exchanges.

 

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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One thing I've noticed in improvising with a Keyboardist, maybe some of the other Keyboard players in here can comment? Her approach to scales is strictly Major/minor, while mine is largely Modal. Makes for some interesting exchanges.

 

Brings to mind a recording session with a friend of mine who was a synth player. I had played a solo in some altered scale & I was explaining to him what notes were in that scale, so he wouldn't clash. He kept insisting that a minor scale had these specific notes only & that was what he was playing. I kept saying that it was an Aeolian, not a Dorian mode. He couldn't accept that that was still a minor scale.

Scott Fraser
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One thing I've noticed in improvising with a Keyboardist, maybe some of the other Keyboard players in here can comment? Her approach to scales is strictly Major/minor, while mine is largely Modal. Makes for some interesting exchanges.

 

Brings to mind a recording session with a friend of mine who was a synth player. I had played a solo in some altered scale & I was explaining to him what notes were in that scale, so he wouldn't clash. He kept insisting that a minor scale had these specific notes only & that was what he was playing. I kept saying that it was an Aeolian, not a Dorian mode. He couldn't accept that that was still a minor scale.

 

Wow...

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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One thing I've noticed in improvising with a Keyboardist, maybe some of the other Keyboard players in here can comment? Her approach to scales is strictly Major/minor, while mine is largely Modal. Makes for some interesting exchanges.

 

Brings to mind a recording session with a friend of mine who was a synth player. I had played a solo in some altered scale & I was explaining to him what notes were in that scale, so he wouldn't clash. He kept insisting that a minor scale had these specific notes only & that was what he was playing. I kept saying that it was an Aeolian, not a Dorian mode. He couldn't accept that that was still a minor scale.

 

Wow...

 

We really do live in different, but parallel worlds, it seems . . .

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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