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Metal Players, how do you rehearse?


Dr. Ellwood

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I don't want to upset anyone with these questions, so this is more of a discovery type of post. I was wondering how metal players rehearse? Do you rehearse at full playing volume always? Can metal be practiced just sitting around with the guitar unplugged and only hearing the unamplified sound of the strings? Is it possible to rehearse you parts without the extreme volume and compression and endless sustain from a over cranked amp? Could you for instance rehearse you parts using an acoustic guitar and get any benefit out of it? Because I don't play metal I have always wondered these things.
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um, i guess it depends on what type of metal your talking about, for instance, Blind guardian has ALOT of songs that use an acoustic or clean as a lead, theres this song from children of bodom called living dead beat, at least the intro i can play on acoustic and stuff but i dont know much on other styles.
I Am But A Solution In Search Of A Problem.
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I don't really play metal anymore (though occasionally my solos harken back to those days), but I would say that (in my case at least) you can do a lot of practicing even with the guitar unplugged - chops are chops, and getting accurate with your playing doesn't require the full onslaught.

However you do need to practice at performance conditions as well - it's really the only way to completely nail the tone, sustain, etc. that you'll have when you're in front of an audience.

 

As far as practicing on an acoustic, it's a great tool to build up strength (or to work on acoustic songs/parts), but for my money the feel is too different from the typical setup on a metal guitar. You'd be practicing the song "wrong" then you'd need to unlearn things to play it "right" again.

 

My $0.02

:)

May all your thoughts be random!

- Neil

www.McFaddenArts.com

www.MikesGarageRocks.com

 

 

 

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I can field this one.

 

If you're talking about rehearsing, as in with the band... I'm one of those guys who believes you should do that at gig volume. So, yes, that would be loud.

 

However, when practicing on my own, as in writing or going over various guitar parts for songs, I can do that with an unamplified electric guitar or an acoustic. In fact, I write most of my own music acoustically, because if something rocks hard on acoustic, it'll definitely rock like all hell when electrified.

 

Somewhere there exists a videotape of my metal band playing one of our songs totally acoustically... I played banjo, the bassist played acoustic guitar and the drummer had nothing but a kick drum and a snare. And the singer stood amongst us all, hollering. It was kinda cool.

 

Small disclaimer: I am not exactly the typical metal guitarist--most of what I do is rhythmic rather than solo-related. I don't make much use of the sustain or compression that Ellwood mentions even when I play with the band. I do, however, rather enjoy the extreme volume.

\m/

Erik

"To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."

--Sun Tzu

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I think alot of bands practice at stage volumes. In the practice facility we used to rent I was often appalled by how loud some bands played in a 12x12 room. We had a hard time practicing and finally moved out when our bass player couldn't even tell what note he was playing from bleed through of other bassists in the building.
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My band usually rehearses at about 2/3 of stage volume. But then we don't play very loud; we mic everything, then if the room needs more volume, our sound op will make us as loud as we need to be. It allows us to stay in a "comfort zone" with our playing & hearing.

May all your thoughts be random!

- Neil

www.McFaddenArts.com

www.MikesGarageRocks.com

 

 

 

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Sorry. Got a little off topic. My first post was in direct response to your question. Don't know if it helps, though.

May all your thoughts be random!

- Neil

www.McFaddenArts.com

www.MikesGarageRocks.com

 

 

 

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I play at room(speaking) volumes. But like CMDN said, if it sounds good not plugged in, it's going to sound good amped up. If I'm having particular trouble with a riff, I usually mute my sound until I get it straight, then I'll turn back up and get my right hand into the action for all the subtlties.
What a horrible night to have a curse.
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When I played metal (it was more like alice in chains with fast solos)

 

We played WAY TOO LOUD!!! I mean one thing I have learned is that your drummer is the barometer for the mix. If your drummer is a sicko who actually breaks cymbals when he plays, he is going to make everyone in the band play too loud. I was like 19 going on 7, I didn't know.

 

When I see good drummers play heavy metal, or loud drums they don't hit the cymbals hard. In the scope of the mix, you don't need to. And actually it sounds better. If you see Jerry Gaskill from King's X play (he is a VERY heavy drummer) his cymbals barely move when he hits them, and he is a complete badass.

 

My first drummer would actually break cymbals and then giggle about it. It screwed up my hearing. Keith Moon didn't hit his cymbals hard but he was a powerhouse.

 

If you have a drummer that plays like a fartface then you will HAVE to play loud too. But to become a dynamic band you have to be able to play soft as good as you play loud. I think that goes with any style, even metal.

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was wondering how metal players rehearse? Do you rehearse at full playing volume always?
Not unless you live in a stadium. It is impossible. Granted it's more fun at full volume, but isn't all guitar playing?

 

Can metal be practiced just sitting around with the guitar unplugged and only hearing the unamplified sound of the strings?
Yes. See John Petrucci and myself. I rarely practice using full volume because I think it forces you to pay attention to all aspects of your playing, dynamics included.

 

Anyone who can't play clean or without full onslaught needs to go back to the basics and learn how we did it in my parents basement.

 

Is it possible to rehearse you parts without the extreme volume and compression and endless sustain from a over cranked amp? Could you for instance rehearse you parts using an acoustic guitar and get any benefit out of it?
Yes. Any metal song that cannot be played on an acoustic isn't worth hearing. Case in point: Fade to Bluegrass.
Shut up and play.
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Originally posted by ellwood:

Is it possible to rehearse you parts without the extreme volume and compression and endless sustain from a over cranked amp?

Funny you should ask. I have no problem playing live or in the studio without the extreme volume and compression and endless sustain from an "over-cranked amp" - so when I rehearse my parts, I pretty much go a much lower volume, using my normal amp settings...

 

Your perceptions of metal guitar are a bit over-generalized, my friend.

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Originally posted by Griffinator:

Originally posted by ellwood:

Is it possible to rehearse you parts without the extreme volume and compression and endless sustain from a over cranked amp?

Funny you should ask. I have no problem playing live or in the studio without the extreme volume and compression and endless sustain from an "over-cranked amp" - so when I rehearse my parts, I pretty much go a much lower volume, using my normal amp settings...

 

Your perceptions of metal guitar are a bit over-generalized, my friend.

well, that depends on what " metal " ur thinking about, if you watched the movie called " Metal: a headbangers journey " youll seee that there are soooo many diffrent styles that the perception is fuzzy =]
I Am But A Solution In Search Of A Problem.
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Originally posted by ellwood:

"Your perceptions of metal guitar are a bit over-generalized"

 

No, they are not.

Lee I sense you don't like metal and you don't like high volumes. Your question has a bit of a condisending attitude. Not liking something does not make it bad or wrong or less than something else. It's just something you don't like.

Metal is something that is too much for me because I'm old and my ears hurt. However, take thirty years off this aging body and I'd jump right into the heavy metal genre. It looks like a lot of fun.

bbach

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

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A lot of the metal of my day is now known as classic rock. Guess I'm just getting old, but for the stuff I play, Black Sabbath, KISS, Blue Oyster Cult, Alice Cooper ect... I have no problem at all playing at modest volumes. Matter of fact that is more the norm for practicing. Funny, when I was young, I played heavey metal, now I play classic rock yet it's the same music. :confused:
A.K.A. TRGuitar
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Originally posted by Bbach1:

Originally posted by ellwood:

"Your perceptions of metal guitar are a bit over-generalized"

 

No, they are not.

Lee I sense you don't like metal and you don't like high volumes. Your question has a bit of a condisending attitude. Not liking something does not make it bad or wrong or less than something else. It's just something you don't like.

Metal is something that is too much for me because I'm old and my ears hurt. However, take thirty years off this aging body and I'd jump right into the heavy metal genre. It looks like a lot of fun.

Wrong, I love high volume playing and play all the time at very high volume. If you perceive condescension in my original post you are wrong.
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Ellwood, you made a sweeping generalization in your first post:

 

Can metal be practiced just sitting around with the guitar unplugged and only hearing the unamplified sound of the strings? Is it possible to rehearse you parts without the extreme volume and compression and endless sustain from a over cranked amp?
The first, relatively innocuous question asks if I can rehearse with just my guitar. The second one insinuates that metal must be played on an over-cranked amp.

 

I don't play metal on an over-cranked amp to begin with. Therefore, I declare your statement that "all metal is played on an over-cranked amp" to be a generalization, and an incorrect one at that.

 

And you may not have intended it, but Bob isn't the only one who picked up a condescending tone in your original post.

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Originally posted by Griffinator:

Ellwood, you made a sweeping generalization in your first post:

 

Can metal be practiced just sitting around with the guitar unplugged and only hearing the unamplified sound of the strings? Is it possible to rehearse you parts without the extreme volume and compression and endless sustain from a over cranked amp?
The first, relatively innocuous question asks if I can rehearse with just my guitar. The second one insinuates that metal must be played on an over-cranked amp.

 

I don't play metal on an over-cranked amp to begin with. Therefore, I declare your statement that "all metal is played on an over-cranked amp" to be a generalization, and an incorrect one at that.

 

And you may not have intended it, but Bob isn't the only one who picked up a condescending tone in your original post.

+1

 

I think it's a good post, but maybe a (little) incinsere. sp? I haven't played totally cranked out for years. Metal sounds quite nice at room volumes.

What a horrible night to have a curse.
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Maybe I'm half asleep or something,but I'm not seeing anything negative or picking up any sort of "attitude" in Ellwoods asking of the question. I'm one of those who played classic rock,made the jump to HM,and in recent years has went back to classic rock. Notes are notes,chords are chords,and I often either go unamped or I play thru my lil Pignose. And as was mentioned before,there are a lot of heavier rock songs that have acoustic parts in them,(think of "Babe I'm gonna Leave You","Over the Hills & far Away" "The Rain Song"...I might crank it up slightly in the house on the bigger amp but that's rare. And perhaps as my hearing is still excellent (I always wear earplugs at rehearsals & concerts)that could have something to do with it as well. I can hear the corn grow.........
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"I don't play metal on an over-cranked amp to begin with. Therefore, I declare your statement that "all metal is played on an over-cranked amp" to be a generalization, and an incorrect one at that."

 

See here is where you went way wrong, with one word "ALL" where did I say "ALL".. I did not say "ALL" you fabricated that into what I posted. Now adding the "ALL" to my post IS incorrect and makes it INTO a Generalization..SO you converted it to a generalization, I didn't did I.

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I don't see anything condescending in the question either. When I came up there were no "master volumes". Certain tones and good sustain could only be achieved at maximum volume and by overdriving the amp. Practicing certain lines then pretty much meant the neighbors were going to complain. With master volumes, plate soaks, DSP and the like the equation is vastly different today.

 

A similar question, at least as I read it, would be "does Edge practice his parts without delay?".

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Right on Picker,that was supposed to be the tenor of the post! or does or can Brian Selzer practice his parts without slap-back? (the question really asks also, if you can rehearse at low volume IS it EFFECTIVE rehearsal time? or have all the effects, slap-back,distortion,compression,over dimed amps.... become so much a part of certain kinds of music the they MUST be used during practice time?
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